French Day chez Abingdon House

Date: Saturday 12 July 2008

French Day in Abingdon House saw a spectrum of red, white and blue descending on the school. The whole day followed a French theme with activities and events organised to give the children a taste of life across the Channel. The day began with a PowerPoint presentation by Mrs Futcher, to show the children some famous French landmarks, clothing and food. The children then started on their craft activity: making an Eiffel Tower out of different materials.

Our usual English snack time was replaced with the opportunity to taste some traditional French cuisine. The children were encouraged to try small pieces of baguette spread with garlic and herb cream cheese; tiny segments of brie and camembert; croissant and pain au chocolat, all washed down with a typical French child’s drink of hot chocolate. Everyone had a taste of everything on offer and some children discovered they actually liked the new flavours!

Perhaps the greatest treat of the day was Mr Walters’ (Head of French) performance of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in French - complete with blonde wig! The children were absolutely gripped throughout, and could even answer questions about the vocabulary used. Bravo, et merci Monsieur Walters!

Lunch followed with a typical French menu designed by Mr Reddington. We started with French onion soup, followed by French bread pizzas, then apple tart, finishing with a selection of French cheese and exotic fruit. Huge thanks to the catering staff for entering into the spirit of the day so enthusiastically. Not only with the food, but also with decorations that gave the dining room annex such a French feel!

In preparation for the day each child was given the task of decorating a French flag at home to be judged on the day. The results were outstanding with some unique and original ideas from each class. Examples included a flag made by gluing down Lego bricks; using cut-out magazine pictures of French food in the correct colours; and a 3-D shoebox flag with mini hanging mobiles. Mr Walters had the difficult job of judging and awarded a winner and a runner-up to each of the four classes.

The whole day was a huge success, thoroughly enjoyed by pupils and staff. The children had a real taste (literally!) of life as a French child and gained a valuable insight into some aspects of the culture.

Catherine Futcher