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December in France is upon us, the mini bûches de Noël (French rolled sponge cakes) are appearing in boulangeries, sapins de Noël (Christmas trees) are being carried down the street and cheery lights are decorating storefronts. Which leads us to another tradition for Christmas: gifting. If you are new to France, you may have a few more gifts to consider, depending on your living situation and activities. Tipping Guardiens If you live in a building with a guardien(ne) d’immeuble (the building’s caretaker), it is customary to give them a monetary tip. This all depends on how much work they do, and how much you would like them to think kindly of you…because a guardien who likes you can make your life easier. The tasks that guardiennes do can be: working full-time hours, receiving packages and/or registered letters, delivering packages to your door, cleaning, and light gardening. Sometimes they live in the building itself. What kind of guardien you have depends completely on your building. If a building has a guardien with many responsibilities, residents can tip as much as they like, up to 5-10% of monthly rent. That is not a hard and fast rule. If the guardien is part time, you're in a large complex, or you are on a budget, you can give them less money, a bottle of bubbly, or something homemade like cookies. Any gesture is nice! Childcare and Teacher Gifts in France If you have kids with caretakers or teachers, it is also nice to give them a small gift. You may have noticed elaborate displays in chocolate shops in December in France. Indeed, it is customary to give chocolate as a gift in December (generally speaking, to anyone you are buying gifts for) so you can’t go wrong giving the team at a crèche a box of chocolates. If you have a nounou (nanny) or an assistante maternelle (a childminder who watches several children from their home) or your child has a teacher, you can give them something small. What that may be depends on how well you know them. Friends have told me they have made cookies or brownies, made their own gifts (like stamped towels or wreaths), or bought a small potted plant, box of chocolates, a candle etc. Note that at the end of the year when summer vacances (holidays) start it is also nice to give another gift, especially if your child is leaving a crèche or childcare, for maternelle. For teachers at the end of the year, the parent association usually does a collective gift from the parents so you are off the hook trying to come up with an individual gift. Calendars Is someone knocking on your door? You may see pompiers (firefighters) out in uniform selling calendars, this is also an annual December tradition in France. In Paris, only firemen and post office workers are authorized to sell annual calendars door to door. Scams are numerous so be careful opening your door and giving money to anyone. They have to be in uniform and carry a card to identify themselves. The money from the sale of calendars of the firefighters goes to the associations within the organization, such as families of injured firefighters. Sanitation workers, les éboueurs, in Paris are prohibited from selling calendars door to door. Outside of Paris, each city can decide whether to allow them to sell calendars. The police, and anyone from utility companies are not allowed to sell calendars. Hopefully, this helps you anticipate your gifting and tipping needs this December. Let us know who you like to buy gifts for, or what gifts you find to be a hit!

This holiday season, treat yourself or a loved one to something special while contributing to charity, by bidding on one of our amazing auction items. Many of our prizes are custom packages thoughtfully curated by our donors, that you won't find anywhere else. Holiday Shopping for a great cause. This auction is open to the public, so please share it with your friends. We've committed to sourcing the majority of our prizes from local businesses and entrepreneurs - learn more about them on their auction pages! Every Euro of your winning bid will be donated to four charities selected by Message members - the more you get, the more you give! The entire amount raised from the auction will be split between four charities: Le Choix de L’Ecole: This donation will help fulfill teachers' wish lists in high need schools in the Paris area so that they can get materials they desperately need to teach, and helps fund their professional development. SOS Help: Helpline in France: SOS Help is a free English-speaking helpline in France to help prevent suicide and alleviate anxiety. Their telephone service is confidential, anonymous, and run by highly trained volunteers. Zinzolin: Zinzolin helps refugees from all over the world, and especially from Afghanistan, to integrate in France. This donation will go to help refugees with food, housing, clothes and their administrative issues. La Maison de Marthe & Marie: This donation will go to helping pregnant women in France facing difficult situations, who have split with their partners, or who are without family support. Create an account in order to make bids on the 32Auctions website. Look over the 75+ items up for bid. Bid on the ones that you want. Check back frequently to make sure you are the highest bidder, if not - bid again! Last day of bidding is Dec. 4th. Please join for the interactive watch party (see below). Remember, you are getting something wonderful and all the money raised is going towards four valuable causes: high-need schools, refugees, a helpline and mothers in challenging situations. Last day of the Auction, please join us for the Auction Watch Party! Sun, 04 Dec 8:30pm Via Zoom Auction Watch Party 2022 Join us for the final nail-biting, heart pumping, last minutes of the auction to see who wins the highest bid for so many cool prizes. The auction officially ends at 9:00pm UNLESS.... (drumroll) Watch with us LIVE as the online battle takes places right in front of our eyes. In the end, the true winner (besides the person who wins the cake package) are the charities we are supporting. So join us and see how much we can buy and give at the same time. There will be bonus door prizes, interactive banter and a very fun vibe for this once-a-year unique virtual get-together. Note: You are not required to attend the Watch Party to win, you can be engaged in a bidding war stealthily at home on the auction website.

