🌞 The holiday gazette (for parents who hold it together) no.3
EDITION 3 Who's up for the programme
Ah, the family holiday.
We dream about it for weeks. We plan it like a polar expedition. And once we're there… we discover that parental love can withstand anything: sandals full of sand, children sticky with suncream.
Welcome to the third edition of our holiday gazette: today, we're diving into the true taste of summer, and — just like our playlist — we've put together a programme worthy of a proper holiday kids' club… A list of simple, tried-and-tested tips to keep the kids busy while you soak up your sun-lounger/book/nap/quiet coffee moment by the sea (hey, we can dream)
The fake schedule: Stick up a sheet with 2 or 3 "missions of the day" for the kids: find white pebbles, invent a summer dance, give a tree a hug — they love having a "mission", and you gain 10 minutes of peace.
For a chill corner under the parasol:
Pack a pencil case or a mission box to bring out only at the beach (guaranteed novelty effect):
- 2 figurines (animals, dinos, characters)
- Small moulds / mini funnel
- Mini magnifying glass
- A roll of masking tape (they'll tape seaweed onto pebbles — guaranteed hit)
- Wax crayon or even a full paint palette (for painting pebbles)
Shell tattoos: wet a pebble, press a shell or a piece of seaweed onto it — it sticks (and gets people talking)
The ocean detective game
- Make a visual treasure hunt checklist
- 1 striped shell
- 1 holey stone
- 1 piece of driftwood
- Someone wearing a green swimsuit
- A towel with an animal on it
- A seagull's cry
And as always, the team's tried-and-tested survival tip: "bye bye sand"
A make-up brush — brilliant for brushing sand from between toes (and little bottoms)
"express sunscreen" Suncream + beauty blender = quick application on tiny faces without getting it in their eyes.
Our favourite bookseller has put together a selection of books for a gentle back-to-school transition
A sweet little board book to ease our tiniest ones into nursery life: it walks through a full day, with playtime, mealtimes and nap time, all told with the warm and gentle touch of Pauline Martin. A little gem! Bébé à la crèche, by Pauline Martin, éd. La Partie (13.90€)
If you haven't discovered the Marcel et Léon series yet, get on it now! This time, there's no getting around it — Léon has been boasting about being the biggest for so long that he really does have to start school… all by himself! Because his little brother is too small to go with him. "He'll go to school when he's a big penguin like you! — I'm not that big!" grumbles Léon. A wonderfully tender picture book to take the fear out of that first day away from the family. A l'école, Léon! by Emile Jadoul, éd. Pastel (12.50€)
"Meet Pascaline. Three years old, fluffy wings and very firm opinions: no school. Not a chance." She's going to scream so hard her parents will shrink on the spot! Pascaline is not for turning, and smuggles her parents into school hidden under her wings. The trouble is, her parents turn out to be anything but well-behaved — not during the singing, not at lunch, not at nap time… Will they come back tomorrow? Même pas en rêve ! by Béatrice Alemagna, éd. Ecole des Loisirs (6€)
For our little ones starting Year 1, here's a collection of 11 stories to read independently throughout the year. Designed by a teacher to support early reading, the texts feature child-friendly typography, with silent letters greyed out and tricky words explained in a glossary. Perfect for taking those first reading steps! Je suis en CP, by Magdalena, éd. Flammarion (12.90€)
And for secondary school? We couldn't resist this timeless gem — a novel we devoured as teenagers that hasn't aged a day, written with such wit by the brilliant Susie Morgenstern. We follow Margot through her first year at secondary school as she sets her sights on becoming class rep and the most popular girl around: an absolute delight! La Sixième, by Susie Morgenstern, éd. Ecole des Loisirs (6.50€)
