APS center – Page 4 – Aux Petits Soins™

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FREE classes at Aux Petits Soins

Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

This week, we will offer FREE classes for kids 0-5. These classes will be held at Aux Petits Soins. A full description of our programs is available on our website.

Here is the schedule:
• Day Trippers (birth-6 months) 9 a.m. on Saturdays
• Explorers I (6-18 months) 5:15 p.m. on Tuesdays (FULL) and 10:30 a.m. on Fridays
• Explorers II (18 months-3 years) 5:15 p.m. on Wednesdays (FULL) and 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays
• Explorers III (3-5 years) 5:15 p.m. on Thursdays, 5:15 p.m. on Fridays and 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays

Due to the limited size of the classes, registration is required.

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Name and age of your child(ren) (required)

    Please choose to which event(s) you would like to attend:

    Day Trippers (0-6 months)

    Explorers I (6–18 months)

    Explorers II (18 months–3 years)

    Explorers III (3-5 years)

    How did you hear about Aux Petits Soins?

    Bonne Epiphanie 2018!

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    Today, the French celebrate Epiphanie (Epiphany). On this occasion, we share a cake named galette des rois (Kings’ Cake), a pastry that has small charms baked inside. This pastry is also filled with frangipane, a cream made from sweet almonds, butter, eggs, and sugar. I can’t wait to share this tradition with everybody on January 14 from 4-6 p.m. Full description of the event is available here.

    Aux Petits Soins’ Small Business Saturday SALE

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    Between Nov. 22 and Nov. 25, all our 12-week packages are on sale! Always wanted to learn French or have someone on your list who has. Here is the perfect opportunity for first time students to start! Check out our deals. We have classes for babies, toddlers, kids and adults.

    These packages are for the 12-week winter session (Jan 8 – April 1).

    Aux Petits Soins fête Halloween!

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    Calling all ghosts, witches and werewolves — or should I say, calling all fantômes, sorcières et loup-garous. This Sunday, Aux Petits Soins will host its First Annual Halloween Party!

    For two hours, we will transform Aux Petits Soins into a fun “haunted house,” complete with dry ice fog and spooky sound effects. There will be a craft table where kids can decorate their own pumpkins, a scary (but not too scary) Tunnel of Terror and more. Of course, we’ll incorporate French lessons into the fun, including learning French Halloween vocabulary words and some of the distinctive French Halloween traditions.

    This event is designed for kids between the ages of 18 months and 12 years and is not limited to APS students. Space is limited to 20 kids, so make sure to reserve your tickets today. For details and more information, check out the event page on our website, or call (517) 999-7277.

    French Halloween facts:

    • Celebrating Halloween is a relatively new concept in France, first appearing in the late 1990s.
    • At that time, public schools started promoting Halloween as an alternative to only focusing on religious holidays, as most French holidays revolve around Catholic traditions.
    • This new Halloween celebration quickly became a hit for kids, especially in small cities, as most kids from big cities travel during autumn break.
    • As in the United States, kids knock at doors to beg for candy, only in France their version of “trick or treat” is “des friandises ou des bêtises!” (“sweets or mischief!”)
    • Additionally, there is no couvre-feu (curfew) as all schools close for a couple weeks starting the third Friday of October.

     

     

     

    First Annual French Culture Appreciation Week

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    The First Annual French Culture Appreciation Week runs Sept. 4-9. The event is designed to highlight French culture in mid-Michigan, and will culminate in a gift basket giveaway filled with more than $250 worth of gift certificates to local French-themed businesses and associations. Aux Petits Soins will also host free classes for all ages, including our new adult French class program, and there will be expanded open hours for the Aux Petits Soins Activity Center & Library.

    To qualify for the gift basket drawing, all you have to do is pay attention to our Facebook page during the week of Sept. 4-9. Every day, we’ll be “interviewing” one of the French-themed business or association owners via Facebook Live, with the rules for qualifying included as part of the interview. We can’t say which businesses we’re working with (sorry, it’s top secret!), but the winner will have the opportunity to create an authentic French dining and culture experience right here in mid-Michigan. There will be multiple ways to enter, with one lucky winner picked at random on Sept. 10 at noon.

    Kids who attend one of the free classes during this week will also have an opportunity to win a basket filled with more than $100 worth of French learning goodies. A winner will be picked at random on Sept. 10 at noon.

    The first Facebook Live stream will be hosted by Aux Petits Soins on Monday, September 4 at 1 p.m. Then just follow the instructions in the table below to enter. Each action counts as an entry … the more you do, the more chances you have to win!

    [table id=100 /]

    Schedule of FREE classes

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    Our First Annual French Culture Appreciation week (Sept. 4-9, 2017) will feature free classes for all ages. These will include our new adult French class program, as well as expanded open hours of the Aux Petits Soins Activity Center & Library.

