Ahhh Stollen!

20051210-stollen-large Originally uploaded by ReneS

Juergen brought home the yummiest Stollen from Aldi yesterday. I know it's really Weihnachtsgebäck but I guess we're starting a little early :) Speaking of Weihnachten, my little guy will attest to the fact that I've got a mountain books in my foyer, all waiting to be unpacked and put online for you to peruse. Lots of gorgeous new Christmas titles, some Sesamstrasse, and much more. The new titles should be online by Saturday. I hope you'll like them. :) Sarah

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!

Bilingual Families Wanted!

We'd like to interview several German-speaking bilingual families for the blog. Whether your whole family speaks German or just one parent and the kids, whether you're a native speaker or learned German as a adult (like me) - we want details! How do you manage the languages? What is your biggest challenge? Do your kids ever resist? Come on, it'll be fun! I promise - we'll do all the hard work. You just get to talk. :)

If you'd like to be interviewed on our blog, please send an e-mail to thea (at) alphabet-garten.com .

Danke im voraus!
Sarah

VA Position Filled

Thank you to everyone who applied!

- Sarah

Virtual Assistant Needed

Update 10/22/2008: This position has been filled.

Original post
We are looking to add some help to our team! This is a part-time, work from home position. If you're interested in applying to be our new VA, please see the jobs page for more information.

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 T-Shirt Giveaway!
Note: The T-shirts are all spoken for. Thanks!

Uwe Kind has released a new CD, Lingotech Deutsch, that is very popular in school classes.

To celebrate Uwe's new CD, the first 3 people to order Lingotech Deutsch or any other Uwe Kind title will receive a "Talking T", a unique T-shirt created by Uwe and printed with German phrases. I'll update my blog when the t-shirts are all spoken for. Note: all shirts are now spoken for.

You can also read an interview I did a while back with Uwe (in German only).

Viel Spaß!

Free German Lessons via Podcast

For teens and adults wishing to hear some beginning German, try Radio Lingua's free podcasts, One Minute German and A Flavour of German.

I always recommend that German learners use a variety of inputs, from books to music and audio to DVD. These podcasts look like a great way to do just that.

HT: Thea

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!

Thinking about Back to School

September is just around the corner - if you're looking for some extra help with German, why not see if there is a German Saturday School nearby?

New set of free German flashcards online!

The response to the Animal flashcards was incredible! Thank you so much for your kind words. I am thrilled so many of your children enjoyed them.

I've just posted a new set - Bei uns im Garten (Backyard Nature). This time my dear husband recorded the sound so you have the advantage of listening to a native German speaker. Take a look and let me know what you think!

This has turned into such a fun project for me and my kids. Next we are going to try producing our own photo story. My oldest is helping to take the pictures. The two younger boys are the (not always) smiling subjects. Stay tuned for another set!

-- Sarah

P.S. Please let me know if you have problems with the sound. I think it's a little quiet but it may just be my computer.

Thoughts on Language Learning

Up until now my strategy of imparting German to my children has been very simple - give them as much German as I can in a number of formats. We haven't spent any time actually "teaching" them German - we expect that they will learn it through immersion the same way they are learning English. And so far, so good - they even speak to their baby brother in German - amazing!

Now I'm preparing to start a little German hour with some good friends of ours who want to learn German as a part of their homeschooling. They don't speak any German so we'll be starting from square one. I'm not calling it a class or a lesson - we won't be that formal - since my friend's daughter is just 5. Instead we will try to start her off with some songs, words and phrases a la TPRS she can use in everyday situations. I'll be posting about my research and results on the blog. It's going to be a lot of fun for all of us!

Kinder-Radio in German!

Ohrenbär produces radio stories in German for kids. This is another nice way to enjoy German with your kids.

Thanks for the tip, Thea!

Alphabet Garten Favorites - at your fingertips

Announcing two new collections - the Little Kid Favorites Collection and the Big Kid Favorites Collection. Each set has 10 of our very favorite German books and 1 or 2 CDs for your budding bilinguals.



So many of you have contacted me to ask for recommendations of appropriate German books for your kids. These collections were created in response to your requests. You can still use the buying guide which lists several excellent choices by age group, but if you want a quick and easy purchase option, these collections have everything you need for that little bilingual in your life. Viel Spaß beim Lesen!

