Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Belfégor et l'orage and other (free) online story books
Goodness, it's been a long time since I sat down and tapped away here on my beloved blog and I have so many stories bustling around in my head dying to get out that today's post really should be about an altogether different subject.
It should be about the progress we're making on our bilingual adventure. It should be about the quirky, cute little sayings both Little Man and Poppette keep me endlessly entertained with. It should be about the bumps in the road that never seem to go away but still aren't big enough for me to throw in the towel.
So...that post will come and it will come soon. But for now, I want to leave you with a link to a set of super cute stories that you can listen to whilst looking at the pages of the book on your laptop, smartphone or tablet. My favourite is Belfégor et l'orage - the story of a little dragon who can no longer breathe fire...
Click here to access that story and twelve others.
Bonne lecture
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Non-Native Treasure Trove: Everything there is to know about the summer
I've just ordered a new book and am super excited!
It's called Tout sur l'été and, if I'm totally honest, it's more of a purchase for me than it is for les enfants!
In a bid to keep up with Poppette's knowledge thirsty mind and French language needs, I'm trying everything I can to increase my own vocabulary so I don't get caught on the hop quite so often.
This book sounds like the perfect antidote to that all too common brain freeze.
It looks at pretty much everything you can think of that relates to the summer season split into three sections :- animal life, nature and daily life.
It explains scientific stuff (using a little character called Loupiote who shares his knowledge comic strip style) e.g. Why is the weather warm in summer? What causes thunder storms? Why do stars shine in the night sky? Why is it important to protect bees?
It also covers topics such flowers, insects, fruits and vegetables, all from the angle of what happens to them in the summer months. What's it like up a mountain in the summer months? Or by the sea? Why do cows produce more milk in summer?
There are also poems, rhymes, recipes and activities for the children to get involved in to help with their discovery.
A serious gem of a find.
The icing on the cake is that this book forms a part of a series. Yep... guess who'll be coughing up for a copy of Tout sur l'automne and Tout sur le printemps when the seasons begin to change!
I'll let you know whether it lives up to the hype and to my expectations when it arrives!
Now all I have to do is find time to read it. Oh Lordy.
UPDATE : 2nd May 2013
My book arrived a couple of days ago and I'm not disappointed! It's everything I had hoped for.
Here's a few photos of what you can expect to find inside:
It's called Tout sur l'été and, if I'm totally honest, it's more of a purchase for me than it is for les enfants!
In a bid to keep up with Poppette's knowledge thirsty mind and French language needs, I'm trying everything I can to increase my own vocabulary so I don't get caught on the hop quite so often.
This book sounds like the perfect antidote to that all too common brain freeze.
It looks at pretty much everything you can think of that relates to the summer season split into three sections :- animal life, nature and daily life.
It explains scientific stuff (using a little character called Loupiote who shares his knowledge comic strip style) e.g. Why is the weather warm in summer? What causes thunder storms? Why do stars shine in the night sky? Why is it important to protect bees?
It also covers topics such flowers, insects, fruits and vegetables, all from the angle of what happens to them in the summer months. What's it like up a mountain in the summer months? Or by the sea? Why do cows produce more milk in summer?
There are also poems, rhymes, recipes and activities for the children to get involved in to help with their discovery.
A serious gem of a find.
The icing on the cake is that this book forms a part of a series. Yep... guess who'll be coughing up for a copy of Tout sur l'automne and Tout sur le printemps when the seasons begin to change!
I'll let you know whether it lives up to the hype and to my expectations when it arrives!
Now all I have to do is find time to read it. Oh Lordy.
UPDATE : 2nd May 2013
My book arrived a couple of days ago and I'm not disappointed! It's everything I had hoped for.
Here's a few photos of what you can expect to find inside:
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Non-Native Treasure Trove: La Vie de Mon Doudou
Poppette loves her doudou.
For her second birthday (a few months ago now but I’ve only just got around to writing this post) Papa and I thought it would be a great idea to buy her a book in which Doudou was the star attraction.
Step forward La Vie de Mon Doudou - a brilliant French website that creates books in French where either your child or their doudou are the main protagonist.
In the interests of total honesty, I definitely think that Papa and I rate the whole idea far higher than Poppette herself. She seemed a little sceptical about the fact that it really was her Doudou. We picked the jungle theme which shows Doudou frolicking with various jungle animals in their natural habitat. Poppette must, and quite rightly too, have wondered how on earth Doudou could have made such a trip when he is never away from her side.
It's not the cheapest of gifts....and I did find myself wondering if I couldn't have created something of similar quality myself with Photoshop and a little patience!!! Still, it’s definitely worth thinking about as a gift if you want something highly personalised and original and your Photoshop skills are as lacking as mine.
For her second birthday (a few months ago now but I’ve only just got around to writing this post) Papa and I thought it would be a great idea to buy her a book in which Doudou was the star attraction.
Step forward La Vie de Mon Doudou - a brilliant French website that creates books in French where either your child or their doudou are the main protagonist.
In the interests of total honesty, I definitely think that Papa and I rate the whole idea far higher than Poppette herself. She seemed a little sceptical about the fact that it really was her Doudou. We picked the jungle theme which shows Doudou frolicking with various jungle animals in their natural habitat. Poppette must, and quite rightly too, have wondered how on earth Doudou could have made such a trip when he is never away from her side.
It's not the cheapest of gifts....and I did find myself wondering if I couldn't have created something of similar quality myself with Photoshop and a little patience!!! Still, it’s definitely worth thinking about as a gift if you want something highly personalised and original and your Photoshop skills are as lacking as mine.
