The fable of Sleeping Beuty by Charles Perrault is part of French course for children created and taught by Cynthia Wildridge bunetales.com

French Fairy Tales

French Fairy Tales:  Castles and Kings and Knights – Oh My!

Course Description:   

17th century French author Charles Perrault penned some of the most famous fables in the repertoire.

Through them, we will explore the common themes of castles, kings, and knights . . . with a few princesses and swords thrown in for good measure!

17th-century portrait of Charles Perrault by Philippe Lallemand

Which fairy tales?

The fables of Charles Perrault [from Mother Goose]:

  • Barbe bleüe                                      Bluebeard
  • La belle au bois dormant             Sleeping Beauty
  • Boucles d’or                                     Goldilocks
  • Cendrillon                                        Cinderella
  • Les fées                                              The Fairies
  • Le Maître Chat,                              The Master Cat, or Puss-n-Boots
    • ou le Chat Botté
  • Le petit Chaperon Rouge            Little Red Riding Hood
  • Le petit Pouçet                                Little Thumb

See the castles!  Learn some French!

See the castles that inspired the stories. We will also learn French vocabulary, colors, and shapes associated with the stories, and then reinforce them through games and activities.

What did they eat?  What did they wear?  Can we make something?

We may learn about period food and attire, the parts of a castle, and materials used to make a castle.

We may see pictures of the king and queen’s bed chambers, make a sword or a crown, and design our own unique King or Queen’s Seal.

The tale of Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault is one of the French Fairy Tales used in a course for children created and taught by Cynthia Wildridge bunetales.com

Charles Perrault's fable Le chat botté is used in a course for children on French Fairy Tales created and taught by Cynthia Wildridge bunetales.com
A Handwritten page of the French Fairy Tale Le Maître Chat, ou Le chat botté by Charles Perrault

Time permitting, children may wish to create a story to take home with them.  Here is a story in Perrault’s own hand!

And most of us are familiar with The Tales Mother Goose (or Contes de la mère d’oye).

French Fairy Tales by Charles Perrault course by Cynthia Wildridge bunetales.com
Unknown – Morgan Library and Museum [1]
Gouache illustration in a manuscript of Charles Perrault’s Contes de ma Mere l’Oye, dated 1695.
These French Fairy Tales are so famous that in 2016, to commemorate the 388th anniversary of his birth, Google created a Google Doodle to honor French author Charles Perrault.

Created by Cynthia S. Wildridge, this course was first offered to Pre-K and Kindergarten children at The Lamplighter School of Dallas during their Camp Lamplighter, Summer 2017.

Duration:  This course was offered as a week-long camp, with the class meeting 2 hours per day.

It can be scaled for presentation as a library program, a school program + workshop, a week-long summer camp, or a more academic program with aesthetic and touristic appeal.

© 2017 Cynthia S. Wildridge  All rights reserved

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