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Free Quick France Unit Study and Make Easy French Bread

June 2, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Want to put together a quick France unit study? Also, grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies page.

The culture, food, art, language, unique architecture, people, and beauty of France lend themselves to a wonderful study.

You can easily adapt for a short study or add on to create a large immersive study.

Free Quick France Unit Study and Make Easy French Bread

Grab your favorite books, and a crusty loaf of French bread (recipe below), and let’s pack our bags to cross over the Atlantic Ocean to learn about this elegant and exotic culture.

I have some facts, activities, recipes, and more to help you on your journey.

5 Fabulous French Facts For Your France Unit Study

The capital city of France is Paris, and it also happens to be the largest city.
France is the largest country in Western Europe.
The world’s greatest cycle race, the Tour de France, is more than 100 years old.
The national motto of France is Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite, which means- Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity,
Some of the amazing things the French invented were tin cans, the hairdryer, the parachute, the stethoscope, photography, and the hot air balloon.

Also, add some of these fun books and resources.

Books and Resources for Studying About France

Add some of these books and resources to your unit study about France or the French Empire.

Merriam-Webster’s Student Atlas

Discover the world’s landforms and bodies of water, the highest and lowest elevations, and learn more about ocean currents, and wind patterns.
Thematic maps cover diverse topics such as continental drift, ocean floor, climate, natural resources, and population density.
Features up-to-date statistics and global information.

Where Is the Eiffel Tower?

Learn about the Eiffel Tower, beloved and iconic symbol of Paris, France, and one of the most recognizable structures in the world!When the plans for the Eiffel Tower were first announced, many people hated the design of the future landmark, calling it ungainly and out of step with the beautiful stone buildings of the city. But once it went up for the World's Fair in 1889, the people of Paris quickly fell in love with the tower. Today it seems impossible to imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, which greets millions of visitors each year who climb up its wrought-iron stairs, ride its glass elevators, and enjoy the wonderful views of the city spread out below it.

Madeline

Nothing frightens Madeline—not tigers, not even mice. With its endearing, courageous heroine, cheerful humor, and wonderful, whimsical drawings of Paris, the Madeline stories are true classics that continue to charm readers, even after 75 years!Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962) was the author of the beloved Madeline books, including Madeline, a Caldecott Honor Book, and Madeline's Rescue, winner of the Caldecott Medal.

France ABCs: A Book About the People and Places of France (Country ABCs)

An alphabetical exploration of the people, geography, animals, plants, history, and culture of France.

Who Was Claude Monet?

Claude Monet is considered one of the most influential artists of all time. He is a founder of the French Impressionist art movement, and today his paintings sell for millions of dollars. While Monet was alive, however, his work was often criticized and he struggled financially. With over one hundred black-and-white illustrations, this book unveils a true portrait of the artist!

French Picture Dictionary Coloring Book: Over 1500 French Words and Phrases for Creative & Visual Learners of All Ages (Color and Learn)

You know you’ve never learned French like this before!

Learning a new language is a new way of meeting new people, opening doors in your professional career and attracting fresh opportunities when traveling around the world, as you may know. Spoken by over 280million people all over the world, French is the fifth most spoken language on the planet, so learning it will blow up your social and business circles!

The Everything Kids' Learning French Book: Fun exercises to help you learn francais

Bonjour, mon ami! So, you want to learn French but don't know where to start? Start ici, with The Everything Kids' Learning French Book. Inside, you'll find simple exercises, fun facts, tips on pronunciation, and popular phrases that enable you to read and speak French in no time at all.

LEGO Architecture Paris Skyline Building Kit with Eiffel Tower and The Louvre

Celebrate Architecture - LEGO Architecture sets celebrate the world of architecture, design, and history through the medium of the LEGO brick, ideal for travel enthusiasts
Relaxing Building Experience - This LEGO set is designed for adults and kids aged 12+, providing a rewarding and relaxing building experience, perfect for home or office décor

100 PICS France Game | Kids Games

PLAY 100 PICS FRANCE: Keep your kids entertained with our card games! 100 PICS is a fun game that can teach your children about the beautiful country of France! Perfect for family game night at home or on the go to take as a vacation essential.

Next, look at some of these hands-on ideas.

France Unit Study Hands-on Activities and Resources

Paint your own version of the Eiffel Tower in watercolor or sketch it out in chalk pastels.

