Teaching exterior parts of the house came all naturally from drawing with the ruler containing basic shapes. Triangle made a ROOF, rectangle  served for a WALL, small square for a WINDOW.  And that was quite enough for the first day of introduction.

Tuesday

Why not try a rhymed dance of the following kind:

In and Out the Doors
(sung to “Go In and Out the Window”)

Step in and out the front door.
(take a step forward, then back)
Step in and out the front door.
Step in and out the front door.
Then make a doorbell sound.
(say “ding dong”)

Jump in and out the back door.
(jump forward, then back)
Jump in and out the back door.
Jump in and out the back door.
Bend down and touch the ground.
(touch ground with hand)

Slide in and out the side door.
(slide to one side, then other)
Slide in and out the side door.
Slide in and out the side door.
And then turn all around.
(turn around)

Step in and out the front door.
Jump in and out the back door.
Slide in and out the side door.
Then sit yourself right down.
(sit down)

Wednesday

The chance of learning something new  that appeared so naturally was to use or to lose.  I chose the first and invented some more game activities around the HOUSE  theme in order to encourage memorization. What I made were two cards – first represented six monsters – just shapeless pieces of colorful cardboard that I decorated with moving eyes, some with one big eye, others with several small ones. The point was to make them attractive and evoke the desire of role-play communication that would disguise learning aspect.

The kid was introduces to Mr. Brown, Mr. Yellow, Mr. Blue , Mr. Red, Mr. Green and Mr. Purple. We counted their eyes, tried to untouched them (how could we do without!) and then they told us about their problem. They have been to a visit to one Earth house and lost their hairs! And they ast the kid so so very much about help in finding the lost hairs.

(Here comes another card with a house drown on it and different color hairs glued in the parts of the house we need to practice. For the hairs I used some strips of paper for quilling, but it could be piece of thread or whatever you’d find.)

The dialog develops in such a way, then:

***

- Mr. Brown, Mr. Brown, your brown hair is on the ROOF!

- Oh, thanks a million!

***

Mr. Red, Mr. Red, your red hair  is on the CHIMNEY!

- Oh, thanks a lot!

… and so on, here the HOUSE words were 6: CHIMNEY, ROOF, WALL, DOOR, WINDOW, STAIRS.

First dialog was pronounced by me, but the little one tried to repeat it and at the end I just gave him out the new HOUSE words, and he managed the rest by himself.

We played, then we switched to a different game, but the two card stayed in the nearby access for a few days, giving the kid possibility to review the words any time he likes. And it happened, to my great joy!

Thursday

Why not make a small task? Take a sheet of paper, divide it into squares (not many but not less than 9). In some draw things, belonging to the house exterior, in others – having no relation. Stick on the other side an envelope with cut out cardboard part of the house, corresponding to the images.  When playing, just show the kig the board and say: “Let’s build a house! Look at the pictures, what would you need for your house?”

And for every correct answer give out a corresponding cut-out cardboard piece. Then you can glue them to a blank paper sheet to make a cut-out.

Friday

Do you know why flip-flap books are so popular with kids? It’s because of the mysteries they hide under the flaps. Mystery and secret are very strong motivations for youngsters, they are the very implementation of their instinct of exploring everything new.  So, let’s play and learn making use of this instinct.  What I do is draw a house on a sheet of paper – I don’t need it colorful, but this time I need it big enough to be spectacular. I put it on the bottom of a deep dish or any suitable recipient, cover it with a transparent file taken from some toy package,  cover the paper and hide the whole of a house with a share of semolina.

And while your little explorer dig out the hidden treasure, you read him a small poem about what he sees:

It is a ROOF

It is waterproof

It is a CHIMNEY

It’s for smoke, not for me,

It is a WALL

And it mustn’t fall

It’s a WINDOW

Look out, is it windy?

These are stairs

To go up and down , both ways,

It is a DOOR

What  is it for?

or friends to let in

Are you there? Come in!

You probably will have a possibility to repeat this poem once the house is digged out. I did.

This entertainment is also to stay on the close distance and return to for several consecutive days, revising  target words.

Saturday

From a cornflakes box (I admire them a lot for white and high quality cardboard and never throw away without making any use of them) I cut out a dimensional house where the only thing added was a balcony. It was interesting but plainly white- inadmissible thing for childhood times! So, with a set of paints we enjoyed a lop painting WALLS, DOOR, STAIRS, BALCONY, ROOF and CHIMNEY. And only here I realized that my child doesn’t know what’s for “CHIMNEY” in his own language – he kept calling it “chimney” in Russian when boasting with his brightly-colored house  to his dad. As you understand, new words stayed with us this day, too, but in a new image.

Sunday

Why not just remunerate oneself and listen to the song from You Tube. Moreover, you understand what it’s about

The House Song

And if stopping here seems impossible, so much you’ve got involved into the house learning, that “The three little pigs” tale is just what you need – it would combine (from teacher’s point of view) – parts of the house, if you try and insist that the pigs made their roof of straw, and walls of straw, and the door of straw… and materials house can be made of. It would also be fun for a babe, stories always are.

As a teacher, I suffered from this all, as a mother teacher, I try to take it into account and make benefit from it.  

1) Make the information you want to hang down mysterious  and secret. For few weeks I could not interest my son in any of the French learning until one day, walking through the tree alley we saw a strange tree. This tree wants to tell you a secret, I said. What is the secret? – he asked, intrigued. It wants to tell you how to say in French “nice to meet you”, that is its secret. It would be “ENCHANTE [a~sha~te]“. Please, don’t tell this secret to anyone!

And you know what happens? He runs to another tree and says: “Hello, tree! Your brother told me a secret, it was “ENCHANTE”!

And what does it mean?, asks the new tree. – It means “nice to meet you”, was the answer. Well, says the tree, you should know, that I also have a secret… but don’t tell anyone!

In this way we learned about a dozen French words in the same manner. Moreover, whenever we come to these trees, I can ask -  do you remember, what secret this tree hides? – He remembered the game, but didn’t remember the words themselves at first. Though, he was very eager to hear them. Hope, they are all well-recorded in his memory now.

2) Give out presents – kids are lustful for a present as a conception, not as a precious thing. Let it be cardboard stars or acorns from the forest – I even tried chocolate candies with a group of grown-up students – it works!

3) Pretend to be someone or something  – when a child refuses to be taught by you – just become a hedgehog that can speak English only.

4) If it doesn’t work at the moment, it can still suit well in a proper time. Take your time and watch for a suitable moment.

5) Do not repeat yourself – the most horrible thing is to bore them – and be refused at the sacred circle of game and attention.

6) Do not verify or make any tests – just give knowledge, gratuitously and generously.  Otherwise you’ll be fired from the corporation of trusties.

7) Perform and play, don’t teach – many children don’t take for granted that you are older, you know better and you are to be listened. So, sometimes it’s they who like your game (and it must be interesting to merit attention), and sometimes it’s them who have brilliant ideas how to play and there’s nothing left for you than to accept the rules. And in those very moments be the most attentive – they show you by their game HOW they want to be taught, observe and take a good note.

8/ Where to get inspiration and fresh ideas? – Well, internet! It has plenty of resources and what you have to look for is not really ready-made worksheets – they are good for adults, but a flash that would turn your lesson into a feast! and no danger for author’s rights violation. Be the author. And always work on self-development! (to have a couple of ideas as a backup!)

“Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!” (Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass)

9) Move a lot! You would never be successful with kids without motion – activity songs, challenges picking ups from the ground or classmate’s back – for you to invent.

10) Make crafts. Draw what you learn, cut it out, decorate it, put eyes on it, and so so so on. Use all sorts of sticky, modeling, liquid, granular, natural substances. They are always in favor.

Good Luck!

The special thing about it is that its author is your humble servant:

This piece of cake looks too fake

This piece of cake is hard to make

This piece of cake is yet to bake

This piece of cake will cause a headache

This piece of cake is made for our sake!

In my childhood, every time I was bored and told that to my parents, they started teaching me English or math. But all I wanted was simply play. So, I tried not to mention to them I was bored.

Ann

Children adore doctor games, so knowing so much from this poem they’ll surely enjoy it and get sympathetic to the poor horsy.

Try and perform the rhyme in as artistic way as you are capable! For instance, take a toy horse and role play the poem.

Oh, c’était [aetae - was] un cheval,  [shwal - horse]

Oh, il était bien malade, [bja~ malad - very ill]

Son maître [so~ maetr - its master]  l’a pris, [la pri - took it]

L’a mis [la mi -put her]  dans l’écurie, [da~ lekuri -to the stable]

Quand [ka~ - when] il avait chaud, (:) )

On lui a donné [o~ lui a done - they gave it] de l’eau,

Quand il avait froid,

On lui a donné une couverture, [kuvertu:r - covering]

Quand il avait faim,

On lui a donné du foin, [fwa~ - hay]

Quand il avait mal aux dents, [mal o da~ - toothache]

On lui a donné de la pâte à dents, [pat a da~ - tooth powder]

Quand il avait mal au pied, [pje -foot]

On lui a donné des gros souliers, [gro  'sulje  - big boots]

Et là [with this] notre [notr - our] cheval,

Il n’était plus [naetae plu - wasn't any more] malade,

Son maître l’a pris,

L’a sorti [sorti - took out of] de l’écurie.

And you can also make a theatre play in two with your child – one performing the role of the CHEVAL, the other – that of the MAITRE! Everything but hey is quite accessible in every house! And any bunch of grass can serve for a hay bunch. You can even use a flower in a pot!

And why not take a video of your play? That will help memorize the rhyme and leave a pile of sweet memories to both of you!

The next day I propose you to spy!

Make 5 colorful pictures:

- an eating monkey -  un singe mange [e~ sa~j ma~j]

- a drinking toad – un crapeau boit de l’eau [e~ krapo bwa de l'o]

- a fish putting off the closes – un poisson enleve le veston [e~ pwaso~ e~lev le vesto~]

- and a penguin visiting a doctor – un penguin va voir le medecin [e~ pe~gwa~ va vwar le medsa~]

demonstrate the pictures to your dear pupil.

cut out a key hole in a white cardboard sheet and looking through the hole try to guess what picture is behind, like real spies!

Must be a real moment of fun for you two!

Here, I’ll give some new word drops and also voice the solutions to the problems of the aggrieved creature.

Here’s what I mean:

Le girafe [jiraf] a soif – voila de l’eau [wvala de l'o] -Here’s some water

Le chameau[shamo - camel] a chaud – voila du vent [va~] here’s some wind

Le lapin [lapa~] a faim – voila une carrote [carot] – here’s a carrot

Le chacal [shakal - jackal] a mal – voila un medicament [medikama~]

La oie [wva- goose] a froid – voila un pul [pul]- pull-over

La grenouille [grenuj -frog] a la trouille [truj - is affraid] – voila une cachette! [kashaet - shelter]

Then you may play a doctor with granny or simply destroy the zoo and let all the animals out. The important achievement is that you are now very well armored for many everyday situations – once your kid is hungry, you may double your question in French. And the more you repeat the better it gets assimilated!

In his turn, the doctor was well-armored with a cup, an apple, a fan for soap bubbles, a piece of fur from my old coat and a medicine dropper.

toc-toc-toc! [tok] (that is knock-knock-knock)

Bonjour, monsieur le docteur!

(And I received a Bonjour in answer, what a chance!)

Docteur, j’ai faim! – said the first patient. And with angry eyes looked at the apple. And surely got it!

OOOH! Je suis bien! [je swi bie~] (I feel good)

Merci, monsieur le Docteur, au revoir!

(and “Au revoir” was the answer)

and so on until the precious attention switches to something else.

I didn’t mind, I didn’t force – for my victory was in a few moments granted to my French – it was captivating enough to be perceived as a game.

I decided to teach my little one (3 years old ) such essential words as:

I am hungry [J' ae   fa~] J’ai faim

I am thirsty [J' ae swaf ] J’ai soif

I am cold [J' ae  frwa] J’ai frod

I am hot [J' ae  sho: ] J’ai chaud

I feel sick [J' ae  mal ] J’ai mal

First day I just entered a simple poem, that came up to my mind – there, mindless things balance these new French notions that I want to introduce – exactly what we need!

Pan-pan-pan (tap myself on the tummy) - j’ai faim!

Ouaf-ouaf-ouaf (as a puppy) – j’ai soif!

Yo-ho-ho (like a pirate) – j’ai chaud!

Coa-coa-coa (imitating a frog) - j’ai froid!

Ai-ai-ai (yell of pain) - j’ai mal

mimed properly I was welcomely met and put on some brain shelf for the days to come.

don’t worry, Kate! And at the moment I simply celebrate the fact that the connection having become so subtle is now re-established and iridescenting.

Though, soften what I take from your discoveries is not academic knowledge but inspiration and key to the new WAYs ( ) to teach on my own. Normal for a creative being. Thanks a million for your being with us, Kate!