À Chanter! Singing & Fun in French this Sunday, January 29th chez Bonjour Mama!

Bonjour Mama is happy to host Beatrice Winter of Musical French this Sunday, December 29th from 2pm-2:30 pm for singing and fun in French! 

Musical French provides fun and interactive language-learning classes at local preschools, though songs, games and musical activities.  This sample class will be free and open to children 6 years old and under.

Venez nombreux! And feel free to browse wonderful books in French (Bonjour Mama) and English (Kensington Row Bookshop) before and after the musique!! Sunday hours are 12-5pm.

Free to attend, RSVP on Facebook

Bonjour Mama

(Inside the Kensington Row Bookshop)

3786 Howard Ave

Kensington, MD 20895

Bonjour Mama Holiday Store Open for Business in Kensington, MD!!

COME SEE US THIS MONTH ONLY!

Dates:

DECEMBER 6TH-31ST 

(closed Christmas Day)

Hours:

TUESDAYS - FRIDAYS 10AM-3PM.

SUNDAYS 12PM-5PM.

Location:

(Inside the Kensington Row Bookshop)

3786 HOWARD AVE

KENSINGTON, MD 20895

NEW Titles and Series available in the store:

La Cabane Magique (Magic Treehouse) series

J'aime Lire series

Harry Potter 

Sherlock Homes

Percy Jackson

Kididoc series 

Vivre Noel avec T'choupi

Mme Noel

M. Noel

Tintin

Petit Ours brun paperbacks for $4.25!

And MUCH, much more!

BIENVENUE!!!

240-383-9163

bonjourmamadc@gmail.com

www.bonjourmama.com

'Tis La Saison! + Big News: Bonjour Mama Physical (Holiday) Bookstore in Kensington, MD!!

Bonjour à Tous!

The Christmas countdown is officially underway and there are plenty of opportunities to get into the Holiday spirit en français.  

Joyeuses Fêtes! 

French Out & About

The big event this month is The Alliance Française Holiday Party on December 21 at 10:30am. Local author and music teacher Julia Tulloch, who is also raising her children bilingually (she founded Le Petit Groupe Français!)--will be demonstrating her method for teaching piano to preschoolers, "Couleurs sur mon piano".  Caroling, storytime, free treats from Paul Bakery, plus lots of books and treasures for sale -- beaucoup fun!

The Lycee Rochambeau will also have its annual Winter Fair this Saturday, December 7th with tons of games, activities and holiday vendors.  And there are also lots of storytimes and happenings about town. Below are the regularly scheduled storytimes. 

• Thursdays at 4pm: Cleveland Park Library French Storytime
• Monthly Saturdays at 10:30am: French Circle Time at Takoma Park Library
• French-English storytime at Prince George's County Library - Laurel, MD
• Saturdays at 10:45am: Storytime at Alliance Française

Looking for other events en français? Take a look at the following calendars: 

Alliance Française DC

Maison de France

French American Chamber of CommerDC French Meetup Group

French at Home

Celebrate Christmas with Caillou!  I just found this long Caillou holiday special on YouTube -- fantastique!   Especially for the 2-5 year old age range, Caillou is wonderful. The dialog is simple and easy to follow, teaches lots of everyday language and is just the right speed for little ones.

Also check out l'Atelier du Pere Noel where you can decorate Santa's tree (sapin) and lots more.  

Decorate the Christmas tree by throwing snowballs, or  write a letter to Papa Noel with Boowa et Kwala. As usual Boowa et Kwala have TONS of amazing activities with lots of easy to understand French. Here is the directory of jeux de Noel.  Amusez-vous bien!

Be sure to learn some Christmas favorites like Vive le Vent and Petit Papa Noel then come sing with us at the Alliance on December 21st!

From the Bonjour Mama Bookstore

We have been accumulating lots of treasures! Here is a list of public events where Bonjour Mama will be selling books (as always, help is wanted in exchange for free books-- please get in touch if interested!) and slowly but surely they are making their way online. 

Saturday, December 7th 10am-5pm: Lycee Rochambeau Winter Fair - Bethesda, MD

Thursday, December 12th - 6:00-8:30pm: Playseum Christmas Party for a Cause - Bethesda, MD

Saturday, December 21st: Alliance Française Christmas Party - Washington, DC

Bonjour Mama Physical Holiday Bookstore!!!

