Have you started your Trip to Germany yet?

We started using our very own Trip to Germany unit study today. Unit 1 was actually released several weeks ago but we've just now started school work so it seemed like a good fit to coincide with our fall activities. I thought it might be fun to share how we're using this study in our own home.


I'm reminded all over again what a great job author, Sarah Menkin, has done on this unit. We had so much fun! All three of my kids (ages 2, 5, and 9) participated and were excited to be "studying" German as a subject. Up until now we've just lived it (and not nearly enough, but that's the subject for another post...). So now we'll include it as a school subject and hope to get started reading and writing in German as well.



Sarah has it so well organized - I was able to grab the books, open my binder with the lesson plan and go. We reviewed some common phrases, tried to teach Jack some colors and numbers, and talked about the Kölner Dom and Brandenburger Tor. The kids thought it was very cool that I have actually been to the Tor. Oh, to be 18 again!

I'm not super-crafty but as you can see below from our very serious model, we were able to manage the flag-making activity and we now have 3 very nicely done German flags for our notebooks.


Are you doing the Trip to Germany study? Tell us in the comments how it's going or leave a link to your blog if you have one.

Starting German is like trying brussels sprouts

No, really, it is! You don't believe me? Maybe by the end of the article you'll see what I mean.

My kids love brussels sprouts.
Truly, they do. They like them steamed and mushy with salt (weird, huh?) and they like them roasted and crispy. But they didn't always like brussels sprouts. In fact the first couple times I served brussels sprouts, I was met with several yucky expressions. "You want us to eat that?!?!" Yes, I do. They didn't believe me and they couldn't bare to try even one. Well, the baby tried one but he'll eat anything 'cause he doesn't know better.

So I told them a story about brussels sprouts.
It's an old family story involving a dragon, several poor villagers who were eaten by said dragon, and a young boy who convinces the dragon to eat brussels sprouts in place of villagers and saves the day. By the end of the story, my kids were a bit more interested but still not willing to try any. No matter, my husband and I (and the baby) enjoyed them and said no more.

I served them again a couple more times.
Each time, the kids wanted the story again. And each time the yucky expressions were a little less yucky and I could tell they were considering taking a bite. But no - not yet. My kids are extremely picky. My oldest son didn't try any new foods between the ages of 2 and 6. I am not exaggerating about this!

What does this have to do with German?
I promise, I'm getting to that part. Just bear with me.

So I just waited and kept serving brussels sprouts every now and then.
Then one glorious day, my middle son decided to try one. He pronounced it "all right." I was ecstatic! What a fabulous breakthrough. Through no pressure on my part, he had taken the step to put a vile sprout into his mouth and lived to tell about it.

After that, it was all downhill.
Pretty soon everyone was munching happily on sprouts (and asking for the story again). My middle son tells me they are his favorite food.

Starting German with some kids is a lot like trying brussels sprouts.
They may complain that they don't like it, it's too hard, or they don't understand anything. They may say it's stupid or why should they learn it anyway or none of their friends speak it.

Keep on "feeding" them.
Keep speaking German to them or reading them books or playing German CDs in the car, and pretty soon they will relax and understand a bit and all of a sudden they won't hate it any more. They may even start to think it's pretty cool.

Make it fun and interesting
My dragon story was a big help in bridging the gap toward making brussels sprouts less alien and a tiny bit interesting. You can try and make German fun and interesting for your kids. Tell them stories about when you learned German. Do you have any quirky German relatives? Ever made any embarrassing mistakes in German? They will love this stuff and it will make them motivated to hear and learn more.

Why do some kids need so much start-up time to become comfortable with German?
If German is brand new to your child or he has only been getting irregular doses, it will be hard for him. And when things are hard, we complain. It's just human nature. With any kind of new skill, the brain races to process all the information and struggles to keep up and make sense of it all. This is hard work.

But little by little, especially if you are speaking regularly, things will start to make sense.
Magically, it won't be so hard for him any more. He may even find that he likes listening to German or thinks it's cool that he can understand his cousin's letters from Germany. You may catch him humming a German tune when he thinks no one is listening. And it's all because his brain has caught up and now understands.