Saturday, Dec 3rd 1:00-2:00p 8th arrondissement Message members, their families, friends and members of the public are invited to help raise money for a great cause by dancing! Join Message members and over 50, 000 French associations in a major national fundraising event. What is the cause? Finding a cure for Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) which is a rare but serious illness that can cause sudden weakness of muscles, loss of reflexes, and paralysis. Who should participate? Got some little ones who can't stop wiggling or wobbling? Do you have older kids who have been perfecting their latest TikTok dance moves? Are you a Zumba dancer? A Line Dancer? A mover and a shaker? How does the Dance Party event work? Register as a family/group to dance during a 1h dancing challenge: during this time, someone from your group must always be on the dance floor so the more in your group, the better. The music will be all your favorite, family-friendly upbeat music. - Participants do not need to get sponsors, just come and dance. - Wear your home country colors; this year's theme is "COLORS!" How can you help raise money? Click on the Message Telethon fundraising link and donate the amount you wish for the cause : Each donation gets a 66% tax discount in France. Share this post with your family and friends : help us reach our 600 EUR goal by the end of the event 🎉 Learn more about this important cause and why Message Paris is helping: Their Mission Current Priorities History of the Telethon You will get the exact location when you RSVP

When trying to get into the holiday spirit at the darkest time of the year, naturally, the first thing I look for is lights. In my childhood, any car trip after dusk in November involved me staring out the back window, counting houses with christmas lights. It made me excited to see the lights multiplying as the days passed, like an electric advent calendar. As an adult, walking around Paris it sometimes feels like Christmas is optional (which perhaps it should be, as not everyone celebrates it). Nonetheless, it still makes me smile to see the banners of holiday lights arching over the avenues in each arrondisement’s market areas. And, while it’s rare to see entire houses lit up for the holidays, my daughter has made a game of counting apartment lobbies that have sapins de noël in our neighborhood. I feel like you have to seek out the esprit de Noël in Paris. How festive you get is up to you. So, with that in mind, here are few places to visit if you seek holiday sparkle. Jardin des Plantes, in the 5th Arrondissement puts on a show for the holidays that is more than just pretty lights, it’s educational. There are giant colorful sculptures representing the natural world. For example, last year’s theme was "L'évolution En Voie D’Illumination”, a brightly colored journey through the prehistoric periods that was a lot of fun. This year, the theme is “Mini-Mondes En Voie D’Illumination”. I suspect it’s giant bugs. Fun! Tickets range from 12-17€, with prices higher on the weekends. (57 rue Cuvier, 75005) Lumieres en Seine, in St. Cloud is also calling me. From the ads I’m seeing, it’s an outdoor explosion of lights, decorations, and special effects. It looks like Vegas in a forest, if that’s what you’re into. Sometimes, over the top is exactly what’s needed. Tickets range from 16 to 20€, higher on weekends and during the school break. (Domaine National de St. Cloud 92210) Jardin des Tuileries. When we first moved here, there was a Christmas Market stretching down the illuminated Champs Elysées, with endless kiosks of food, hot drinks, gifts and games begging for your money. Champs Elysées still sparkles, but in the past few years, presumably for safety reasons they’ve moved the festivities off the avenue, down to the Tuileries. It's basically the same carnival rides they have in the summer, with Christmas decorations and a fake ice rink. Nevertheless, getting a vin chaud and riding the ferris wheel at night, looking out over the illuminated city is something you really can’t do anywhere else. (Place de la Concorde 75001) Grand Magasins. If you can brave the crowds, Galeries Lafayette is the go-to for classic holiday sparkle, both inside and out. The window displays are always awesome for kids, and there are vendors on the sidewalk selling crafts and christmas trinkets. But don’t sleep on the other department stores. Samaritaine, which is beautiful to look at any time, will be extra pretty and will feature dancing displays inside and out. Le Bon Marche features an art installation in its atrium as well as decorated windows. BHV Marais will be decked out, and inside the store, your kids can get a photo op with Santa, and they will offer supervised activities for your kids while you shop (!). Just across the street, l’Hotel de Ville will feature “une village de Noel'' with free animations for the kids, a visit with Père Noel, and a marché. (Galeries Lafayette 40 Blvd Haussmann 75009; Samaritaine 9 rue de la Monnaie 75001; Le Bon Marche 24 rue de Sevres 75007; BHV Marais/ Place de l’Hotel de Ville 75004) Parc des Princes. Due to the World Cup going on, Parc de Princes is empty through the end of the year. So, for the first time, they’ve got a Marché de Noel at the stadium. The football minded can visit the inside of the stadium, consume chalet cuisine like raclette, fondue, vin chaud and do faux ice skating and curling. Paris est Magique! (24 Rue du Commandant Guilbaud, 75016) About the Author: Rachelle Chapman is the mom of Camille (11) and Message Paris Blog Manager. Originally a Chicago native, she has been living in Paris since 2014. All photos in this article taken by Rachelle Chapman. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Message.

