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Welcome to France!!
I hope you’re ready for an adventure! Pack your bags and grab your berets. Let’s learn about the beautiful European country of France!
This trip is perfect for all you world-wide learners out there who want to travel the world. This trip is perfect for all ages. However, if you are a teacher or parent, there are plenty of fun activities you can do to help your children get fully emersed in the culture of France.
Teachers/Parents: As teacher’s assistant, I helped a first grade teacher take her students on this exciting trip. Look for the text in italics. Throughout, I will have tips, information, and fun activity suggestions for you as you and your little travelers learn about this great country. I will be using the France activity booklet. Click here to access it. Tailor this trip to your child(ren) or students. The most important thing is to have fun!
About France
Where are we going?
Take out your map of the world (Insert link). Can you find France? What continent is it apart of?
France is a country in the continent of Europe. Seven other countries and water border it. It is bordered by the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea. That’s a lot of water! France is almost 50,000 square miles big and about 66 million people live there! It is the largest country in western Europe!
Help your little traveler find France on the map in the activity booklet. Have them color the country in a nice, bright color.
What does the flag look like?
The flag of France is simple but beautiful! It is broken into 3 pieces: a blue piece, a white piece, and a red piece.
Have your students/child(ren) draw and color the flag of France. If you click here, you can access the activity booklet that goes with the lesson, where they can make and color the flag of France.
How do they speak?
The main language of France is French. Let's try to speak French.
Hello-Bonjour
Good bye- Au revoir
Please- S'il vous plaît
Friend-Ami
Thank you-Merci
Yes- Oui
Help you traveler explore more words in French. If you click here, you can access the activity booklet that goes with the lesson, where they can log some French translations.
History
Before France
In ancient time, France was known as Gaul and this was where the Celts. lived. After some time, the Romans took over for almost 500 years! That's a long time! The Romans didn't stay in power forever because one day, the Franks took over the land.
There was a very powerful ruler of the Franks named Charlemagne. More information about him. He didn't rule forever either because one day he died and his empire had fallen apart. The western part of his empire is what is now known as France.
The French Revolution
In the 1700's, the French people had very little control and were paying a lot of taxes. King Luis XVI was the ruler in 1789 and he had an absolute monarchy where they king had all the power, his nobles had all the wealth, and the peasants were poor and mistreated. The people of France didn't like that very much. Would you? What would you do if you thought your government was unfair? Well, the French decided to start a revolution!
The French fought to get what they thought they deserved. They formed the National Assembly, where they wrote a constitution that would give them more rights. A large amount of people went to the prison of Bastille to free the prisoners who were put there for disagreeing with the king. Riots broke out and people all around France began to revolute against the nobles.
The National Assembly took power and ruled under three core values: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. The King was dethroned and his and his wife Marie Antoinette were publicly beheaded. The citizen succeeded in getting rid of the unequal social classes, they got new and equal rights for their citizens and their democratic ideas spread throughout Europe.
Help you traveler learn more about the history of France. Show them the good and the bad. Maybe have a conversation about how the French people felt throughout their history.
France Today
Culture
France today is a modern country. It is rich of history, art, and beauty. Many famous artists, writers, and thinkers came from France. People travel from all over the world to experience the countries many art, music, food, fashion, and land.
Food
France is known very well for it's wonderful food! They have sauces, cheeses, breads, pastries. Take a look at some of the amazing food that France has to offer.
Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a fresh dish made of eggplant, pepper, tomatoes and more.
Escargot
Escargot is an edible snail that can be served as an appetizer.
Croissant
A croissant is a flaky bread that is typically eaten at breakfast.
Éclair
An éclair is a long French pastry that is filled with cream that comes in many flavors.
Macaroons
Macaroons are sweet, colorful cookies that was usually filled with butter cream.
Crepes
Crepes are French pancakes that can be filled with sweet or savory filling.
Art
There are so much art in France! There are paintings, sculptures, beautiful buildings, fashion, and so much more!
One famous painter by the name of Eugene Delacroix painted a very famous painting by the name of "Liberty Leading the People." It depicts an image of the French Revolution and its people fighting for their liberty. Another famous French painter, names Claude Monet, was the founder of the Impressionism movement in art. He loved using colors, light, and shapes in his painting to show how beautiful things can be. He is considered one of the most famous painters to ever live!
France is known as the fashion capital of the world! People come from all over the world to see the fabulous creations. Creative people flock to France for a chance to create some of the most influential outfits in the world.
