Now that autumn is officially here and our fall sessions have started, we wanted to let you in on a little secret… sometimes we bring the outdoors indoors during our virtual classes! We encouraged our participants to be outside in nature AND learn French. This fall, we made our classes very nature-oriented, so be sure to check out our instagram page @123petitspas for some of our class highlights.
Being out in nature has so many benefits for kids, and it’s a great way to keep them engaged and learning for a variety of topics. So how can you take your French learning outdoors? Check out a few of our ideas below:
1) Take a walk in your neighbourhood or on a nature trail and find various items as part of a scavenger hunt.
We love this one by illustrator Amélie Isabelle. Or you can use one of our French cheat sheets to encourage your little ones to search around, inside and out, and practice their French! Click the image to open.
2) Collect leaves outside and create a rainbow or Venn diagram like the one below.
This activity is great for practicing your fall colours: rouge (red), orange (orange), et jaune (yellow).
3) Make your own nature stew!
Use your imagination and find natural ingredients (leaves/des feuilles, rocks/des roches, sticks/des brindilles, acorns/des glands and pinecones/des pommes de pin to name a few!) to make your very own stew. Collect whatever “ingredients” you want for the stew and then set up your “kitchen”. Offer your child a pot, spoons, measuring cups and bowls, and let your little chefs create! Time to eat, bon appétit!
4) Create a sensory bin for those colder, rainy days and bring the outdoors in.
After all of your walks outdoors and scavenger hunts, add them to a bin for some sensory play. Sensory bins are a great way to encourage and develop a variety of skills. You can talk about colours, sizes, shapes and everything in between! You can have your little one sort leaves by colours or types, practice hand-eye coordination by picking up the items like acorns in the bin with tweezers or spoons, and of course, just letting them explore everything that’s there!
6) Create your own “Coucou Hibou” with sticks, rocks and leaves found outdoors.
One of our favourite songs to sing in class is “Coucou Hibou” which is about an owl in the forest. Why not create your very own “hibou” with things you find outdoors? Even better, stay outside to complete the craft!
We hope you enjoy these fall activities and we hope that you get outside, explore nature and practice your French! To help you continue your French learning outdoors this fall we have included a list of common words (with pronunciation!) to use while playing and enjoying nature.
Common Words List:
- Pumpkin = une citrouille, "ewn see-troo-ee"
- Fall = automne, pron: "oh-tunn"
- Nature = la nature, "lah nah-tewr"
- Leaves = les feuilles, "lay fuh-ee"
- Apples = les pommes, "lay puhm"
- Acorn = un gland, "uh glaw"
- Pinecone = une pomme de pin, "ewn puhm duh paih"
- Red = rouge, "rooj"
- Orange = orange, "oh-rawj"
- Yellow = jaune, "johwn"
- Brown = brun, "bruh"
- Green = vert, "vaihr"
- Sticks or twigs = les bâtons ou les brindilles, "lay bah-tohw" / "lay braih-dee"
123 Petits Pas Inc.
Where French learning is FUN and accessible to all!