So the next time your child complains about German being hard, remember the brussels sprouts.
Just smile and keep offering the German that is so important to you. Let your child's brain catch up and don't be surprised when he asks for more.

Request your free bookmark

If you've ordered Kinderbücher lately, you already are acquainted with our very own Booky.


If you haven't placed an order lately, then now's your chance to get your own free Booky, the Bücherwurm. Created just for us by the very talented Anne Jaeger of Seattle, Booky is a cute little bookworm who just loves to wiggle up and read books with you. Let Booky make your German reading times just a little more special.

We'd love send you your very own Booky bookmark! Just send an email with your name, address, and whether you've ordered before to booky@alphabet-garten.com. Since he fits into an envelope, Booky can go anywhere in the world so it doesn't matter where you are - just send us a note and we'll mail him off to you. Plus the first 5 people to request their own Booky will get a free Pixi book.

Viel Spaß beim Lesen!
Sarah

Wunderschöne Tiergeschichten (Beautiful Animal Stories)

Kids love stories with real photographs in them and this sweet book, Wunderschöne Tiergeschichten (Beautiful Animal Stories), totally delivers. Follow Rika, the fawn as she goes on an outing in the woods. Fips, the little squirrel, has a birthday. Lasse, the little fox, likes to play. And Flocke, the little foal, has a human friend.



Four short stories make this sturdy hardcover a great value.
Recommended for beginning German speakers ages 4 and up.

Wunderschöne Tiergeschichten by Kerstin Hug

Alle seine Entlein - the unusual story of a fox and his ducks

What a funny story this is! Konrad, a very hungry fox, plans to "get to know" a duck sitting on an egg in her nest. The duck manages to escape in a flutter of feathers and quacking and Konrad is left with the egg. He decides to take it home to make scrambled eggs. Just as he's getting ready to eat, a little duckling hatches out of the egg. So begins a long and unusual friendship.

"Ich hab's!"
Vor Freude hob Konrad das Entchen hoch, das sich nitfreute.
"Dich fress ich später, wenn du dick und rund wie ein Luftballon bist."
Und weil er gerade an luftballons dachte, warf er das Küken hoch und fing es wieder auf, was dem noch mehr gefiel.

At first, Konrad decides to wait until Lorenz, the duckling, is a bit bigger - if he eats it right away, he'll feel terrible and he'll still be hungry. But of course he grows to love the duckling and finds he can't bear to eat it. When the duck gets a bit older and falls in love with a duck named Emma, Konrad decides he will wait until Emma is a bit bigger (and juicier). Lorenz and Emma are sure to have a fight and then Konrad can eat Emma without breaking Lorenz' heart. So Emma moves in with them and they all grow to love one another as it should be in a family. A sweet story, sometimes funny, sometimes bittersweet, and with a peaceful ending.

Colorful illustrations with tons of personality bring Konrad and the ducks to life. While some pages do have quite a bit of text, beginners in German should be able to get by with a bit of extra explanation. You may find it helpful to read the book in 2 sittings if it proves too long.

Recommended for German speakers, beginner level and up, ages 4 and up.

This book has been nominated for and won several prizes:
Nominiert für den Deutschen Jugendliteraturpreis 2008 (German Youth Literatur Prize)
Empfehlungsliste des Katholischen Kinder- und Jugendbuchpreises 2008 (Recommended List of Catholic Children and Youth Book Prizes)
LUCHS der ZEIT
Die besten 7 Bücher für junge Leser.

Alle seine Entlein by Christian Duda and Julia Friese

Free Nikolaustag (St. Nikolaus Day) Unit Study

Edit 12/7/08: the free download has ended. Thanks to all who participated!

Nikolaustag ist endlich da! And to help you celebrate, we've prepared this Nikolaustag unit study. Normally $9.95, it's free for you today only, on Nikolaustag. It's packed with songs, crafts, suggestions for snacks, website recommendations, the Nikolaus story itself and a German-English vocabulary list.

Download your free unit study

Nikolausabend ist da!