It is official, we are deep into the fall season. While some of us are mourning the end of summer produce (peaches, figs, plums… sigh…), the change in seasons forces us to change our food habits and soak up this cozy time of year. While summer produce is prime for quick, no-cook preparations, fall foods tend to warrant slowing down, turning on the oven or pulling out the soup pot, and cozying up at home. Fall foods also are full of the nutrients our bodies are asking for this time of year – deeply colored phytonutrients along with vitamin and mineral antioxidants boost our immune systems to ward off circulating illnesses. What vegetables are in season right now? Garlic, beets, chard, broccoli, carrots, celery, all sorts of mushrooms, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, hard winter squash, watercress, spinach, fennel, mâche, turnips, onions, parsnips, leeks, sunchokes, and salsify. Plenty of fruits make their way into the market this time of year as well: clementines, persimmons, kiwi, mandarins, mango, pears, apples, pineapple, pomegranate, and avocado. Did you know that seafood can be seasonal? In fact, the seasonally changing weather has an impact on the types of seafood that is available and in its prime. Shellfish starts to make an appearance: oysters, langoustines, mussels, and clams are in their prime. Also keep an eye out for haddock, anchovies, sea bass, cod, mackerel, whiting, and sardines. Meal ideas to consider If you are looking for some inspiration to keep the food on your table seasonal, here are some meal ideas to consider: linguine with clams along with a mâche and shaved fennel salad; squash panzanella (see our upcoming Message Magazine Winter 2022 for the recipe!); marinated sardines on whole grain toast with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt; spinach salad with pomegranate, pear, and toasted walnuts; roasted carrots with a drizzle of tahini and toasted pumpkin seeds; pan-seared cod with a salsa of clementines, onion and jalapeño served with roasted broccoli or cauliflower. Or why not try a shaved sunchoke and mushroom salad? It makes the perfect vegetable side to pair with a simply cooked whole grain and your protein of choice (seasonal fish, meat, lentils, eggs... whatever you prefer!). Check out the recipe below! Shaved sunchoke, mushroom and Brussels sprout salad Ingredients: 1 large handful of hazelnuts 2 tbsp olive oil 1 small garlic clove, minced Juice from ½ lemon ½ tsp honey (omit if you are vegan) Salt and pepper 300g sunchokes, scrubbed and thinly sliced (you can peel them if you prefer) 300g mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced 500g brussels sprouts, washed and thinly sliced Shaved parmesan cheese (if you are vegan or avoid dairy, this can be omitted) Instructions: 1. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Put hazelnuts on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes or until toasty and fragrant. Alternatively, you can pan roast hazelnuts in a skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until toasty and fragrant. Roughly chop the toasted nuts and set aside. 2. Make the dressing: combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined. 3. Assemble salad: in a large bowl, combine sunchokes, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts. Drizzle dressing over the mixture and mix to combine. 4. Transfer to a platter or divide onto individual plates. Top with hazelnuts and shaved parmesan cheese and serve. About the author: Stephanie Rink, MS, RD, LDN is a US-trained Registered Dietitian with nearly 10 years of experience helping expat families feel confident about food choices for themselves and their growing families. She offers nutrition coaching services for families looking to expand, pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children through a family-inclusive and intuitive eating lens. littlesproutnutrition.com The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Message.

Congratulations, you have reached the stage of independence where you can take your child on a road trip by yourself! I finally took the plunge when I met up with my mom-friend to go camping, without our partners. It was between a four to five hour drive, which was just what we could handle, especially because my child doesn’t nap. The French school year has four, two-week holidays so there are plenty of opportunities to take a drive with the kids, and France doesn't lack for things to do and see! Here are some tips and things to consider when taking a road trip in France with your kid, or kids. Plan your stops ahead of time: I had never done this drive before so I mapped out a pit stop about every hour to an hour and a half. If you are taking the toll roads, you can use Google Maps to look up rest stops which in French is, aire de service. Be warned that in Bretagne, there is no autoroute so there will not be typical rest stops run by the companies that run the autoroutes, which means there are fewer and these have fewer amenities. Leave at the right time: If you have a child that naps, drive at naptime. In France, traffic forecasts are a thing because the whole country has seasonal vacances. The forecasted traffic conditions are color coded: green, yellow, red, black. Try not to drive on busy traffic days (especially the first Saturday of August, le samedi noir, when most of the roads in the country are snarled, and the last weekends in August), traffic and accidents are a nightmare and slow the trip. Driver’s Prep: Keep your money/card for tolls out where you can grab it (or get a toll road transponder). If you see a sign that says péage, it means a toll station is coming up soon. You either take a ticket to pay later when you exit, or pay at the toll one time. Also put a bag of toys in the passenger seat to easily grab and give to the kid, and keep wipes/tissues/paper towels within arms reach too. Pack luggage so that a change of clothes or any toilet accessories are on top and you aren’t hunting for them. Kid Prep: Tell your kid what you are doing, where you are going, and if they drop anything in the back seat that you can’t pick it up for them because you are driving (which you will have to repeat a zillion times). Slather your child with sunscreen (and yourself) before you leave. Carsickness is a tricky one, some kids are very car sick so you probably won’t be doing solo parent road trips. When my child was regularly getting car sick, I put a full, long apron over her and that helped with cleanup, but at that time we weren’t ready for a solo parent road trip. Limiting snacks while on the road and prepping extra clothes and cleanup products is what I do in case of an incident. Snacks: Be mindful of choking risks when giving snacks while driving, you know what your child can eat safely at their stage in development. By taking frequent stops, you can minimize snacks on the road and eat together. You will see French families picnicking at all the rest stops, eating together is just as important to them on road trips as it is at home. However, note all the rest stops will be packed at noon, which is when the French eat lunch. Also, the type of food at rest stops varies, pack food you know your child will eat so you aren’t left at the mercy of what is on the road. Rest stops sometimes have little outdoor play areas for kids, the quality of which varies. Car accessories: If you have a rear-facing child, there are mirrors you can put on the seat so you can see their face. If you have a child with dangling legs, you can buy an inflatable foot rest to go under their feet which keeps them more comfortable. As for water bottles, I found Hema sells a kids plastic water bottle with a swivel lid with a straw so it is really easy to open and pretty spill-proof. Bathrooms: There are some great foldable potties for travel, like the Potette Plus, which fit over an adult sized toilet seat or fold to make a little stand-alone potty. When it comes to rest stop bathrooms, there are family bathrooms but considering how busy it is and the condition it is in, it might be easier to change a diaper outside or have a child discreetly go to the bathroom outside (it is acceptable here!). I was traveling with a potty-training child and I was at the phase where I could still diaper her while driving and also she could tell me when she needed to go. Who would have thought diapers are the heroes of road trips? If a child has to go to the bathroom, you can’t safely pull over on the autoroute in most places (there is barely a shoulder and speeds are very fast), but there are frequent rest stops. So plan for an accident just in case, and diaper your child if they still are in diapers. Distractions: when it comes to toys, I learned the hard way that everything will be dropped on the ground, then cried about. Also any toys that can make a mess, will make a mess (including stickers, you have been warned!). So try to bring non-messy toys, and also bring new ones that are interesting. What worked for my child at this stage of her development was play dough, little plastic toys that snap together, a paint-with-water coloring book and a magnetic drawing board. It is hard to play a road trip game with a young child, their attention/verbal skills might not be there yet so keep talking simple, pointing out what they can see (cows, windmills, tractors). You can play music for them, or they can hold and control their own story box like a Tonie or a Lunii. Good luck on your travels, and let us know what tips you have for solo road trips with kids! If you are ready to plan a trip and looking for recommendations, ask for ideas from our members-only forums. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Message.

