"Over the next few weeks I took out books about everything related to Egypt and France from our local library. I stockpiled those for the virus Armageddon, which arrived one gray, freezing-rain March day. I also found TV shows and movies about both of these places to accommodate both of my children. What I didn't know was that these books, movies, and shows were going to change our lives."
"Last summer, I wrote my first piece for The New York Times about French hardware stores, called quincailleries, and my newest novel, The Gulf of Lions, takes place entirely in France. France has come to feel like a new family member, one that we were only able to connect with because of all those books and, especially, all those French movies and TV shows that we watched together, taking in the language and culture as if by osmosis."
"During the pandemic, my husband Dan and I homeschooled our kids. Just before the world came to screeching halt, I suggested that they give me some ideas for things they might like to study. My younger one, then five, told me he wanted to study Egypt and mummies; my older one said France-by which he really meant French language, food, and culture."
A family homeschooled their children during the pandemic, prompted by children's interests in Egypt and France. The family borrowed books and selected TV shows and movies about both subjects, preparing resources before lockdown. Intensive exposure to French language and culture transformed family life: annual trips to France, rekindled friendships, and new connections. Both children learned French; the older son advanced enough to require college-level language lessons. One parent published a newspaper piece about quincailleries and wrote a novel set in France. France became a felt member of the family through books, films, and television, absorbed almost by osmosis. A curated list of French films and shows for young children follows.
Read at Frenchly
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