Friday, 1 February 2013
Non-Native Treasure Trove - Teachers Pay Teachers - An Educational Printables Website Covering Many Languages
I've stumbled across another great website www.teacherspayteachers.com where educators upload fantastic printables that you can download for a small fee.
There are flashcards, educational games, themed learning activities such as the alphabet, colours and numbers and much much more.
The search engine isn't as user friendly as I would like....or perhaps I'm just useless :D
I have found, for example, that you can't just select either the French or the Ressources en Français option in the dropdown menu to reveal everything they have in those sections, you also have to take a stab at something you're interested in and type it into the search engine to see what it reveals e.g. Alphabet . This makes me think I probably haven't seen half of what there is on offer yet.
That said, if you're looking for English language resources the whole thing seems far easier.
They also cover French, German, Hebrew, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Spanish and Portuguese with a catchall category for 'other (Foreign Languages)'. There is another really helpful option to select the age group you need, starting at Pre-K right through to Adult Education and there's a separate option for Homeschooling.
If you take a look, let me know what you think....especially if you find something useful as I may well not have seen it yet :D
There are flashcards, educational games, themed learning activities such as the alphabet, colours and numbers and much much more.
The search engine isn't as user friendly as I would like....or perhaps I'm just useless :D
I have found, for example, that you can't just select either the French or the Ressources en Français option in the dropdown menu to reveal everything they have in those sections, you also have to take a stab at something you're interested in and type it into the search engine to see what it reveals e.g. Alphabet . This makes me think I probably haven't seen half of what there is on offer yet.
That said, if you're looking for English language resources the whole thing seems far easier.
They also cover French, German, Hebrew, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Spanish and Portuguese with a catchall category for 'other (Foreign Languages)'. There is another really helpful option to select the age group you need, starting at Pre-K right through to Adult Education and there's a separate option for Homeschooling.
If you take a look, let me know what you think....especially if you find something useful as I may well not have seen it yet :D
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Book Review : Be Bilingual
Just over a week ago, I mentioned (here) that I had read a manuscript for a fantastic eBook on multilingualism. Well, I'm pleased to say that this book is now out on general release.
Seriously, I have said it before and I shall say it again - this is the one book I have found to be most useful out of all those I have read so far on the topic of bi/multilingualism.
The book takes a fresh approach to the subject matter by providing a summary of what the experts in the field have to say and then asking actual bilingual and multilingual families to talk about their actual experience on the ground.
The real gem for me is the second part of the book which has tonnes of suggested resources and tried and tested ideas to help bi/multilingualism flourish in your family. The author herself is trilingual and has two bilingual daughters, so she has a wealth of personal experience to draw upon.
Seriously, I have said it before and I shall say it again - this is the one book I have found to be most useful out of all those I have read so far on the topic of bi/multilingualism.
The book takes a fresh approach to the subject matter by providing a summary of what the experts in the field have to say and then asking actual bilingual and multilingual families to talk about their actual experience on the ground.
The real gem for me is the second part of the book which has tonnes of suggested resources and tried and tested ideas to help bi/multilingualism flourish in your family. The author herself is trilingual and has two bilingual daughters, so she has a wealth of personal experience to draw upon.
You can read a free excerpt of the book here or buy a copy for download on Amazon (by clicking here) currently at the seriously low price of £3.82. Also, if you click on the 'Look Inside' icon on the book cover on Amazon, you'll be able to see the chapter list which will give you a good idea of the scope of the book. Chapter 5 covers raising bilingual children in a non-native language :D
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Non-Native Treasure Trove : L'oeil d'ailleurs
Poppette loves books.
Papa and I love books.
Little Man is surrounded by books and I hope to foster in him a similar passion for them too.
So... when I stumbled upon the wonderful blog l'oeil d'ailleurs, I literally jumped for joy :D
This little gem does an almost daily review of a wonderful array of children's books (including picture books, word books, classic fables and much much more) for children between the ages of 2 and 10.
I have found some amazing titles for Poppette and Little Man here. The next on my list is 'P'tit Biscuit ou l'histoire du bonhomme de pain d'épices qui ne voulut pas finir en miettes' [Little Biscuit or the story of the gingerbread man who didn't want to end up as crumbs]. You can read the L'oeil d'ailleurs review here.
Papa and I love books.
Little Man is surrounded by books and I hope to foster in him a similar passion for them too.
So... when I stumbled upon the wonderful blog l'oeil d'ailleurs, I literally jumped for joy :D
This little gem does an almost daily review of a wonderful array of children's books (including picture books, word books, classic fables and much much more) for children between the ages of 2 and 10.
I have found some amazing titles for Poppette and Little Man here. The next on my list is 'P'tit Biscuit ou l'histoire du bonhomme de pain d'épices qui ne voulut pas finir en miettes' [Little Biscuit or the story of the gingerbread man who didn't want to end up as crumbs]. You can read the L'oeil d'ailleurs review here.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Non-Native Treasure Trove : Il était une histoire
Il était une histore is a fantastic free resource overflowing with French stories, songs and nursery rhymes for children between the ages of 3 and 10.
It already boasts a catalogue of around 100 stories and a new story is added to the site every Friday.
An element that particularly appeals to me is the 'Documentaires' section which teaches children about different countries, the weather, various customs and much more.
To top it off, not only are the stories available to read, you can also opt to listen to them in MP3 format. Some even have a 'karaoke' option which allows children to read along.
A large part of the site is open for access to anyone. There's also a bonus section containing colouring pages, puzzles and printables if you register to the site.
For more information about how the site works, click here to see la visite guidée.
For those of you looking for English language activities to do with your children, you will also find an 'Anglais' section containing English stories and rhymes etc click here if you're interested.
It already boasts a catalogue of around 100 stories and a new story is added to the site every Friday.
