RED LAKE -- A member of the Francophone Association is providing Red Lake students with a fun activity to involve French speaking.
On Saturday, Dec. 18, the Francophone Association of Red Lake hosted their second cooking in French workshop at the Cochenour Hall. Kids between the ages of 5-12 were invited to take part in a day of activities and cooking.
Marielle Pellerin, a member of the association, led the workshop again with the help of one volunteer. A total of 10 kids got to come out to make and decorate gingerbread man cookies.
Pellerin has been a very active member of the Francophone Association in Red Lake. She herself has two grandchildren that participate in numerous Francophone Association activities.
The idea for these cooking workshops came to her after speaking with one child in the Francophone community, and she learned that they only ever spoke French at school. As a result of that conversation, Pellerin wanted to find a fun way to involve French speaking into the lives of the kids outside of school hours.
“We want the kids to live their French heritage and in this is a way they can, and have fun,” days Pellerin.
The last class was held on Nov. 13, and 13 children attended. There they made vegetable soup, homemade bread, and a fruit yoghurt parfait.
The impact of Covid has meant that they have to follow the mask guidelines with the kids; but because the workshops are taking pace in a hall, they are able to host a good number of kids. Pellerin says she hopes to see more kids come to the workshops in the future.
Last year, the Francophone Association in Red Lake ran activities on PD school days through a Patrimone Canadien grant and saw a great amount of participation. The activities ranged from crafts and cooking, to science experiments.
“It’s a good way for the child to learn, if you go with what they are interested in,” Pellerin said.
Since then, the grant has lapsed and the workshops are all run through donations and volunteers. Pellerin had said that the association hopes to apply for more funding, and will definitely be holding more workshops in the future. She hopes to be able to do a workshop with winter carnival recipes.
