France for Kids – Tons of Fun Info about France for Your Kids to Listen To (plus a Free Printable France Pack)

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Hey there, traveler! Are you ready to have an exciting adventure? We’re about to explore the marvelous country of France. It’s the land of corrupt kings and fancy food, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Tour de France cycling race, and Napoleon. Have you heard of the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre Art Museum, Versailles Palace, and the Eiffel Tower? We’re gonna explore it all. You’ll taste french bread, croissants, creme brulee, and maybe even snails and foie gras. Grab your passport, and let’s hit the road! 

Along the way, I’m going to tell you a little bit about our France for Kids product and our free France printables. We’re gonna start by reading from France Adventure, and during this episode you’re going to learn lots of things about France.

Salut! My name is Faye. My home is the city of Paris. It’s also the capital of France. It’s so beautiful! We go for long walks along the Seine river, or in the gardens near the Eiffel Tower. I like to help in my family’s restaurants. I’m learning to cook French cuisine. My big brother Philippe is an amazing chef, and I love to eat his food. 

Did you know that France is the most visited country in the world! It has over 80 million visitors every year.

Here, you can find Notre Dame Cathedral and the Arc de Triomphe. France is also home to Disneyland Paris, and that’s the only Disneyland in Europe. 

France is known for its excellent gourmet cuisine. Our pastries are definitely worth trying. We did not invent the croissant, but we made it famous. Our French cheeses include Camembert and Brie. Baguettes are the long, thin French bread you can find in any bakery here. If you’re adventurous, you might want to try escargot, which is basically snails. Some people find them weird, but to the French, they’re delicious. 

Some well-known French people were Napoleon Bonaparte, who made great conquests, Joan of Arc, the Martyr and Saint, and Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille for blind people. We have many famous artists as well, such as Monet and Renoir.

French is spoken throughout the world. Do you know any French? 

The French flag is blue, white, and red. If you go to find our free France printables, there’ll be a flag that you can color and learn about. Some people say that each color of the French flag represents part of the motto of the French revolution – blue for freedom, white for equality, and red for brotherhood. 

Paris is the capital of France, and some of its big cities are Lyon, Marseille, Nice, and Dijon – have you heard of Dijon mustard? 

 

The Louvre is one of the most well-known museums in the entire world. About 10 million people come to visit it every year. Out of those, about 8 million probably come to see the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci. The Louvre holds many masterpieces within its walls. Did you know that despite the fact that the museum was opened around the time of the French Revolution, the actual building was built back in the 12th century? It was used as a residence for royalty back then until Louis XIV moved to the Palace of Versailles. If you have seen the Louvre, you may have noticed a glass pyramid standing in front of it. This pyramid is actually one of five. If you check out all the awesome art and it makes you hungry while visiting, then you could head over to one of the many cafes or fancy restaurants inside the Louvre.

 

Have you heard of Notre Dame Cathedral recently? There was a big fire there and it took a few years to rebuild. It was opened again last year. It was built about 800 years ago. That’s a long time! It’s right in the middle of Paris and has a big bell that weighs 13 tons. It’s called the Emmanuel Bell. Notre Dame Cathedral has two towers that are 226 feet high, and they have 387 steps.

There are beautiful stained glass windows, some from many hundreds of years ago when it was built.

What language do they speak in France? Let’s learn a few French phrases. If you were visiting France, you’d need to learn a few words. S’il vu plaît means “please”, and “yes” is oui, so if you want to say “Yes, please”, say Oui, s’il vu plaît. If you want to say “thank you”, that’s merci, and “No, thank you”, would be Non, merci. How would you say “hello”? That’s bonjour. And “goodbye”? That’s au revoir. Remember, “yes” is oui and “no” is non, “thank you” is merci, and “please” is s’il vu plaît. “Hello” is bonjour, and “goodbye” is au revoir.

What kind of food do they eat? French food is often eaten in small courses. French people love to have a baguette with their meal, or they eat it after the meal with some cheese as a cheese course.

A Croque Monsieur is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich that has bechamel or white sauce on the top. It has more sauce and cheese on top of the sandwich than inside, and this creates the most cheesy, gooey thing you’ll ever eat. It’s so much better than a plain cheese sandwich. You’ll never want to stop eating it. See if you can try a Croque Monsieur or make one at home. 

Cordon Bleu is meat stuffed with ham and cheese. It can be made from chicken, pork, or veal. The chicken breast would be pounded flat, and then wrapped around the filling of ham and cheese. It would then be breaded or crumbed, and then fried or baked. It’s delicious. 

Nicoise salad is a salad from the region of Provence in France. It contains lettuce, tomatoes, and boiled eggs, with tuna, olives, and anchovies, and sometimes green beans. 

French onion soup is very popular. It’s made by cooking various types of onions like shallots, and it’s topped with a slice of baguette covered in cheese.

Ratatouille is a vegetable stew that usually includes vegetables like eggplant, onion, tomato, zucchini, or marrows.

 

French cheeses like Camembert and Briue are very popular!

Dauphinois is made from sliced potatoes baked with cream, milk, nutmeg, and lots of cheese. The potatoes are sliced to the thickness of a coin. 

Crepes are thin French pancakes that can be filled with sweet or savory fillings. You can have a dessert crepe filled with cream and sugar or syrupy sauce, or you could fill it with cheese and ham. They’re like a big, flat pancake. 