An element that particularly appeals to me is the 'Documentaires' section which teaches children about different countries, the weather, various customs and much more.
To top it off, not only are the stories available to read, you can also opt to listen to them in MP3 format. Some even have a 'karaoke' option which allows children to read along.
A large part of the site is open for access to anyone. There's also a bonus section containing colouring pages, puzzles and printables if you register to the site.
For more information about how the site works, click here to see la visite guidée.
For those of you looking for English language activities to do with your children, you will also find an 'Anglais' section containing English stories and rhymes etc click here if you're interested.
Monday, 26 November 2012
Guest Post for Ma Puce : Bilingualism and My Family
When an email dropped into my inbox recently from Luci McQuitty, the brains behind Ma Puce, asking me to do a guest post, I jumped at the chance.
Ma Puce is an online resource aimed at helping parents teach their 0 - 6 year old children French. It started out as Luci's way to focus her efforts on teaching her own daughter French and grew from there. It's a great place for non-native parents to get advice, resource ideas and honest product reviews and I hope that, by sharing my family's story, I can help Luci in her bid to help others find the confidence to take the plunge and speak French to their own children.
Head over to Ma Puce (by clicking here) to read my post about bilingualism and my family.
In the post, you will also find a link to a giveaway of Be Bilingual, a great new eguide on bilingualism which is due to be published shortly.
The book is written by Annika Bourgogne, a trilingual mother of two girls who is, like me, extremely passionate about bi/multilingualism. I recently read Annika's manuscript and it takes the top spot on the list of books that I have read on bilingualism (and i've read a few!!!). It summarises what the experts are saying and what actual bilingual families are saying and is packed full of tried and tested tips and resource ideas. You can read an excerpt of the book by clicking here.
Ma Puce is an online resource aimed at helping parents teach their 0 - 6 year old children French. It started out as Luci's way to focus her efforts on teaching her own daughter French and grew from there. It's a great place for non-native parents to get advice, resource ideas and honest product reviews and I hope that, by sharing my family's story, I can help Luci in her bid to help others find the confidence to take the plunge and speak French to their own children.
Head over to Ma Puce (by clicking here) to read my post about bilingualism and my family.
In the post, you will also find a link to a giveaway of Be Bilingual, a great new eguide on bilingualism which is due to be published shortly.
The book is written by Annika Bourgogne, a trilingual mother of two girls who is, like me, extremely passionate about bi/multilingualism. I recently read Annika's manuscript and it takes the top spot on the list of books that I have read on bilingualism (and i've read a few!!!). It summarises what the experts are saying and what actual bilingual families are saying and is packed full of tried and tested tips and resource ideas. You can read an excerpt of the book by clicking here.
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Getting Crafty : Exploring Prepositions Dans le Jardin des Rêves (In the Night Garden)
This week, I decided to spend some time exploring prepositions with Poppette. Hoping to make it feel like a game rather than a lesson, I decided to make a 'sticky board' based on one of her favourite cartoon series - Dans le Jardin des Rêves (In the Night Garden).
It's amazing what you can do with an old children's magazine, card, glue, scissors and, of course, my old favourite - contact paper :D - from these I created a selection of her favourite characters which she could then stick to the sticky board.
The sticky board itself serves as a simple backing scene with trees and grass.
In hindsight, if I were to do this again with the distinct goal of exploring prepositions, I would probably go for something different on the backing scene. Something like a picture of a toy box - simple and far easier to demonstrate words such as on, inside, in etc
It's amazing what you can do with an old children's magazine, card, glue, scissors and, of course, my old favourite - contact paper :D - from these I created a selection of her favourite characters which she could then stick to the sticky board.
The sticky board itself serves as a simple backing scene with trees and grass.
In hindsight, if I were to do this again with the distinct goal of exploring prepositions, I would probably go for something different on the backing scene. Something like a picture of a toy box - simple and far easier to demonstrate words such as on, inside, in etc
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Getting Crafty - Homemade Counting and Colour Recognition Game
I am definitely not known for my creative talent.... In fact, far from it. However, there's something in me that just wants to get busy with my art and craft supplies to create fun activities to do with Poppette and Little Man.
The beauty of it is that these kinds of activities present myriad language learning opportunities as well as keeping play fresh and fun.
Today I made this 'sticky fish bowl' and ten little coloured fish so that Poppette and I can practice counting and colour recognition. The water in the bowl is sticky (I attached contact paper sticky side up) and the fish are covered in contact paper so that Poppette can stick them on and pull them off to her hearts content.
I can't wait to get playing tomorrow.... In fact, I almost want to go and wake Poppette up now (it's quarter to midnight!!!) so that we can get started right away.....:-D
The beauty of it is that these kinds of activities present myriad language learning opportunities as well as keeping play fresh and fun.
Today I made this 'sticky fish bowl' and ten little coloured fish so that Poppette and I can practice counting and colour recognition. The water in the bowl is sticky (I attached contact paper sticky side up) and the fish are covered in contact paper so that Poppette can stick them on and pull them off to her hearts content.
I can't wait to get playing tomorrow.... In fact, I almost want to go and wake Poppette up now (it's quarter to midnight!!!) so that we can get started right away.....:-D
Monday, 6 August 2012
Hearing about French Baby & Toddler Club, CouCou, makes me want to move to London
When I first heard about CouCou, the East London based French club for babies and toddlers, I wanted to pack our bags and upsticks.
Why, oh why is all the good stuff in London????
Well...for those of you lucky enough to live in the Big Smoke, I just want to wax lyrical a little about this great club and hopefully, you will have the chance to go and check it out for yourselves. If you do go, please come back and leave a comment here to tell me how it was.
