Crafting at the Kindergarten: Schultüte

Soon I will be going to the first grade in school. And I am quite excited about it. Why? I will tell you all in a short while. There has been a lot going on and so many things have happened since my last blog entry. But I need more time to write about them one by one so for now, I will talk to all of you about one of the things me and my mom did at the Kindergarten in preparation for my going to school in September. Wow, time does fly so fast....

But first, what is a Schultüte? It is an old school tradition here in Germany wherein the first grade children receive a school cone on the first day of school. "At first the practice of the school cone, which did not spread to other parts of Germany at this time, was to not give the bag to the kids directly. Marked with the students' names, they were taken to the school by parents or godparents and in a ritual, reminiscent of the Mexican piñata, hung on a metal "Schultüten-Baum" (School cone tree) from which each child had to pick their cone, without breaking them. The story told to the children goes, that there is a Schultütenbaum growing at the school, and if the fruits (the Schultüten) are ripe and big enough to pick, it's time to go to school for the first time." Originally, it is filled with sweets but as the years went by, it became filled with more practically gifts like crayons, CDs, small toys, and even clothing articles.  

Some details of my school cone: the shiny pegasus horse,
the flower with the lady bug, the crepe paper cover.

Me and my Mommy. We are proud of our beautiful craft!

And what about my Schultüte? Well, It has a horse motif since I am at the moment crazy over horses, the magical ones in peculiar. I enjoy My Little Pony and Fillys a lot so that explains the horse motif. The main figure is a pegasus horse which mommy traced on a glitter paper from a drawing and then we cut it out and glued it on the cardboard cone. Since Mommy came in a bit late, we had to hurry up so to make it more interesting, we made different colors for the wings and for the mane of my pegasus horse. Then I put in small flower details with topped them with wooden lady bug figures. We added some more shaped glitter stones to make it more attractive. My teacher then helped to put in the pink crepe paper around the wide opening of the cone: this will serve to hide the contents of the Schultüte later on. And voila! My Schultüte is finished... I wonder what surprises my parents and other relatives will put inside as gifts for my going to school. Perhaps small, cute stuff for school and sweets too. That is what I am more excited about. 

Or maybe I can make a list of the things that I wish my schultüte will contain? Hmmm... What do you think shall they be? Keep a look out for my next post to find out! :)

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Rollers, Hello Kitty and Me

I really like Hello Kitty! I guess testimony to that is this photo of me, my rollers and my Hello Kitty shirt. Everything is pink I know and I like it!

Last Thursday was Fahrzeugtag (Vehicle Day) at the Kindergarten and I was so excited! Mommy and Daddy even bought me a helmet the previous night so that my head will be protected. It was my first time to bring my Hello Kitty roller with me since my Mommy and Daddy won't allow me to bring it to the Kindergarten because they are afraid something bad might happen to me. Geesh, my parents are so over-protective!

And boy did I have lots of fun at the Kindergarten, riding my roller with my other friends who also rode their little bikes and bobby cars. I have no photos with me though so that I gladly posed for my Mom's camera when we got home that day. Did I have a blast during the photo session too!

Oh, the Hello Kitty roller was a gift from one of our friends here. And I am really thankful for her very wonderful gift. I hope Mommy won't forget to have some of these photos printed so she can give it to her. Thank you, Großtante Lolita!

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Yvonne Ist Weg

My preschool teacher already moved to a new Kindergarten, a smaller one that is and it is kind of sad without her at the Kindergarten. As a remembrance, she left me a copy of Volker Rosin's TANZEN MACHT SPASS Music CD. I haven't checked it yet but I am sure it will be a lot of fun. It is for little kids after all. I have heard some of the songs and seen the dance moves on TV and the tunes are very danceable. I am sure I will just enjoy it! Too bad I wasn't able to personally thank her for everything. But should she chance on this blog, I thought she know how thankful I am for everything that she taught me and for making sure that I am okay while I am in her care.

I hope the new teacher will be as nice and as patient and as sensitive as you are.

By the way, here is an image of the CD:

Here's the promotional clip of the music album:

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Fun At The Laternenfest

I had a blast at the Laternenfest last Tuesday evening at my Kindergarten. It was so exciting because it was my first time to join a big event in the Kindergarten. It was the lantern festival and here in Germany, it is celebrated around this time of the year in remembrance of St. Martin and his generous deed.

Many little children like me look forward to this festival because we get to see lots of wonderful handmade lanterns all being lit up in the evening. I had a lot of fun and I was so happy because both my Mommy and Daddy were there. Even Tita Cha, a good friend of ours, came and brought her lantern with her.

We had a small procession around the neighborhood where the Kindergarten was located. We sang songs while walking and then made a few stops along the way. It was a cold evening but we didn't seem to mind. The little heat from our lanterns and the singing and the laughter I shared with my friends were enough to keep us going. Some children lost their lanterns because they caught fire and they cried. I am glad mine didn't go into flames, thanks to Mommy who made sure that I was holding it properly.

I can't wait for the next year's lantern festival. I know that Mommy knows better what to do next time with my lantern so that she wouldn't have to worry to much about me or my lantern getting burned.

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One Cold Day

I have been going to the Kindergarten for almost a month now and I can proudly say that I have made quite an achievement. I have learned how to place my name clip all by myself whenever we arrive at the Kindergarten. I now know the routine: After placing my name clip on the card, I would get off my jacket and outdoor shoes and wear my house shoes. And then the fun begins! 

But wait, there's more! I don't cry anymore when Mommy leaves me with my teachers and the other kids. I can now say goodbye to her, give her a hug and a wet kiss without any signs of crying. And Mommy is very happy about it because it means that she doesn't have to go home worried or sad. Ain't I such a good girl?

But what's with the get-up? Hihi! It is still of course September here but the days are always unusually cold so that Mommy would dress me up with warm clothes. The hat and the gloves were my own doing though. It was just a spur of the moment decision and Mommy found me so cute and irresistible that she took this photo!

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Kindergarten Tales

I am now officially in Kindergarten. I have been since Monday and I can say that I truly enjoyed it! I am glad Mommy and Daddy finally found a place for me to interact with other kids. My teacher (they are called Bezugserzieherin here in Germany), Yvonne, is a very kind woman and she made sure that I am able to adapt well in my new environment during my one week Eingewohnung or adjustment period. 

 This is me with Yvonne, my teacher. See, we are very close already! Hihi!

Mommy was with her on the first day to be with me as I went around the Kindergarten and got myself familiar with the rooms, stuffs to do and the other kids. Then on the second day, Mommy just gave me to Yvonne (we are staying on the second floor of the building) and she went downstairs to wait at the parent's corner just in case I will look for her. Even my grandparents were there too! Wednesday came and I was doing fantastic! Yvonne told my Mom that I can stay for lunch the next day and that she can leave and come back for me at 1 o' clock. Thursday came and everything turned out well. Except of course, I didn't eat lunch as Yvonne hoped because we don't eat typical German food. When my Mom fetched me after lunch time, Yvonne told her that I come earlier so that I can also see and join the other kids for breakfast. 

Let's just see what happens today. But so far, I think I am doing great. Except from the fact that I cannot speak well yet and that I don't eat, everything else is great. I am adjusting well and I didn't even cry!

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