How EFBA shares Francophone cultures in summer camps – Focus on Notre Dame de Paris

The EFBA summer camp program is in full swing! Children are learning French and Francophone cultures while having fun with weekly predefined themes.

One of the themes chosen this year is Quasimodo and Esmeralda, the lovers of Notre Dame de Paris. This theme was picked after the fire of April 15, 2019, which burned the roof of the beautiful Cathedral.

This is a vast topic combining news, history, general knowledge, geography and imagination!

The summer camp in Dublin shared their experiences on this particular week.

 

 

 

Interview with Simone Bloch, Lead Camp Counselor at Dublin summer camp and EFBA teacher since 2009

 

Question: How do you approach the theme of Notre Dame with children from 4 to 12 years old?

Answer:The difficulty when introducing a complex cultural theme is to make it understandable and interesting for children. We had to simplify it. We also had to make things fun even when they are not, as in the story of Quasimodo and Esmeralda, who are both victims in Victor Hugo’s story. We altered the story a little to make it more fun: we introduced three main characters in the camp, Esmeralda, Quasimodo and Victor Hugo, thanks to a temporal distortion caused by a session of spiritism (note: Victor Hugo was so much saddened by the death of his daughter Leopoldine that he tried for many years to continue to talk to her in the afterlife via these sessions). What a surprise for them to discover that they were not in France but in California!! Of course, we avoided the sexual aspects of the characters. After all, it is a camp for children from 4 to 12 years old! We also introduced music related to the theme.

Question: What kind of music?

Answer: We introduced songs about Paris and we used the Notre Dame de Paris Musical. We listened to Belle Song. We built the Cathedral with the children, so they could build something themselves. We did not talk about the Middle Ages much, instead we talked about them more this week with the theme of Merlin and King Arthur. The children were told that it was at the same time as Esmeralda and Quasimodo. They were in Paris while Merlin and King Arthur were in Brittany which allowed us to incorporate some geography.  

Question: What kind of activities did you do?

Answer: We made exquisite cadavers, even if it was anachronistic relative to Victor Hugo. The children invented dances with Esmeralda, a dancer in the story (played by Xavier, our 15-year-old volunteer). She was hopping everywhere. What a talent! Quasimodo is also very agile, so we made an obstacle race for the kids.

Question:  Is it a good way to teach general knowledge? 

Answer: It seems to be, yes, because parents have told us their kids wanted to go to Paris to visit Notre Dame. It’s a good start! We provide knowledge and we get them interested. We’re talking about 4 to 12 year-old children! Each week is different but we link the activities, music, and adventures to the theme of the week.

Question: Did you have children write in French?

Answer: Yes, during the French class the group of older francophone children write in french. They are more motivated to write in French during the holiday!

 

 

 

Interview with Sébastien Callait, Camp counselor in Dublin

 

Question: You were a former EFBA afterschool student in Pleasanton and now you are a paid camp counselor at EFBA, what a great experience!

Answer: Actually it was a pretty natural transition! I loved going to the Berkeley Summer Camp. Last year, I became a volunteer at the Mountain View center, and now I am inventing adventures for children in Dublin!

Question: In EFBA summer camps, topics of general culture are introduced. Tell us how you do it.

Answer: We use the theme to discover French culture, not just the French language. We introduce children to the history of France. Instead of doing disjointed activities, the theme unites everything we do in the week.

Question: Do you think this works? Do children really learn about general knowledge?  

Answer: It is always difficult to see because there is no written test at the end of the week on Friday. But from my experience as a child, to have been in the Berkeley camp, it helps you with the general knowledge. These are not things you will memorize. But ten years later, when you hear about something, you’d say, “Oh yes, I remember now!”.

 

 

Interview with Rafaela, student at Dublin camp (Questions asked in French)

 (note: Rafaela had never spoken French before coming to the camp, but she speaks portuguese and english and she understands Spanish and obviously French, after 4 weeks of camps)

Question: Did you like the theme about Notre Dame? 

Answer: Yes, it was sad, the cathedral was destroyed, we had to rebuild it. 

Question: Ah yes, you mean it burnt. The whole building did not burn, only the roof.

Question: Did you know the story of Quasimodo and Esméralda before?

Answer (in french): Non. 

Question: Can you tell me the story now? 

Answer: It was a love story. One was like a singer, the other one was a guy. He was falling in love with that girl. That’s it! 

 

 

Interviews led by Gabrielle Durana, founder and CEO of EFBA.

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