Bravo French Tutoring

In my ongoing search for unique shops carrying good-quality learning toys and books for teaching children French, I have found Pick of the Crop Toys & Books on Lakeshore Road in Oakville.

Owned and operated by Michelle Arsenault, who hails from northern Ontario, I discovered that she speaks French herself! Although the selection of French books and games (upstairs) is quite small, Michelle has carefully selected stories, dictionary-type books and learning games for all stages of the early years.

I recently purchased 2 books there for end-of-the-school-year gifts for my students, plus ordered one as well. Both young staff were French Immersion school graduates!

Their web site is under construction, but here’s their Facebook link (or wander in!)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pick-of-The-Crop-Toys-Books/130100113690879

 www,facebook.com/BravoFrenchTutoring

Oakville Galleries partners with l’Alliance Française:-

For beginner and intermediate French immersion learners, these week-long camps are co-taught by an art instructor from Oakville Galleries and a French teacher from the Alliance Française. Art activities and French language lessons are combined for a dynamic hands-on learning experience. A language level assessment will be conducted to tailor lessons to participants’ proficiency.

All sessions are in August.

http://www.oakvillegalleries.com/1692.htm

BRAVO French Tutoring – I offer tutoring sessions for your primary French immersion children at flexible hours during July.

Some spaces still available.

CLOSED during August.

Here’s my second post from Honni Lizee, the Regina kindergarten teacher who developed her own blog full of fun links to child-focused web sites for kindergarten and primary school children who are learning French!

http://frenchimmersionparentresources.wordpress.com/

Once you’re at her blog, try selecting the link KIDZO.net.

On the main welcome page you will find six different areas to click on: Puzzles, Coloriage (colouring), Réflexion (Thinking games), Formes (Shapes), Alphabet, et Chiffres (Numbers).
I played around on the KIDZO site this afternoon! I chose Alphabet and Chiffres. The choices are so visually effective, it’s easy to play! and I can totally imagine youngsters’ delight with the clicking sounds when an answer is correct and the warm applause once finished the game successfully!!!
Enjoy! Au plaisir!

If you are a parent considering French Immersion for your child, here’s a great way to check out his or her interest! Join a free storytime for a few weeks, organized by Les Coccinelles d’Oakville Daycare Centre. Begins next week! Enjoy! Au plaisir!

Croque Matin:  Les Coccinelles d’Oakville Inc. (une garderie)
L’heure du conte en francais comprend des
chansons, comptines et histoires en francais pour
les enfants de 0 à 5 ans accompagnés d’un parent
ou gardien.

Storytime — in French! Includes
songs, nursery rhymes and stories, of course!
FOR: children from birth to 5 years old, accompanied
by a parent or caregiver.
FREE ! 12 classes (12 consecutive Mondays)/Drop-in (no registration required)
Woodside Branch (on Rebecca, just east of Hopedale Mall)
BEGINS: Monday, April 2         (9:45am – 10:45am)

Source:-  http://www.opl.on.ca/kids/programs

When I took a few moments this week to phone their main office, the Camp Tournesol woman I spoke to said spaces are filling up very quickly! and that if a parent finds their web site of interest, to call, get the information they need and register as soon as possible in order to reserve a space for their child!

The Oakville campus of Camp Tournesol is located at a school in Bronte, a block from the lake and with a spacious play yard filled with big older growth trees! Check it out! Au plaisir!

“Camp Tournesol offers French summer camps and overnight programs that enhance the French immersion and Francophone programs in Ontario. With French Summer Camps located in Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Markham, Maple, Brampton, Toronto and Oakville your kids are guaranteed to have fun in french this summer!”

http://www.camptournesol.ca/

In my exploration of resources for parents whose children are in French immersion schools, I have come across a fun blog that contains a choice of web sites both parents and their children can check out.
The blog was created by Honni Lizee, a Regina kindergarten teacher, as a project for a course she took on using Social Media in Education.
Once at the blog site below, try selecting
BBC.Primary language.French.

There are several typical topic choices for a beginner to practice French (Family, Colours, Clothing, etc.) The fun begins once you click on a topic! A magician appears, 8 cards come twinkling up, and the game starts. A child and parent can play the game together, each word is beautifully pronounced, and there are cheers when the matching card is chosen!!

http://frenchimmersionparentresources.wordpress.com/

This is a fascinating and easy-to-read site for parents to explore some current research about your baby’s brain and its development and its functions!

The site includes links to information about brain anatomy, brain disorders plus language development.

Here is a quote from the home page:-

“As research in neuroscience advances, our understanding of the brain and healthy brain development continues to change. The following are some recent reports and news releases highlighting cutting-edge research related to the brain.”

http://www.bbbgeorgia.org/recentResearch.php

For the next while, I will be exploring resources for primary children and their parents to try out various ways to learn and/or practice French language skills.

Below is one site I found quite usable. For example, a parent can select and print a simple board game and even the matching flash cards on the topic of,say, farm animals and voila! a fun activity!

One can also choose to type in one’s email, a password will be emailed back to you, and the parent can log in so that the child can participate in mini-lessons!

Au plaisir! Enjoy!

http://www.hello-world.com/French/index.php

Joyeux Nöel ! et meilleurs voeux pour 2012 !

Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2012 !