Aux Petits Soins admin

First Annual Chandeleur Party

Posted on February 6, 2017January 24, 2019 by Aux Petits Soins admin

This year, Aux Petits Soins will be holding a series of monthly family-friendly get-togethers based around French holidays and traditions. Our first event held last month, the King Cake Party, was a resounding success, and we look to carry that energy into this month’s celebration, the Chandeleur Party.

Chandeleur is a distinctly French tradition, which essentially consists of getting together with friends and family, eating crêpes and drinking cider — not a bad way to celebrate the halfway point of winter, no? There are an increasing number of French-themed business in mid-Michigan, and we’ve teamed up with one of the most high-profile ones —For Crêpe Sake, a crêperie in downtown Lansing — to throw the Chandeleur Party on Sunday, Feb. 26 from 3-5 p.m. There will be crêpes, cider, activities for the kids, a French lesson and more. The grown-ups will even get a chance to try their hand at crêpe fipping, which can be surprisingly difficult until you develop a technique. More details here.

Next month, I’ll be introducing Metro Lansing to the French celebration of Carnaval. While most Americans are aware of the French roots of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) — or, as I hear that it’s called here in Michigan, “Paczki Day” — most 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. That party will be held March 26 at Hannah’s Koney Island in East Lansing. More details here.

Stranger in Paradise

Posted on February 1, 2017June 12, 2017 by Aux Petits Soins admin

After being featured in The New York Times in its Jan. 22 Travel Section, Guadeloupe was also the setting for a recent edition of the podcast, Radiolab. “Stranger in Paradise” covered the interesting history of raccoons on my island, getting into issues of how science can affect cultural paradigms. But the best part for me was getting to hear the sounds of home: in the podcast, you can hear the frogs chirping at night, the birds chittering during the day, and the distinct Guadeloupe dialect in the people who were interviewed. It’s a great listen!

New York Times loves Guadeloupe!

Posted on January 22, 2017October 21, 2017 by Aux Petits Soins admin

As you might know, although I was born in a suburb of Paris, I grew up in Guadeloupe, a French island in the Caribbean. It’s where I made my most treasured childhood and teenage memories, and it’s where my heart calls “home.”

So imagine my thrill this week to see that The New York Times featured Guadeloupe in its Travel section (“A Return to Guadeloupe: Tropical Life, French-Style”). It’s a lenghty piece, going into great depths about how the writer and her husband relished the island’s cuisine, delighted in its clime, and reveled in its culture. They truly immersed themselves in Guadeloupe, and by doing so she was able to present what I see as an authentic vision of the island — of my home. It’s a good read, and an excellent primer for anyone thinking of visiting. Which, of course, I highly recommend you do.

And when you do, make sure to stop by the rum cave/spice boutique named Le Comptoir du Nouveau Monde (The New World Counter). It’s not featured in the story, but it will become one of your favorites!

EnVie

Posted on November 16, 2016June 12, 2017 by Aux Petits Soins admin

Lansing continues to add to its French culture. The newest addition is EnVie. It joins Le Bon Macaron, For Crepe Sake, The Creole, Chapelure (including the new Heights at Eastwood location) and Bridge Street Social, which either have authentic French items or are wholly devoted to French cuisine. It’s a good time to love French culture in Lansing!

You can read about their journey in the Lansing State Journal and City Pulse.

EnVie will offer casual, upscale dining in downtown Lansing (link)
By Vickki Dozier, Lansing State Journal, September 13, 2016

New in Town: EnVie (link)
By Allan I. Ross, City Pulse, November 16, 2016

Dheepan

Posted on November 11, 2016June 12, 2017 by Aux Petits Soins admin

This Sunday, the Alliance Française-Michigan Capital Area Chapter will bring the Palme D’Or-winning film “Dheepan” to Studio C! in Okemos. It’s part of the group’s new Film Series, and will be followed by a discussion in the theater’s restaurant area.

“It’s an incredible film, and I’m eager to see what the other viewers have to say,” says series co-coordinator Ellen Sullivan. “It was a pretty controversial movie when it won at Cannes, but I think it has a lot of messages that are relevant right now.”

“Dheepan” is about a Sri Lankan soldier who poses as the husband and father of two other refugees so they can all escape their ravaged homeland. Arriving in France, the makeshift “family” sets about establishing a new life, only to find themselves once again embroiled in violence on the mean streets of Paris. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Jacques Audiard (“Rust and Bone”), “Dheepan” is in French and Tamil with English subtitles.

