Surfing the Net with Kids: France

July 10, 2002 Dear Reader, Yesterday I spent the day adding an archive to the Internet Tips feature of the Printables Club. Members can now browse past tips a month at a time. If you’re not yet a member, you can take a free glimpse by signing up for the ten-day trial at: https://surfnetkids.com/printables/join/. I’ve recently been blabbing plenty about how much I love renting DVDs from Netflix.com — and I mistakingly mentioned a thirty-day trial period. That offer is now fourteen days (not thirty) and is available at: https://www.surfnetkids.com/cgi-local/pl/pl.cgi?nf. Today’s France topic is accompanied by the following games: Streets of Paris Scrambler Arc de Triomphe Jigsaw

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See ya on the Net,
Barbara J. Feldman
“Surfing the Net with Kids”

P.S. This week Printables Club Members also:
   1) learn how to turn long, unwieldy URLs into easy-to-use short ones
   2) learn about an engaging butterfly site
   3) learn where to find hundreds of free downloable books you actually want to read
   4) get a FREE two-page Internet enrichment printable of today’s topic

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France

https://www.surfnetkids.com/france.htm

On July 14, 1789, a huge crowd of Parisians captured the Bastille fortress, forcing King Louis XVI’s troops to withdraw. Bastille Day is a French national holiday (akin to our 4th of July) celebrating the birth of the French republic and the end of royal rule. July is also the month of France’s largest sporting event: le Tour de France, a 2000-mile cross-country bicycle race.

http://www.info-france-usa.org/kids/index.html

Start your tour at the French embassy in Washington D.C. with an interview with the French ambassador, François Bujon de l’Estang, and an audio clip of the French national anthem (both clicks found on left-hand side.) Then move on to explore the rest of the site with the circular menu in the middle of the page. Great clicks include France at a Glance (national motto is ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’), Life in France (“The French own the most pets in the world: 25% have least one cat and 38% have dogs”) and Art & Culture.

http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/

The most well-known monument in all of Europe is Paris’ Eiffel Tower. Built in 1889 for the Universal Exhibition in celebration of the French Revolution, it features 1665 steps and has hosted 200 million visitors. Visit its official Web site for Facts & Figures and The Tower at Leisure, which includes: several 360 degree panoramic tours, a video gallery, postcards to send, three fun Flash games and a quiz sweepstakes with the opportunity to win two Eiffel Tower entrance tickets. Nice, but what about the airfare?

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/journey/france/frindex.htm

Click on the topics on the left-hand menu to take a virtual “journey through France and experience the culture, cuisine and scenery of this beautiful and diverse country. Find out why France is world famous for its cooking, and learn how to make a Crêpe. Read about the biggest annual sporting event in the world, and see what the French like to do in their spare time.”
Notable clicks include the fast facts found in the Guide Book, and the printable quiz with answer sheet (even though it is not interactive.)

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/culture/france/ressources/letour/gb/

The title of this excellent guide to France, published by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
“alludes to Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in Eighty Days and to the famous cycling race held in France every July.” It can be explored by drilling down through the twelve top-level topics, and using the Summary link to return to the entry page. Although it lacks illustrations and interactivity, Tour de France is a great resource for researching middle and high-school reports. As an added bonus for classroom teachers in need of handouts, each page is downloadable as a Word document. Just right mouse-click on the Download link, and choose Save Target As.

http://www.zipzapfrance.com/anglais/sommaire.html

Just for kids, colorful ZipZap is full of hidden treasures, such as crosswords and exercises, but is often confusing to navigate, with unexpected dead ends and circular links. But if you’re not in a hurry, just follow your mouse and see where it leads you. I thought the section on the development of the European Union (born in Paris in 1950) was particularly good.

Surfing the Calendar Ringo Starr’s Birthday Jul 7, 1940 Fourth Harry Potter Book Released Jul 8, 2000 Family Feud Premieres Jul 12, 1976 Disneyland Opens Jul 17, 1955 More Calendar

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