FRENCH COUNTRY BOXES OPENING
Solve our guesses to find the right item.
CULTURES ON A PALETTE
Virtual Mobility in France -Nov 21
This leaflet gives you general info about France : geography, climate, population, etc. There is a part about how France is divided : there are regions, and in each region several « départements ». We are in the region called Pays de la Loire (La loire is a river), and in the departement called Loire-Atlantique (because the atlantic ocean is not far)
2. Look for something big and grey, with a long nose and big ears.
2. The elephant
The elephant is an attraction in our city that is very famous. This is not a real elephant but a giant puppet, and it is one of the « Machines de l’île » (in English « machines of the island ») ? Just type « Nantes » and elephant in google and you’ll see !
3. Look for the green lady
3. Marianne
Marianne is a symbol of liberty in France and a symbol of the French republic. It dates from the French revolution (1789). A bust of Marianne, in various features or styles depending on the periods, is present in every town hall of French cities.
4.Look for a five-sided geometric shape
4. The hexagone
What sort of geometrical shape is it ? Add two sides, and you ‘ll get an… hexagone!
« The Hexagone » is a common nickname for France because of the country’s shape.
5. Look for something black and white with stripes .
This is the flag of a French region, Brittany, in the North west of France, that comes from the celtic culture.
5. Brittany’s flag
7. Look for something the colour of snow, of the sky and of strawberries.
6. French flag
This is the flag of France. It was created during the French revolution. The white represented the king of France, and the blue and red were the colours of the city of Paris.
7. Look for a kind of cross but with 3 curved branches only .
7. The Triskel
This is called a triskel. This is a very ancient celtic symbol used in Brittany. Each branch has a meaning.
8. Look for something that wakes everybody up in the morning.
8. The French cock
This is the cock, of course ! It has been symbolising French people since the Romans. The ancestors of French people were the « gauls », « gallus » in latin. This is a homonym for cock in latin too. French people refer to it with frank self-mockery.
9. Look for a man in a tie and suit.
9. The president
This Emmanuel Macron, the president of France but there will be new elections in May, so maybe we will have a new president very soon.
10. Look for two best friends and a pet.
10. Obelix and Asterix
They are Obelix and Asterix, two funny comic strip characters that everybody knows in France. They are Gauls who live in Brittany at the time Jules Caesar.
11. Look for 3D representations of the monuments of our capital city.
11. pop-up postcard with monuments of Paris
Can you name 2 monuments you can see ? > Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame de Paris
12. Look for a model* « iron lady », as it is nicknamed.
12. La Tour Eiffel (The Eiffel Tower)
What is it ? This is the first symbol of France in other countries, the Eiffel Tower. You can build your paper version.
13. Look for a document that helps us to organise our days at school.
13. Our class schedule
In French schools, the groups lessons don’t all start and finish at the same time. Each class has a different schedule.
14. Look for the equivalent of our school passport
14. School -parents relation book
This is our school -parents relation book. We must always have it when we are at school. It is used for the communication between the teachers and the parents, and it contains a lot of information on our school life: schedule, school rules, absence tickets, lateness tickets, « crosses » (for when you don’t do homework, forget your material… or misbehave!) , teachers’ or parents’ notes etc
15. Look for something you can eat on.
15. « A table ! » table mat
« A table ! » means « dinner/lunch is ready ! ». This table mat symbolizes the French gastronomy. French people love cooking and eating, and French gastronomy is in the Unesco list.
16. Look for a round box that is not smelly,you are lucky, but just because it is empty !
16. Camembert box
This is a Camembert box. Camembert is the most common kind of cheese in France. It is creamy and it can be very smelly… but it is delicious ! For French people, at least :)))
17. Look for candies of many colours and many flavours
17. Nantes berlingots
They are « berlingots », a specialty from Nantes. Nantes has a lot of specialties made of sugar, and we’ll explain you why later.
18. Look for candies named like a character from « La Commedia dell’arte » (Italian theatre)
18. Sour candies
We chose these candies because they are sour. Sour candies are very popular among French kids especially.
19. Look for the school boy.
19. Petit Ecolier biscuits
The « Petit Ecolier » ( “little schoolboy”) chocolate biscuits are very popular. They are made by LU that was a biscuit brand from Nantes too. On the chocolate , you can see a schoolboy of the beginning of the 20th century.
20. Look for butter, butter, and more butter !
20. Brittany’s butter biscuits
They are butter biscuits, “galettes”, a specialty from Brittany. There is a lot of butter in Breton food, and you’ll learn why very soon.
21. Don’t look for pancakes, you won’t find any, but look for their cousins
21. Crêpes dentelle
Brittany is famous for its « crêpes » ;they are like very thin pancakes. « Dentelle » means lace. « Crêpes dentelle » , lace crepes in English are very thin crêpes that are crunchy crispy when you let them cool .
22. Look for two items that are the colour of life when you are happy (well, according to French people!)
22. The pink glasses and the pink document
The pink document is the lyrics of La Vie en Rose… and the glasses just a joke (wear them to see life in pink :) . This is a song by Edith Piaf that everybody knows. « Je vois la vie en rose » means “I see life in pink ». This means I am so happy that everything looks beautiful. Try and listen to different versions with the QR codes.
23. Look for something that all countries have and that is sung at the beginning of international sports events like football matches.
23. France’s national anthem
It is called La Marseillaise and this is our national anthem. It was written during the French revolution. A lot of people think it is an important symbol of the French republic, but a lot of people think the lyrics are too violent. Have a look at the translation!
THE END !
We hope you enjoyed our guesses !
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