July 14 is Bastille Day, a big holiday celebrated in France. Of course, France isn't the only country that has fun and celebrates on Bastille Day. Read on for some history, crafts, books, and movie ideas to share with your kids.
History
A simple history of Bastille Day is this: Bastille Day is considered the first day of the French Revolution in 1789. On the morning of July 14, French citizens armed themselves and stormed the Bastille Fortress, which mainly housed political opponents to the French government. The citizens viewed it as their first victory against the government, which they felt was corrupt, and the revolution began. Bastille Day was proclaimed a French national holiday in 1880 and its motto is "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity."
Crafts
Stick Eiffel Tower: This craft is for older children as it's a little difficult. Adults will need to be on hand as some of the materials include a hot glue gun and a sharp knife (really, it's a cute craft!). The end result is a an Eiffel Tower complete with fireworks.
Make a French Flag: Get a piece of white construction paper and using a rule make two lines that will divide the paper into thirds. With blue, white, and red paint, crayons, or markers, color in the vertical stripes appropriately (look at the flag here to be sure). Kids can get creative and make it sparkly with glitter, too!
Printable coloring pages
The Color has some great pages that you can print out, including one of the Eiffel Tower.
Fete-enfants has loads of pages to color for Bastille Day!
Crayola has a printable of the French flag and US flag.
Movies
Ratatouille: Pixar's movie about a rat who wants to cook is set in Paris. While the idea of a rat making your dinner may make you squeamish, it's a lovely film that has Paris as the backdrop and kids will get a kick out of it!
The Tale of Despereaux: This might be too scary for young children, but older kids will like the story and antics the mouse finds himself in.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast: These are put together because they are classics by Disney, however, they may scare very young children with some of the action. Older kids who haven't seen them before (or may just want to see them again) will enjoy the stories of the films as well as the songs!
Books
Madeline: Who can forget the story of a house covered in vines with twelve little girls in two straight lines? Madeline will take kids through the streets of Paris so they can see the sights while they are enchanted by the little girl herself, not to mention all of her friends and Miss Clavel.
Gigi & Jacques Adventures in Paris and Gigi & Jacques Starry Night in Paris tells the story of two French dogs who meet and roam the city of Paris, seeing the sights, and getting into all sorts of trouble. very cute but may be hard to find. Check your local library.
