Year 5 French Experience

Today marked the start of French Week, and it sounded like a fantastic introduction! First up, the children had a virtual trip to Paris in the Wanderlust room. They went to the Eiffel Tower, along the Seine and even through some more rural areas on the outskirts of Paris.

After their virtual travels, it was time for a taste of France. They got to sample all sorts of yummy French foods: Brie, Camembert, ham, and a selection of French sweets. There were also Tikito, Les Palets, and Palmier biscuits to try.

A big thank you to the Co-operative for donating all those delicious treats – what a great way to immerse everyone in French culture through food!

Today was all about diving deeper into Paris! The children learned about some famous landmarks – the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame – and then got to revisit them in the Wanderlust room.

There was also some creative construction happening with Art Straws, as everyone made 3D relief Eiffel Towers. Then, they channeled their inner artists by painting pictures of Moulin Huet in the style of Renoir. What a lovely way to combine local inspiration with a French artistic technique!

To test their geography skills, they played Geoguessr, French edition. And it sounds like they even got to practice their French and math skills by using Euros to "buy" bananes, fraises, pommes, raisins, and framboises. That's a fun way to learn some vocabulary!

Lunch was a special affair in the French Cafe, which sounds delightful. The afternoon then shifted gears to the Tour de France, and they even completed their own "Tour de Le Rondin." What a fantastic way to learn about a famous French event and get active at the same time! It sounds like a truly immersive French-themed day.

Wednesday was a busy day spent offsite, exploring a bit of our local connection to France! First, the children visited the Victor Hugo bench in town. It was great to see that local link being explored as part of French Week, given his connection to Guernsey.

Then, they took a walk to the beautiful Candie Gardens and learned more about Victor Hugo right underneath his statue there. After that, there was some creative time spent colouring pictures of Victor Hugo. They also got to enjoy some French stories, even though they were translated into English, which is a good way to introduce them to French narratives.

Finally, they had some outdoor fun playing boules, a classic French game! It sounds like a wonderful day out and about, combining local exploration with French culture.

What a day it was yesterday for French Week! We started with a lovely trip to Portelet beach. The children absolutely loved playing in the sand, building sand castles and digging holes. Some children also took a walk to the Fairy ring.

We headed back to school for lunchtime and then finished off our Renoir-style paintings. But the most exciting part of the day kicked off at 3:10 PM, when we waved goodbye to the rest of the school and our sleepover activities officially began!

Everyone pitched in with dinner prep, making a delicious salad and fruit salad. Then, we all had a go at 'Parkour' in the hall, which looked like a lot of fun, before heading for a splash! Everyone took a turn in either the hydrotherapy pool or the splash pool, and there was definitely a lot of giggling going on.

We all sat down together for dinner in the dining room, enjoying bâtonnets de poisson (fish fingers) or steak haché avec des frites (burger with fries). After that, it was time to get into our PJs and settle in to watch the movie Ratatouille.

By 8:00 PM, we were all shattered, so it was straight to bed. Fingers crossed for a good night's sleep for everyone after such an exciting day!

What a way to wrap up French Week! The children apparently slept brilliantly through the night, which is always a relief after a sleepover. The corridors were silent and still by 9 PM – quite impressive!

Some of the earliest risers started stirring around 5 AM but thankfully stayed chilling in their rooms until 6:15 AM. Then, in a truly special "Soirée pyjama française" moment, they moved to the music room, complete with blankets and sleeping bags, to watch a cheeky bit of CBBC!

By 7:30 AM, it was time to get washed, brush teeth, and get ready for school. Breakfast was served in Le Café français, where everyone tucked into more delicious salade de fruits, pains au chocolat, croissants, and pain beurré.

After a little play outside before the rest of the school arrived, the day was spent finishing Ratatouille (this time with a cosy chocolat chaud!), exploring France further in the interactive room, and wrapping up all their French work. It sounds like a perfect end to an incredibly fun and immersive French Week!

A huge thank you to all the incredible pupils, supportive parents and wonderful staff for a wonderful Semaine française.