Letter 03 from France
The Eiffel Tower for kids
The story of the Eiffel Tower for kids: a mad idea, 300 angry artists, 2.5 million rivets and the secret that saved it.
Bonjour!
It's Nathalie! Summer is over, but our exploration of France continues! Are you ready for new discoveries?
Today, we discover one of the most incredible structures in the world: the Eiffel Tower! Perhaps you have heard of it, or you have seen it in a photo, but do you know its story? It is a story full of surprises, controversy, and ingenuity!
Read it in French
C'est Nathalie ! L'été est fini, mais notre exploration de la France continue ! Es-tu prêt pour de nouvelles découvertes ?
Aujourd'hui, nous découvrons une des structures les plus incroyables au monde : la Tour Eiffel ! Peut-être que tu en as entendu parler, ou que tu l'as vue en photo, mais connais-tu son histoire ? C'est une histoire pleine de surprises, de controverse, et d'ingéniosité !
Nathalie
In this letter
- A mad idea
- The artistic controversy
- A clever construction
- The secret that saved the tower
- The tower today
The Eiffel Tower in numbers
- 50 engineers and designers, and 5,300 drawings, to arrive at the final design
- 20,000 electric bulbs to light up the tower
- Every 7 years, 25 painters repaint the entire tower for 18 months, using 60 tonnes of paint
- 1,665 steps
- 7 minutes and 50 seconds: the record for climbing to the top
French words to learn
| Français | English |
|---|---|
| une tour | a tower |
| le fer | iron |
| un ingénieur | an engineer |
| un rivet | a rivet |
| temporaire | temporary |
| une antenne | an antenna |
| la hauteur | the height |
| monter | to climb |
| les escaliers | the stairs |
| s'illuminer | to light up |
Free printable: Eiffel Tower word search
Find 19 French words about the Eiffel Tower, from "ingénieur" to "escaliers", in this word search from the Discovery Sheets that come with the letter. Print it on A4.
Download the PDFRecipe: Croque-monsieur
People are often said to take more time over meals in France, but quick meals are still very popular there. Proof: the croque-monsieur, a cornerstone of French bistro cooking for over a century. Ham, toasted bread and grilled cheese: a warm, upgraded ham sandwich, and just as easy to make!
Prep 10 min · Cooking 10 min · Serves 4
Ingredients
- 8 slices of bread
- 4 thick slices of ham (or 8 thin ones)
- 400 g grated cheese: in France, Emmental or French gruyère, but cheddar works too
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
What you need
- An oven with a grill
- A baking tray
- A butter knife
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F).
- Butter the 8 slices of bread on one side only. For a bit of a kick, use mustard instead of butter.
- Place 1 slice of ham folded in half (or 2 thin slices) on each of 4 buttered slices.
- Spread the grated cheese (or cheese slices, if you prefer) over the ham.
- Close each croque-monsieur with another slice of bread, buttered side down.
- Put them on a baking tray under the grill for about 10 minutes. Ovens vary: if the tops are getting brown, take them out earlier.