Paris
When you think of France, what's the first thing you think of? Paris? Probably the berets, the croissants, and the French cafes. When most people think of France, the first place they picture is Paris and the grand Eiffel Tower. Is that what you picture when you think of France?
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Paris is the capital city of France. It is also the largest city in France. More than 2 million people live here! Isn't that a lot! many people travel to France just to go to the Paris. It is beautiful, successful, and full of history. There was plenty of historical buildings and streets where grand events happened. Today, people come to see the monuments and maybe have a pastry in a local café.
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Let's explore some of the popular places in Paris, France.
The Eiffel Tower
​The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 and is 1063 Ft tall! It was made to be apart of the 1889 World Fair as the main exhibit. It was originally suppose to be taken down after 20 years, but of course it was allowed to stay up for much longer. It was because it was used to transmit radio stations.
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So many people come to see the Eiffel Tower. If you were to climb to the top, you could see a 360 degree view of the city of Paris. And if you go to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night, you would see all the pretty lights that glow. Paris is, after all, called the City of Lights.
The Cathedral of Notre Dame
The Cathedral of Notre Dame is a very old and famous church in Paris, France. It is located on an island in the Seine River, a river that runs though the city of Paris. This cathedral is an good example of gothic architecture in France. Building this church took a long time. It took over two hundred years! But it's lasted a long time. It's over 800 years old!
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Next to the Eiffel Tower, the Cathedral of Notre Dame is one the most recognized symbols of Paris. About 12 million people come to see it every year. Have you ever heard church bells ringing? Notre Dame has 10 bells that are all blessed and names after biblical figures, saints, bishops and others. They are very loud bells but they are beautiful to listen to.
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Unfortunately, in April 2019, a big fire struck the Cathedral. The fire burned for over half a day and it caused a lot of damage! Thankfully, repairs are being done and it is on its way to being restored.
The Eiffel Tower is so iconic! The Cathedral is so beautiful! Hone in on your Little Traveler's curiosity. Help them do some research on Paris. Have them try and draw the Eiffel Tower or build it out of clay or blocks. Maybe let your traveler listen to the grand bells of Notre Dame. Show then a picture of Paris as night. If you need fun ideas for them to do, click here.​
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There are also pages in the France activity booklet with Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame activities. You can access it here.
The French Alps
The Alps are a range 1000 km chain of saw-edged mountains that span seven countries. The highest point of the Alps is in France at Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc is 4810 m high!
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These alps are a beautiful display of how amazing nature can be. There are not just mountains, but lakes, waterfalls and even forests.
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There is a lot to do at these mountains. A lot of the activities are outside-based. People ride cable car way up in the sky. Some people hike, ski, rock climb, and even paraglide from these mountains. If you aren't as adventurous, there is still much to do. It is also a great place to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.
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Chamonix is a high-mountain town at Mont Blanc. They offer everything listed above: the skiing, hiking, rock climbing and the relaxation. People travel from around the world to experience these things here.
Have your traveler pretend they are at the French Alps. What would they do there? Are they the adventurous type of traveler who would enjoy the skiing and parasailing? Are they the calm type of traveler who would enjoy relaxing and watching the beautiful scenery.
The Loire Valley
Kings, queens, dukes and nobles traveled and made their lavish homes here in the Loire Valley. There are so many lovely castles, known as châteaux, at littered throughout this city. Some have tall towers, grand halls, and beautiful vineyards that account for the historic architecture and artistry. Let's learn a little bit about some of them.
Château of Chambord
The Château of Chambord was built by François I in 1515 to 1547 as a hunting lodge. However, by the time it was finished, it had 426 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 77 staircases! Can you imagine if your house was that big? The Château of Chambord is the largest and most visited Château in the Loire Valley.
Château of Blois
Seven French kings lived in the Château of Blois. There are four wings of this château and they were built in four different eras: Gothic, Flamboyant Gothic, early Renaissance, and classical. There's lots of art here. There are 300 paintings, sculptures and tapestries in the the Flamboyant Gothic wing alone!
Château of Villandry
The Château of Villandry is known for is its beautiful gardens. Its six gardens are among the finest in all of France. There are flowers, vines, fruit trees and groomed hedges that make these gardens grand. The gardens were the château was built by Jean Le Breton, who served François I. He got his inspiration from the art of Italian Renaissance gardening.
There are so many châteaux in the Loire Valley. Help your traveler explore more. Which was their favorite? Which was their least favorite? Would they like to live in any of these remarkable châteaux?