I hope you are all enjoying preparations for Nikolausabend. Don't forget to shine your shoes and boots and leave them for Nikolaus to fill with treats! And don't forget to come back here to the blog tomorrow and get your free Nikolaustag unit study, if you haven't already purchased a copy. We've got lots of great content for you and it will be free tomorrow only.

Nikolaustag Unit Study Available

We had such an overwhelming response to our free Martinstag Unit Study - thank you to everyone who sent in comments! It is gratifying to know that our work is helping you celebrate and enjoy German culture with your children.

We are pleased to announce the release of a Nikolaustag Unit Study! This guide is even longer than the Martinstag one and includes a sample schedule, notes on incorporating German into your lessons, crafts, food, songs, und, und, und.

Nikolaustag is coming up very soon on December 6 (and Nikolausabend December 5) so don't wait to start preparing. We also have several excellent German Nikolaus books and CDs that form the basis of a complete Nikolaus celebration.


View all Nikolaus Bücher.

There is an abbreviated preview version of this unit study available for free on the Nikolaus Unit Study page. The regular version is $9.95 or you can download it for free on December 6 only!

So whether you celebrate using our unit study guide or have traditions already planned, we hope you have a lovely time. Viel Spaß!

Die Geschichte vom Löwen, der nicht schreiben konnte

My 4 year old son is a perfectionist. He wants to do everything his big brother does and he wants to do it just as well. When he doesn't succeed, he gets mad. Super boiling mad. A bit like the lion in this story who doesn't get what he wants.

"Neiiiiiin!" brüllte der Löwe.
"So was hätte ich doch nie geschrieben!"
("Noooo," roared the lion. I would never have written this!")

The lion is mad because he wants to write a letter to a lioness. Since he doesn't know how to write, he makes the other animals write for him, and the letter doesn't turn out the way he wants. The lion gets madder and madder, roaring and eating a few of the unfortunate letter-writers along the way, until he finally yells out with utmost eloquence what he wants to say and the lioness overhears him. She is smitten and all is well. The story ends with the lioness teaching a now-gentle lion how to write.

My own little lion just came and confiscated his book back. Maybe the lioness is making an impression on him, too :)

Die Geschichte vom Löwen, der nicht schreiben konnte - a sweet story about patience and perseverance for preschoolers and beginning readers.

Ein kleines Fingerspiel

Photo: Amanda M. Hatfield
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dust/2370375831/

From Fingerspiele:

Mit Hochgenüß
den Abendkuss
bläst der Elefant
auf Deiner Hand!

Take your child's hand and blow a raspberry into it as you get to the part about the elephant. Quick, easy and fun! Your child will demand it over and over - I speak from experience :)

Free Unit Study - Martinstag

Martinstag is almost upon us. We have created a free unit study for you filled with crafts, songs, stories, and ideas for you to use with your children to learn more about this German holiday.

Go to the Free Martinstag Unit Study download page.

We'd love to hear what you think of our first unit study - please leave a comment letting us know if you had any questions or problems or if you'd like other information. The ages of your kids would also be helpful although totally optional.

We are already planning the next one for Nikolaus!

Viel Spass beim Lernen!

German Game Night

My friend, Thea, is planning a German game night for her community - how lucky for Seattle! This sounds like so much fun. Families can get together, play German games, (and maybe some American games with German vocab), and have a great time. Thea treated us to a pack of Schwarze Hai cards (a German pirate version of Old Maid) and we have had so much fun with them.

Thea asked me for some ideas on how to make the game night a success.

Photo credit: Firutin

Which Games to Offer?
Many familiar games can be adapted to be a bit more "German."

• Old Maid, for instance, is Der Schwarze Peter (or Der Schwarze Hai if you have the cool pirate cards).
  
• Sorry! is known as Mensch, ärgere Dich nicht.
  
• Chess (Schach) and checkers (Dame) (rules) are old standbys.
  
• Hangman would be a fun addition - kids could have quick rounds of Hangman in between other games.
  
• Memory (Memo) can be easily assembled with any two sets of matching flashcards or pictures.
  
