We studied France along with Christmas for the whole month of December! We especially loved the traditional Bûche de Noël cake and the 13 Desserts of Christmas. There are so many 19th century artists and composers that you can study while you’re here.
Navigate this page: Missions, Booklists, Science, Cooking, Composer Study, Folk Dance, Art Project, Art Study, Game, Movies, Videos
Free Printables
- Crayola.com’s Free printable of France Flag and Map
- Crayola.com’s Free printable of Monaco Flag and Map
- Seterra.com’s Free printable maps of Europe
- Seterra.com’s Free online geography games for Europe
Missions Spotlight
- Prayercast.com/France: Prayer Points, Summary, Quick Facts
- Prayercast.com/Monaco: Prayer Points, Summary, Quick Facts
**parents should preview the short prayercast.com video for sensitive topics that may not be age appropriate.
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My Top Booklists
Preschool/Kindergarten
Elementary
Late Elementary/Middle
Our Favorite Artist Book
Our Favorite Music Book
Our Favorite Science Book
Science
- Online tour of Lascaux cave: Guided tour of Lascaux Caves
- Bees: “Bea’s own good,” by Linda Talley
Cooking French Food with Kids
The kids helped me make stone soup (no recipe, just followed the book and used eggs instead of stones). For my birthday croquembouche cake, the kids shaped the marzipan flowers to decorate it. When we made creme brûlée from a box mix, they sprinkled the sugar on top and held the torch with an adult. They also helped crush candy canes and assemble the chocolate peppermint macarons.
Cooking the food of the region is one of my favorite ways to experience different countries from the comfort of home. We had many birthday, anniversary, and holiday celebrations during the month of December and early January. I made the following over the course of five weeks:
Stone Soup using an egg 
Following the text of the book 
Dropping in the “stone” 
Croquembouche 
Gingerbread Eiffel Tower 
French Parfaits 
French Onion Soup 
Roast Chicken, French style 
Nutella on Baguettes 
Coq au vin 
Gingerbread Madeleines in the shape of snowflakes 
13 Desserts of Christmas (slight modifications) 
Buche de Noel for Christmas 
Baked Brie with apples and pecans 
Chocolate Fondue 
Quiche Lorraine Sans Crust 
Brie en Croute 
Crepes for the New Year 
Crepes 
Baguettes, a sourdough and yeast recipe 
Crème Brûlée 
Galette des rois aux pommes for Three Kings Day the French Way, on January 6 
Chocolate Macarons with Peppermint Filling 
Chocolate Macarons with Peppermint Filling 
Pissaladière (French Pizza)
Composer Study
We listened to the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, the French impressionist composers. Other French composers include Satie, Saint-Saëns, and Messaien.
Folk Dance of France
- Video: French Ballet Terms
- Video: Ballet Evolved: How ballet class has changed over the centuries
- Video: Can Can | Dance Routine for Kids
Art Project/Handicraft
We did cave paintings like those in Lascaux cave, studied how Monet observed the same scene throughout the day, sculpted marzipan and clay after studying Rodin and Degas, painted a post-impressionist work in the style of Van Gogh,did Matisse cut-outs for a New Year’s Goals board, and made an Eiffel Tower out of gingerbread.
Lascaux Cave set up with packing boxes 
Getting ready with paint and flashlights 
Using a flashlight and lego christmas tree to see how the shadows change throughout the day. 
Sheer blindfold to simulate Degas sculpting with compromised eyesight. 
Marzipan sculptures 
Post-impressionist work in the style of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” 
Making a New Years Goals poster in the style of Matisse. 
Group goals poster 
Gingerbread Eiffel Tower 
Construction of Tower Voila! Gingerbread Eiffel Tower
Art Study
We studied the following Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters over five weeks: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Rodin, Seurat, Van Gogh, Gaugain, and Matisse.
Game
We played Carcassone and Mille Bornes. I had bought a new copy of Mille Bornes to replace my husband’s childhood version, and discovered that the new version has all the French words removed from the cards! You can still find the version in French and look up the rules online.
Another fun game is “L’Escargot,” the French version of hopscotch, which only requires chalk and asphalt. My kids really enjoyed it.
Movies!
We watched Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and the Beast Christmas, Ratatouille, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (I and 2), Madeline, Babar, and Leap. Other movies to watch include the French folk tales of Cinderella and Snow White.
In our short study of Monaco, we watched Cars 2. According to this Pixar Fandom site, “Porto Corsa is a location that appeared in Cars 2. It is where the second out of three races in the World Grand Prix is held. Porto Corsa is based on Monaco and the Monaco Grand Prix, with features taken from Porto Fino, Liguria, Italy.”
YouTube Videos
- Monaco: F1 Circuit Guide: Monaco Grand Prix
- Monaco: Monaco Grand Prix 1962 – High Quality footage – Flying Clipper
- Geography Now! is a fun and informative resource geared towards adults and older kids; I recommend that parents pre-watch before showing to younger kids.
- Travel Kids, France: Medieval Fair
- History of Paris: Europe’s Megacity
- Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral
- Treasures from Vaux-le-Vicomte – Fouquet’s Legacy
- Architecture Animation: Versailles, from Louis XIII to the French Revolution
- Four Minute Tour of Versailles: History, Intrigue, & Beauty
- Architecture Animation: What’s Inside of the Eiffel Tower?
- Eiffel Tower at Night
- The Tour de France Explained
- Geography Now! is a fun and informative resource geared towards adults and older kids; I recommend that parents pre-watch before showing to younger kids.
