German Corner

[finknottle]

Deutsch or English
Native speakers, expats, anyone
From Brezeln to Bier

Please don't ask if you join in, everyone is welcome

For discussion of schools see separate thread

Ooops, I've only just noticed that we had slipped onto our old lieblings topic and used the S word on this thread again. We'll get there in the end...

Sorry Finknottle, that was me introducing an education topic into our pristine German Corner.

Oops, can you let me off this time as a newbie?

Yeah, I was aware of the other thread, but it seems to be for people who are further along the system than we (my family) are and who seem to have genuinely difficult and serious problems to contend with, which we don't......yet. I don't want to clutter it up with my idle thoughts about KIGA, because that's all they are really, idle

Whereabouts are you franke?

I have just put the DC's names down for a childrens club in the Skihalle near us. It is once a month, costs 8euros, and you get a 5euro voucher for a ski course.

They play in the snow, sledge, build igloos and generally have fun. Then they are taken up to the restaurant (where the mummies have been waiting nattering and drinking coffee with a free muffins/brezel. They do some singing and there is a chocolate fountain.

In the summer they can go climbing.

Oh God you lot - I was being facetious

Maybe also a tad over-sensitive as I'm always guilty of starting with idle chat and ending up with outpourings of frustration.

See I had typed a post about how different the boys' experiences were to dd's time in kg, ds1 thrived, ds2 had stacks of friends but dd has been playing with the same 3 girls for 2 years

• and that was also to do with there being no Vorschulprogram at all in the kg; the boys didn't care but dd is v bored, there are 8 two yr olds in her group

• and then that got onto how dd's no longer a Kannkind as they changed the Stichtag so she'll have her 6th birthday after she starts in Aug with at least 2 girls I know who will be 7 before she's 6

• which led onto how the lack of Differenzierung at all school levels (apart from labelling pupils as thick by making them miss PE and do Foerdermathe/deutsch) doesn't help pupils who need even a wee bit more time...

So someone shove that Bounty in my mouth and push me off here

I'm also a bit over sensitive about spouting off on here about all my problems when I've only been here 5 minutes.

That sounds great, Ks. I find there is so much on offer for dc here and usually very reasonably priced too. Last summer dd did a 'Waldwerkstatt'. It was every day for a week where she got to go exploring in the woods and make fire. She loved it and the best part was that it was absolutely free as it was offered as part of the town's summer holiday activity programme.

Length of time here no issue, taipo - it's great to have a sounding board!
I started the Schools thread as I and a couple of others would pitch in to help someone asking for translation help or holiday recommendations - and we'd take over and bang on about schools Was getting a bit much.

So now we have a rant zone. All welcome! Doesn't have to all gloom & doom but at least we don't feel guilty any more

It has been quite therapeutic!

Well, all I can say is that your school prefect impersonation is far too believable Fink And anyway I wasn't going to mention it but last time I was on the other thread you were discussing Lidl greenhouses...

Or was that this one?

Prob on both. When we switch from one to the other there's bound to be a bit of "Did you see..?"

Just wanted to have a thread about Germany where German MNers weren't afraid to click any more as they'd find Battle Update No 24 going on - it got a bit too much understandably, like someone running your family down. It was mentioned and seemed best to have a separate one for school problems.
Don't think anyone gets offended by greenhouse talk or Lidl though

Lol Finknottle, I was also being facetious

Good use of my Grandad's favourite word there. Well, that and jacuzzi.

There is a lot offered for little ones here, loads of kids clubs and theater groups.

What activities do your DCs do then?

DD goes to art lessons and I am thinking of starting DS on music lessons.

DD is very good at the carneval songs, do you know "Das Rote Pferd" and "Hol das Lasso raus"? Real Ballerman hits, so funny when a 3yo is singing them.

They also go to French lessons together. That is it though.