• Twister - great practice naming body parts.

Game Instructions
I suggested she have game instructions written up so people can play with little assistance. If a few parents get a run-down of the game choices beforehand, they can facilitate play.

Game Vocabulary
Here are some words and phrases useful when playing games.

• Jetzt bist Du dran............It's your turn (card game)
  
• Du bist am Zug.................It's your move (board game)
  
• Springen............................Jump
• Gutes Spiel ......................Good game
• Wurfel (Würfel)................die (dice)
• Regeln................................rules
• Brettspiel ..........................board game
• Kartenspiel........................card game
• Konkurrenz.......................competition
  

I love games - we try to use them whenever possible in our learning. Kids get so wrapped up in the game, they forget they are practicing important skills.

I'll ask Thea to let us know how her event goes. Do you have any tips for her? Have you been to a German group game event?

German pop star helps students learn the language

What a fun way to excite kids about German! Lucky kids at Beverly High School.




HT: Thea!

Free German Alphabet Flashcards - Woohoo!

We've got a new set of flashcards online - this time we've done Das Alphabet. This happened on the spur of the moment. I was practicing some letters with my 4 year old and grabbed a camera to take his picture - he's such a ham!


He loved having his picture taken so much, he did the entire alphabet. We added the audio from Dad who is our resident native speaker and some representative words and presto - we've got new flashcards to share with you!


We hope you enjoy these flashcards as well as the other sets - please let me know if you have any comments or corrections.

Schultueten

Schultüten are traditionally given to German children on the first day of school. Filled with sweets, school supplies and small presents, they are meant to celebrate the beginning of school and make the transition easier for first graders.

Mausi has a nice history on Schultüten and Einschulung in Germany.

I'm not terribly crafty but the Schultüten ideas at Bastel-tipps.de look so cute and easy, I might just try a couple for my kids. They can be as simple or as elaborate as you like - it's common to see German youngsters with Schultüten almost as big as themselves!

I promise to take pictures of our Schultüten. I'd love to see yours as well! Leave me a comment here with a link or send me a photo to post.

Tanz mit mit Tanzalarm

Mega fun stuff at the KI.KA website - you can learn the dance that goes along with the title song from Tanzalarm. My kids are going to love this!

All about Martinstag

Update: Don't miss our St. Martin's Day Unit Study!

Thanks to Thea Fortune for contributing this great compilation on Martinstag.

St. Martins Day (Martinstag) is celebrated on November 11 in many parts of Europe. St. Martin was a Roman soldier who helped the poor, was martyred and became a Catholic saint.

Some of the symbols of St. Martins are lanterns, geese, and Weckmänner. In many areas, the community participates in a parade around the town or neighborhood, with the children carrying lit lanterns through the dark November evening. Traditionally lanterns were lit by candles, but people also use glow sticks and battery powered “candles”.

For more information about Martinstag and St. Martin check out Zzzebra (www.zzzebra.de) and the other websites listed below.

Many ideas for lanterns can be found on:

Heiliger Martin (www.martin-von-tours.de/laternen/index.html) - 7 different styles, including one out of a paper bag, one using “käseschachtel” and another from papermache. The easiest lanterns I’ve seen take the coloring pages from this site, make them into a tube, and place a strip of black construction paper or black posterboard at the top and bottom – punch holes in the top to run a string through.

Bastelstunde.de (http://www.bastelstunde.de/Papier___Pappe/Herbst/herbst.html)

Kidsweb.de (www.kidsweb.de) – many kid friendly activities including a variety of lanterns.

ZZZebra (www.zzzebra.de) – lots of seasonally appropriate activities for kids including a “laternen-werkstatt”.

While on parade, it’s fun to sing simple folksongs such as “Laterne, Laterne”, and “Ich geh’ mit meiner Laterne”
www.zzzebra.de

Goose is often served for dinner on Martinstag, and Heiliger Martin has several appropriate recipes (www.martin-von-tours.de/rezepte/) .

Recipe for Weckman is on Zzzebra, which is fun to do with your kids : www.zzzebra.de