First Day of School? Don't Miss Getting a Schultüte !

Make a Schultüte 

By Marie LeBaron

There are many ways to get your kids excited and ready for the new school year. As my oldest is going into First Grade this year (I can’t believe he’s already in 1st grade), I thought it would be fun to make him a Schultute. A Schultüte, or school cone, is a German tradition where parents give their child going into their first year of school one of these giant cones filled with school supplies and treats. So as my son is going into his “first” year of school, I’ve made him this giant Schultüte (Star Wars -themed, of course, can you tell he likes Star Wars?)!

Supplies: 
* poster board or large cardstock paper
* scissors
* glue stick
* heavy tape, I used packing tape
* Decorations: I used a Star Wars poster to cover the poster board, but it could be decorated with paint, crayons, paper, stickers, whatever you think your child might like.
* tissue paper
* ribbon

First, you’ll want to cut the poster board into the shape of a large triangle. I also cut my Star Wars poster the same size too. Then I attached my Star Wars poster to the white poster using a glue stick.

You’re ready to roll it up to form the cone. Then using the packing tape, seal the edges together. I used regular scotch tape to hold the cone closed until I used the heavy tape to seal it all together.

With your glue stick, put some glue all around the outside of the cone, about one inch from the top. Then holding the cone straight between your legs, attach the folded in half tissue paper to the outside of the cone. The first tissue paper didn’t make it all the way around, so I used two sheets of tissue paper.

Fill the Schultüte with your goodies for your child. I put in colored pencils, a notebook, a ruler, pencil sharpener, his favorite candy M&Ms, and a few other small things that he might enjoy or share.

Then tie the tissue up with ribbon to seal it off and keep the contents hidden!. In Germany, these Schultüte get quite a bit of mileage. They are presented at home and carried to school by the child.  Family members join in at a special  first day of school reception, which of course, involves individual and class photos -- complete with Schultüten.  Afterwards, families return home to celebrate the new school child in their own way, often with invited guests. 

**For another version of a smaller style Schultüte, visit our friend Zakka Life.

Also, if you’re not the crafty kind or *cough* can’t fit *cough* this project into your schedule, you can find unfilled Schultütes for sale at Magic Cabin

So, who'll be the first one to mention the Schultüte that is in the corner of our class this year?  

I don't expect to create one of these for each first year German student, although I have done so in the past. (Perhaps the German Club will take that on this year instead!)  But I do expect to fill, and distribute from, the Schultüte which is already there, as feels appropriate. (Several years ago, our class Schultüte magically filled up every day all first semester long, and into the second semester, thanks in part to some remarkable student elves.  Thanks again!! )-- rsb

How to Parent Like a German

Living Parenting Sara Zaske @sarazaske   

TIME  •  Feb. 24, 2015

                                                 Getty Images

An American mom finds some surprising habits

The first time I went to a playground in Berlin, I freaked. All the German parents were huddled together, drinking coffee, not paying attention to their children who were hanging off a wooden dragon 20 feet above a sand pit. Where were the piles of soft padded foam? The liability notices? The personal injury lawyers?

“Achtung! Nein!” I cried in my bad German. Both kids and parents ignored me.

Contrary to stereotypes, most German parents I’ve met are the opposite of strict. They place a high value on independence and responsibility. Those parents at the park weren’t ignoring their children; they were trusting them. Berlin doesn’t need a “free range parenting” movement because free range is the norm.

Here are a few surprising things Berlin parents do:

Don’t push reading. Berlin’s kindergartens or “kitas” don’t emphasize academics. In fact, teachers and other parents discouraged me from teaching my children to read. I was told it was something special the kids learn together when they start grade school. Kindergarten was a time for play and social learning. But even in first grade, academics aren’t pushed very hard. Our grade school provides a half-day of instruction interrupted by two (two!) outdoor recesses. But don’t think this relaxed approach means a poor education: According to a 2012 assessment by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, German 15-year-olds perform well above the international average when it comes to reading, math and science while their more pressured American counterparts lag behind.

Encourage kids to play with fire. A note came home from school along with my excited second grader. They were doing a project on fire. Would I let her light candles and perform experiments with matches? Together we lit candles and burned things, safely. It was brilliant. Still, she was the only kid whose parent didn’t allow her to shoot off heavy duty fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

Let children go almost everywhere alone. Most grade school kids walk without their parents to school and around their neighborhoods. Some even take the subway alone. German parents are concerned about safety, of course, but they usually focus on traffic, not abductions.

The facts seem to be on the Germans’ side. Stranger abductions are extremely rare; there were only 115 a year in all of America, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Justice study. And walking around without parental supervision, or “independent mobility” as the researchers call it, is good for kids.

Party when school starts. One of my Berlin friends once told me that the three biggest life events are Einschulung (starting first grade), Jugendweihe (becoming a young adult) and getting married.
In Berlin, Einschulung is a huge celebration at the school—on a Saturday!—that includes getting a Schultüte (or Zuckertüte)—a giant child-sized cone filled with everything from pencils to watches to candy. Then there’s another party afterwards with your family and friends.  

Einschulung is something children look forward to for years. It signals a major life change, and hopefully, an enthusiasm for learning.

Jugendweihe happens when a child turns 14. It involves a similar ceremony, party, and gifts, marking the next stage of growing up. With all the negativity heaped on adolescents, there’s something to be said for this way of celebrating young adulthood.

Take the kids outside everyday. According to a German saying “there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” The value of outside time is promoted in the schools, hence the “garten” in Kindergarten. It’s also obvious on Berlin’s numerous playgrounds. No matter how cold and grey it gets, and in Berlin it gets pretty cold, parents still bundle their kids up and take them to the park, or send them out on their own.

Which brings me back to that dragon—since moving here, I’ve tried to adopt some of the Berlin attitude, and my 8-year-old has climbed all over the dragon. But I still hesitate to let her walk alone in our very urban neighborhood.

I’ve taken one small step. I let her go to the bakery by herself. It’s just down the stairs and one door over. The first time she did this, she came back beaming, proudly handing me the rolls she bought herself.

I figured there was no need to tell her that her American mother was out on the balcony, watching her the whole time.

Ein FEIER: EINSCHULUNG !

See how learning is celebrated from the very beginning in Germany!

HIER EINEN SÜßEN FILM

Gibt es eine Schultüte?  JA!
Gibt es Süßigkeiten?  JA!
Gibt es Geschenkchen?  JA!
Gibt es Sekt?  JA!


Was noch gibt es?