You may have already seen the posters for the group round and about with their catchy tag "Chante avec moi" (Sing with me).
The group itself was the brainchild of a group of four non-native French speaking mothers of children ranging from 6 months to 2 years in age. When the singing group that these mamans had been going to suddenly closed its doors, they put their heads together to come up with a plan for creating an environment where francophone babies and toddlers and their mamans could go to indulge in a little singing, storytime, games and activites all in French. Thus, Coucou was born.
Each session has the same format, with a welcome song "J'ai un nom" where the group sing hello to each child one by one, followed by songs, nursery rhymes, games and activities based around a different theme each week and then, five more songs (which are the same each week to help the children learn through repetition). Each session ends with a story and a goodbye song.
Previous themes have included :- Parmi les oiseaux, les voyages, à la ferme, le corps, les nombres and un voyage à la campagne (which included singing 'Promenons nous dans les bois', il court, il court le furet', 'dans la fôret lointaine and a countryside walk where the children had to keep their eyes out for Monsieur Le Lapin).
Sessions take place every Monday at 10 am in the Childrens' Room at Dalston C.L.R. James Library, Dalston Square, London E8 3BQ.
Check out their Facebook page at facebook.com/coucouhackney .
Poppette would love it, of that I am sure!!!
Why, oh why is all the good stuff in London????
Well...for those of you lucky enough to live in the Big Smoke, I just want to wax lyrical a little about this great club and hopefully, you will have the chance to go and check it out for yourselves. If you do go, please come back and leave a comment here to tell me how it was.
You may have already seen the posters for the group round and about with their catchy tag "Chante avec moi" (Sing with me).
The group itself was the brainchild of a group of four non-native French speaking mothers of children ranging from 6 months to 2 years in age. When the singing group that these mamans had been going to suddenly closed its doors, they put their heads together to come up with a plan for creating an environment where francophone babies and toddlers and their mamans could go to indulge in a little singing, storytime, games and activites all in French. Thus, Coucou was born.
Each session has the same format, with a welcome song "J'ai un nom" where the group sing hello to each child one by one, followed by songs, nursery rhymes, games and activities based around a different theme each week and then, five more songs (which are the same each week to help the children learn through repetition). Each session ends with a story and a goodbye song.
Previous themes have included :- Parmi les oiseaux, les voyages, à la ferme, le corps, les nombres and un voyage à la campagne (which included singing 'Promenons nous dans les bois', il court, il court le furet', 'dans la fôret lointaine and a countryside walk where the children had to keep their eyes out for Monsieur Le Lapin).
Sessions take place every Monday at 10 am in the Childrens' Room at Dalston C.L.R. James Library, Dalston Square, London E8 3BQ.
Check out their Facebook page at facebook.com/coucouhackney .
Poppette would love it, of that I am sure!!!
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Non-native Bilingualism - My Top Five Tips
Recently, I was asked to share my top tips for those considering non-native bilingualism by the author of an upcoming ebook relating to multilingualism.
This got me thinking what a great blog post that could make and what a wonderful way for me to give a few tips to others whilst thanking those that have done the same for me.
When I first even considered the prospect of speaking French with my children, I did a lot of research (for those of you that know me... this will come as no surprise....oooh how I love research).
I would definitely credit a couple of really kind and helpful people for giving me the courage to get started. Papa of Papa et Piaf, Sarah of Bringing up Baby Bilingual, Corey Heller of Multilingual Living fame..... each of these people, despite never having met me, took the time and effort to respond to my queries, writing helpful encouraging personal emails to me and that is something I will be forever grateful for.
Once I got started, I came accross more and more people out there with shared goals and visions, people who had already begun wandering the same or a similar path, that were only too happy to provide advice, encouragement and personal stories. One person in particular - (Tamara... it's time for you to stand up and be counted - and I do apologise for making you blush since you are, indeed, hosting this month's carnival for which I am penning this very post) - got me through the extreme wobbles that epitomised the first 6 months or so of our journey.
Since then, I have "met" many many more wonderful, inspiring people.
So, onto my tips. I would say that for me, the following things have been invaluable:-
1 Build a support circle of like minded people.
My blog has helped hugely here. Through it I have connected with so many people I otherwise wouldn't had the fortune to connect with.
Also, I have found that utilising resources such as the forum on the Mulitilingual Living website has really helped to find like minded people.
I have also made real efforts to grow my circle of friends to include more french speakers or people interested in language.
2 Avoid people and situations that stunt your language use - at least when you first start out.
If there are situations or certain people that zap your confidence to speak your second language, then my advice is stay clear of them until you no longer feel that way. Seriously, I just always remind myself of the bigger picture and our ultimate goal of having bilingual children and think why should I let naysayers (or my reaction to them) jeopordise that?
Also, I remember just how self conscious I used to be speaking French to my English daughter in England in public. Don't let that stop you. Don't let your own insecurities deprive you and derail you. It is a fair assumption that the very people you think might be laughing at your language ability are actually rather impressed or at least intruiged - and the majority probably don' speak your second language fluently enough to hear any mistakes you might be making anyway.
3 Build your resources.
There are so many great resources out there - things to suit everyones taste and language learning/ language consumption preferences.
There's lots of free stuff online plus of course there are millions of books, DVDs, CDs and bilingual toys etc.
As a non-native, my experience has been that I am often learning niche language alongside my children or just ahead of them and so resources that they enjoy using have often first been devoured by me.
4 Practice practice practice.
At first my language use felt a little artificial. Now, due to having spoken french everyday for upwards of the past 17 months, it has become second nature and I would go as far as saying it feels artificial if I have to speak english with my daughter as I am not used to doing so.
Also, take any opportunity you have to listen to or speak your second language wth others.
