Learn how to say "squash" in French

Learn how to say "squash" in French

Goal: Learn how to say "squash" in French

**Recommended club documents:

Éduca-déco-Les légumes
Casse-tête-Les légumes
Jeu-Liste de prix

**To use the documents mentioned above, you must have access to Club Educatout. Educatall Club members can join the French club at a low price.

Suggested activities:

Purchase several miniature decorative squash. Before circle time, place them all in a large basket and set it in your circle time area. Invite children to pick a squash and let them manipulate it during circle time. Ask them if they know what they are holding. Ask them if they know different types of squash (spaghetti, butternut, pumpkin, etc.). Once they have listed their entire repertoire, tell them the word "courge" means "squash" in French.

You may click on the following link to discover the proper pronunciation of this new word:

http://dictionnaire.reverso.net/francais-anglais/courge.

Have fun trying to repeat this new word as a group for a few minutes. Introduce a simple game to help children integrate the new word. Sit in a circle with your group. Hold a small round squash in your hands. Begin the game by rolling it to a child. The child must catch the squash, say "courge", and roll it to another child. Continue to roll the squash to children if they are interested to provide them with the opportunity to hear and say the new word many times. If you wish, you may add additional squash.

Print several copies of the "Éduca-déco-Les légumes" document. Laminate and cut out the fruits and vegetables. Hide them within your daycare and invite children to search for them. Every time they find a fruit or vegetable, they must deposit it in a large basket. Encourage them to say "courge" when they find a squash. When all the fruits and vegetables have been found, have fun sorting them with your group. You could, for example, hang an open brown paper bag on a wall to represent a garden. Create a row of carrots, a row of peppers, etc. Of course, pay extra attention to the squash row. Use this activity to help children understand there are several different types of squash.

Print the "Casse-tête-Les légumes" document. It contains three different puzzles. Laminate and cut the pieces. Divide your group into three teams. Give each team the pieces of one puzzle. When you give the signal, they must try to complete their puzzle as quickly as possible. When they are done, they must say "courge". Encourage each team to count the "courge" in their scene. Which team has the most? Leave the puzzles on a table so children can manipulate them during periods of free play.

Print the "Jeu-Liste de prix" document and laminate the cards. Keep only the cards that correspond to the plastic (or real) food items you have. Make sure you have at least one small pumpkin and one squash to provide children with the opportunity to practice saying the new word. Set the food items on shelves to represent a grocery store. Tell children they are grocery store employees. Ask them to help you find the items on your list. Show them the corresponding cards if necessary. Of course, your list will always contain squash! Every time you ask for a squash, have children say "courge" and identify a squash on the shelves. After a while, let children pretend they are customers while you pretend to be an employee. Try to sell them "courge" by telling them it is on sale...

For lunch, prepare squash soup with your group. Let them manipulate squash puree with their fingers. They can use it to draw on waxed paper and lick their fingers if they wish. Who knows, they may ask their parents to buy "courge" next time they go to the grocery store!

Patricia-Ann Morrison