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Joie de Livre is the dream homeschool French program that I did not have time to make when my children were younger. Now that I have had time to make it, I hope Joie de Livre will bless homeschooling families who want to include French language and culture in their curriculum in a peaceful and joyful way. The program is open-and-go with plenty of room for your own creativity and style.

You can use the program whether you, as the parent/teacher, speak French or not. If you do not speak French (or you need a refresher), Joie de Livre is accompanied by videos for children to watch to learn pronunciation of French words. 

My favorite homeschooling inspiration comes from Charlotte Mason style curriculums like Five in a Row and the Read-Aloud Revival… if you love them too, Joie de Livre might just be right for you! To find out more, scroll down to read the FAQs.

Joie de Livre: Year A

Joie de Livre Learning Inspiration Guides use beautiful picture books (in English) as a jumping off point for learning French language and culture. The guides are filled with fun and meaningful learning activities. It is recommended to do the guides in this order, but you could also choose to do any one of the guides on its own as well. Please note that the Loupio guide has a Christmas theme, so it may be most fun to do this guide in December/January. Spending about an hour a week on each guide will provide a full year of lessons (6 weeks per guide), but the guides can be used at whatever pace works for you and your family.

Click here to learn more/purchase.

Click here to get the books.

Click here for the supply list.

Click here to learn more/purchase.

Click here to get the book.

Click here for the supply list.

Click here to learn more/purchase.

Click here to get the book.

Click here for the supply list.

Click here to learn more/purchase.

Click here to get the book.

Click here for the supply list.

Click here to learn more/purchase.

Click here to get the book.

Click here for the supply list.

Click here to learn more/purchase.

Click here to get the books.

Click here for the supply list.

About the author…

Shannon Lee is a Catholic wife and mom, who is blessed to homeschool her children. Her heart is especially drawn to Charlotte Mason style homeschooling, and it’s this style of learning that inspires Joie de Livre French Lessons. She is not sure what started her love of French… her mom reading her The Red Balloon as a little girl, great French teachers, or just something God put in her heart, but if you ask her children, they will tell you, “Mom LOVES French!” 

She holds a B.A. in French and Journalism and a Masters in World Languages and Cultures Education. She did a portion of her undergrad studies at the Université Paul Valéry in Montpellier, France. She also spent a year living in Paris, working as an elementary English teacher and an au-pair for a wonderful French family.

Madame Lee taught middle school French for several years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. She currently teaches her children French at home (especially with picture books!) and teaches French classes with her homeschool group. She has been homeschooling her children for over a decade.

She loves to travel, and her current francophone travel is closer to home, with family trips to Québec, Canada. Her favorite spots there are the Île d’Orléans, old town Québec City, and the Saint Joseph’s Oratory.

FAQs 

If I do not speak French (or my French is rusty), can I still teach my child French with Joie de Livre?

Yes, there are clear instructions and videos to accompany the lessons, so you can learn French right along with your child.

If I DO speak French, will Joie de Livre be helpful for my family?

Yes, if you already speak French, Joie de Livre gives you many pre-made French lesson activities and inspiration for additional activities. Joie de Livre will save you preparation time so you can spend more time enjoying teaching your child.

 What grade levels are best for Joie de Livre?

Joie de Livre was created for homeschool families so that the whole family can learn together. Most of the lessons are designed for 5 to 12 year olds; however, children of all ages will benefit from the lessons. Toddlers might enjoy just listening to the books and joining in for songs and crafts. Teens might be inspired to dig deeper into a topic in Joie de Livre or study French grammar on their own. No one is too old for picture books and what can be learned from them.

If we do not homeschool, can we still use Joie de Livre?

Of course! Joie de Livre could be used in place of your regular story time, or any family together time. Joie de Livre could even be used in a classroom setting if you are a teacher. 

Why are the picture books used in the Joie de Livre guides in English if the goal is to learn French?