The Search For Paris' Best Cinnamon Rolls France, in my opinion, suffers from a cinnamon deficiency. Despite being the culinary capital of the world, the French don’t really mess with cinnamon. It’s a spice cabinet staple, but there are very few French desserts that feature cinnamon. There’s no cute pastries with cinnamon (imagine my surprise finding that Bordeaux’s canelés have no canelle), no breakfast cereals with cinnamon, no cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on churros (although I have found a crêpe guy who will do it by request). It feels like Chocolate Rules Everything Around Me. So what do you do when it’s fall, and there’s a little chill in the air, and you want something warm/sweet/spicy? If you’re like me, you might crave a cinnamon roll. When I was a teenager, looking for my first part time job, the place I most wanted to work was Cinnabon. In case you’re not familiar, Cinnabon is an American shopping mall staple, a chain bakery that makes one thing: the biggest, sweetest, gooey-est, most amazing smelling cinnamon rolls I’d ever had. Indonesian cinnamon, with cream cheese frosting spread over the top. When they were baking (and they were always baking), the fragrance would waft through the air, and make you forget whatever else the food court had to offer. Despite my multiple job applications, Cinnabon never hired me. It’s probably good they didn’t, because I’d have overdosed on their heroin-like cream cheese frosting. While Cinnabon was my first love, I’ve since toned down my tastes. The ideal cinnamon roll does not have to be obnoxious to get my attention. But it does have to have that certain combination of soft dough and sticky cinnamon interior and be fresh from the oven. I’ve hiked all over Paris in search of where to go when the cinnamon jones hits, and this is what I’ve found so far. Terroirs d’Avenir This boulangerie is literally in the shadow of Boneshaker Donuts, another destination for cinnamon rolls. Order a canelle roulé, and you will receive a fist-sized sort of brioche marbled with cinnamon, with a light honey glaze brushed on top. It’s kind of a low-key roll: not super sweet, overly moist or too intense with the cinnamon (the anti-cinnabon). It’s a french interpretation of a cinnamon babka. I imagine it’s quite good warmed up with your morning coffee (even though I’m a tea drinker). My trusty tasting sidekick gave it a 3.5 out of 5 stars (she was also very vexed that her dad ate the last one). (3 rue du Nil 75002) Boneshaker Donuts Boneshaker’s cinnamon roll is an American style affair. It's a decent sized, doughy spiral with cinnamon spread between the layers, and icing over the top. It’s quite popular too, because they were out of them two of the three times I visited the store. As a consolation prize, I did try their “Beach Haven” donut, which is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. It was a yummy distraction as I dejectedly headed back to the metro. Anyway, the roll is probably the closest to a Cinnabon you can get in Paris, and, sadly, that’s not really a good thing. The first thing you taste is sugar. The icing is simply sweet and there’s nothing else to it, and it overtakes the cinnamon and the pastry. I liked the texture and taste of the roll. Part of the fun of a Cinnabon was undoing the spiral and getting to the soft gooey center. Visually, this felt like eating a cinnabon, but I couldn’t enjoy the center because it was so very sugary. It made me question whether I’m losing my sweet tooth. My daughter, reluctant to ding Boneshaker too hard for the sweetness, said it was “a well made American cinnamon roll”. Thus, 3.5 stars. (86 Rue D’Aboukir 75002) Alma The Chimney Cake Factory . Chimney cakes are dough wrapped around a metal baton and baked, then coated in whatever topping you like. The first topping on the list? Cinnamon! Technically, this isn’t a cinnamon roll, but it’s a vertical spiral of pastry rolled in cinnamon sugar, made to order, served warm. It counts! Alma’s is a very cute shop, with lots of woodwork, ambient lighting and cozy seating. They have a full coffee menu, so you can have your cannelle with an artfully foamed cappuccino (I almost ordered one just because they’re pretty). Anyway, the experience of going to the shop, sitting down and savoring a freshly baked chimney cake is worth having. The cinnamon sugar is light and has notes of orange blossom. The granules almost sparkle as you pull apart the pastry, daring you to play with your food. If this place was closer to my neighborhood, it would definitely be a laptop and chill destination. (59 Rue Beaumarchais, 75003) Mamiche. A bright, welcoming, corner boulangerie, with the aroma of bread and cinnamon summoning me, even in the rain. Mamiche gives you a large, moist, golden brown, twirled knot of cinnamon-striped heaven. My sidekick, ever the spice girl, detected the flavor of cardamom. It had a slight glaze of sugar or syrup on top, but it wasn’t super sweet, or sticky. Everything about it was perfection: pretty to look at and wonderful to eat, even the next day when I warmed one up for breakfast. Spice Girl gave it 5 stars, and I concur. (32 rue du Château D’Eau 75010, 45 Rue Condorcet 75009) Frappe Boulangerie Urbaine Frappe is a bright little bakery near Bastille. It took two attempts to score a roulé canelle, but it was well worth the effort. Another divine golden brown twisty roll, very similar to Mamiche. I liked the intensity of the ground cinnamon, the texture of the pastry and the light glaze of sweetness. Sidekick and I gave them 4 stars. Also, they have very good madeleines, which I gorged on when the rolls were sold out. (7 Rue Sedaine 75011) Babka Zana Eureka! This one was