For the holiday season (and hopefully beyond!!), Bonjour Mama will have our very own physical store, chez the wonderful Kensington Row Bookshop in the heart of Antiques Row in Kensington, MD!

Dates: 

Friday, December 6th - Tuesday, December 24th.

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday: 10am-3pm

Sunday: 12-5pm

Location:

 3786 Howard Ave, Kensington, MD 20895

The store is right in the heart of Antiques Row in Kensington, MD, home to one of the "best places for antiquing" in the DC Metro area. Visit us upstairs, and browse the rest of this wonderful shop - there is a dollhouse and great English-language children's section downstairs where we have found many wonderful, unique storybooks!  Other nearby attractions: Antiques Row, Safeway, the Kensington Caboose (kids toys and clothes consignment) and brand new drive-thru Starbucks (also has seating inside). Check out more about Kensington here:

Directions to Bonjour Mama Bookstore / Kensington Row Bookshop:
From downtown Bethesda: Go up Wisconsin Ave/Rockville Pike; turn right on Strathmore Avenue and follow about 2 miles to Connecticut. Turn left, then immediate right onto Howard Ave. 
From Chevy Chase: Go up Connecticut Avenue about 1.5 miles, turn right onto Howard Ave.
From Arlington, VA: 
From Georgetown, DC: 
From Alexandria, VA
From Rockville, MD
From Bethesda, MD
From Chevy Chase, MD
From Silver Spring, MD

We are also on the MARC Train (Brunswick line--runs on weekdays only)

We hope to see you in the store this month!!

Trade in your Treasures!

In addition to our growing selection of brand new French books, Bonjour Mama will be starting to offer "like new" and "very gently used" books, and need to build our stock. 

Please come by with all your French-language books you no longer need and trade in for credit in books!  If you have French-language games or toys (that speak French!) with all the pieces and in great condition, they are also bienvenus! Merci!   

Mice, Ghosts and Louis XIV!

Ideas to help us all promote French language learning including upcoming local Washington, DC Metro area activities for kids and families. In a hurry? For Bonjour Mama Bookstore news, scroll to "From the Bookstore". For local DC area French events, scroll to "Out and About"  For home activities, scroll to "At Home". Bonne Semaine!:-)  Look for the latest updates on the Facebook Page.

Opportunities abound for French practice in the coming weeks! The Kids Euro Festival is in high gear, and there are lots of French-language or French cultural events scheduled. The big stars next week are Ernest and Celestine, the main characters from a classic storybook series by Belgian author and illustrator Gabrielle Bernard about the sweet friendship between a mouse (Celestine) and bear (Ernest). The Alliance Française is doing a special Ernest and Celestine storytime and workshop on November 2nd, and the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring will be showing the 2012 film (in French with English subtitles) on November 3rd!   See more events below or check the calendar. 

Since Halloween is this week I had to at least post a few goodies. We had so much fun with Halloween last year - many of the links in the "Happy l'Halloween" post I did then are still our favorites, namely la Chanson des Squelettes and the magic potion game on Boowa and Kwala!

Also, I have been discovering so many amazing web sites lately in my quest for educational tools in both English and French.  I find these in such random, roundabout ways.  For example, Zach is learning about George Washington in his kindergarten class.  I googled "george washington kids" and found an awesome (English-language) site called "Washington's World" that gives an animated virtual tour of Mount Vernon, where you literally bump into historical characters like GW's doctor, the blacksmith, and even meet his horse, Nelson!.  

Zach so loved this that  I started looking for others. After so many twists and turns I can't remember how I got there, I found an amazing interactive game where you can help build the Chateau of Versailles to the glory of Louis XIV, the Sun King (Le Roi Soleil) !  We landed on the English version but I immediately switched to French. 

Kids educational resources never cease to amaze (and educate!) me!  I have visited Versailles at least twice, read the tourist guides, listened to lectures. None of these experiences brought the history to life as well as this animated game, where historical figures like Mansard (the architect) and Le Brun (the palace artist) speak to you as their apprentices with silly affected accents about how we must get it right (facades, paintings and decor for the palace, gardens...) for his majesty Le Roi!  

