Tips and Suggestions for parents and educators for using Crepes by Suzette book app with children.
Curriculum Tie-ins for preK-2nd Grade.
Foreign Languages: Studies all show that the earlier children start learning new languages the better. Crêpes by Suzette is a great tool for learning some first words in French, with a perfect accent of course! Encourage your children to repeat and imitate the voices they hear when they touch the people and animals in the pictures. Open the “Vocabulary” page from the “Map” and practice the featured word in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Japanese. Listen to the narrations in these foreign languages to get a flavor of each language as spoken by native speakers. Especially for young children in bilingual schools, Crêpes by Suzette is a great classroom tool.
Setting/Foreign Cities: In addition to the story and illustrations themselves, you learn more about Paris from the photos and videos (accessed from the “Map”). These all expand your understanding of the setting of this story and can lead to many questions and discussions. Imagine you are living in P aris like Suzette. What kind of building might you live in? Where might you go to play with your friends? What might be a special outing with your parents?
Maps and Map Making: Discuss directions (north, south, east, west, left, right), key concepts of streets, landmarks, rivers, bridges, islands, etc. Use the map to better understand the city of Paris and to follow Suzette's route through the course of the day. Supplement with Google map and “street view” to compare and contrast. Create your own map and story about another city, real or imaginary.
Art/Artists/Museums: Introduce your children to some iconic works of art. Each of Suzette’s customers are based on people in famous paintings and sculptures. Open the “Art” page from the “Map”, and follow the links to the museums where children, together with the adult, can learn more about some great works of art, such as da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Degas's Little Dancer. There is a “parental gate” so that children can not leave the app to go on the internet on their own. However, if you follow the instructions (hold down the link for several seconds), you will be able to leave the app and go to the websites of numerous museums.
Cooking: Practice sequencing through the process of cooking. Follow the steps of how to make crêpes with Suzette, through the 14 pages of the story. Talk about: first, then, next, after that...at last, finally. In addition to the story, in the app there is a recipe and two crêpe making videos. Discuss the steps of cooking crêpes and make your own following the recipe. This can be “real” or through pretend play. Children can make their own cooking videos.
Running a Business: Suzette is a street vendor with her own small business of making and selling crêpes. Discuss concepts of business, commerce, customers, menus, taking their orders, money, counting and math. Use Suzette as a role model and imagine other kinds of small businesses. Children can create their own business in pretend play.
The Five Senses: Suzette travels all around Paris, all while making crêpes from her cart. Focus on the the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Describe the various ways the senses are experienced over the course of the day with Suzette. There is much to see in the beautiful city of Paris: important landmarks such as the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Seine River, the Eiffel Tower...and many small things when you look close up: a lion statue, gold statues on the top of a building, flowers in the gardens... Listen to the sounds and music on each page: what do they add to the story and atmosphere? Do they help you feel like you are in Paris? Imagine the smell of fresh fruits at the market. Imagine the smell of the crêpes cooking, and imagine finally holding a warm crêpe in your hands. Naturally you will want to taste crêpes yourself! Try the recipe: Bon appétit!
The app purposely does not have games, puzzles, coloring pages, or other kinds of non-book distractions. It is meant to stay close to the heart of the original book and to remain essentially a “book” experience. Enjoy and Bon Voyage!
For more info about the app, with links for purchase, click here
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