5 Remember that language is only one part of your relationship with your children.
It is very easy to get caught up in the whole bilingual enterprise to a degree that you no longer see the wood for the trees. It's good to sit back and take stock now and again. A fun and loving relationship has to come first. If you are lucky enough to be able to throw an extra language into that then great.
If you are interested in looking a little deeper into how things work in our home from a bilingual perspective, you can pop over to Gato et Canard (gatoandcanard.blogspot.co.uk) and read a recent interview I did with its host Annabelle - "Multilingualism in my family (Nichola's Story)".
This got me thinking what a great blog post that could make and what a wonderful way for me to give a few tips to others whilst thanking those that have done the same for me.
When I first even considered the prospect of speaking French with my children, I did a lot of research (for those of you that know me... this will come as no surprise....oooh how I love research).
I would definitely credit a couple of really kind and helpful people for giving me the courage to get started. Papa of Papa et Piaf, Sarah of Bringing up Baby Bilingual, Corey Heller of Multilingual Living fame..... each of these people, despite never having met me, took the time and effort to respond to my queries, writing helpful encouraging personal emails to me and that is something I will be forever grateful for.
Once I got started, I came accross more and more people out there with shared goals and visions, people who had already begun wandering the same or a similar path, that were only too happy to provide advice, encouragement and personal stories. One person in particular - (Tamara... it's time for you to stand up and be counted - and I do apologise for making you blush since you are, indeed, hosting this month's carnival for which I am penning this very post) - got me through the extreme wobbles that epitomised the first 6 months or so of our journey.
Since then, I have "met" many many more wonderful, inspiring people.
So, onto my tips. I would say that for me, the following things have been invaluable:-
1 Build a support circle of like minded people.
My blog has helped hugely here. Through it I have connected with so many people I otherwise wouldn't had the fortune to connect with.
Also, I have found that utilising resources such as the forum on the Mulitilingual Living website has really helped to find like minded people.
I have also made real efforts to grow my circle of friends to include more french speakers or people interested in language.
2 Avoid people and situations that stunt your language use - at least when you first start out.
If there are situations or certain people that zap your confidence to speak your second language, then my advice is stay clear of them until you no longer feel that way. Seriously, I just always remind myself of the bigger picture and our ultimate goal of having bilingual children and think why should I let naysayers (or my reaction to them) jeopordise that?
Also, I remember just how self conscious I used to be speaking French to my English daughter in England in public. Don't let that stop you. Don't let your own insecurities deprive you and derail you. It is a fair assumption that the very people you think might be laughing at your language ability are actually rather impressed or at least intruiged - and the majority probably don' speak your second language fluently enough to hear any mistakes you might be making anyway.
3 Build your resources.
There are so many great resources out there - things to suit everyones taste and language learning/ language consumption preferences.
There's lots of free stuff online plus of course there are millions of books, DVDs, CDs and bilingual toys etc.
As a non-native, my experience has been that I am often learning niche language alongside my children or just ahead of them and so resources that they enjoy using have often first been devoured by me.
4 Practice practice practice.
At first my language use felt a little artificial. Now, due to having spoken french everyday for upwards of the past 17 months, it has become second nature and I would go as far as saying it feels artificial if I have to speak english with my daughter as I am not used to doing so.
Also, take any opportunity you have to listen to or speak your second language wth others.
5 Remember that language is only one part of your relationship with your children.
It is very easy to get caught up in the whole bilingual enterprise to a degree that you no longer see the wood for the trees. It's good to sit back and take stock now and again. A fun and loving relationship has to come first. If you are lucky enough to be able to throw an extra language into that then great.
If you are interested in looking a little deeper into how things work in our home from a bilingual perspective, you can pop over to Gato et Canard (gatoandcanard.blogspot.co.uk) and read a recent interview I did with its host Annabelle - "Multilingualism in my family (Nichola's Story)".
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Sensory Play
This week I have been exploring colour and texture with Poppette. There are so many ways to stimulate the mind and imagination of a curious toddler whilst at the same time providing a great opportunity for language enrichment. I find many of my ideas on Pinterest (you can take a peek at my boards here) and on some great activity blogs which I follow. I have provided links to my sources below so do have a look if you're interested.
By far our favourite activity so far (and, when I say this, I mean the one that Poppette responded to the best in terms of enjoyment and time spent exlporing/ playing) was the mess free finger painting (idea from Hippie Housewife). It's soooo simple. I used the idea to introduce Poppette to the colour red. I simply gave her the paint board, showed her how to make a mark with her hand and a couple of other objects and then sat back and watched.... at first she squished the paint with her hands and we discussed how it felt (or rather, should I say, I spoke to her about how it might possibly feel to her), then I gave her a selection of red toys/ objects and she experimented with the effect that they had when she used them on the paint board e.g. she drove her red car over it and we looked at the tracks it made, she scraped a red fork over it, she stamped red shapes on it... she even walked and danced on it!!! So there was plenty to discuss whilst she amused herself.
We have also had fun with discovery bottles (idea from Pink Pistachio). I filled a bottle with water, pom poms and buttons in primary colours (and a couple of googly eyes just for extra fun). This gave us fabulous scope for discussing colours, things that float and sink, about bubbles which appear when you shake the bottle, about the sounds that you hear when you roll, shake or tip the bottle upside down and that's just for starters. As with anything, the trick is to be lucky enough to pick contents that will hold your child's attention. Poppette is quick to leave to one side items that she deems to be of little interest (despite the time and effort her poor maman has put into their creation :D )
Finally, I made up a treasure basket (idea from Counting Coconuts). This is the first one I have ever attempted and I have to say I don't think it was a grand success. I looked around the apartment for things that Poppette hadn't come accross before that I thought she might like to touch, smell or look at. Inevitably, a few of these things were subjected to the taste test so I made sure I stayed by her side to supervise accordingly :D They key here is, again,to pick objects that will intrigue your child. I failed miserably. Poppette enjoyed scrunching the bubble wrap and playing with the bottle and jar lids and measuring cups but the rest of the contents just sat there looking...well, on reflection, I guess they looked BORING!!!