The idea behind using beautiful picture books in English is to give children a familiar and memorable anchor on which to attach their French learning. For example, the Madeline story talks about different times of day, so that’s a great opportunity to learn about expressing time in French. The stories about Matisse speak beautifully about colors, so this is a perfect time to learn colors in French.
Are the Joie de Livre guides digital or printed?
Joie de Livre guides are PDF instant digital downloads, so you can download them and start today (plus no need to pay for shipping)! If you would like to save paper and ink, just print the pages you would like (such as the worksheets), and use the rest of the guide by looking at it on your computer. Alternatively you might like to print the entire guide for each child and have it bound at a print shop. Please note that the picture books need to be purchased separately from the curriculum. Click here for direct links to purchase the picture books.
What kinds of activities are included in the Joie de Livre guides?
Joie de Livre guides include background information on the books, geography lessons, arts and craft projects, songs, copywork pages, French language learning worksheets, videos to guide pronunciation, French recipes (that kids can make), and more!
How long will it take my family to complete a Joie de Livre guide?
Joie de Livre guides are designed to be used at your own pace. One possibility is to put Joie de Livre on your schedule one day a week (for about an hour). In this case it will take about 6 weeks to complete one guide. However, it is not necessary to do all the activities in the guide. In this case, it will take less time to complete the guide. Alternatively, you may wish to just add a guide into your school year for a little taste of French. In this case, maybe you would work on the activities in the guide every day for a week. The guides are meant to be used in any way that works well for your family – no stress on if you are doing enough or doing it the right way.
I see that the first 5 Joie de Livre guides are called “Year A.” Do I have to finish them in a year?
No, you can go at your own pace with Joie de Livre. Once you purchase the guide, it is yours to keep, along with the video access. You could decide to just use one or two guides in the year and save the others for another year. Remember, the idea is to inspire a love of language and culture learning, not to rush or add stress to homeschool life.
Should I use the guides in a certain order?
I do recommend using the guides in the order they are presented (Paris Picture Books, Six Dots, Loupio, The Girl and the Cathedral, and Books about Matisse), as they build on each other. For example, numbers are presented in the Paris Picture Books guide, and then asking “How old are you?” is presented in the Six Dots guide, which will reinforce the number learning. Some of the activities in the Loupio guide will be easier to do if the concepts in the Paris Picture Books and Six Dots have been learned. However, if you prefer not to go in order or do every guide, that is okay too, as the guides can stand on their own.
What are the key French language concepts my child will learn from Year A of Joie de Livre?
Here are some of the key French language concepts included in the guides…
Paris Picture Books: greetings, introductions, French names, numbers, telling time, parts of the body
Six Dots: French alphabet, asking how someone is doing, asking someone’s age
Loupio: Christmas words, Christmas songs, speaking and listening in French
The Girl and the Cathedral: telling about what you are doing, nature words, verbs
Matisse: colors, art supply and activity words
Will my child become a fluent French speaker from using Joie de Livre?
The Joie de Livre philosophy is to inspire a love of language and culture learning. As new parents my husband and I (both speakers of French as a second language) thought it would be so great if our children could grow up bilingual. We had certain times of the week where we would only speak French. But… it turns out that one of our daughters was really not into that idea. Soon enough, I had to learn “love over language” and give up this little bilingual dream. I know there is a lot out there about how children can pick up languages so much more easily when they are young. However, there is no need to force it. Connection with our children is so much more important than learning another language. Joie de Livre, like our logo of a book with blooming flowers suggests, is about planting seeds for a love of learning. Yes, your child will learn French along the way, but the goal is planting seeds and family connection time at this point, not fluency.
Are there plans for more years of Joie de Livre guides to be made?
I really hope to make more Joie de Livre guides… already lots of notes jotted in my notebook for future ideas. So if it is God’s will, there will be more guides added for future years.
What does Joie de Livre mean?
Joie de Livre is a play on words for the famous expression, “joie de vivre,” meaning to take joy in life. The name Joie de Livre (Joy of Book) came to mind when I was thinking of creating this program, and I love how it captures the essence of the joy I hope these lessons will bring to families through beautiful books.

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