Not at all, newtotheplanet, it is good to see new faces

Kinder - er, well, the Bounty offer wasn't facetious I hope

The boys do music & sport - they're out 3 afternoons/evenings a week which I think is enough. They go to the youth club on Friday nights and play Wii which they say is extra sport
Dd just does turnen. As we had to fork out for a piano for ds1 (admittedly he does love it and it's good for him but I remind him if he has a lazy phase that we're still paying it off!) and she keeps trying to play so maybe when she starts school she can go to the Musikschule too. She took a chunk out of ds2's violin that also cost us a fortune mind so maybe I'll just get her a triangle.

It is great that the boys are old enough to go on their own. And that it's safe enough here.
Are the activities expensive? Here stuff like art is about 20-40 euros for an afternoon. Ils live in SAP land - stacks of free activities for children, was a bit when I saw the list.

The most expensive activity is DD's art course, at 11euros for a lesson, but it is definately worth it. Her teacher is an artist and she is learning loads. I think there is a painting of hers (DD's, not the teachers) on my profile.

The kita suggested we send her to art lessons as she is quite talented for her age.

The French lessons are a bargain, as they are run by the ASG, a kind of VHS in Ddorf. They are 70euros (2nd child 50% off) for the course which started in January and ends in June.

I am trying to limit them to 2 activities a week. DD would like to go swimming, music school, and also horse riding.

hi newtotheplanet! There are quite a few MNers in Munich now. Stick around and you'll get to know them. NighbyNight is in Munich, so is thequietone (how is she anyway and the baby, anyone heard?!) and Ernest is there or is moving there soon.

I'm so chuffed that we got the dirty 5 letter S-word on this thread without my involvement!

Newtotheplanet,

sorry, how rude of me to ignore you. Welcome!

Just managed to get onto the internet. Don't know what was wrong. Very strange.

hi there ks, I think try and do all the activities you think might interest them now, if they're affordable, and find out where their talents lie/interests are. Then you'll find when they start school, they get extremely tired for the first few months and are not up to much, so you might then choose to reduce the activities to the minimum and the things they like best.

Dd goes to art lessons too. I started her when she was 4 (actually more for the Russian practice) but found it was very good for her motor skills. She was not really good at cutting with scissors or holding a pen etc and the artwork helped a great deal - but aside from that we have a lovely teacher and she loves going there. Shame they didn't do a bit more of that kind of thing at kg but I suppose the groups are too big.

Your ski hall sounds great. Don't think we have anything like that here. Berlin is not really skiing territory - flat as a pancake

How are you franke? Good to see you on the German threads. Can we please have all your "idle" thoughts on the KGs though, please don't hold back!

Hi Newtotheplanet. Welcome from another former lurker. How long have you been in Munich?
Ks, dd does climbing which she loves but is a bit of a PITA to get to as it involves a long tram ride but I don't want her to give it up as it was the first thing she started when we moved here and I think she needs a bit of continuity in her life atm. She also does trampolining and chess both of which are within walking distance. Ds just does turnen, all the other boys round here do football but he hasn't shown any interest in that so far.

Hi newtotheplanet - come on don't lurk! Tell us how long you've been in Germany?

How is the Stimmung this morning SSSandy? Next week the SBahn might join the strike I heard, will you have to walk to you-know-where? In mitte it's so funny - because of teh strike the pavements are busy with business men and women in suits with trainers on walking to work and it's like being in Tuebingen again - cycles everywhere but the roads are busy with people trying to drive into work too - no idea where they all think they are goingto park, I nearly got run over this morning going over at a crossing by some impatient person in a hurry.

Stimmung is calmer thanks admylin. I rang dh up and blew him to bits, poor sod. But since it is related to the dreaded "S" word, I will take that over to the rant on about s* and kigas thread. See you there!

I don't mind if they strike, if they do, we cannot get to that place at all. Even by taxi we'd be stuck in a traffic jam all the way there and about. So I just wouldn't bother with it.

Kieferorthopädin was very nice. She said the crooked teeth (bottom) can be left for a couple more years, she was all excited about doing the brace thing for widening the upper jaw which they'd wanted to start when dd was 4. Apparently we do need to do it, so set the ball rolling. Sounds like a hassle to me, screwing (?!) it in and out every day etc. But her upper jaw doesn't lie on the lower one on one side and apparently this would also affect her breathing.

Sounds odd.