Purposeful family living - with a French twist
Bonjour! I'm Michele Cherie: francophile, teacher, writer, wife, and mama to five children. I'm a non-native French speaker in Oregon raising my children in French. IntentionalMama shares our bilingual journey and resources for a culturally-rich family life.
When I was a high school French teacher, I told my students that high school was the last time in their lives when they could take a foreign language class for free. Now that I'm raising my children in French, however, I see that my statement wasn't entirely accurate. Here are five ways to learn French or improve your knowledge of the language for free without enrolling in a class:
Read MoreWe normally listen to French children's music in the car, but a few months ago my five-year-old daughter started pleading for English music. I temporary complied, trading Petit Ours Brun for Raffi, but pondered why the French music no longer appealed to her. I theorized that it wasn't the language that mattered, but the music itself. The English music she likes had more complicated lyrics and melodies than the French comptines we'd heard over and over.
My theory was right: Since then, I've found more age-appropriate French children's music, and she hasn't asked for English music since. I'm thrilled to return to French music immersion!
Here's what we're listening to:
Read MoreMy daughter is a witty five year old who adores books, so I think she's on the cusp of learning to read. But beyond our daily habit of reading together and occasionally reviewing alphabet sounds (in French and English), I haven't pushed her to learn to read (and my two-year-old son has several years before he reaches this milestone). Yet unless our family moves closer to one of the French immersion schools in Oregon, we'll most likely be homeschooling this fall. Read on for more about how we'll approach learning to read in French and the resources we'll use.
Read MoreAs a fan of quality animated films, my husband was quick to purchase Disney's Frozen on DVD for the benefit of our five-year-old daughter. She adores the story, though I wish that the Blu-ray version we purchased had a French audio option. As a next-best alternative, I'm featuring some official film clips here from La Reine des Neiges, the French version, so that you and my daughter can enjoy portions of this sweet story and its music in French.
Read MoreI've been reading books on homeschooling since my firstborn was nine months old. I attended private schools myself, and I've always taught in public schools, but homeschooling holds such diverse educational possibilities that it was always my first choice for my children. Nonetheless, I recently re-examined that choice when I realized how much fluency my daughter could gain by spending time in an environment where French is required (rather than continuing to reply to me in English). Living outside Portland, Oregon, we're amazingly blessed to have several Francophone school options:
Read MoreYou may have forgotten most of the nursery rhymes of your childhood, but most likely, those simple songs and rhymes helped you learn the rhythm and sounds of your native language. Whether you're simply curious about French comptines (nursery rhymes) or are serious about wanting to play in French with your little one, these videos of simple French songs with fingerplays will make you smile:
Read MoreBonjour, les amis! If you're searching for a French children's magazine for ages 3-6, my four-year-old and I highly recommend Toupie et Chansons. (If you prefer a French magazine for toddlers, try Popi; for other ages, here's how to subscribe to other French children's magazines.) We've subscribed to Toupie for two years now, and my daughter re-reads the issues several times per week. Well, technically she can't read yet, but she spends impressive amounts of time staring at the pages and re-reading them with me.
Read MoreAren't you grateful for the ways in which music can enrich bilingual parenting and teaching? When I taught middle school French, I occasionally streamed Radio Junior for students on my desktop computer, but now that I'm a parent of preschoolers, I've been searching for a French children's station that doesn't feature Disney soundtracks or Katy Perry mixed in with the French pop and dance hits.
Radio Ouistiti is the best fit I've found: A Switzerland-based web radio station (named for a type of monkey), Ouistiti features French music and stories for ages 0-8.
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