Ich bin cool - bist du cool?

This is a reprint of an interview I did with Uwe Kind in 2004 for the KiNA Magazine. Uwe has just released a new CD, LingoTech Deutsch, which I am pleased to offer to you and this seemed to be a great time to re-release this article. I plan to translate it into English as well soon.


Zehn Uhr morgens bei der Hopewell Valley Central High School in New Jersey. Über 800 aufgeregte Teenagers verhalten sich, als ob sie bei einem Rock-Konzert wären. Es wird mitgetanzt und mitgesungen, alles auf Deutsch natürlich. So ist es einfach bei einem Konzert von Uwe Kind. Das muss man wenigstens mal miterleben. Sarah Mueller war vor kurzem dabei und hatte später die Gelegenheit mit Uwe zu sprechen.

SM: Deine Geschichte ist echt interessant - Du bist mit Deinen Liedern und Deinen Büchern in der ganzen Welt bekannt. Wie hast Du damit angefangen?

UK: Ich war (Deutschlehrer) an der New School (in New York) und während der Kaffeepause habe ich immer Volkslieder mit meinen Schülern gesungen und dabei bemerkt, wie schnell sich meine Schüler die Texte der Volkslieder eingeprägt und in Ihr Vokabular aufgenommen haben. Das hat mich auf die Idee gebracht, deutsche Grammatik und Sprechakte mit Musik zu lehren. Der Erfolg war sofort sichtbar.

Mein erstes Buch mit Ursula Meyer vom Goethe Institut New York hiess: “O, Susanne, ja konjugiere für mich”) eine Art von “Vermusizierung der deutschen Grammatik

SM: Also hast Du gar nicht als Musiker angefangen?

UK: Nein –. Als Deutschlehrer!

Das Goethe Institut hat mich dabei sehr unterstützt und mir die Gelegenheit geboten wurde, Deutschlehrern und Schülern meine Lieder vorzuführen.

Nach ‘O,Susanne, ja konjugier für mich’, folgte ‘Tune in to English’, das in der ganzen Welt und ganz besonders in Japan ein grosser Hit wurde. Im Langenscheidtverlag erschien dann nach meinem Auftritt bei Johnny Carson und David Lettermann ‘Eine kleine Deutschmusik’ . Dieses Buch mit Musikcassetten wurde und ist immer noch ein internationaler Renner. NHKTV in Tokio machte aus der “kleinen Deutschmusik” ein erfolgreiches Fernsehprogramm.

Durch Anregung durch das Goethe Institut begannen meine ersten Konzerte und Konzerte sind nun praktisch zu meiner Hauptbeschäftigung geworden. Es begann mit 100 Schülern. Mittlerweile stehe ich schon vor 1200 Schülern. Lehrer haben schnell erkannt, dass Uwe Kind Konzerte eine ausgezeichnete Art ist, für Deutsch zu werben.

SM: Ja genau - bei Deinem Konzert wo ich dabei war, waren die Schüler total begeistert. Wie bringst Du die Kinder dazu, so toll mitzumachen?

UK: Das ist der Rhythmus der Musik, die lustigen Texte, die Bewegungen dazu und auch meine Begeisterung, die die Schüler spüren und sie mitreisst. Die Musik ist modern and cool und zu eine Art von “educational entertainment” geworden. Die neue LingoTech Konzert CD geht
Weg wie warme Semmeln und die Käufer sind nicht mehr die Lehrer, sondern die Schüler. Ich bin 55 Jahre alt, könnte gut der Grossvater von Vielen meiner Konzertteilnehmer sein, aber die Kids finden mich toll, bitten mich um Autogramme auf Ihre T-shirts, Schuhe Hände und Arme. Wenn für ein Lernfach soviel Begeisterung da ist, dann weiss man, dass man ins Schwarze getroffen hat.

SM: Ich habe das gar nicht erwartet – ich habe sogar gelesen, es waren Schüler dabei, die überhaupt nicht Deutsch lernen, und die waren auch voll dabei und hatten enormen Spass. Übrigens, was ist Dein Lieblingslied?

UK: “Ich bin cool“ finde ich echt cool. In Dänemark wurde dieses Lied ein Radiohit. Aber ich liebe auch den Ohrenwurm “Ich bin Ausländer“ ,den Deutschlehrer-und Schüler mit mir identifizieren.