The film will play at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13 at Studio C!, 1999 Central Park Drive in Okemos, just north of Meridian Mall. For more information, please contact Ellen Sullivan at (517) 484-7417.

Welcome Mark Sullivan, our newest intern.

Posted on October 10, 2016June 12, 2017 by Aux Petits Soins admin

Mark Sullivan is Aux Petits Soins’ newest intern. He will be part of our new French Playtime program on Saturday mornings from 9-11:30 a.m., and will engage with the children by reading books to them and playing games. He took some time to share a little bit about his background, and why he loves French.

What’s your background as far as French language/culture goes?

Il était une fois (once upon a time), I was a Peace Corps volunteer in francophone Africa — Chad — where I taught English at a college in a small village. It was then that I started to develop my interest in French and French culture. Our school had seven teachers: six Senegalese men, teaching as part of a pan-African agreement, and me. The Senegalese were adamant that I speak French correctly at “their” school, and I worked hard to improve my language skills.

There were few opportunities for me to speak English. There was a Catholic mission from Québec, and some of the priests/monks spoke English — but not often. The French (people) in the Third World were there as a result of colonialism, and some of them still held to the colonial lifestyle. But there were others who loved Africa and seemed to embrace the culture and the people. (These were the groups) with whom I became friends, and from whom I started to develop an appreciation of things French.

What do you love about the French language and culture?

The language is beautiful, and rich with expressions. I read that a language is a reflection of a culture and that seems to be true of the French and their language. There are expressions and ways of saying things that seem to be inherently more respectful than in English. One easy example is that a brother-in-law in France is called a “beau-frère” — it is so much nicer to think of a relative by marriage as a beautiful person as opposed to a legally-defined person. The culture is rich and people in France seem to appreciate it more. And there are centuries of culture from long before this land was a country.

What drew you to Aux Petits Soins?

In my career, I started working in a Head Start classroom. Every promotion throughout my career took me further from the children. When I retired, I was working in an office and rarely even saw children. In retirement, I decided to go back to the reasons that I had chosen to work in childcare — the children — and to give back a little bit of my time.

My wife and I split our year between Lansing and Provence, France. When we are in the States, I volunteer at daycare centers near our home. When we are in France, I volunteer at a crèche (French daycare). I have been volunteering since my retirement. Aux Petits Soins fits with my volunteer goals and in a French language environment. There are not a lot of opportunities to speak French in Lansing.

What activities will you be doing at APS?

I will be reading to groups of young children. Whether it is reading, participating in a group activity, singing songs, it really does not matter.

Welcome to the APS Team, Mark!

Un an plus tard… (Celebrating one year)

Posted on October 1, 2016October 21, 2017 by Aux Petits Soins admin

One year ago this week, we moved into our home on Michigan Avenue. When I signed the lease in October 2015, all I had were a few teaching supplies and a head full of ideas. Now, one year later, we have a working classroom with a drawer system, wall decorations, and “seasonal” area carpets; a bustling activity center with custom-made shelving units, tables and chairs, as well as hundreds of books, toys and games imported from France; and in the main room, there’s now a nursery, a reception area, and a snack table for the children. Special thanks to Cassins Architectes and MI Craft for (respectively) designing and creating our new reception desk.

When I started Aux Petits Soins in spring 2015, I had no idea where it would lead. It all started because of the demands of you, the Lansing-area parents who wanted something special for your children — to give them the gift of French. Now, a year and a half later, Aux Petits Soins is a brick-and-mortar location and there are more than three dozen kids that have some level of French. I couldn’t be happier, or prouder, of how far all my students have come so quickly.

Coming soon: Aux Petits Soins will launch two new programs — French Playtime for kids 6 and under and APS French Club for kids ages 6-12. These will provide even more opportunities to engage your little ones in French culture. Stay tuned!

It’s time for French Playtime

Posted on September 26, 2016June 12, 2017 by Aux Petits Soins admin

By popular demand, Aux Petits Soins will soon begin offering open hours. Current students age 6 and under who show up with an adult caregiver can come in to play, enjoy books from the growing library, and soak in the French culture. I hope your little one will be able to join us.

This will enable students to practice what they’ve learned in class and continue their French immersion. Also, during select times, there will be someone on-site to volunteer to read stories and play with them exclusively in French. One of these volunteers is Mark Sullivan, a retired educator who will join us on Saturdays starting next week.

French Playtime will be held 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturdays.

Coming soon: APS French Club, geared for students age 6-12. Check back soon for udpates on this.