Yes, it was that time again, when all doting parents get to hang out all morning at school with their precious little ones, being the proverbial "fly on the wall". My only conundrum is that they are always held on Thursday morning, when two of my kids get out an hour early. This means I have 3 hours to visit 4 kids classrooms. And you are supposed to stay for the entire hour, and then switch at the break. So basically, one kid always gets short changed. One time I skipped Sophie, then went back another day to visit just her. This time I skipped Sarah, and oh was she sad. But again, I will go visit her another day, and make it up to her.
I started out in Nick's classroom. His teacher is the most strict, and Alexandra would be the most quiet the first hour, so it just seemed smarter to do it that way. We were there for their geometry lesson where they were learning about angles. Herr Trinkler has a cool giant ruler, compass and protractor that stick to the chalkboard with suction cups. I had never seen anything like that before, and thought the funny "sdunk" sound they made when moved around the board was quite entertaining. It is also always fun to see Pascal in his element. He is a total math whiz, like seriously, genius, and always has the answer first and fastest. Nick said Herr Trinkler has to come up with special questions just for Pascal, because the regular ones are so easy for him. I like that Nick is not the best in something academic, for once. Good to keep him humble.
After a short break, we went to Sophie's classroom. Since it is only the first grade, things a little more relaxed there, and it didn't matter that Alexandra wanted to wander around and visit Sophie and her friends.
This is "Kreis", where they all sit in a circle and she explains whatever they will be doing next. It's a chance for the kids to ask any questions about the assignment, and for her to look them right in the eye, and make sure they know what is expected of them. Plus, it gets them out of their seats and moving around a bit. All the younger grades do it every morning, and I think it is a great concept.
They worked on individual math problems for a while, back at their desks. Then Frau Goeldi divided them up into groups where they played math games.
Very simple things, to help teach them the order of numbers. and to visualize one numbers relation in size to another. So, there were a pile of cards with numbers from 1-20 on it, and each child got a few. She would call out a number, say "9", and whichever child had that number laid it down first. Then they went around in a circle, each child laying down numbers cards in order, if they had them. You could go in either direction, but you couldn't skip any. And there were three sets of cards going from 1-20, so you had to have the right color as well. And naturally there was singing as well. It isn't school without a song or two!
The kids had all brought in yogurt containers, and then they painted them to look like chickens. Frau Goeldi put them on the Easter display, along with some fabric ones she had sewn. Isn't it so pretty and festive?
Then the bell rang for "grosse Pause" or long recess. Since it was visiting day, there was Zopf (or braided butter bread) for all the children and parents. It was provided by the school board, and each child got a big slice passed out by their teacher.
On huge tables set up outside, since it was a sunny day, there was more bread, along with coffee and tea, for the parents. A few girls from Nick's class had also baked brownies and cake to sell during the break. They are trying to raise money for the WWF. Nick had told me about it ahead of time, so I had money on hand for the kids to buy something.
Alexandra loved wandering around the schoolyard, being shown off by her older siblings. She has quite a following, since she has been visiting the school regularly since her birth! Several girls in Sarah's class have no younger siblings, so a baby (even a toddler) is a source of endless fascination for them.
After recess, we both went to visit Noah in kindergarten. Apparently, even though I had told him at least 3 different times I wouldn't come to visit until after recess, he had expected me much earlier. There were even tears involved because I wasn't there yet! He and his friend Yahel consoled each other, and commiserated on the trials of being a forgotten younger sibling. (eyeroll) Yahel's mom is a friend of mine, as she has a daughter in Sophie's class, and another daughter a year older than Sarah, who goes to ballet with her. We trade drop offs and pick ups. So we had been together all morning, and here our kids were crying together about us abandoning them. Too funny!
Being a small kindergartner definitely has its privileges, longer recess for one!
After the kids had to go back inside for more lessons, Noah and his classmates were allowed to stay outside another 20 minutes, getting exercise and much needed vitamin D. There is a huge shed full of outdoor toys they are allowed to go and get at will, they just have to put them back when they are finished with them. There is also a large sandbox, a playhouse, a merry go round, a slide, swings, and a large water fountain to play with.
Then they went inside for more organized play. The teacher has set up different stations all around the room. There is the indoor playhouse, complete with bed, table and chairs, dishes, oven, sink, iron and ironing board, a hat rack covered in purses, two strollers, several dolls with clothes, and a telephone. Noah kindly played in there with Alexandra for a while. He took his baby, Beatrice, for a walk in the stroller all around the schoolroom, and then brought her back for a nap. Meanwhile, Alexandra washed dishes, cooked, and talked on the telephone.
He wanted to climb up to the reading corner, which is above the playhouse, but I am too tall (!) to fit up there, and Alexandra was too scared to go up the ladder, so Noah just went by himself. It looked really cozy and fun, though. Lots of giant stuffed animals and bean bags to lounge on, and tons of picture books to look at. Also a furry rug to lie down on. I am sure more than one child has fallen asleep up there!
Too soon, it as time for us to say goodbye and take Sarah and Sophie home. Noah was very sad that I couldn't stay longer, but I reminded him of all the other times I have come to visit in Kinsky, and that I will be able to come and visit even more. I really do like being able to get a glimpse into my childrens' school lives every once in a while, and always leave with more respect and admiration for their teachers than ever before.