excellent. This round torsade reminded me the most of what I loved about Cinnabons- dark, rich cinnamon spread, looking like melted chocolate, hiding in little nooks between the twists, and perfectly sweet. The moist pastry is denser than brioche, but still heightened by air pockets. Each bite made me nostalgic for the mall. Definitely worth the trip. The Pigalle location is solely a bakery with no seating, but the Marais location is a cafe where one can chill and enjoy Place des Vosges. Five enthusiastic stars! (65 Rue Condorcet 75009, 8 Rue de pas de la Mule 75004) Overall, what I learned from this search for the perfect Paris cinnamon roll is that all the great bakeries are on the right bank. What’s up with that? Rive Gauche has several vendors of last resort rolls, like at Pret A Manger, and Starbucks. They might do in a cinna-mergency, but I’m feeling a little left out on the left bank. Also, you have to start early. Pretty much every cinnamon roll we scored was sold out in the afternoon, by goûter time. Get your roll on! Blog Readers: If you’re a cinnamon connoisseur, and you’ve got suggestions, secret spots, or even a recipe to make your own, please share in the comments. About the Author: Rachelle Chapman is the mom of Camille (11) and Message Paris Blog Manager. Originally a Chicago native, she has been living in Paris since 2014. All photos in this article taken by Rachelle Chapman. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Message.

Hello! I'm Stephanie Rink, a US-trained dietitian/nutritionist living with my two children (a toddler and a newborn) here in Paris. As we approach Halloween (and the wonderful Message Halloween trick-or-treat event!), I wanted to provide a few quick tips and suggestions to keep your Halloween healthy and safe. Keep these tips in mind for your own children, as well as for when you are selecting items to give out to others. Food Safety: Whether you are giving out treats or are trick-or-treating with your own children, it is essential to keep food safety in mind. Here are some key points: Avoid choking hazards. Children under 4 are particularly at risk of choking on foods, so it is important to avoid high-risk foods when giving out treats or allowing your children to enjoy them. These include hard candies, very sticky or hard to chew items (sticky taffy or marshmallows, for example), or any items including nuts, dried fruits, or popcorn. Ensure treats are in sealed individual packages. Double check the packaging on each item your child receives (or the items you are giving out), and throw away any items with open or damaged packaging. Of course, if you are going to a party where you know and trust the source of unpackaged items (homemade cookies or brownies from a boulangerie, for example), go ahead and enjoy! Stay away from allergens. During events involving groups of children, it is best to avoid giving out candy with nuts to avoid the potential of risky allergic reactions. If your child has an allergy, be sure to closely look at all ingredient lists before letting your child enjoy the treat, and consider only accepting packaged items with ingredient lists (rather than homemade items) to be certain of possible allergens. Keep it fun (and healthy!): Halloween is meant to be full of candy and treats, but there are still ways to keep the day (or days...) balanced. Here's how: Even though there might be candy or treats throughout the day, maintain a regular eating schedule with balanced meals. Make sure your child knows they can expect to eat breakfast, lunch, goûter, and dinner. Prioritize protein, fiber, and vegetables at meals. There will be plenty of sugar to be had throughout the day, so help your child maintain a more balanced blood sugar by focusing on protein (like beans, lean meat, or eggs), fiber (whole grains, fruit, or beans), and non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.). Detach value from candy. The less value we attach to certain foods, the more balanced your kids will end up eating because they don't perceive some foods as "better" than others. When some foods feel more "normal" or are less restricted, our kids do a better job of listening to their bodies instead of eating loads of that food simply because it is there. There are a few ways to do this: allow your kids to eat their treats freely without restriction on Halloween or certain days only; serve a piece or two of candy WITH a meal (not after, no need to eat the "healthy" foods first) and don't make a big deal out of it (simply: "Here you go! Here is dinner!"); explain to your kids that sometimes we eat candy, just like sometimes we eat apples or sometimes we eat carrots (it is just another food); and avoid using Halloween treats as a reward for behavior - this only gives the food more value in the kid's mind. Consider giving out or incorporating healthier or non-candy treats. Some candy alternatives could be fruit (clementines, apples), vegetables (individual packets of radishes, cherry tomatoes, or baby carrots), cheese (like the individually wrapped Babybel cheeses), art supplies (small stamps, stickers), or small toys (like animal figurines, plastic rings, bubbles containers, etc.). Incorporate exercise. On days when your kids have Halloween events or parties, ensure they have the chance to move their bodies to work out some of the sugar their bodies are trying to handle. Go to the park, play tag, have a dance party, whatever gets your family moving! Help your kids stay hydrated. Offer plenty of water throughout the day to help their bodies feel good. This also helps to balance blood sugar spikes and dips (So maybe fewer meltdowns? One can hope!). Wishing everyone a safe and fun Halloween!

