Friday afternoon after school, parents were invited to come into Estelle's classroom so that the children could show them all the things they had been doing lately. I paid a babysitter (an American exchange student who is unfortunately leaving in a week) to stay home with Léna so that for once I could concentrate just on Estelly Welly. At 4:45, the show began:
Croquses
This is the calendar, absentee list, etc. Girls on the left, boys on the right. The little green names you see added on to some days all part of the advent calendar idea this teacher cooked up.
See some of the French names of the other girls with Estelle:
There are more boys that girls:
It's an interesting mix of names: Elie and Elias are Jewish boys' names. Wissem and Amar come from Arab families and thus have Arab names. Alexandre is African but he comes from a former French colony in African which explains the French name despite the fact that he and his parents struggle to communicate with the teacher. Everyone else is "French", more or less. Marco's father is Italian but his mother is English.
Above: Estelle shows one of the many things she has in her "book". Below: Every morning when she arrives, Estelle picks her card out of a pile on a table and goes and hangs it up on this little house on the wall. Below she recreated this for the photo opp:
These are lentils which they sprouted.
Advent goodies, hanging from an upside down stripped umbrella. Good idea! The kids all made these cones filled with candies (which they sorted and counted by category and color as a math exercise) and then each day they pick by lottery a number and that kid gets to take home his advent candy. It's a great system. Estelle STILL hasn't had her number called. She is very patient.
Above: Estelle shows her "book" to Thomas. Inside are all the different projects they have done which teach a different skill - like coloring in the lines (whatever) or putting things in order, matching, etc. Below: With a Christmas tree she had made:
Thomas surprised us by coming home early and showing up at this event. That made it extra special for Estelle.
Here is Françoise, Estelle's teacher. She is an absolute delight.
It was so great to have a chance to really get into her classroom and get a gander at stuff. Though, I have started volunteering a little English lesson in Estelle's class 3 times now so I am getting to develop a relationship with the Teacher a bit off the beaten path which is useful! I struggle to remember all those names though. And I think I butcher some of the pronunciations.
The photo below just is a cute one of Estelle and Léna watching a video sent by Aunt Laura of people singing the Hallelujah Chorus. They were transfixed.
Yes, that is a cheesecake and yes I made it. With about 8 ingredients being substituted but it was good nonetheless. Below: Fransiska's dutch apple pie (and she really is Dutch). 
Loup, Eliott and Estelle, early on before things got out of control.
36 yrs old!
Wait, who invited Jacques Costeau?
Playing on Eliott's bunk bed. Very fun.
You can just make out Eva (pink shirt) and Louise (blond elf on ladder). They arrived and then things got WILD.
Back at the ranch on Monday, afterschool arts & crafts.
Wait, who invited Richard Simmons?
Wednesday morning: before music class, we decorated for Christmas:
90% of that stuff is from Joan. If she ever goes bankrupt, blame me.
Estelle got a package from her godfather Francois Besseyre. Yeah!
A game to tell time, and a watch!
Our little tree:
Next: a package comes from Aunt Joanie on Thursday:
The original version of The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night - Thanks Joan! (p.s. send the credit men to see me when they come knocking)
Today: Friday at home with Léna. A little reading time with some juice in her room:
Two videos:
