Authentic diverse French children's books written by women of colour

Authentic diverse French children's books written by women of colour

25 Nov 2021

Like many, looking for anti-racism resources for my kids, I started by looking for books with non-white characters. The thing is while my kids read in English, as a bilingual family, I also wanted books in French. I can find French translations of American books. But my kids know little about American history and being Mexican American or Asian American means little to them. I wanted books that they could more easily relate to or understand. I wanted books about being French from the Antilles or Algerian in France, etc. I wanted the books to relate to a more familiar diaspora of the population around them.

As Aventuras de Sofia na Selva (Portuguese book review)

As Aventuras de Sofia na Selva (Portuguese book review)

23 Nov 2021

When I was little, I loved yoga. I practised yoga for many years as a child and teenager. As an adult, this has helped me tremendously with relaxation techniques, in particular. So when I heard about the books written by Giselle Shardlow, from Kids Yoga Stories, to introduce yoga to children through reading while moving, I wanted in.

Book release: How to Raise a Global Citizen

Book release: How to Raise a Global Citizen

20 Nov 2021

If you have been living under a rock for the past few months or if you don't follow me on social media, you may not know about this yet. I am now a published author for something beyond academic writing! And I couldn't be more excited about it (as you can tell from the number of !! I am going to be using in this little text)!

French books subscription for kids

French books subscription for kids

18 Nov 2021

I think reading is one of the most important thing you can do with your child, whatever age they are. We started reading bedtime stories to our daughter when she was 6-months old. She started 'reading' stories to her baby brother when he was a couple of weeks old. And we still read to them, they read to each other and we read together. 

Chansons pour la St Martin

Chansons pour la St Martin

2 Nov 2021

Si vous habitez dans le Grand Est de la France ou un pays germanophone, vous connaissez surement la Saint Martin. La Saint-Martin est célébrée le 11 novembre en souvenir de saint Martin. La date correspond à la mise au tombeau de saint Martin le 11 novembre 397. En Europe centrale, la Saint-Martin s’accompagne de nombreuses traditions parmi lesquelles on trouve la dégustation de l’oie. Apres 10 ans en Allemagne, nos enfants ont célébré la St Martin presque tous les ans. A chaque fois, il s'agissait d'un petit défilé avec des lanternes décorées et de chants autour d'un feu. (Plus d'informations ici). Voici donc notre petite selection de chansons en français pour la St Martin. 

10 fun facts about cork

10 fun facts about cork

17 Oct 2021

Cork: a buoyant light brown substance obtained from the outer layer of the bark of the cork oak. 

What is cork? Did you know cork originated from the bark of a tree? Before I learnt all about cork while visiting Portugal, I had no idea where it came from. My children learnt all about cork as part of their little presentation about Portugal to their classmates (before leaving Germany). Since arriving in Portugal, we have been learning some more. We recently visited Planet Cork in World of Wine, Porto and learnt even more about it in this great interactive exhibit. Here are 10 fun facts about cork we learnt together. 

Leaving letter to Germany

Leaving letter to Germany

9 Jul 2021

Dear Germany,

I am going to be brutally honest and blunt here (German-style). Oh the irony! Please don’t get offended and don’t take it personally!