Growing up in different cultures than the ones we are raising our children in can bring on feelings of nostalgia during certain times of the year. Being from America, many of my childhood traditions are easily maintained. Christmas for example, visiting Santa at the mall and decorating a tree are things that I did as a kid and that my kids do every year too. In some ways, living in France has even upped the game a bit as there are often live animals in the nativity scenes! Often our special holidays & celebrations are not celebrated in France, like Thanksgiving (USA), Tano (Korea) or Jamhuri Dy (Kenya). Or, they are carried out in completely different ways - Traditionally, for Easter, the chocolate is brought not by the Easter Bunny but by flying bells. Message members volunteer to create many of our own traditions that we would experience in our own countries and we share these with other members. Day of the Dead, Chinese New Year and Diwali are celebrated by Message. Members can check the Message Members' Calendar to sign up for these events. Halloween, also known as All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Eve was orignially called Samhain, where people wore costumes and lit fires to ward off ghosts. "Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats." History.com The way Message celebrates Halloween is with small get-togethers, craft events and the BIG MESSAGE SPOOKTACULAR TRICK OR TREAT! Since 2012, our members have gathered, carrying bags of candy and kids (babies to teens) adorned in a variety of costumes to trick or treat. It is a massive undertaking of volunteers and is one of our favorite excuses to get-together in Paris. The Message Trick or Treat event is super fun and they give a lot of candy. We meet new people and get to say "Trick or Treat" and not something else. -Leonora, age 10 I like the event because it's the event that I look forward to the whole year - and it's at a great park. At the end we take our candy and go sit on the chairs next to the lake and eat some candy. We also take a very cool photo with all of our costumes. It's fun to see the adults in costumes too. -Sabine, age 12 My kids have been participating in this event for many years and it has become a family tradition for us. We always remember to set the clocks back the night before the Message Trick or Treat event because this is what happens every year. Some years, we have put a ton of thought into our costumes and other years we just painted our faces - but we always know where we are headed on Oct 30th. That is what family traditions are, we all know that we will be together doing something that we only do on that one date - together and in community. Have you been to a Message holiday event yet? You still have time to RSVP to our Spooktacular Trick or Treat in Paris! "The practice of handing down traditions provides grounding for a child and supports the building of trust, family values, and identity, and opens the doors of opportunity for understanding the past, making sense of the present, and building on the future," says Dr. Mendez. How do you maintain traditions from your home country with your family while living in France?

From my few years of living in France, especially in the Paris region, I have learned to always have a backup way to get around. In fact, after moving here, it is a good idea to know all your options to get around for when there is a strike, or a train you are on is canceled three towns away from your home and you have a stroller with you (sigh). At this moment, France is experiencing a gas/petrol shortage from a refinery worker’s strike. In the winter, we will undoubtedly have at least one train strike. In all these cases, we have listed different apps below to help you find alternative routes or solutions. The following resources also take into account transportation options for families with little kids and babies around Paris. Vocabulary First off, there are some French words you should know related to transportation. You will see them on the covers of newspapers, posted signs, and muttered by the people in line at the boulangerie. Annuler/ Annulé - To cancel/ canceled L’essence - The gas/ petrol Fermer/ Fermé/ Fermetures - To close/ closed/ closures La grève - The strike Perturber/ Perturbé - To disrupt/ disrupted RATP - (Régie autonome des transports parisiens) The state -owned group that runs public transport in and around Paris. SNCF - (Société nationale des chemins de fer français), the name of the state-owned train company in France. Tip: when traveling between cities, it is important to book in advance. TGV - France’s high speed train! It is so cool but again, book in advance. Train tickets in France are like airplane tickets in that prices increase over holidays, and the closer you are to the date of travel. Les travaux - Construction work La trottinette - The E-scooter, or a kid’s scooter Le vélo - The bike General Transportation Apps Citymapper - Citymapper is the most important app I would say to download when moving to Paris (it has other cities as well). It is mainly used for its information on public transportation. You enter a destination and can filter your route, from type of transport to accessibility which is important in the stroller years. (If you have a stroller or need step-free access, you can search for those routes too.) I really love it for the information about buses too - not only will it give arrival times of buses but you can also click into the number of the bus route to see all stops. And, crucially, it is accurate on the timing of buses. Google Maps - Google has improved Google Maps a lot so it has many similar features now to Citymapper. I use it primarily for driving directions, especially right now during the gas crunch because it shows driving routes that use the least amount of gas, and traffic around gas stations which show there is indeed gas at the station. Google Maps also has a lot of options for other means of transportation and sometimes I cross check it with Citymapper. Tip: When it comes to transport strikes, it is important to know a few things. The union and/or workers will announce their strike in advance. Also, say if it is a train strike for example, there might be a partial schedule or a certain line that is not running. In the Île de France there are trams, the RER commuter trains, and of course the metro in Paris. These do not all go on strike at the same time. If the RER is down, people use the trams. If the metro is down, people use the automated metro lines, buses and bikes etc. So there is a lot of quick thinking and adaptability needed on the part of locals and somehow, life goes on. Rentals (all the following websites have an English version) Bike/Trottinette Vélib Metropole - Paris’ first bike share, now with 20,000 bikes in and around Paris with 40% of the fleet comprised of electric bikes. Véligo - long term bike rentals for the Île de France region, including bikes with child seats, and three wheel cargo bikes. Helmets and other equipment are also rentable. Tier - another bike and e-scooter rental company, in the Île de France . They have no docking stations and are located in designated areas on sidewalks. ​​ Carsharing in Paris Certified Car Sharing Companies - This website from the Île de France Mobilités shows certified car sharing operators (some are electric cars), click into each for more information and apps. Taxis in Paris G7 - The app for taxis, there is a family option for renting a car seat or booster seat, and larger vehicles are an option for more passengers and luggage. You can book in advance and pay through the app. A good choice for getting to a Paris airport with a baby. Uber - The ubiquitous ride share app is in Paris, not uncontroversially, and is not necessarily a cheaper option here, but good to have in case of emergencies. Additional options: Babycabs - Need a ride to the airport but have young kids and no car? Enter Babycabs, they are expert drivers for families in Paris. No app here, but really good to know just the same! There is a contact form to fill out with trip details and receive a quote. Independent drivers - ask for recommendations on our forum, sometimes people have drivers they call directly for trips Train Apps in France (both have English versions) RATP App - The app for RATP which controls the public transport around Paris: Metro, RER, Transilien and buses. You can plan your trip (and see where there are closures or disruptions) and get notifications about changes. If you have to go far, always check your line before you go to make sure there’s no work being done! SNCF App - Buy, cancel and view information on train tickets, including the TGV high speed train Tip: You can also check Twitter for a particular line to see what people are saying about it, in the case of strikes or track work closures. Gas Apps in France Gaspal - Want to see the price of gas near you, or along the route of your road trip? Gaspal is a free app that allows you to see gas prices by searching by geographic area and type of fuel. Information includes the last time the price was updated. In the case of the refinery workers’ strike, it helps to refresh the app and see if any stations update their prices. If they do, you know they have a stock of fuel. Now bring a snack for the queue, or go in the middle of the night. There is another website that has information about gas supplies, https://penurie.mon-essence.fr/, however it isn’t as updated as Gaspal and doesn’t have price information. It does show a rather overwhelming map view of how many stations are en rupture total (completely out of stock) though. When it comes to surviving a French transportation strike, flexibility and resources are the best things to have. Hopefully these apps can help you find your way around and keep your family’s schedule as normal as it can be. Are there any apps we should add? What are your tips for navigating transport strikes?

By: Claude Loverdo Working Parents' Group Leader and Forum Ambassador If your child attends a French public school, you probably received a brown envelope recently, with instructions to vote for fellow parents in your child's school to be elected to the 'Association de Parents d'Élèves' (APE). We explain what these are, and why they matter. The associations de parents d'élèves are very useful associations, whose role is to help facilitate communication between the parents and the school. When to contact them? When you arrive at a new school and you have questions, the parent's association is one of the groups you can reach out to for more information. In the course of the year, if you encounter any issue, they can help you understand the school system, give you specific information about the school and known issues, advise you on possible courses of action, and possibly help you concretely: for instance, a representative could accompany you to a meeting if you feel you need help for advocating for your family. How to contact them? At the entrance of the school, there are normally boards with posters of the associations de parents d'élèves, with a contact address. Or, you can ask the head of the school. During the first week of school, you should also receive (through your kids) flyers about them. How do you vote for them? For the associations to be representative of the parents, there is a vote (usually in early October). The voting material normally contains multiple pages of instructions, and there is usually the possibility to either vote in person, or in advance - by giving the completed ballot to a school representative, usually the school's directeur d'école (head of the school). In some schools, there is only one parent association, but often there is the choice between several of them. You may prefer one over the others, and encourage them by voting for them; and even if there is only one, being officially elected by a large number of parents gives them greater legitimacy when they enter into discussions with the school during the year. What about joining one? Joining an association de parents d'élèves is a great way to know more about your kid's school, as well as a way to meet other parents and integrate into the community. If things at the school are going well, the role of the associations is more focused on fun stuff, such as helping prepare the end of school year celebration (if your school has one). If there are issues at the school, the associations de parents d'élèves can really help. The commitment when joining an association can range from very light (a few hours a year) to more heavy (such as the head of the association who may commit to typically an hour a week or more in crisis time). Which association to join? One distinction is whether the association is linked to a national one, or if it is an independent one, only dealing with this particular school / a group of local schools. In France, the two main national associations de parents d'élèves are the FCPE and PEEP. Both deny supporting any political side, but FCPE is widely thought as more left-leaning, and the PEEP more right-leaning. The national associations lobby for global improvements of the French school system. Depending on whether you agree with their propositions, you may see it as a good or a bad thing to be associated to them. An advantage of the national associations is that are represented at various levels, and can be more efficient for instance to fight against class closures. At the local level however, the efficiency of an association depends mostly on the parents who constitute them. This is an important criterion in the decision of which association to join (though at most schools, the different associations collaborate). You can also start your own association if you are motivated to do so, and unhappy with the existing ones. My personal experience: We moved a couple of days before the first day of school of our oldest child. It was through the association de parents d'élèves of the school that I got some of the useful practical information. I then joined, and that helped me to get to know other parents. I continued to join at each new school my kids went to. At one of the schools, the association helped unite several parents who had had bad experiences with one of the teachers, and this pushed the school to eventually take action. This article originally appeared in the Fall 2022 edition of the Message magazine, which is mailed to all members who live in France. About the author: Researcher, Claude Loverdo has lived in several countries, among them the US where her oldest was born. She is now happily settled in La Défense. Her kids are 7 and 10, her step-kids are 5 and 7. For Message, she is the coordinator of the Working Parents and Step-Parents Groups. All images by Wix unless otherwise noted. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Message.

