The Easter Bunny was replaced by flying bells as some Aberdeenshire children got to hear about how the Christian festival is celebrated in France.
They were told how the religious holiday is celebrated by Isabel Hogg from Portlethen, who teaches French to local toddlers and pre-school and primary school children.
Isabel’s French club runs in several venues in the Aberdeen area and follows the award-winning La Jolie Ronde programme.
Classes are aimed at inspiring a passion for languages through fun songs and activities using games, songs, stories, roleplay and puppets in a positive and supportive learning environment.
French culture and festivals
Mrs Hogg said: “In my classes, as well as teaching the French language, I also introduce the children to some of the many cultures and festivals of France and one of the key French Easter traditions is the Easter bells or “les cloches de Pâques”.
“The Thursday before Easter, church bells across France are silent and according to legend, the bells would fly to Rome to be blessed by the Pope.
“On their return to the French churches, the bells would pick up eggs along the way before scattering them into gardens just as our Easter Bunny would do here in the UK.”
Learning about the Easter bells, Mrs Hogg and her class had fun with stories and designed and coloured in their own Easter Bunny ears, where they learned the colours in French along the way.
To round off the classes, the children took part in a “chasse aux œufs” (Easter egg hunt), with everyone taking home an “un œuf en chocolat” (chocolate egg).
Parent Louise Anderson, from Muchalls, said: “My daughter Elizabeth is three-years-old and has been coming to Isabel’s sessions for around a year now. She absolutely loves her French class and has learned so much during this time.
“It is such a valuable skill to have and will certainly give her a head start when she starts learning at school. Classes are always fun and engaging and the Easter sessions were brilliant. I love how Isabel includes details about France in her classes, it’s so much more than just learning the language.”
Never too young to learn
Mrs Hogg added: “Once I started my own family, I decided to teach children as they have such a wonderful advantage in that they pick up languages with ease.
“You are never too young to start learning either, when a child is exposed to language in a pressure-free environment that’s fun, engaging and interactive, they learn and that learning then becomes a thoroughly positive experience.”
Conversation