I have also come across some great ideas for texture cards (here at Engaging Toddler Activities and here at My Delicious Ambiguity) which I plan to adapt so that we can continue to play, learn and explore.
If you have any ideas for fun learning activities that you would like to share, I would love to hear them.
By far our favourite activity so far (and, when I say this, I mean the one that Poppette responded to the best in terms of enjoyment and time spent exlporing/ playing) was the mess free finger painting (idea from Hippie Housewife). It's soooo simple. I used the idea to introduce Poppette to the colour red. I simply gave her the paint board, showed her how to make a mark with her hand and a couple of other objects and then sat back and watched.... at first she squished the paint with her hands and we discussed how it felt (or rather, should I say, I spoke to her about how it might possibly feel to her), then I gave her a selection of red toys/ objects and she experimented with the effect that they had when she used them on the paint board e.g. she drove her red car over it and we looked at the tracks it made, she scraped a red fork over it, she stamped red shapes on it... she even walked and danced on it!!! So there was plenty to discuss whilst she amused herself.
We have also had fun with discovery bottles (idea from Pink Pistachio). I filled a bottle with water, pom poms and buttons in primary colours (and a couple of googly eyes just for extra fun). This gave us fabulous scope for discussing colours, things that float and sink, about bubbles which appear when you shake the bottle, about the sounds that you hear when you roll, shake or tip the bottle upside down and that's just for starters. As with anything, the trick is to be lucky enough to pick contents that will hold your child's attention. Poppette is quick to leave to one side items that she deems to be of little interest (despite the time and effort her poor maman has put into their creation :D )
Finally, I made up a treasure basket (idea from Counting Coconuts). This is the first one I have ever attempted and I have to say I don't think it was a grand success. I looked around the apartment for things that Poppette hadn't come accross before that I thought she might like to touch, smell or look at. Inevitably, a few of these things were subjected to the taste test so I made sure I stayed by her side to supervise accordingly :D They key here is, again,to pick objects that will intrigue your child. I failed miserably. Poppette enjoyed scrunching the bubble wrap and playing with the bottle and jar lids and measuring cups but the rest of the contents just sat there looking...well, on reflection, I guess they looked BORING!!!
I have also come across some great ideas for texture cards (here at Engaging Toddler Activities and here at My Delicious Ambiguity) which I plan to adapt so that we can continue to play, learn and explore.
If you have any ideas for fun learning activities that you would like to share, I would love to hear them.
Thursday, 29 March 2012
La Passion du Papier.... My New Guilty Pleasure
As if I needed another excuse to spend money on building my bilingual resource mountain!!!
Just over a week or so ago, I stumbled upon La Passion du Papier and there's been no turning back. They stock bilingual books in several language pairs and also some great wall friezes.... I particularly like the weather frieze.
Originally, I had steered away from bilingual texts for reasons I can no longer recall. However, having received my first shipment, I can honestly say that it's a fantastic way to allow for both Maman and Papa to read comfortably to Poppette without the need for on the hoof translation one way or the other.
Now I'm just counting down the days until our weather wall frieze arrives. Poppette really seems to love learning about the weather and can already point out the sun and the snow so i'm looking forward to adding to this knowledge with such a beautifully illustrated tool.
Just over a week or so ago, I stumbled upon La Passion du Papier and there's been no turning back. They stock bilingual books in several language pairs and also some great wall friezes.... I particularly like the weather frieze.
Originally, I had steered away from bilingual texts for reasons I can no longer recall. However, having received my first shipment, I can honestly say that it's a fantastic way to allow for both Maman and Papa to read comfortably to Poppette without the need for on the hoof translation one way or the other.
Now I'm just counting down the days until our weather wall frieze arrives. Poppette really seems to love learning about the weather and can already point out the sun and the snow so i'm looking forward to adding to this knowledge with such a beautifully illustrated tool.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
English Language DVDs with French Language Options
As many of us know only too well, the costs of buying French language DVDs and having them shipped over from France can really mount up.
Fortunately for us, another non-native Maman who is a friend of mine has done an awful lot of research into which English DVDs can be bought with a French language option (she has also helpfully noted the other available language options).
I have added this list to the DVD section of my resource page which can be accessed by the "Resource" tab at the top of this page.
Many of the DVDs on the list are far cheaper to buy (through Amazon.co.uk) than their French counterparts (through Amazon.fr) even before you discount the cost of international postage.
Fortunately for us, another non-native Maman who is a friend of mine has done an awful lot of research into which English DVDs can be bought with a French language option (she has also helpfully noted the other available language options).
I have added this list to the DVD section of my resource page which can be accessed by the "Resource" tab at the top of this page.
Many of the DVDs on the list are far cheaper to buy (through Amazon.co.uk) than their French counterparts (through Amazon.fr) even before you discount the cost of international postage.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Bilingualism Should Equal Fun and Frolics and Not Stress and Hassle
Multilingual Living ran a great article a couple of weeks ago setting out 10 things you should NEVER say to your bilingual child. Corey Heller, the author, is a real inspiration and I have lost count of the times that one of her pearls of wisdoms has given me renewed motivation or food for thought along this multilingual path.
It's a good thing for us all to remember that bilingualism is a fabulous thing but only if it does not come at the expense of relationships and harmony within ones family unit.