France Mini Books are ideal for younger learners with simple pictures to color and a little info on landmarks, food, and symbols.
Taste test some authentic treats from France. Grab this French Gourmet Snack Mix – Snacks From France.
Unit Study: French Revolution + Free Storming the Bastille Game
France STEM Challenges.
Learn a few words or more with the Duolingo App
Make Fun Edible Eiffel Tower
Try making a delicious crusty loaf of French Bread with the recipe below!
Make a Sun King Fun Medallion – Louis XIV, also known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715
Free Homeschool History Cards – French and Indian War
15 Hands-on History Ideas for Kids Studying the French and Indian War
French Revolution Unit Study + Free Copywork
If you have a child who loves LEGO and everything about France you should grab a Paris Skyline LEGO set to complete as you work through your unit study

Print this free French Matching Game
Listen to some French Music to compare to what you listen to, and see if you can figure out any of the words, or what the song means.
If you love the book, Madeline, make your own little yellow hat.
Work in some STEM with an Eiffel Tower Craft.

Also, watch a few videos to make the experience a little more real, to show day-to-day life, landmarks, food, and more.

More About the Life, Geography, and History of France

Additionally, look at some more fun facts about everyday life in France.

Grapes are grown in France to make wine.
Wine is drunk with most meals in France.
Some of the famous wines grown in France are beaujolais, burgundy, and sauternes.

And some of the foods eaten in France are:

fish, sea urchins, shrimp, snails, clams, mussels, lobster
roast beef, turkey, goose, boar, quail, lamb, chicken,
cheese like camembert, brie, boursin,
all types of bread
pates, goose liver,
pastries like tartlets, pies, eclairs, petit fours, Napoleons,

France is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps, and the Pyrenes.

The French geography is composed of low lying plains, plateaus, and older mountains or massifs.

Vocabulary Words About France or French Empire

absolutism – A political theory that absolute power should be vested in one or more rulers.
Huguenot – A member of the French Reformed communion in the 16th and 17th centuries.
bourgeoisie – Members of the middle class.
bastille – A prison or jail.
aristocracy – Government by a small privileged class.

Also, look at this post 8 France Crafts For Kids And Make Fun Vocabulary Bracelets.

More Best Homeschool Unit Studies

Finally, look at how to make french bread.

France Unit Study Easy French Bread Recipe

You will need:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons oil-vegetable or olive
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 packet or 2 ¼ teaspoons rapid-rise instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoons of salt

Begin by stirring in sugar into the water until dissolved in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until it becomes foamy.

Stir in oil, half of the flour, and salt.

Put the dough hook on the mixer and mix until just combined, add flour a little at a time until it is all mixed in.

Remove from the mixing bowl and form into a ball, kneading it into shape.

Place the ball into a pre-oiled bowl, swirl it around once or twice, and then flip the dough so that all sides are oiled.

Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Roll bread into a rectangular shape and then pinch the ends to form a long football shape.

Transfer the bread loaf to a pre-greased pan.

Score the bread by creating a shallow angled slice across the top 3-4 times.

Cover and let rise on the pan for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden and crusty.

How to Make A Fun Origami Frog Amazon Rainforest Craft

May 29, 2023 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’m showing you how to make a fun origami frog Amazon Rainforest craft. And I have more ideas on my pages Rain Forest – Amazon, Rain Forest – Animals of the Amazon, and Rainforest Amazon Activities for Kids.

Working on an Amazon Rainforest craft is a fantastic hands-on way to learn about the amazing flora and fauna of the Amazon Rainforest.

From painting to paper folding there are so many ways to learn new art skills while you also get inro some zoology or botany about the Amazon.

How to Make A Fun Origami Frog Amazon Rainforest Craft

Also, creating an origami frog is fun, great for building fine motor skills, and can be done while learning about the colorful jumpers that make their home in the canopy layer.

So, simply choose different colors of origami paper and add a little detail with markers to create an army of frogs. And yes, army is the right word for a group of frogs.

About Origami

Additionally, you can use these origami frogs as a tool for learning about the markings of the various Amazon Rainforest frogs, as a STEM activity for measuring distances, building, problem-solving, fine motor, and attention to detail.

Origami was first called “orikata” in Japan meaning “folded shapes” and was later changed to origami meaning folded paper.

While you can use any paper you like if it is square.

To get good folds and flexibility you really want to use the special origami paper. This very thin paper is specially designed for folding and works beautifully, but it will take some practice to get good at it

Creating origami frogs is also a great opportunity to learn more about the frogs found in the Amazon Rainforest.

Amazon Rainforest Questions

Study their markings, habits, habitat, food source, and adaptations as you create a fun folded version of them.

Here are 5 great research questions on Amazon Rainforest frogs that your child can find in resource books or by searching Google.