By: Emilia Pastor One of the challenging parts of working with schools is when children are flagged as struggling with reading, and they are already over the age of seven. Why? Because there are early markers for struggling readers and with the correct early interventions, these children do not need to struggle at all. Research shows us that the later a reading intervention is put in place, the longer and harder it is to correct the problem. (Francis, Shaywitz, Stuebing, Shaywitz, and Fletcher, 1996; Juel, 1988; Shaywitz et al., 1999; Torgesen and Burgess, 1998). A Solid Reading Program Let me be clear, a good reading program does not teach children to be fluent readers by the age of four, and children shouldn't be pushed to be fluent readers when they are not ready. A solid reading program starts with the foundations of reading, which include identifying the names and sounds of letters, and being able to distinguish between similar sounds (“Which of these words rhymes with ‘cat?”’ or “What happens to the word ‘Sam’ when you take the “sss“ sound away?’). If teachers and parents monitor the progress of specific early reading indicators, they can also identify when children struggle with these indicators. These indicators are extremely predictive of which children will need some specialized help with reading or risk facing reading difficulties for years to come. The good news is that these children do not need to struggle because early interventions address the issue before it becomes an academic problem (Torgesen, 2004). There are schools of thought that argue for and against children learning to read at a certain age. However, it is unlikely that any educational system would argue against the foundations of reading which include: building rich vocabularies (ideally through play, books, experiences, etc), identifying letters, and rhyming words (also through play, books, experiences). Children in preschool and kindergarten are at an age when they can develop phonemic awareness, i.e. recognition that a symbol, such as a letter, corresponds to a specific sound. And for children who aren’t able to make these sound-symbol connections, there are specific reading interventions that work especially well at this age. This is what we, in education, sometimes refer to as “the golden window” because interventions do not have to be in place for very long in order to see results. There is no need to 'wait for failure' before putting the appropriate supports in place. “Nothing in reading acquisition is more important than beginning systematic, targeted intervention as early as possible.” (Wolf, 2018) Here in France, the national curriculum requires teachers in maternelle (preschool and kindergarten) to use these researched foundational reading strategies in their classroom. However, catching pre-reading difficulties can be tricky since not all teachers consistently report on reading skill deficits before a child starts first grade or cours préparatoire (CP)*. By the beginning of CP, most children are six years old, and by the end of CP many children are seven - which is several years after the first signs of difficulties could have been identified. If a teacher waits for a child to complete CP before noting any reading difficulties, they are also exponentially increasing the amount of time it will take to address those reading issues. And as many parents have experienced, reading difficulty is almost always accompanied by anxiety and other mental health issues because children are visibly struggling in an area where their peers are not (Wolf, 2018). Finding A Solution So, what is the solution? If you are a teacher, then keeping track of pre-reading benchmarks and communicating them with parents is key. Inform parents any time a child shows signs of not meeting a benchmark so they can also monitor and be prepared to seek a specialist if necessary. If you are a parent, especially the parent of a toddler or preschooler, then stay informed on pre-reading and the foundations of reading benchmarks so you can practice and monitor them at home. If you notice your 4-year-old is struggling with remembering the sounds of letters, for example, you do not need to wait for your child to fall behind at school to start investigating whether they need some extra help. The earlier you intervene, the shorter the time the intervention will last. There are reading specialists in Paris who can help diagnose, and directly address, reading issues. There are also licensed English-speaking psychologists who conduct official evaluations of reading difficulties. Most English-speaking psychologists in France are not reading specialists themselves, but they are qualified to give the assessments and make recommendations. The SPRINT website is a good place to start when looking for an English-speaking reading specialist (sometimes they identify as dyslexia specialists). In France, orthophonistes, or speech pathologists, are the designated professionals who diagnose and address reading issues. Their service is at their office and not a service that will come to a school. Please note that there are also many well-meaning educators who want to help but might not be trained in the specific science of reading difficulties. So before you hire a “tutor” to help your child with learning difficulties, be selective about the qualifications you need and ask about benchmarks for measuring success. The Big Takeaways: It takes four times longer to address a reading problem in fourth grade than it does in kindergarten (NICHD). By age 3 you can begin to identify deficits in phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, verbal working memory and letter knowledge (Gaab, 2017). You do not need to wait for children to fail. Struggling readers can be identified before age 5 (Gaab, 2017). Struggling readers who do not receive early intervention will almost certainly fall behind (Stanovich, 1986). A reading specialist can provide early interventions that will transform a child’s life (like glasses for someone who can’t see well). *This is not an issue unique to France. About the author: Emilia Pastor is co-founder of School Partners, a private organization that provides professional development, instructional coaching, and school leadership coaching for educators in and out of schools in the Paris area. Further Reading: Avoiding the Devastating Downward Spiral Waiting Rarely Works: "Late Boomers" Usually Just Wilt Research Says / Address Reading Problems Early - ASCD The science and poetry in learning (and teaching) to read - kappanonline.org All images by Wix unless otherwise noted. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Message.