To this end (keeping things light and fun) our home at the moment is filled with music and stories. Poppette is really loving listening to music right now and always points at the stereo insistently whenever it isn't on. We have been stocking up on fabulous music CD's, story CD's and books. Some of the most recent and highly recommended ones are:-
50 Histoires à lire en turbulette a great set of stories and rhymes for young children with gorgeous illustrations.
Contemimes a CD with music and short songs for young children. The music here is really lively and so so different from any other CD we own. Very original and a wealth of great vocab for young ones to learn whilst having fun. This CD comes with a book with the song lyrics in and suggested hand mimes to do along to the songs.
Coco et les bulles de savon a short story book with illustrations accompanied by a CD with a spoken version of the story set to music and real sounds (such as the bath running at the appropriate point in the story). Coco is a cheeky little monkey who gets himself into all sorts of scrapes. There is a whole series of Coco CD/book combos available and we will definitely be increasing our collection.
If anyone has any suggestions of other fun books or CD's do let me know.
Ooh that reminds me - Maria over at Busy as a bee in Paris posted a link to another blog (The Inspiration Thief) which also took me to another blog (Oopsey Daisy) with a great idea for Christmas Book Advent Calendars. It’s a little late for me to sort for this year but it will be at the top of my 'To Do List' for next Christmas. The idea is that you get 24 Christmas themed books (or maybe mix it up with an activity or a project) and wrap them up for your little one(s) to open each day until Christmas... the opportunities this would open up for having fun in the minority language seem limitless.... Joyeux Noël everyone.
It's a good thing for us all to remember that bilingualism is a fabulous thing but only if it does not come at the expense of relationships and harmony within ones family unit.
To this end (keeping things light and fun) our home at the moment is filled with music and stories. Poppette is really loving listening to music right now and always points at the stereo insistently whenever it isn't on. We have been stocking up on fabulous music CD's, story CD's and books. Some of the most recent and highly recommended ones are:-
50 Histoires à lire en turbulette a great set of stories and rhymes for young children with gorgeous illustrations.
Contemimes a CD with music and short songs for young children. The music here is really lively and so so different from any other CD we own. Very original and a wealth of great vocab for young ones to learn whilst having fun. This CD comes with a book with the song lyrics in and suggested hand mimes to do along to the songs.
Coco et les bulles de savon a short story book with illustrations accompanied by a CD with a spoken version of the story set to music and real sounds (such as the bath running at the appropriate point in the story). Coco is a cheeky little monkey who gets himself into all sorts of scrapes. There is a whole series of Coco CD/book combos available and we will definitely be increasing our collection.
If anyone has any suggestions of other fun books or CD's do let me know.
Ooh that reminds me - Maria over at Busy as a bee in Paris posted a link to another blog (The Inspiration Thief) which also took me to another blog (Oopsey Daisy) with a great idea for Christmas Book Advent Calendars. It’s a little late for me to sort for this year but it will be at the top of my 'To Do List' for next Christmas. The idea is that you get 24 Christmas themed books (or maybe mix it up with an activity or a project) and wrap them up for your little one(s) to open each day until Christmas... the opportunities this would open up for having fun in the minority language seem limitless.... Joyeux Noël everyone.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
A short update and details of a useful little website
It's all been very quiet on the language development front since I last posted. In fact, I would go as far as to say Poppette has seemingly stopped using the word 'Ouais' (yeah) for now and the only word she is using at the moment is 'ta'. I have read that it is quite common in the early language development of children that they stop and start with the words they use.
Although she is not currently saying much (although she does chatter away in her own little Poppette langauge quite merrily), she understands and reacts to more and more every day, showing us that she is soaking up the language around her.
By way of an aside, I have found what promises to be a useful website called 0-5.com http://www.0-5ans.com/menu_Accueil.html - it has a wealth of interesting games, recipes, nursery ryhme words and much, much more in French for the 0-5 age group.
Although she is not currently saying much (although she does chatter away in her own little Poppette langauge quite merrily), she understands and reacts to more and more every day, showing us that she is soaking up the language around her.
By way of an aside, I have found what promises to be a useful website called 0-5.com http://www.0-5ans.com/menu_Accueil.html - it has a wealth of interesting games, recipes, nursery ryhme words and much, much more in French for the 0-5 age group.
Monday, 20 June 2011
George Saunders just landed on my doorstep.....
George Saunders is arguably the most well known non-native bilingual parent of them all. His book "Bilingual Children: From Birth to Teens" is held in the highest of esteem and has become somewhat of a bible for many people who are considering or who have already begun bilingual parenting.
Born inAustralia
I have hunted high and low for this book. It is out of print and sells for a king's ransom. I thought all my Christmases had come at once when the local librarian found a copy on the library catalogue... only to see his crest fallen face moments later when he realised it had been nicked six years ago.
Oh well... King's ransom or not... I just have to read this book.
It arrived this morning. I can see me not getting much sleep this week as I try to cram all 258 pages in during Poppette's downtime.
Born in
I have hunted high and low for this book. It is out of print and sells for a king's ransom. I thought all my Christmases had come at once when the local librarian found a copy on the library catalogue... only to see his crest fallen face moments later when he realised it had been nicked six years ago.
Oh well... King's ransom or not... I just have to read this book.
It arrived this morning. I can see me not getting much sleep this week as I try to cram all 258 pages in during Poppette's downtime.
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Today's Buzz
Continuing the theme of talking French to Poppette as much as humanly possible and in the interests of keeping things fresh and fun for the both of us, I am always on the look out for new ways to amuse. Today's inspiration came from a great little book called 365 activités avec mon bébé - in the guise of activity 244 "Marielle L'abeille".....(Marielle the bee).
