*I know many want to know the progress/update about the kids going to school, how we made the decision and the enrollment process - but in all honesty it isn't over yet and I would like to be able to post the complete picture - from soup to nuts. Stay tuned. I am sure I will be able to share the exhaustive/ing experience soon-ish (like, before the end of the school-year maybe).
With that being said, and with one week to go until the first day of school, on Monday the kids and I went school supply shopping. Even though we still aren't 100% certain they will start next week, I was getting nervous that the stores will have put away all the school supplies by the time we know what's going on.
Regardless, we had a lot of fun. As homeschoolers, this was a new-ish experience in that someone else supplied our shopping lists this year. I'm curious to know how this list compares to schools in the U.S. (post a comment and let me know). As Americans in France, it was a pretty impressive new vocabulary lesson. Here's what the schools expect each child to have with him/her;
With that being said, and with one week to go until the first day of school, on Monday the kids and I went school supply shopping. Even though we still aren't 100% certain they will start next week, I was getting nervous that the stores will have put away all the school supplies by the time we know what's going on.
Regardless, we had a lot of fun. As homeschoolers, this was a new-ish experience in that someone else supplied our shopping lists this year. I'm curious to know how this list compares to schools in the U.S. (post a comment and let me know). As Americans in France, it was a pretty impressive new vocabulary lesson. Here's what the schools expect each child to have with him/her;
- Une trousse A pencil case - The only reason I knew what this was is because the teacher drew a picture of it on my list.
- Une pochette de crayons de couleur A packet of colored pencils
- Une pochette de feutres A packet of markers
- Un stylo bille bleu, un stylo bille vert A ball-point pen in blue and one in green - Bohdan also needed black and red pens. I guess the teachers get bored looking at the same colors day in and day out. I can't wait to see what the real reason is for this rainbow ink-selection.
- Un taille-crayon A pencil sharpener - I had to "borrow" a dictionary in the store to figure this one out.
- Un bâton de colle A glue stick - Luckily the packages were clearly labeled for this, otherwise I wouldn't have known what it was either.
- Une paire de ciseaux A pair of scissors
- Une petite boîte pour mettre des étiquettes de mots A little box for putting word cards in. - I had, and still have, no idea what this is. I asked a store employee who told me it is a little box for putting word cards in. He said they didn't carry them. I asked him where I could get one. He said, "look around your house for a little box. You must have one somewhere." I guess I better start looking. I sure hope it isn't next to the phone or I'll never find it.
- Une chemise à rabats pour mettre des feuilles A4 (21*29,7) A folder - I asked the man on this one as well. He didn't know the word in English so he led me to the folders. I was so confused. "Isn't 'chemise' a 'shirt'," I asked. He said yes, but it is also this. Okay then. We now have a shirt for papers. It said "A4" on it, so I am pretty sure it will fit.
- Une ardoise blanche avec le feutre A personal-sized white dry-erase board with marker / Une ardoise avec chiffon et une boite qui se ferme pour y ranger sa craie. A personal-sized chalkboard slate with erasure and box that closes with chalk. - I had no idea what these were and when the teacher showed us a little gray slate board I laughed out loud. She and my "translator" (a friend who speaks both French and English and agreed to tag along to my meeting with the teacher) both looked at me funny. I had to explain that these were something from our "olden days" when children went to one-room schoolhouses in the 1800's. They explained they are used for drilling the class on various subjects where all the children write down the answer and hold up the board for the teacher to check all at once. I dare say that is downright efficient! My mom later told me they have begun to adopt this same method in American schools (but with the more modern white dry-erase boards of course). I'd say that's just brilliant.
- Une photo (type identité) An identifying photo - aka "a head-shot." - I am hoping to figure out a way to print out a photo before next week, but my luck, they actually mean a passport-type photo.
- Une blouse de peinture A painting smock
- Un cahier des textes A notebook/agenda for writing down homework assignments
Oh, yes, even in the States it is not cheap to prepare kids for school, especially in the younger grades. I remember buying all that stuff...except for the slate, of course!
ReplyDeleteYes, I would say when Lauryn went to Dover school, we had a lengthy list like this (possibly even longer). As far as the different colored pens, many times they have the students check each others' work/quizzes, etc. and have them correct them with their red pens. A little box for putting word cards in? They probably mean an index card case/recipe box. However I've never seen the personal chalkboard - that's kind of neat, truth be told! Glad the kids are enjoying it all! :)
ReplyDeleteWell, that's a relief I guess! Glad to know we weren't experiencing a gross discrepancy. Time will tell how much use all this stuff gets! And, let's face it, 50euro is less than what I spend in a year supply of homeschooling materials!
ReplyDeleteI have never had a list that long, and that is with a collective 12 years in public school between the two of them. This year Alex needed a pencil box -- hopefully one recycled from last year, according to the teacher; one low-emission dry erase marker, an old sock to use as eraser for said marker (I guess we get the boards included...similar to the chalk board thing), and a box of kleenex for the classroom. Oh and a box of pencils. I didn't have to buy anything!
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