Clearly I am not at my home in the US.
I thought I would write about German Kindergarten.
All three of our kids have enjoyed some time in German Kindergarten, or preschool, as we say in the United States. I fretted over sending Ren, as preschool here is five days a week. Truth be told, I fretted over Kate and Ada, too. As I understand it, German parents are guaranteed a spot in a local Kindergarten starting at age three. They have up to 6 hours a day of care available, so 30 hours a week. Most parents put their children in Kindergarten for both socialization as well as to return to the work force. The Kindergarten is not free, but is very inexpensive when we compared it to the super preschool Kate attended in Colorado.
I have heard so many times that German Kindergarten is nothing more than day care.
I have not found that statement to be entirely true.
The emphasis on German Kindergarten is certainly on socialization. This is a country that places tremendous value on socialization. The group is very important. Knowing your place in society is very important.
So what's a typical day like?
I had the chance to sit in with Ada for her first week, as Ada's Kindergarten wanted the parents to stay for awhile as the child adjusts. With Ren and Kate, we just gave a hug and a kiss. I'm glad I got to sit in with Ada, as it helped me understand better what they do while there. She has free time in the morning until 9, where she can play puzzles or games, look at books, or draw. At 9:00, they gather for circle time. They greet each other by name each morning, talk about the weekend or the current season, have story time. This lasted for a good 45 minutes. Boys got wiggly and I thought about how hard it was for Ren at that age. Next, they move to a gym room where they do games and run. There are tumbling mats, climbing walls, balls, hoops, and benches. Love this room. After running, they're off to the bathroom for their potty break and hand washing. About 10:15, they sit down with their morning snack. They give thanks for the snack and eat all together. No sweets, no paper or plastic bags for snacks. There are glass bottles of mineral water and open cups for drinks. Everything is to be brought in reusable snack boxes and any trash is packed home, orange peels inlcuded. Snack took about 30 minutes, as well, so I pack raw veggies and fruit that she has to work at. After snack time they have free play for about 1 hour. By noon they dress the kids up to go outside rain or shine and they play until adults pick them up at 12:30.
So what do I like about our local Kindergarten?
I love the cloakroom area. Every kid has a place for their things, much like the US, but there's more room, more hooks, and more space in general.
However, the list of required items is quite entertaining.
- Rain boots
- Warm liners for rain boots spring and fall
- Mud pants
- Fleece lined mud pants for spring and fall
- Rain jacket
- Snow pants
- Snow jacket
- Scarf
- Hat
- Gloves
- Sun hat
- House shoes that enclose completely with velcro straps. In other words, no Crocs, no flops.
Now the Germans have a saying that translates into, "there is no bad weather, only improper clothing." They are serious about this.
Periodically they have a Waldtag, or outing somewhere out in the forest. The last Waldtag was in November. It was 33 degrees and raining sleet.
No matter. Bundle them up and off they go. They marched them for several kilometers, made a fire in the forest, had snacks, and sang songs. I made sure Ada was especially dry that day and sure enough, she was warm and dry.
Her backpack was dripping wet, but she had a perfectly marvelous time.
The next Waldtag is an entire week of outings. She can't wait.
What else do I like? They craft cute projects. When there's an event, like a Christmas party or a Dads' outing, they make the invitations by hand with the kids. They're cute and well made enough for a keepsake box.
I like the seasonal outings. There was a winter storytime outside in November complete with cookies, hot punch, and mulled wine. Slide show for the story with special effects music. Very fun.
What's hard or frustrating about German Kindergarten?
My language barrier. I speak enough German that I speak it with them, until I get stuck and then Ilke helps me out because her English is beautiful. I still miss the little things in conversation.
The culture emphasizes that children are to work out their differences by themselves whenever possible. While I have grown to appreciate the more hands-off approach to the socialization of children, I can't help but cringe when normally what I see is more survival of the best right hook.
Communication. All communication at Kindergarten is in printed form. They post events, sign ups, and happenings in the foyer of the building. No email, no website, and no answering machine. You get your copy of a paper and it has your name on it. Don't lose it. I'm thankful for my camera phone that I can take a picture of something and take it home to translate it.
At the end of the day, I'm grateful for the German preschool experience. Ada's German is coming along beautifully, and she's finally managing to shake hands with all the teachers when she arrives and when she leaves.
Maybe this second year, she'll actually wish them Guten Morgen out loud. Small steps.
Periodically they have a Waldtag, or outing somewhere out in the forest. The last Waldtag was in November. It was 33 degrees and raining sleet.
No matter. Bundle them up and off they go. They marched them for several kilometers, made a fire in the forest, had snacks, and sang songs. I made sure Ada was especially dry that day and sure enough, she was warm and dry.
Her backpack was dripping wet, but she had a perfectly marvelous time.
The next Waldtag is an entire week of outings. She can't wait.
What else do I like? They craft cute projects. When there's an event, like a Christmas party or a Dads' outing, they make the invitations by hand with the kids. They're cute and well made enough for a keepsake box.
I like the seasonal outings. There was a winter storytime outside in November complete with cookies, hot punch, and mulled wine. Slide show for the story with special effects music. Very fun.
What's hard or frustrating about German Kindergarten?
My language barrier. I speak enough German that I speak it with them, until I get stuck and then Ilke helps me out because her English is beautiful. I still miss the little things in conversation.
The culture emphasizes that children are to work out their differences by themselves whenever possible. While I have grown to appreciate the more hands-off approach to the socialization of children, I can't help but cringe when normally what I see is more survival of the best right hook.
Communication. All communication at Kindergarten is in printed form. They post events, sign ups, and happenings in the foyer of the building. No email, no website, and no answering machine. You get your copy of a paper and it has your name on it. Don't lose it. I'm thankful for my camera phone that I can take a picture of something and take it home to translate it.
At the end of the day, I'm grateful for the German preschool experience. Ada's German is coming along beautifully, and she's finally managing to shake hands with all the teachers when she arrives and when she leaves.
Maybe this second year, she'll actually wish them Guten Morgen out loud. Small steps.