We already had a head start in that Poppette has a small bee with a very similar name - Poppette's bee is named Mireille after the character in her book by Antoon Krings - Mireille L'abeille. She also has a beloved little bear whom I have affectionally named Nounours (Teddybear). So, out came the two cute little soft toys and I set about learning the little story set out at activity 244 by heart...
Connais-tu Mireille?
Elle est jaune et noir
Elle aime le soleil, les fleurs et le miel.
Un jour sur sa route, elle croise un gros ours
Qui veut lui voler son beau pot doré.
Hors de ma vue, compère Ours!
Si tu voles mon déjeuner,
Je serai obligée de te piquer le nez!
(Translation:-
Do you know Mireille?
She is yellow and black
She loves the sunshine, flowers and honey.
One day when she is out and about she bumps into a big bear
who wants to steal her golden pot.
Out of my way, Dear Bear!
If you steal my lunch,
I will have to sting you on the nose!)
What a gorgeous little story.
Bees aside, the other buzz of the day - Poppette made two more sounds! Almost a month to the day that she first said "Dada", this morning she added "mamama" and "nanana" to her repertoire. Although I am aware that these are just sounds and not actual words that Poppette is linking to people as yet, I would be fibbing if I said I didn't feel a tingle of excitement down my spine when she said "mamama" and I know that when Nanny hears her say "nanana" she will be hard pressed not to feel the same...
We already had a head start in that Poppette has a small bee with a very similar name - Poppette's bee is named Mireille after the character in her book by Antoon Krings - Mireille L'abeille. She also has a beloved little bear whom I have affectionally named Nounours (Teddybear). So, out came the two cute little soft toys and I set about learning the little story set out at activity 244 by heart...
Connais-tu Mireille?
Elle est jaune et noir
Elle aime le soleil, les fleurs et le miel.
Un jour sur sa route, elle croise un gros ours
Qui veut lui voler son beau pot doré.
Hors de ma vue, compère Ours!
Si tu voles mon déjeuner,
Je serai obligée de te piquer le nez!
(Translation:-
Do you know Mireille?
She is yellow and black
She loves the sunshine, flowers and honey.
One day when she is out and about she bumps into a big bear
who wants to steal her golden pot.
Out of my way, Dear Bear!
If you steal my lunch,
I will have to sting you on the nose!)
What a gorgeous little story.
Bees aside, the other buzz of the day - Poppette made two more sounds! Almost a month to the day that she first said "Dada", this morning she added "mamama" and "nanana" to her repertoire. Although I am aware that these are just sounds and not actual words that Poppette is linking to people as yet, I would be fibbing if I said I didn't feel a tingle of excitement down my spine when she said "mamama" and I know that when Nanny hears her say "nanana" she will be hard pressed not to feel the same...
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Positivity
I just had to sit and write down my thoughts and feelings this evening to make sure that I capture this positive moment in black and white – it will hopefully help to keep me on the straight and narrow should I have a shaky moment going forward.
Speaking French with Poppette seems to have taken on a life of its own this week. I am trying to analyse why…. So that I can bottle it and use it as and when necessary!
We have had practically total immersion for a few days. Yesterday was spent with a French friend (my language swap buddy) and her three children and we didn’t speak English at all. It’s fabulous to be able to surround Poppette with others speaking this beautiful language.
I have been speaking exclusively French with Poppette this week and, to my great delight, I even maintained this when I had workmen over and when we were out and about. It definitely seems to be getting easier now that Poppette is becoming more and more interactive. Even though she cannot yet respond in any language, she is soaking up the speech around her and reacting to it. The crazy fact is that she understands French just as much as she understands English at this stage because she is surrounded by both languages. I have to pinch myself really to make myself believe that this is her reality. For me to stop now would be taking something away from her .
I have to admit that I am still lagging behind where I would like to be in terms of speaking French to Poppette in the company of friends and family. I have realised recently that, in large, the reason for this is that I actually fear (totally unjustifiably I might add) that people that have never heard me speak French might actually just think I am making it up… or that I am able to perhaps ask for directions or a cup of tea but over and above that am just overstating my capabilities.
Once a person has heard me speak French, I can and will happily speak French to Poppette in their company. Only the other day a friend was visiting and we were discussing my reticence to speak French to my daughter in company. She pointed out that, although I thought she had never heard me speaking French to Poppette, she had many times… it’s just that I hadn’t realised. She mentioned that, although I hadn’t really spoken French when she had been involved in the conversation, I had done so when she was present when the conversation was just between Poppette and I. As soon as my friend said this, I felt able to speak more and more French to Poppette in her company.
Likewise at playgroup, although the host had known of our bilingual home life since day one, I hadn’t actually spoken French to Poppette at playgroup for fear attracting strange looks. Then one day I attended with a French friend of mine and, of course, we chatted away in French amongst ourselves the whole time. After this I was totally at ease speaking to Poppette when there alone. Basically, once I knew I had nothing to prove, as these people had already witnessed my fluency, I felt totally at ease.
C R A Z Y.
Anyhow, the fact is that I am feeling super excited at the moment. Our bilingual household is really taking shape with our stocks of French books and toys and the like growing nicely.
Up until today I have made a point of only buying books and DVD’s for Poppette in French. Likewise for speaking toys such as her Tourni’ Piano by Vtech. So today when I nipped into town and bought her three finger puppet story books in English, I knew it was a sign that I was feeling more comfortable with this bilingual business and that it is feeling more established in our home. I will tell Poppette these stories in French whilst Papa does so in English. That said, English resources are so easy to come by that I know I will return my efforts back to the French ones now... I can't wait for my next trip accross the channel where I can load up my bags... sometimes buying online just isn't the same.
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