Crème Brûlée is a dessert that has a custard base and a layer of caramelized sugar on top. “Crème Brûlée” means “burnt cream”. All of these French foods are delicious. You can choose one to make for your French meal at the end of your France for Kids Adventure.

Let’s talk about transport in Paris. There are many ways to travel around the city of Paris. You can rent a scooter or a car. Often you can rent a vehicle at a train station or airport, and then return it when you’ve reached your destination. The metro is one of the fastest ways to get around Paris. It has over 300 stations! You can buy a train ticket for around two Euros. You can also take a tram, which uses the same ticket system as the metro, but it’s not very useful, as the tram lines only travel around the outside perimeter of the city. Bus routes take you all around the city on Mondays to Saturdays, and you can buy snacks at some of the stations. If you’re under 26 years old, you can buy a youngster ticket for public transport on French public holidays or the weekends.

 

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Eiffel Tower. It’s one of the most famous landmarks in the world. The tower is 324 meters tall. It has three levels, and is made almost entirely of wrought iron. It’s named after Gustave Eiffel, but it was actually designed by two men who worked for his company. Work on it was started in 1887, and was completed in 1889. It was built as the entrance for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris, and the plan was to tear it down after 20 years. Can you imagine? But this was never done because it was the perfect place for a telegraphy antenna. That means it was used a lot in early wireless telegraphy and broadcasting. The Eiffel Tower was a prime location for this, and it served as a vital tool for military communication during the First World War.

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and the second highest in Europe. It’s 4,810 meters, or 15,780 feet tall, and is on the border between France and Italy. Mont Blanc is French for “White Mountain”, and it’s called that because it’s usually covered with snow. You can climb it, but it’s not easy. There are huts to stay in overnight. The record for ascending and descending the mountain is about five hours. That’s pretty fast! 

The DGSI stands for the French term Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure. It’s a French security agency like the FBI. Their mission is countering espionage, terrorism, and cyber crime.

The city of Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements. It’s quite easy to figure out which is which, as number one is in the middle, and then the numbers go up in a spiral like a snail shell until you reach 20. You can see a picture of what this looks like in France Adventure. 

The currency that people use in France, and many other countries around it, is called the Euro. One euro is worth just over $1. Until 2002, the French used a different currency called the French Franc. French Franc notes had pictures of famous French people such as Gustave Eiffel, Marie Curie, and Hector Berloiz. French Franc coins date all the way back to 1360 in medieval times.

The Seine river is the second longest river in France, and it’s 485 miles long. It flows right through the middle of Paris, and many of the city’s most famous landmarks can be seen from it, like the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.

A boat ride along the river is a great way to see the city. There are several different companies that provide boat tours on the Seine. On a night tour, you can see all the bridges and buildings in the city lit up. The Eiffel Tower also lights up with sparkly lights at the start of every hour in the evenings. 

Let’s learn about their culture and traditions. French music is delightful. Traditional French music is varied and unique to each region of France. In Paris, vibrant music is performed by stringed instruments like the violin, and percussion like the tambourine. The music of Normandy and the western regions of France is influenced by Celtic traditions.

In French traditional dress, women wear long dresses with white aprons, lace collars, and lace headdresses. Men wear white shirts with black trousers and close fitting vests. These are called Breton costumes, and are associated with French culture.

Here are some fun facts and jokes. 

There are thousands of castles in France. 

Most restaurants in France serve baguettes for free as a side. 

The French Army is the only army in the world that still uses carrier pigeons. The Louvre was originally built as a fortress against invaders. It was later used as a palace before it was converted into a museum. 

More than a quarter of France is covered in forest. 

In France, it’s illegal to name your pig Napoleon. 

Louis XIX of France was king for only twenty minutes in 1830. 

Here are a couple of jokes. How did the French leader Napoleon have fun? By throwing a buon-a-party!

Why do French people only eat one egg at breakfast? Because one egg is un oeuf! (enough). 

Did you know a cheese factory exploded in France? De brie everywhere!

 

 

France for Kids – An Adventure Book and Novel

 

A France-Themed Unit for Homeschoolers – ages 7 to 11

A unique and exciting study of France!

The Adventure Book and Novel work together to teach your kids about the country of France.

Your kids will embark on a thrilling adventure in France, and have a ton of fun learning about it in a way they’ll never forget!

THIS UNIT CONSISTS OF:

France Adventure Book (learning pages, and tons of activities to work through)

and

Felons and Foie Gras in France (a novel to read)

Available in Print and Digital Format

 

 

 

 

Discover the Wonders of France!

 

 

Cut-outs and Jokes!

 

Landmarks and Animals!

 

And Tons More!

Details about the Felons and Foie Gras in France Novel.

Book 5 in the CASE OF ADVENTURE Travel Series

Join Ren, Rome, Jake, Libby and Tiffany as they explore the marvelous country of FRANCE. It’s the land of corrupt kings, fancy food, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Tour de France cycling race, and Napoleon! Have you heard of the Mona Lisa painting, Versailles Palace and the Eiffel Tower? Have you eaten croissants, Crème Brûlée and maybe even snails and Foie Gras.

Join the Gray family in France as they investigate a theft at a famous impressionist art museum. They get to explore Paris, visit fancy restaurant, eat French cuisine, and solve a mystery culminating in a showdown up the Eiffel Tower at night. It’s their most exciting and dangerous adventure yet.