Ooh la la!
September 1, 2011 4:56 PM   Subscribe

Help me think up some fun ways of getting my 8-year-old excited for a trip to Paris!

I'm going to get the old "This is Paris" book from the library. And have him watch Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame movie. But what are some other things we can do together that will both help his excitement grow and educate him about the things we'll be seeing and doing?

(I thought about Amelie, but though he's already seen a few scenes I think the thing as a whole is too mature for him.)

I'm open to suggestions of books, websites, movies...I thought about trying to entice him with a cooking project, but I don't think I'm up for baking croissants and I'm afraid my croque monsieur could never equal the real thing.
posted by BlahLaLa to Travel & Transportation around Paris, France (21 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: If he doesn't already learn the language at school, maybe teach him to count to 10 and say hello, please, thank you, etc, in French?
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:10 PM on September 1, 2011


Best answer: Give him a taste of Paris: good baguettes, croissants, crepes, pain au chocolat, good cheese (if he likes cheese), and so on.
posted by sciencegeek at 5:11 PM on September 1, 2011


Response by poster: Oh, yes! Language suggestions, too, please!
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:12 PM on September 1, 2011


(sorry, apparently I didn't read your last sentence, but you can buy croissants and the rest).
posted by sciencegeek at 5:12 PM on September 1, 2011


Best answer: Oooh! This!
posted by cooker girl at 5:12 PM on September 1, 2011


Charlotte Diamond songs, specifically Je Suis Une Pizza. :) Be still my heart.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 5:34 PM on September 1, 2011


Best answer: Did he like the movie Ratatouille? And books - The Inside Out Book of Paris, and Everybody Bonjours, just for a couple.
posted by lemniskate at 5:36 PM on September 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I just came back from Paris with an 8 year old (and a 12 year old), and I can vouch for the post-it note art thing being a big hit. (We didn't know about it beforehand, but they both noticed it in various places when we were there, and then it became a game whenever we went out to look for more secret post-it art.) They also both loved Ratatouille, so we talked that up before we left, too.

Another thing I did was "research" with them online, doing Street View in Google Maps to have them get a sense of where we were going and what it might look like. They also made up lists of things they wanted to see and try (my 8 year old's list was entirely food: crepes, croissants, waffles, baguettes, REAL FRENCH FRIES FROM FRANCE, and churros, for some reason). Mostly just getting them involved before the trip helped them be really excited for it.

If your 8-year-old has always wanted to ride a double-decker bus, you might tell him about the double-decker bus tour that takes people around Paris. You can also take boat tours, so if that's something exciting, you can talk that up as well.

Oh, and learning a little vocabulary is a good idea, too -- both my kids were kind of like "yeah yeah yeah" when we talked about good words to know how to say when in France, but when we actually got there, they were amazed to hear people actually speaking those words! all the time! and very pleased with themselves for being able to recognize a few of them, and use them in conversation. (It sounds funny to say it that way, but I truly think it didn't hit them until they got there that everyone would really and truly be speaking French all the time. In France! Go figure...)

Have a great time on your trip! I'm sure your 8 year old will have a blast. Mine informed me upon arriving back home that our trip had been the best two weeks of his entire life. Probably because of all the crepes and churros. :)
posted by mothershock at 5:53 PM on September 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


If he likes music try 'les chauds lapin' a retro french jazz group.
posted by askmehow at 6:30 PM on September 1, 2011


"Tintin" and "Asterix" are both classic adventurous French comics that were made into (many!) classic animated films, and are very easy to get your hands on. Check your local library!

And if you don't mind your son learning about something fighting-related, the Storming of the Bastille is one of the most exciting and not super bloody stories of the French Revolution. You missed it this summer, but next year you can even begin to celebrate Bastille Day every year (compare/contrast it to our 4th of July)!
posted by desertface at 9:21 PM on September 1, 2011


Tintin is Belgian.

The very best hot chocolate.
posted by brujita at 10:40 PM on September 1, 2011


Best answer: Pick a single historical era that best matches the kid's interests. He likes knights and swords? In the ninth century, French knights defended Paris from the Vikings. He likes airplanes? In World War I, France basically invented aerial combat and defended Paris against an enormous German cannon. He likes sports? In 1789, the French Revolution began when radical legislators gathered on a tennis court and began plotting disobedience to the throne. If all else fails, go with the reign of Louis XII, an eight-year-old king.

Research and teach him the history in question, taking note of the parts he finds most interesting. Plan a tour of the city that takes you to the actual locations where the events took place.
posted by foursentences at 10:47 PM on September 1, 2011


The Musee des arts et metiers brought out the 8 year old in me. YMMV of course.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:50 PM on September 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


What are you son's hobbies? What does he like?
If you can make a sandwich, you can make a croque monsieur;) Try with chocolate and/or bananas inside.
posted by rom1 at 2:15 AM on September 2, 2011


Tell him he's going to Disneyland.
posted by Wet Spot at 3:45 AM on September 2, 2011


Tell him he's going to the Catacombs.
posted by mbarryf at 5:30 AM on September 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Tintin is Belgian.

Oops-- my bad. I guess I meant French language comic. My dad was really into Tintin when he was a kid in Vietnam (and passed it on to us), and in my mind it always went along with all other the French colonialist influences.
posted by desertface at 8:16 AM on September 2, 2011


Best answer: Dorling Kindersley (a.k.a. DK) publishes travel books that are nearly picture books with a lot of captions. (Honestly; my in-laws use them after trips to help identify their photos. :7)

You could try the DK Paris book to catch the kid's eye: Paris (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by Rosemary Bailey, et al.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:45 AM on September 2, 2011


Best answer: Film to see: Ratatouille. You might also see if Triplets of Belleville gets his goat.

The Eiffel Tower is a brilliant destination, great to imagine and anticipate. (Once you're there and at the top, taking the steps back down is actually a lot of fun for kids!)

I've heard of kids who got hooked on the idea of the London Tube - Paris has a great labyrinthine Metro, with some cool ghost stations.

The stinkiness of cheeses and Parisians themselves (sorry, but c'est vrai...) is a great fun theme to riff on.

The inside-out-ness of the Centre Pompidou is also pretty cool to see and then experience.
posted by progosk at 8:45 AM on September 2, 2011


Response by poster: Okay, just in case someone checks this link in the future, here are the best kid-related things we did/saw both to prepare for the trip and on the trip itself:

School-Run French. A short, 10-episode podcast that introduces the French language in a fun way. My son loved doing this in the car on the way to/from school.

Paris Muse Louvre tour for kids. Expensive (for our budget) but 100% worth it. Fun and entertaining. Literally the best 2 hours I ever spent in a museum.

Beware Madame la Guillotine. A self-guided tour via iPad.

Get your Eiffel Tower tickets in advance.

Musee de L'Armee. A must see if your kid is into weapons.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:52 AM on January 9, 2012


Response by poster: Oh, and also: Looking for Space Invader graffiti.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:54 AM on January 9, 2012


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