SM: Ja – diese Lieder haben tollen Schwung.

UK: Mit Musik und Rhythmus prägt sich Lernmaterial viel leichter ein. Das hat die Reklameindustrie schon längst erkannt. Musik entspannt, nimmt die Angst, verhindert Lernblockaden und das Lernen wird erleichtert. Der Übergang vom Singen zum Sprechen ist ein natürlicher Vorgang. Natürlich ist das Singen und Rappen nur ein Teil des
Sprachunterrichts.

SM: Viele Leute sind der Meinung, Deutsch ist eine schwierige Sprache. Was sagst Du dazu.

UK: Keine Sprache lernt sich leicht. Deutsch ist vielleicht etwas schwieriger am Anfang, aber ich sage immer, “Es ist der Sänger und nicht das Lied“ –Ist der Sänger gut, ist das Lied leicht zu lernen. Der Lehrer muss die Sprache “verkaufen” und die Sprache so attraktiv wie möglich verpacken. Musik, Rhythmus, Tanz und Bewegung gehören zu “Verpackungsmaterialien”.

SM: Hast Du einen guten Rat für Kinder, die privat Deutsch lernen wollen?

UK: Kindern lernen am besten, wenn man sie in Spiele und Aktivitäten involviert, nie kritisiert, sondern nur belohnt. Ich empfehle auch meine Bücher, wie “Eine kleine Deutschmusik”, “Deutschvergnügen” und die neue LingoTech CD.

SM: Vielen Dank für das Gespräch.
_____________________________________________

Uwe Kind gibt Konzerte, Lehrerseminare und lehrt Deutsch bei Siemens.
Auf seiner Webseite können Sie seine Bücher, Musikcasssetten und CDs sehen und teilweise auch anhören sowie seine bekannten Talking T-Shirts sehen und ebenfalls bestellen.

Closed for Summer Break

We are closed for summer break until Monday, August 28. You can still place orders online but they will be held until that Monday for shipment.

Until then, take a look at our new free online German flashcards with audio!

Happy summer, everyone!

About.com is looking for a new German Guide

The German site at About.com is fantastic - free German lessons, help with grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary, German culture, und, und, und...

Well, they are looking for a new guide to run the site - are you the one?

A big book! Erste Bilder, Erste Wörter

 

First Puzzles - Wilde Tiere

 

Is it too late to start German again?

I received this message through my Squidoo lens:

Ich habe zwei Kinder, P wird 6 im October und G. wird 3 im July. Ich habe nur Deutsch gesprochen mit P bis sie fast 3 Jahre alt war. Sie hat alles verstanden. Dann wurde es schwieriger mit Preschool, mein Mann ist Amerikaner, etc. G hat nur letztes Jahr in Deutschland deutsch gehoert. Ist es zu spaet wieder mit Deutsch reden anzufangen. Ich halte mich zurueck damit, weil ich angst habe dass sie mich nicht verstehen und es zu viel fuer sie wird!!?? Ich haette nie gedacht, dass ich NICHT Deutsch mit meinen Kindern reden wuerde. Aber es scheint einfach einfacher zu sein. Help :-(

(translation)

I have 2 children - P will be 6 in October and G will be 3 in July. I spoke only German with P until she was about 3 years old. She understood everything. Then it became harder with preschool and my husband is American, etc. G has only heard German in Germany last year. Is it too late to start speaking German again? I hesitate because I am worried that they won't understand me and that it will be too much for them!!?? I never thought that I would NOT speak German with my children. But it just seemed like it would be easier. Help :(

I can totally relate to your question. It is really hard to resist the forces of English! Speaking a foreign language comes naturally to some people, but I still find it a huge challenge to keep up given all the other things we have going on in life (school, sports, activities, etc.) But you have a huge advantage - your daughter has already had 3 years of German from you! That German knowledge is still with her and she will catch on very quickly. Your son is young and will probably pick things up quickly as well, especially if his sister is enthusiastic.

I spoke German with my oldest, NJ, until he was about 3, then stopped almost completely for about a year for similar reasons. When his little brother, ML, was born, I started speaking German again - I have this thing that I always speak German to babies, even babies that aren't mine :) It's a habit. So I spoke German to ML and English with NJ. This went on for about 2 years and then the German faded into the background until baby #3, JP, arrived. Now I've been speaking German with JP and a mix of English and German with the two older boys. But guess what? Everyone understands what I'm saying to JP since they've heard bits and pieces of it and because they had it themselves for a couple years.

