Family fun days with rhyme and story time

I am pleased to announce 2 free rhyme and story sessions coming up soon.

They will both be 30 min long and comprise of songs and stories in English immediately followed by the French version. Ideal for Children form 0 to 5 though older children are welcome to join in. 

The first will take place on the 19th May at 1.30pm till 2pm 

 I will be supporting a local Charity on their 10th birthday. As it is hosted in a farm, I will definitely be singing Old Mc Donald (with a twist) and other animal songs. My book will be available and profits from sales go to the charity. I have added the directions information I was sent at the bottom.

The second event will be at Marston's Whichelstowe pub, the Bayberry.  

They are hosting a family fun day on the 26th May. The details of the event have not yet been finalised but, nearer the time, you be able to find out more about what will be happening throughout the day, on their Facebook page.

As soon as I have more details about my time slot I will post it on my Bilingual Babies Facebook page Whatever you decide to do on those days, I hope you enjoy your weekends.

Here is a video I did as taster of what it will be like:

Songs, charities and learning what do they have in common?

Gloucester concert

Headway charity

As every year from November to January, since arriving in Swindon in 1993, I am exposed (even when I don't want to be) to Christmas carols and songs.

I do however, enjoy the Boxing day concert in Gloucester cathedral in aid of charity.

After singing some carols, I recalled some of the French Christmas songs I had learned as a child, such as 'Au grand St Nicolas' and 'Mon Beau Sapin.' I then I ended up pondering on how long it is taking me to learn the words of English carols. As children we absorb these songs effortlessly and remember them forever it seems. This is probably due to the fact they connect to the language as well as the music parts of the brain, rather than just one area.

Songs help us learn more than language.

You may realise the language used in the songs reflects culture, in this case the Christian faith. But children learn more than that. They pick up on the more subtle messages that come along with them. Their brain is not yet able to rationalise the message to decide if it is true or not.  Hence they believe in Farther Christmas.

In this one (Petit Papa Noel) the child feels he is to blame for making father Christmas go out in the cold.  In 'Au grand St Nicolas' mentioned earlier, you need to always be good to get presents. 

Like all children I wasn't always good.  I would worry that because, I had argued with my sister, I was not good enough to get treats. This was my overriding feeling and  though I was relieved to get a present, that was not enough to change the feeling of not being good enough.

This feeling is one that still hold me back, now and again, even though I realise it is only so, if I believed it is. So when I had my son, I was very conscious about the songs and language I used with him, hence the selection of songs that I then translated and which became my bilingual Nursery Rhyme book and CD.

More charity concerts

The charities I support are also chosen very carefully. They have to fit with my values of health, education, protect the environment and preferably help women.  Last year, I met Rosa Matherson, when she talked about her efforts to provide women, in Nepal, with reusable sanitary ware.

Julie Nicholls selling books at the Highworth concert 

This felt close to my heart and in November,  I decided to donate £3.50 from every book I sell to freedom Kit bags.  I sold enough before Christmas to be able to send one £25 bag.  One women in Nepal got a 'Christmas' present.

Rosa also organises regular concerts, in Highworth, to help an orphanage in Nepal. 
I will be at those to sell  book and raise more funds.  

If you enjoy music and would like to come along here are the details.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/70837733403/permalink/10155246763703404/

Whilst you wait for the concert, you might like this French rendition of jingle bells which I came across recently.

Christmas present that also gives to charity

Raising funds 

I use the sales of my book to help raise funds for schools and charities by donating around 25% of profits I make when working with them.

This year, I have decided that  I will donate 35% of private sales to a charity that has become close to my heart as it sits with my values and is organised by a wonderful local women Rosa Matherson.

Helping Women in Nepal

Ladies with their Kit bags

She is helping Women in Nepal by providing  environmentally friendly sanitary bags and education about menstruation. This has a huge effect on women's confidence and for the girls to be able to go to school and the women to work. You can read more about this wonderful work on their page

Christmas Presents

If you are looking for an educational Christmas present for children age 0 to 5 that will help them and others this might be just the right thing for you.

 You can order the book here on my shop page.  I will post how much has been raised in the new Year,

More about Kit Bags https://www.facebook.com/FreedomKitBags/videos/1952914804942956/

Fun French cartoons

Fun is the key to learning.

We all know it is hard to take in new information and concentrate when we are stressed, so it is not surprising to us the children are not thriving in schools.

We have been home educating our son for just over a year now.  It has taken a lot of the stress out of the leaning process (school runs, deadlines, the stress from the teachers of new targets, etc...not to mention bullying.)

We focus maths and English around his interests and he is so much more engaged and happy. This is because he sees it as fun, not a lesson, something he has to do and complete or else....  as it was in school.

As I know, no one can teach anyone anything, we all just learn things by being exposed to them or because we have an interest in them. We don't teach our babies to walk nor to talk they just learn to do it by exposure.  So I have always exposed my son to French, rather than teach it, and this is is how I ended up writing my bilingual book, so as a baby he  had the same nursery rhymes in English and French.

Super hero

More recently I have been reading some French children's magazines called Pomme D'api. My son has really taken to the adventures of a little super hero called Sam Sam.

After I noticed there was a link to one of songs in the story and seen seen the cartoons, he now wants to watch one every night, as part of his bed time routine. Along with the the other stories in the magazine of course. From my point of view the more he want the better, so I am happy.

This makes exposing him to French so easy and fun for both of us.

Here is a link to one of the many Sam Sam you can find on Youtube

I hope your little ones enjoy them too.

French film in Swindon

French film at Swindon Arts Centre 

This is organised by Swindon Film Society and this year, 2017 is their 70th anniversary.  

The French film is called Frantz will be on 20th Sept at 7.45pm

This is a period war drama, loosely based on the 1932 Ernst Lubitsch drama Broken Lullaby. It tells the story of a German woman grieving the death of her lover in World War I. She is shocked when his grave is visited by a Frenchman claiming he was friends with her beloved before the war.

You can get all the details about all the international films they will be showing this year, on their website, starting with a Spanish one on the 13th Sept 2017.   


Il y a un film Francais le 20 Sept a 7.45 Swindon Arts Centre Pour plus d'information sur les films internationaux: swindonfilm.org.uk

Practice your French in Swindon

French in Swindon 

I am so pleased that I have just come across a Swindon group that meet up regularly to speak French, or at least you can listen and practice.

 https://www.meetup.com/French-Language-Meetup-in-Swindon/

Understand first 

Listening and understanding is the first stage in being able to speak a language. This is how any child learns, yet when you learn in a school you have to be able to read, write and speak it grammatically correctly from day one. It is not surprising that so many people give up because they say it is hard.  It is, when you attempt to learn a language that way.

Have fun

Do something enjoyable, listen and forget about getting it right, you might just enjoy having a coffee and a cake.  It seems to be what is group is about. They have a list of meetings on different days and palaces so you can choose what suits you.

I have other opportunities to practice French listed on my links to other useful websites page 

A bientot

Bilingual sessions on BBC news

Did you see the BBC Oxford news last night 14th Dec 2016?

Two teachers in Oxford have started running French, Spanish and Mandarin classes for babies.

Young children can cope with learning up to four languages even before they speak English, research has shown.

The classes are full of songs, nursery rhymes and stories to stimulate their young minds.

This is the type of thing I have been doing with French, in Swindon since 2013 .

There are many benefits of learning a language early, some which may surprise you and which go beyond the use use of a second language.

Here are podcasts that explain more and about how children learn and benefits of learning other languages.

Episode one 27min   and Episode two 27min

Being bilingual, I very much relate to the descriptions given about how the brain works differently, I regularly experience this in everyday life activities.