Dry adult literature and high-brow texts be gone!  I'll take my history with puppets and pop-up books, please!

Bonne semaine!

FRENCH THIS WEEK: 

Out and About

Sunday, October 27
1:30 Tea with Madeline at the Lamond-Riggs library (KIDS EURO FESTIVAL EVENT) - (in English, possibly a little French spoken)

Wednesday, October 30
10:15am: Free French storytime with Language Planet at Kidville, Bethesda (followed by Spanish and Mandarin!)

Thursday, October 31

4pm: French story time at the Cleveland Park library

Saturday, November 2
10:30am Tales of the Night (Les Contes de la Nuit, 10+) movie in French with English subtitles at the National Gallery of Art (KIDS EURO FESTIVAL EVENT).

12pm: Ernest et Célestine Storytime & workshop à l'Alliance Française

1pm: Drumblebee (rhythmic, musical performance for kids 5+) at the Arisphere (KIDS EURO FESTIVAL EVENT) Free. Reservation required.

Sunday, November 3

11:30am Tales of the Night Kids (Les Contes de la Nuit) (10+) movie in French with English subtitles at the National Gallery of Art (KIDS EURO FESTIVAL EVENT). 

11am: Ernest et Célestine film at AFI Silver Spring. In French with English subtitles. Ages 3+. (KIDS EURO FESTIVAL EVENT). 

6 pm: Drumblebee (rhythmic, musical performance for kids 5+) at the Arisphere (KIDS EURO FESTIVAL EVENT) Free. Reservation required.

Thursday, November 7
4pm: French story time at the Cleveland Park library

Looking for other French language/cultural events? Take a look at the following calendars: 

Kids Euro Festival (October 12-November 13, 2013)

Alliance Française DC

Maison de France

French American Chamber of CommerDC French Meetup Group

At Home

Get to know Ernest and Celestine: get a preview of the film and print out coloring pages on Jedessine.com; or read a book! Check to see if your library has a copy in French (see links to local collections on the right side of this page), or get a copy on the Bonjour Mama bookstore.

Don't miss out on all the Halloween fun to be had en français. Boowa and Kwala have a ton of resources, be sure to search for "Halloween" to see them all. More favorites: Chanson des Squelettes and the magic potion game.

Help build the Chateau of Versailles and learn about the reign of Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil (Sun King) by playing "Pagaille à Versailles"

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

New additions, picks and promotions for the Bonjour Mama bookstore.  
Ernest et Celestine ont perdu Simeon
Price: $11.95

Les 40 Plus Belles Comptines de la Langue Française
Price: $24.95

Free Books for Volunteers Sunday, OKTOBER 13th!

Tuesday, October 8 - Sunday, October 20:  Ideas to help us all promote French language learning including local Washington, DC Metro area activities for kids and families.  Please share any other ideas by commenting below or posting to Bonjour Mama's Facebook page!  

In a hurry? For Bonjour Mama Bookstore news, scroll to "New on the Bookstore". Under "French this week", for events, scroll to "Out and About"  For home activities, scroll to "At Home". Bonne Semaine!:-)  Look for the latest updates on the Facebook Page.

It's all about Europe over the next few weeks, with the Kids Euro Festival October 12 through November 13.  The web site says "it's like a trip to Europe --but you don't need a passport!". This is the sixth year that 28 European embassies and organizations are putting on a month-long festival with more than 200 free activities including performances, concerts, workshops, puppetry, dance and movies. There are several Francophone participants, and lots of programs both at DC metro libraries as well as at the Maison de France and other venues. We definitely plan on attending as many as possible.

Also, the Kentlands in Gaithersburg is having their annual Oktoberfest next Sunday, October 13th from Noon to 5pm, and Bonjour Mama is participating!  We will have an activity tent where we will be doing games and activities, reading stories in French (and other languages), and also have lots of books for sale:-)

And we need help! If anyone is willing to come (for at least one hour)  to help with kids activities and/or read a story (in English, French or Spanish),  you can have your pick of book(s) from the bookstore of up to $10. This will be FUN and great French practice!  Ideal for families where one parent can be watching the kids while the other helps at the Bonjour Mama tent.

