L'ouverture (Opening Day)
"On Monday night, after most of the villagers have arrived, we will begin the evening with time in the chalets (cabins). The villagers and their counselors will play name games, learn some basic French phrases, and create a cabin cheer that they can present at dinner. At 6:00 p.m., every chalet will walk to Paris together to eat one of our delicious meals and meet the other villagers and counselors. At this meal, they will also hear more French, learn some songs, and generally faire la fête (have a great time). After the meal and some announcements, they will have a short tour of camp, followed by more orientation in the chalet about Lac du Bois and its schedule, traditions, and activities.
Like many evenings, we will end Monday night with a feu du camp (campfire), where the villagers will present their cabin cheers, learn some more songs, and begin to wind down. They will then return to the chalet, prepare for bed, and bonne nuit!
As the session continues, your son or daughter will take part in many different daily activities. They may get up and visit our sauna first thing in the morning – always a fun and eye-opening experience (especially when shampooing in the lake!). They will eat breakfast with their chalet, and lunch and dinner with la famille: a pre-assigned, diverse grouping of villagers and counselors. Right after breakfast, they will participate in their projet, a small learning group, which focuses on using games and conversation to learn French. Later on in the morning, they will enjoy their atelier, a directed activity period during which they also have fun and learn French. Not all of their time is directed; they will also have activités au choix in the afternoon, a period when they can visit la confiserie (candy store), la plage (the beach), play a sport or game, or just relax at our outdoor café.
The projets and ateliers make up three language periods daily, each with a different focus. Les projets work together on a project that incorporates linguistic themes with some kind of a product (skit, story, imaginary situation). These same groups rotate through different activities daily in francopholies. For example, activities might include la danse africaine (African dance), Mankala (an African counting game), boules (a French lawn bowling game), and more. The other language period is atelier, in which villagers choose an activity to participate in for four days, such as soccer, arts and crafts, theatre, canoeing, chansons (songs), cuisine (cooking), etc.
At Lac du Bois, villagers learn about the cultural aspects of the French-speaking world: the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and Africa. This idea of la francophonie (French-speaking countries) is present in many aspects of the village. Many of our staff have experience in Francophone countries, and many are native speakers from a Francophone country. We have staff from Rwanda, France, Sénégal, as well as staff who have traveled in Quebec, Cameroon, France, Belgium, and Switzerland. They are all excited to share their travel experiences and their enthusiasm for the French language. The idea of la francophonie is also developed through theme days, small group activities, and evening programs. Theme days are often geographical, but may also be historical or cultural. Our kitchen staff works very hard to incorporate authentic food to go along with each theme. For example, Quebec Day may include a meal of Poutine (French fries with chicken gravy and melted cheese) and another of Roubaboo (split pea soup), wild rice salad, and pumpkin pudding. In addition, we have delicious baked goods from our very own baker on site, including authentic French baguettes!"