Keeping French in Our Homeschool: Our Bilingual Studies in 2020

October 23, 2020 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Resources

We had planned to be in France this fall, but due to COVID restrictions keeping us from entry there, we are continuing another year of homeschooling here in Oregon. While we miss our friends in France and we are sad about the lost opportunity to attend school there this fall, we are very much enjoying our continued homeschool journey. Much of our enjoyment is connected to our participation in an independent, weekly homeschool co-op that we joined last year. While that day's portion of our learning is all in English, I see how my children thrive on the social connections there. It feels ironic to me this year that the few dozen students in our co-op are among the minority of students nationwide who are allowed to meet and learn together on a regular basis this fall.

On our days at home this school year, here are some of the ways we are keeping French a primary part of our home learning:

Support for Parents Who Suddenly Find Themselves Homeschooling Their Children

March 20, 2020 by Michele Cherie in Education, Learning Resources, Reflections on Parenting

What a strange, unprecedented moment we find ourselves in, peering into the foggy darkness of unknowns cast by the spread of COVID-19. Currently here in Oregon (as with more than half of U.S. states), schools are closed through the end of April and possibly through the end of the year. As a result, my husband (a teacher) and our wonderful exchange student are home enjoying the family time with the children and me. (Yesterday our exchange student was interviewed by USA Today about what it's like to be an exchange student in the U.S. right now; you can read the article and find our family photo in the article here, but more importantly, I'm also sharing my tips and resources for you newly homeschooling parents since I've learned a lot over the years as a seasoned homeschooling mom.

Educational French Resources for Learning (including every school subject!)

June 25, 2019 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Resources, Learning Resources, Teaching French

One of the key reasons I began this blog, Intentional Mama, back in 2013 was to share French resources with families and teachers here in the United States and anywhere else that French materials might be difficult to find. Today, learning French remains incredibly important to my family and me—we've been homeschooling in French, or mainly in French, for roughly five years now. Here is my current list of my favorite educational French resources organized by school subject! (Nearly all of these resources are available here in the U.S.; others can be ordered online.) Profitez-bien!

Our Family's Bilingual Journey: Regrets & Current Successes

June 06, 2014 by Michele Cherie in French Language Learning, Reflections on Parenting

Since she was two years old, my daughter has generally spoken English to me. Before then, she spoke a fair amount of French words, but it seemed that as soon as she learned an English word from Daddy or an extended family member, she'd stop using the equivalent French word. She did continue to use some French nouns, but the predominance of English as her main language happened rapidly.

Lately I've wondered if pretending not to understand English would have prompted my infant daughter to speak French with me. I've heard this can be a successful technique--but my children always seemed to grasp that I understand English perfectly well since I speak it with my husband and everyone else.

French Immersion Schools in Oregon (& Our Probable Choice)

April 02, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Resources, Learning Resources

I'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: