Testimonials
First Steps in French
"Culturefrog's First Steps in French programme has made the introduction of a second language for my daughter an exciting and fun thing to do. I believe this provides a good basis for the skills she will need in an increasingly international world."
Paul
Schools and Nurseries
"Both Jenny & Stephane have a unique and creative approach in introducing French language to the children. Both child-centered and adult led activities allow the children to experience the language and culture in a dynamic and meaningful way. The children love participating in each weekly session, so much so that the nursery teachers are now supporting their learning and experiences through the music, cds and books.
It is evident that both Jenny & Stephane have a passion for their approach and a proven knowledge on how best children can develop and learn a second language with confidence and enjoyment."
Louise Smart, Director, Rosemount Nursery, Kinross
Culturefrog's Jenny and Stéphane came into nursery to do introductory sessions with the children, some of whom had had a little experience of French before but most of whom had never uttered a word before! They spoke in dual French/English from the start, which was fascinating for adults to watch but the children took to it right from the start. Jenny, who spoke English throughout, provided the context for understanding by reinforcing the key meanings behind Stéphane's words. Stéphane spoke exclusively in French, which the children responded extremely positively to. They understood the songs and stories and Stéphane used tone, expression, gesture and repetition to great effect to support this. Culturefrog's learning experiences (stories, songs, activities with talk) utilise the ways in which children learn best and provide not only explicit word learning in the songs but also key phrases, eg 1, 2, 3, partez! within the structuring of the sessions and possibly most importantly, immersion in the French language during the linked follow-up activities and accompanying talk. The children thoroughly enjoyed the structure of the sessions and they often joined in with repeated phrases. They were given opportunities in the session to practice their learning, which encouraged them to use the new words. The children engaged extremely naturally with both Jenny and Stéphane and could respond appropriately to Stéphane, albeit in English (!) because they had gained much of their understanding from his tone, props, gestures.
Even long after the sessions, many of the children were able to recall and use key words and phrases from the session. They were also demonstrating greater cultural awareness of "French" in general as another language that is accessible to them. The sessions can be seen to have therefore, been effective in reaching the goals of raising awareness and introducing new vocabulary.
Jenny and Stéphane had a great rapport with the children and obviously have put a lot of thought, time and effort into their learning planning. They had good strategies for engaging all children and while following their sessions plans also frequently promoted the values of good listening, recycling, kindness and others. Overall, a wonderful experienced for those involved.
Rachel Davidson, Nursery teacher
ONLYLYON Ambassadors
"C'est grâce à des personnes comme vous que Lyon peut rayonner à l'international!"
Emmanuelle MANFREDI
Chargée de communication, Animation des Ambassadeurs ONLYLYON
"It's thanks to people like you that Lyon can have a real international presence!"
Emmanuelle MANFREDI, Communication Officer, ONLYLYON Ambassadeurs' network