Please email me (Jennifer) at bonjourmamadc@gmail.com if interested.  

Merci et bonne semaine à tous!

:-) 

FRENCH THIS WEEK: 

Out and About

Thursday, October 10

4pm: French story time at the Cleveland Park library

3:45 pm: Randonnée en Nature au Locust Grove Nature Center. Free. RSVP required via Le Petit Groupe Français.

Saturday, October 12th

CANCELLED12pm-12:30pm: Storytime (l'Heure du Conte) à l'Alliance Française

Sunday, October 13th

12pm-5pm:  Bonjour Mama Activity Tent at the Kentlands Oktoberfest!

Games and stories, plus books for sale in French and other languages! 

Thursday, October 17

10:30 am: Welcome to France! Bienvenue en France! Storytelling/Juggling at the Greenbelt Library  (KIDS EURO FESTIVAL EVENT)

4pm: French story time at the Cleveland Park library

Saturday, October 19th

12pm-12:30pm: Storytime (l'Heure du Conte) à l'Alliance Française

11am, 4pm: Painting/singing (Belgium) at the Maison Française (KIDS EURO FESTIVAL EVENT)

Looking for other events en français? Take a look at the following calendars: 

Kids Euro Festival (October 12-November 13, 2013)

Alliance Française DC

Maison de France

French American Chamber of CommerDC French Meetup Group

At Home 

French-speaking and furloughed?

Kill two birds with one stone by teaching your child how to save money in French! This site has a fantastic array of games that teach basic money management and other fun ones like  "les monnaies du monde" where you match the currency to the country.

Or get a lesson about how the U.S. Congress works (or doesn't, apparently) en français using this little interactive demo from France2 (for older children/adults).

Prepare for the Kids Euro Festival 2013 by testing your knowledge of European geography on this site.

Get musical with pumpkins by singing "J'habite one mason citrouille…".

Read "Devine Combien je t'aime" : this is one of those sweet, childhood classic storybooks that brings tears to your eyes and reminds you of what it's all about. The French version is beautiful and I learned from the Mommy rabbit that I love you to the moon...and back is "Je t'aime jusqu'a a la lune..et retour!"

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

In this section I highlight new additions, picks and promotions for the Bonjour Mama bookstore.  

New Additions to the Bookstore

Any Disney Cars, Toy Story, Superfriends or Incredibles fans out there?  Take a look at the fun Disney and other popular characters now available on the bookstore!  Many more coming soon!

Bonjour Mama at School

Would you like to have a great selection of French books at your child's school book fair or other school event?  Invite Bonjour Mama!  We have begun working with schools and PTAs  to supply customized selections of books for book fairs and other events, as well as media centers!   Please get in touch if you would like to plan an event. We still have openings for December and are booking now for early 2014.   Read more about our school and library programs here or email bonjourmamadc@gmail.com.

Bonjour l'Automne!

Monday, September 23 - Sunday, October 6:  Ideas to help us all promote French language learning including local Washington, DC Metro area activities for kids and families.  Please share any other ideas by commenting below or posting to Bonjour Mama's Facebook page!  In a hurry? For Bonjour Mama Bookstore news, scroll to "New on the Bookstore". Under "French this week", for events, scroll to "Out and About"  For home activities, scroll to "At Home". Bonne Semaine!:-)

Yesterday I was at the Alliance Française for my second book sale this year. It was such a great day. In addition to selling most of my current stock, I met some fantastic people and connected with many friends I hadn't seen in awhile, including my very first customer, who came out on a cold and rainy March day to buy French books for her adorable little girl.  

Zach (and my helpful AND French-speaking husband!) came with me, and despite my mild chagrin at Zach's loud attempts to sell books to the (visibly childless) adults sitting quietly reading at the front tables--Est-ce que tu veux acheter un livre?-- I was thrilled at the unusually low nagging-to-high speaking ratio I experienced yesterday.  Hearing French all around him from so many different people equaled voluntarily speaking by my otherwise reluctant child!  Again, the importance of our being a part of the Francophone community was loud and clear and I think I'm going to have to just make the trip to the Alliance more often. 

