Taste Week in France (La Semaine du Goût)

La Semaine du Got (Taste Week) takes place in France every year for a week in October.It's anevent centered around taste and gastronomy. It was created in 1990 by manufacturers in the sugar sector in reaction to the popularity of low-sugar foods.Nowadays, it's anopportunity for several sectors [...]

A French Song about Handwashing – Scrub, Scrub!

Gilles Diss sent us this French song about hand-washing to share. Below you'll find the French lyrics, followed by an English translation and a video. Enjoy! Frotte, frotte Gilles Diss Il faut bien se laver les mains Pour chasser les microbes Il faut bien se laver les mains En frottant [...]

Does Anyone Know a German Children's Hand Game Called Sollie Mollie?

Jane Fuld wrote asking for help with a nursery hand game her German father played with the little kids in her family. Here is her email: Hi Lisa, My Dad was born in a German community in Southern Illinois in 1915. Most of his ancestors came to the US before 1850 from near Ravensburg, Germany, [...]

Does Anyone Know a Kids French Song that Starts, “Moi, j'aime changer les mots des chansons”?

Genevive wrote asking for help with a French nursery school song. Here's her note: I've been desperately searching for a song that my cousin was taught in maternelle in 2009/10. I've tried googling, but have come up completely blank. The lyrics I remember are: Moi, j'aime changer les mots des [...]

Spoof Version of Frére Jacques from France

  Did you know there's a spoof version ofFrre Jacques in France? It's a good song for when you'retrying to teach (or learn) the names of fruits and vegetables in French. It's also helpful for pronunciation. Below are the lyrics with an English translation and an MP3 recording. I tried to [...]

Swiss Chocolate Almond Spice Cookies Called Basler Brunsli

Basler Brunsli are traditional chocolate almond cookies that are made for Christmas in Switzerland. They're spiced up with cinnamon and cloves.  In my recipe, I cut the normal amount of clove powder in half. You can double it if you like more spice. For the chocolate, I used Ghirardelli [...]

Yodeling in the Alps

Yodeling began as a way of communicating over long distances in mountainous regions. It's believed that people as early as the Stone Ages yodeled! To yodel you alternate the voice between low and high pitches.The low pitches come from the chest and the high pitches come from the head region. Try [...]

Recipe for Cheddar Cheese Fondue

Fondue is great to serve for a special occasion. It feels like a fun event to eat it! If you're familiar with the standard, delicious Swiss & Gruyere Fondue, you may want to try Cheddar Cheese Fondue for a nice change. If you're a cheddar lover like me, you must try it! It's easy to

The [...]

Recipe for German Christmas Cookies Called Zimtsterne

Zimtsterne literally translates from German to English as Cinnamon Stars. They're Cinnamon Star Cookies These cookies are a specialty of Germany, Austria, Alsace (Region of France) and Switzerland. They're made for Christmas and in Alsace, they're part of the "bredele" Christmas cookie [...]

Going Door-to-Door for Money or Treats from Halloween to New Year's Day

Going door-to-door for treats between Halloween and Christmas-time has been common throughout the West for the past few centuries. These traditions have their roots in Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival that was celebrated from October 31st to November 1st, the halfway point between the [...]