La nourriture
Allons chercher l’herbette
J’aime la galette
La danse des legumes
Pomme de reinette et pomme
d’api
Rondin picotin
Trempe ton pain Marie
Dansons tous ensemble!
À la Monaco
La Bigue Biguette
Mademoiselle voulez-vous
danser?
Tous en rond dansez
Last updated: 2/16/2016
8:47 PM
The songs below are part of ‘Allons-y!’ The French collection
compiled, adapted, translated and illustrated by Dany Rosevear
To listen to music from these
songs click on O
To watch the
author of this website sing a song click on the title at:
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Allons chercher l’herbette O Feeling hungry? Let’s make an omelette. What will we need? Make a list
of ingredients, in French of course! This game can be played in a circle or with couples dispersed about
the room.
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J’aime la galette O Galettes des Rois (King’s cake or Twelfth Night
cake) has been eaten in France since the Middle Ages in celebration of the
Epiphany. It is also eaten in New Orleans at Mardi Gras. Galettes
des Rois a puff pastry pie is filled with
frangipani made from almond paste and eggs. A ‘fève’,
a lucky charm, is hidden inside: a bean, coin or small trinket. The one who
finds it wears a paper crown and becomes king or queen for the day. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKFy1znidUU&feature=related You can find a recipe and further information at www.mamalisa.com. Make simple paper crowns for the children to wear during this game.
Those left over from Christmas crackers would be timely at Epiphany.
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La danse des lègumes O What do the vegetables get up to in the moonlight? Find out in this
circle game and learn the French names of vegetables. Add others with
suitable movements. Names of more fruits and vegetables can be found at www.annuaireemareva.com . Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ3Fj06X-5Q and at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr0fu-cv8HI&feature=related Not an easy tune to memorise but worth persevering, it’s lots of fun.
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Pomme de reinette et pomme d’api O The refrain is a great favourite with French toddlers as they roll
arms, beat fists and hide them behind their backs to be tapped. Pomme de reinette is a pippin apple ‘apple of the
little queen’. Pomme d‘Api
or Lady’s apple has been cultivated in Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2wiLOV-Y2I&NR=1 Choose four or five apple farmers who walk round picking apples off
the ground.
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Trempe ton pain, Marie O Translated as ‘Knead your bread’ or ‘Eat your bread’, the literal
‘Dunk your bread’ is used here. Nankeen, a yellow or pale buff cotton cloth
was originally made in Nanking in China. Nankeen also refers to trousers made
of this material. Bazin is another type of prestige
cloth from West Africa also known as damask and often hand decorated. The refrain can be sung as a round. A more energetic and complex dance
can be found on video at www.dancilla.com .
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Rondin picotin O Throughout the regions of France many games traditionally centre on
food, especially cake and bread. Sing this song while making of bread. Enjoy
the wonderfully sensual experience, feeling and smelling the warm dough and
learn about the effect of yeast as the dough rises. Listen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg-l-psRWYU This is one of several French ring games where the finale is a sudden
squat. Great fun!
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À la Monaco O La Monaco is a traditional song of war from the Ile de France. In
England ‘la chaine anglaise’
is known as ‘the French chain’! Label each child A or B in sequence round the circle. Children hold
hands or alternatively for more challenge, place hands on their neighbour’s
shoulders.
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La Bigue Biguette O Are you smart, have you got agile legs and nimble feet? You’ll need
all of these to perform this miller’s dance from Begin in a circle holding hands. Once the dance is familiar find
different ways to jump.
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Mademoiselle voulez-vous
danser? O Known as ‘La Bastringue’ this dance belongs
to the musical legacy of both Cajun and French-Canadian folk. Watch a circle
version of this dance at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rM3tjSCMLw&feature=related . In the game below the children stand in two facing lines, girls on one
side boys on the other.
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Tous en rond dansez O Dance first as a whole class then in ones, twos and more. Finally
gather together once again as a large group. It will be difficult for some
children to organise themselves into groups of three for example but this is
an opportunity for children to learn to be flexible in their groupings in
order for the game to run smoothly. It is not easy deferring to the choices
of others when you are inexperienced! A less contentious version would be to
double up each time – one, two, four, eight etc.
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