What country is the Amazon Rainforest found in? The majority,60%, is in Brazil, followed by 13% in Peru, 10% in Colombia, and the rest in Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela
How many different species of tree frogs are found in the Amazon Basin? Over 1000 species
What is the world’s biggest rainforest? The Amazon, followed by Congo Basin.
What is deforestation? It is the action of clearing a wide area of trees.
What is the lifespan of a red-eyed tree frog? 5 years in the wild.

Look at these books to add to your unit study.

16 Rain Forest Animals For Kids Books & Resources

Add these rain forest animal books, games, and toys to round out your study of the animals of the rain forest.

All the Way Down: Amazon Rainforest

This book explores the rainforest layer by layer and the creatures that make their home in each part of the rainforest.

Rainforest Animals (Who Am I?)

Which rainforest animal is a frog that uses its eyes to help it swallow its food? Which rainforest animal is a bird with a big, colorful bill? Let's learn more about rainforest animals such as sloths, poison dart frogs, toucans, and more! Read With You's Who Am I? series encourages children to be more curious about the world around them as they learn fun facts about animals from across the globe.

Over and Under the Rainforest

Part of the critically acclaimed Over and Under series that includes Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and Over and Under the Snow!Under the canopy of the rainforest hundreds of animals make their homes, but up in the leaves hides another world. Turn the pages of this beautiful and educational book to discover in words and mesmerizing illustration:

Animals like the slender parrot snake and the blue morpho butterfly.

The canopies where toucans and pale-billed woodpeckers chatter and call.

Capuchin monkeys who swing from vines and slow-moving sloths who wait out daily thunderstorms.

In the Rainforest (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

The rainforest is home to millions of plant and animal species. Some animals live high up in the trees, some crawl across the forest floor, and some tunnel underground, but they all depend on one another and the rain to survive. With colorful illustrations and fascinating diagrams from author-illustrator Kate Duke, In the Rainforest is a lively look at the most vibrant ecosystem on our planet.

Anacondas (Rain Forest Animals)

This book introduces readers to the largest snake in the world: the anaconda. Readers learn about the life cycle, behavior, physical characteristics, and habitat of anacondas

Learn to Draw Rainforest & Jungle Animals

Expanding the popular collection of animal books in the Learn to Draw Series, Learn to Draw Rainforest & Jungle Animals will teach kids how easy it is to draw a variety of exciting and exotic creatures from around the world. Each project starts with a basic shape and progresses with simple-to-follow steps to a finished realistic final colored artwork. While they’re learning, kids will also discover fun facts about each featured animal.

The Rainforest Grew All Around

Imaginations will soar from the forest floor, up through the canopy and back down again, following the circle of life in this clever adaptation of the song “The Green Grass Grew All Around.” The jungle comes alive as children learn about a wide variety of the animals (jaguars, emerald tree boas, leafcutter ants, sloths, poison dart frogs, toucans, and bats) and plants (kapok trees, liana vines, and bromeliads) living in the lush Amazon rainforest. Delve even deeper into the jungle using sidebars and the three-page “For Creative Minds” educational section.

Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals around the World

While it covers more than just the rainforest this is a fabulous resource to have on your shelves. You will find plenty of great pictures and information on many animals that live there- crocodiles, harpy eagles, monkeys, tapir , sloths,Jaguarundi, and the food web.

The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest

Tells a story of a man who came to cut down a kapok tree and encounters many of the beautiful and exotic native creatures who make their home in the Amazon Rainforest.

Professor Noggin's Reptiles and Amphibians Trivia Card Game

FUN FACTS: How about Reptiles versus Amphibians?! That's just one of the topic cards in this kids card game. Find out more fun facts from Eggs to the Komodo Dragon!

Hello, World! Rainforest Animals

This bright and exciting Hello, World! board book teaches toddlers all about the amazing world of a rainforest—with easy-to-understand facts about the incredible animals who make their home there.

Where Is the Amazon?

Human beings have inhabited the banks of the Amazon River since 13,000 BC and yet they make up just a small percentage of the "population" of this geographic wonderland. The Amazon River basin teems with life—animal and plant alike.

Canopy, Card Game, Features 25 Unique Species of Rainforest Animals and Plants

Compete to grow the most bountiful rainforest! Carefully select what grows in your forest, and give rise to a thriving ecosystem.

Afternoon on the Amazon

Vampire bats and killer ants? That's what Jack and Annie are about to run into when the Magic Tree House whisks them away to the Amazon River. It's not long before they get hopelessly lost. Will they be able to find their way back to the tree house? Or are Jack and Annie stuck forever in the rain forest?

Red-eyed Tree Frog (Scholastic Bookshelf)

NatureI n a tropical rain forest in Central America, a red-eyed tree frog spends the night looking for food while avoiding potential predators. Award-winning photographer Nic Bishop's larger-than-life, gorgeous images document the hunt, which ends happily with the frog settling down in the leaves to spend his daylight hours sleeping! Joy Cowley's simple, readable text makes the frog's story fun, interesting, and accessible to young readers.

Protecting the Amazon Rainforest (Saving Earth's Biomes)

Explores the richness of the Amazon rainforest, how humans have damaged it, and efforts being taken to protect it. Clear text, vibrant photos, and helpful infographics make this book an accessible and engaging read.

More Rainforest Activities for Kids

Finally, look at how to make origami frog Amazon Rainforest craft.

How to Make An Origami Amazon Rainforest Craft

The most important thing to remember for this activity is to try to fold straight along the edges and create a sharp crease by using the bone folder or a craft stick on every fold.

You will need:

Origami paper
Markers
Bone folder or craft stick

Fold the paper in half, creasing sharply along the fold.

Next, fold each corner, one at a time, down to the center crease, and unfold each right after you make your crease.

Fold the paper down right along the x in the center of your crease then open it back up.

Push the sides of the creases inward, folding them in to create a point on the paper.

Fold the top flaps up from the center and crease outward.

Fold the sides inward under the crease, at this point, it should resemble Yoda a bit.

Bring the bottom of the paper up to just under your fold and press.

Open the last fold.

Push the centers in with your fingers and pull the bottom corners out simultaneously, crease well.

You can see here this is where I always have the most trouble with, sometimes that paper just doesn’t want to cooperate, just keep trying.

Fold the corners down to create the back feet.

Create a single accordion fold between the front and back feet, making the “spring” for your frog to jump.

Use markers to add eyes and create any of the beautiful colors and varieties of Amazon Rainforest frogs like our Red Eyed Tree Frog and Blue Poison Dart Frog.

Press gently on the back end to make the frog hop.

20 Tropical Rainforest Foods and Make an Acai Bowl

May 28, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a list of 20 tropical rainforest foods and a fun acai bowl. And I have more ideas on my pages Rain Forest – Amazon and Rainforest Amazon Activities for Kids.

When exploring the tropical rainforest you can hardly forget the amazing and unique foods that come from there.

Besides, tropical rainforest foods are some of our favorite imported treats.

20 Tropical Rainforest Foods and Make an Acai Bowl

Some you may have already known come from there and others may surprise you.

Too, reading, internet research, a trip to the store or local market, and of course taste testing can all be part of a great study on tropical rainforest foods.

I have simple directions for a wonderful bowl that tastes like the rainforest with superfruits, nuts, and of course rich chocolate.

Acai Bowls have become very popular for good reasons.

Tropical Rainforest Foods Facts

First, look at some of these rainforest food facts.

Each cacao pod can hold up to 60 beans, and it can take anywhere from 8-14 pods to make a single pound of cocoa.
Acai is a staple food around the rainforest and is known as a superfood due to its high levels of vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber, and anti-cancer properties.
At least 80% of the developed world’s food is thought to have originated in the tropical rainforest.
There are about 3000 fruits found in rainforests. In the US we use about 200 of them while the indigenous tribes make use of over 2000.
The most popular food source for locals in the Amazon rainforest is Cecina (pork).
In 2020 an estimated 20.2 million metric tons of bananas were exported from tropical rainforests.
40% of exported pineapples come from the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica.
Tropical rainforest honey contains a much higher amount of beneficial enzymes, antioxidants & bioactive compounds than most honey found anywhere else.

Tropical Rainforest Foods-Hands-On Activities

Next, look at some of these tropical rainforest foods hands-on activities.

Take a trip to the grocery store and try to identify as many foods as you can as those that come from the tropical rainforest, look for labels and stickers in the produce department to determine exactly where they come from.

When you make your acai bowl, use Food Anatomy to look up tropical fruits, how chocolate is made, as well as seasonings and nuts that come from the rainforest.
Poll a large group (Facebook is great for crowdsourcing) and graph their favorite rainforest food or how many of the various foods they have tried.
Identify on a map or globe which tropical rainforest each food comes from.
Hone in on our favorite tasty treat with the Chocolate Grows in The Rainforest Study.

Then, look at more foods to try.

10 More Tropical Rainforest Foods to Try

While today I have a delicious and simple acai bowl recipe for you to try, I also have 10 other recipes either made with exotic tropical rainforest foods or created with the rainforest theme.

More Fun Food Activities

Learn About Fruits Around the World Fun With Food Activities

Then, look at some of these fun Amazon rainforest books.