    Here is the schedule for the free classes that will be held at Aux Petits Soins:

    Classes for Kids (0-12)
    • Explorers I (6-18 mos.): 5 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. Saturday
    • Explorers II (18 mos.-3 years): 5:45 p.m. Tuesday and 9:45 a.m. Saturday
    • Explorers III (3-5 years) 5:45 p.m. Thursday and 10:30 a.m. Saturday
    • Travel Bugs I (5-7 years) 6:30 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Saturday
    • Travel Bugs II (7-9 years) 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 2 p.m. Saturday
    • Travel Bugs III (10-12 years) 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and 2 p.m. Saturday

    Description of the language immersion programs for kids available here. Enrollment information is available here. Prices are available here.

    Classes for Adults (18+)
    • Level A (débutant) 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
    • Level B (intermédiaire) 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
    • Level C (avancés) 7:30 p.m. Thursday

    Description of the language immersion programs for adults available here. Enrollment information here. Prices are here.

    Happy Music Day!

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    Today isn’t just the first day of summer — it’s also the French holiday Fête de la Musique,  or “International Music Day.” All over France, there will be free concerts performed by professional and amateur musicians alike who will take advantage of today being the longest day of the year to fill the air with music covering all genres. These planned and impromptu concerts are held in theaters, bars, parks and street corners.

    And what better way to start summer vacation right here in Lansing than with a special day full of exuberant, music-making fun? This Sunday, Aux Petits Soins will host our First Annual Music Festival. For two hours, we will transform the Aux Petits Soins classroom into a music and dance studio, with a range of musical instruments for the kids to play, a craft table, new French tunes to learn and more.

    Space is limited to 10 kids, so make sure to reserve your tickets today. For details and more information, check out the event page on our website, or call (517) 999-7277. 

    Adult Program Summer Session

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    The next 8-week session for the new Aux Petits Soins Language Immersion Classes for Adults starts next week, June 19. If you were thinking of joining one of our classes, now’s the time!

    Whether you want to get a concentrated introduction to the basics before your upcoming trip to Paris, or you simply want to reacquaint yourself with the language and culture you love, this program was designed to help you achieve your specific goals. All classes are led by Gaëlle, a native French speaker. “I want to be your tour guide to all things French”.

    The adult immersion program is an à la carte mix of social events and one-hour weekly group classes for three levels of students. Level A students (beginners) meet Tuesdays at lunchtime or Friday evenings; Level B students (intermediates) meet Tuesday evenings or Fridays at lunchtime; and Level C students (advanced) meet Monday evenings. You can find a full description of the three skill levels and what you can expect from classes here. A minimum of two students is required to start a class, with private classes available for B and C students. The social event aspect of the program is looser in format, open to all three levels, and are held in a variety of locations around Greater Lansing. First and foremost, this was designed to be fun.

    If you don’t know what level is best for you, I will schedule a brief meet-up/assessment for you. This assessment is strongly recommended before enrollment. If you’ve already been assessed, you can enroll now online.

    The Carnaval Celebration

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    This year, Aux Petits Soins is holding a series of monthly family-friendly get-togethers based around French holidays and traditions. Our first two events —  the King Cake Party in January and the Chandeleur Party in February — were resounding successes. I hope to carry that energy into this month’s celebration, the Carnaval Celebration.

    Most Americans are familiar with Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) — or as I hear it called here in Michigan, “Paczki Day” — mostly because of its popularity in New Orleans. However, I’ve noticed that fewer people here in the U.S aren’t as familiar with Carnaval (Carnival), which is big in southern France and throughout the Caribbean, where there are many French departments … and therefore a lot of French history. In addition to serving as a good excuse to eat beignets — and if you’ve never had one before, prepare to have your life changed — the Aux Petits Soins Carnaval Celebration is designed to introduce Metro Lansing to this important part of French culture. 

    The Carnaval Celebration will be held on March 26 at Hannah’s Koney Island in East Lansing. Please join us!

    New adult program

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    This month, Aux Petits Soins launches its Adult Program, a system of French language immersion classes and activities geared for people age 17 and up. The Adult Program was designed to help new and returning French speakers, and will consist of two main aspects: Classroom Time and Social Events. The classes will be broken into individual and group lessons, and split into three skill levels, as developed by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The events will be a combination of planned activities created by APS — such as weekly meet-ups, cooking classes and film viewings — and those developed by other members of the mid-Michigan French community.

    My goal, at least in the beginning of the Adult Program, is to meet with all potential students in order to put them into groups where they will be able to learn most effectively. I have already started meetings, which consist of a set of questions I came up with followed by a 15-minute one-on-one conversation. All said and done, it takes about an hour. Please contact me soon to schedule your meeting.

    Next Saturday, Feb. 18, there will be a French-themed dinner party at the home of some APS Children’s Program parents. The goal will is to incorporate French conversation into the evening as much as possible, allowing a good “real world” practice session and serving as a golden opportunity for local Francophiles to connect with one another. Space is limited, so please let me know ASAP if you’re interested in attending.