In the meantime, we have been many playdates with the Le Petit Groupe Français on Saturdays which have been wonderful for us.  I am still trying to figure out what sorts of activities and venues work for after school as I really want to maximize language exposure during these critical hours. This is time  that I need to fill up anyway, as much as possible with physically active play, and in these beautiful fall days, outdoors, please!  If anyone out there has ideas on what/where/when how, please feel free to send ideas and/or contact me. And/or, propose meet ups on Le Petit Groupe Français and I promise to show up as often as I can if it is within a 30-minute drive of Kensington! 

Below are more ideas for how to "Frenchify" the coming weeks, including a proposed outing to Butler's Orchard for the Pumpkin festival (La fête des Citrouilles!).  Feel free to tack on suggestions in the comments section below!


Merci, bonne semaine et Joyeuse Automne! 

FRENCH THIS WEEK: 

Out and About

Saturday, September 28
12pm-12:30pm: Storytime (l'Heure du Conte) à l'Alliance Française

Monday, September 30
4pm: After school "Gouter et Jouer" at La Madeleine, Bethesda. If there are French-speaking staff (usually, oui!), we will order our gouter in French, then play a game like Monopoly, Cards, Pokemon, etc. - tout en français!) Free. RSVP required via Le Petit Groupe Français. 

Saturday, October 5th
12pm-12:30pm: Storytime (l'Heure du Conte) à l'Alliance Française

Sunday, October 6th
2pm-4pm:  Sortie: La Fête des Citrouilles at Butler's Orchard.Free. RSVP Required via Meetup.com

Looking for other events en français? Take a look at the following calendars: 
Alliance Française DC
Maison de France
French American Chamber of Commerce
DC French Meetup Group

At Home

Watch Toupie et Binou: La Citrouille en Fête! 

Introduce harvest vegetable vocabulary through any number of resources, such as this cute little game on La Lune de Ninou: Le Jeu du Potager.

Once you know the names, do this activity posted by a teacher on Education World where you make a soup which you serve in a carved out pumpkin:

On the day of the soup-making activity, I let the students clean out a pumpkin. I make sure the hole in the top of the pumpkin is large enough to enable it to serve as a soup tureen. I have students chop up previously washed vegetables. As they cut them up they are always referring to them by their French names. As students cut the vegetables, they sing the song below to the tune of "Frere Jacques."

Pommes de te - erre, des oign - o - ons,
(Potatoes, some onions,)
Des tomates, des carottes:
(Some tomatoes, some carrots:)
Mets - les dans la sou - oupe, Mets - les dans la soupe
(Put them in the soup, Put them in the soup,)
Dans la citrouille, la citrouille.
(In the pumpkin, the pumpkin.)
Piments ve - erts, du persi - il,
(Green peppers, some parsley,)
Des courgettes, des navets:
(Some squash, some turnips:)
Mets - les dans la sou - oupe, Mets - les dans la soupe
Dans la citrouille, la citrouille.

Celeri - i, brocoli - i,
(Celery, broccoli,)
L'epinard, sel et poivre:
(Spinach, salt and pepper:)
Mets - les dans la sou - oupe, Mets - les dans la soupe
Dans la citrouille, la citrouille.

NEW PICKS (COUPS DE COEUR) FROM THE BONJOUR MAMA BOOKSTORE

In this section I highlight new additions, picks and promotions for the Bonjour Mama bookstore. If there anything you'd like to purchase on the store but don't see, please let me know what you are looking for and I will try to find it for you! 

Title: Zizi La Chipie: La cousine d'Amérique          Barbara, la cousine américaine de Zizi, doit passer une semaine en France. Mais depuis que Barbara a quitté la France, elle a pris le mode de vie américain et elle est insupportable. D'autant plus que Zizi a dû lui laisser sa chambre. Mais comment faire pour dégoûter sa cousine à tout jamais de la France? $9.95

Barbara, Zizi's American cousin, must spend a week in France. But since Barbara left France, she follows the American way of life and it is unbearable. Especially since Zizi had to give up her room. But how to turn her cousin off to France forever? $ 9.95