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guitarnan
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Summer is almost here, and both of my children have been studying French this year. We have visited French-speaking Canada on vacation in past years, but I don't think we'll be doing that this summer. This leaves me wondering how I'll convince dd in particular to stay engaged with her French studies.
Do you have any creative ideas for fun foreign language activities? She's 12, so she feels she's outgrown sing-along CDs.
Thanks in advance!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Elena
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Maybe have "French night" once a week where she can plan a French menu and cook the food, and everyone only speaks French!
Maybe you could also get movies in French or with French subtitles and do a movie day too!
or... maybe books in French for her to read. I remember having to read fairytales in French when I was in high school.
Those are just off the top of my head but they sound fun!
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Elena
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SeaStar
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What about finding a French pen pal?
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Lara Sauer
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| Posted: May 06 2010 at 7:51pm | IP Logged
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My major in college was French, so to keep myself current in French, I try to do my prayers in French, read a French novel over the summer, and when I watch movies, I always put on the French subtitles.
Another idea, which might be fun for you girls would be to host a French or two during the summer.
We have done this for the past 3 years, and our family loves it. The students come with their own spending money and insurance, and some programs offer the host family a stipend of up to $80 per week.
If you want more information, pm me.
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pmeilaen
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| Posted: May 06 2010 at 9:30pm | IP Logged
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Maybe Champs-Elysées would be of interest.
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Eva
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guitarnan
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These are all great ideas!
We hosted a French student the summer my son was 4 and had a brilliant time. Sandrine was so interested in learning! Happily, when she got married a few years later, she invited our daughter to be a flower girl in her wedding - even though they had never met. Our French wedding adventure is one of our most treasured travel memories.
I would love to host another student, but we'll have to wait until my house is a little larger - hopefully by this time next year. I was an exchange student myself and really appreciated having my own room, and the two times we've hosted students we have offered them the same privilege.
Eva, do you know how "intermediate" the audio magazines are? I've seen ads for them before, but my dd has only been learning French for a semester and I'm wondering if there is something a little less challenging out there somewhere...
I love the "French night" idea. (Especially the food part!)
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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pmeilaen
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| Posted: May 06 2010 at 10:20pm | IP Logged
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guitarnan wrote:
Eva, do you know how "intermediate" the audio magazines are? I've seen ads for them before, but my dd has only been learning French for a semester and I'm wondering if there is something a little less challenging out there somewhere...
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Well, I guess the level would be still too high. I own a few and the topics are quite advanced. That's too bad. They are very well done.
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Eva
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pmeilaen
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There is a series of great biography DVDs out there. I think most of them were done in Canada. They all feature a child who meets a famous composer, artist, inventor, etc. You can choose the language: French or English. I don't remember if they have subtitles, but you could first watch them in English and then again in French. Our library has a few of those. Here's the website: Divine Entertainment.
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guitarnan
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Maybe next summer!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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hylabrook1
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Nancy -
Do you have a Haitian or French-speaking African community nearby? One of the parishes near where we live has a French Mass for the members of that community. I'm pretty sure there is a French Mass in D.C. as well, if you feel like making it into a field trip. Also, does your library have foreign language picture books?
Thinking: if you sometimes attended Mass in French, you might be able to talk with someone afterwards. You could work on pronunciation as well as comprehension by reading simple books out loud.
Also, from time to time over the course of the day, I just start saying what I have to say in French. On the one hand, it irritates the children  ; on the other hand, they get better at hearing/understanding in *normal* contexts instead of just during French lesson time.
Peace,
Nancy
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guitarnan
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Eva, those DVDs look great...I hope my library carries some of them!
And, Nancy, thanks for suggesting Mass in French. Don't know if I'll get any takers, but I'd love to attend even if I have to go all alone.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: Keeping Up Foreign Languages
