Hello again!
This month I’m going to be talking about
everything Christmas!
The first weekend in December in France, there
is always a telethon for funding research for genetic diseases. So instead of
our normal Friday afternoon doing our APEs (after-school activities) and garderie
(homework help and watching the kids until their parents pick them up) we took
them to the APE room and they had their snacks from 4-4:30, then we took some
of the kids to the high school/middle school to watch the mayor light up the
Christmas lights in the city.
As we started walking to the school, it hailed
and the sky was orange which was pretty surreal. Because it was so cold, we
went quickly, but once we were there we stood around for a bit. Then, the mayor
took a torch and lit up a bigger flame and at the same time all of the Christmas lights in the city
turned on, and that was pretty cool. In Place Morny, by our
house, there is a nice setup with trees in the center and Christmas lights
radiating out from the center. After the lights were lit up, we went into a
room in the school and did garderie until 6 when it was over.
As far as Christmas lesson plans go, so far in
most of my classes (all ages) we have been listening to and learning the song
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” The kids love to sing along and dance to the
song! With the younger kids, we have been learning and practicing Christmas
vocabulary. With the older kids, we’re going to be writing letters to Santa and
have been learning Christmas and toy vocabulary, as well as English and
American Christmas traditions.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to
Strasbourg, France and visit my host mom from when I studied abroad there in
college. We went to the Christmas market and I got to see her 5-week old granddaughter.
It was a magical time, with lots of little vendors and Christmas lights all
over. In the cathedral, there was a humongous nativity scene which was super
cool to see. To top it all off, on Sunday morning, it snowed!
Ornaments at the market
Christmas tree in a square in Strasbourg
Strasbourg Cathedral in the snow
My family is coming to visit over the break,
and I am getting excited to welcome them to the house and Deauville! We found
some Christmas decorations in the closet under the stairs, including Christmas
lights, a Christmas tree, and some ornaments, so we have a little corner of
Christmas that always looks so cheerful!
Until next time!
Denise