Say things twice
In the beginning, they won't understand you; that's ok. You can say things in English and repeat yourself in German. After a while, the kids will get used to it and it won't seem odd to be constantly repeating yourself (trust me - I do this a lot!). Then you can switch to using German first and repeating in English where they need you to. With kids this age, I spend little to no time formally teaching. I just let them absorb throughout the day. This method is a lot easier - no preparation needed! - and mimics natural language acquisition. You can even do this with books - translate German books into English where needed as you read and English books into German.

Keep it fun
I think the key for you will be to offer German in a non-threatening and low-stress way. It should be light and fun. Music is a great ice-breaker for this kind of thing. We play CDs in the car and the kids hear them over and over. They don't expect to understand everything but they recognize the songs and now they are starting to ask me what specific words mean. Sometimes we stop a song and I'll tell them the words and tell them what they mean. I always keep my explanations ultra-short so they don't feel like it's an actual lesson. Teach them a few nursery rhymes (Alle meine Entchen) and then sing them wrong (schwimmen in dem Wohnzimmer) - the kids will think it's hilarious.

Pick a "German" time
Instead of going cold-turkey and trying to speak German all day long, pick a specific time of the day and try and use German then. You can have German breakfast or German bathtime or speak German when you're baking cookies (lecker!). Your kids will have focused exposure to a subset of vocabulary instead of having to deal with the entire language all at once. You won't get burned out if you can commit to just a small amount of time each day.

Is it too much?
I think if it's incorporated into the day in a relaxed way, it's not too much for kids. They are absorbing things all day long; they are learning machines! I'm not saying it won't be challenging - it certainly will; but if you can make a plan and start slow, you will see results.

I hope this helps a bit. In a future post, I'll talk about complaints and objections ("Mom, I don't know what you're saying!") Please let us know how it goes!

- Sarah

Pixi Wissen - Packed with Info

I was so excited to learn about the new series of Pixi books, Pixi Wissen (Wissen means knowledge). We love the Pixi format - pocket-sized books with full length stories. I keep several in my purse for entertainment when we're stuck waiting somewhere. Think long car rides and doctor's waiting rooms. Now we can enjoy non-fiction Pixis as well. I have ordered 3 titles to start - Pferde und Ponys (Horses and Ponies), Das Meer (The Ocean) and Die Erde (The Earth).

The books provide information like "Wie groß werden Pferde?" (How big do horses get?), a page on prehistoric horses and horses in mythology. Also included are puzzles, a maze, a quiz, and a glossary. Each book has about 30 pages packed with pictures and short facts. Here's a sample page:



The Pixi Wissen series is best for kids with intermediate to advanced German knowledge, although beginners will enjoy browsing through just for the pictures.

At $4.50, these books are a great deal!

Another Fingerspiel

Meine Hände sind verschwunden
habe keine Hände mehr.
Seht da sind die Hände weider,
Tralalalalalala.

(sung to the tune of Kommt ein Vogel geflogen)

Movement
Hide your hands behind your back. When you come to "Seht da sind die Hände,"
bring them forward and wiggle your fingers.

- From Fingerspiele

We have a new look!

Please stop by and see our new website! Let me know what you think! Easier checkout, a new wishlist feature, and much more.

Viele Grüße
Sarah

P.S. If you have Alphabet Points from the old site, send me a note when you order and I'll credit them.

Non-native Accents

We are preparing to sell our piano and so we had it tuned today. No one in the house has played the piano since I stopped taking lessons almost 20 years ago. It just so happened that the piano tuner is a native German. What a small world! She casually paid me the highest compliment -- she said I sounded like a native speaker. Oh wonderful day! When I was studying in Munich, this was a real badge of honor for us students - we were always hoping to be mistaken for native Germans as a sign of our excellent linguistic abilities. I don't think anyone was completely fooled by my accent LOL, but perhaps I could pass for some other nationality.

This leads me to think about what kind of accents my kids will develop. Their German exposure is native from my husband as well as my pretty good accent. They also hear native speakers in German music and on DVDs. They have a really hard time understanding our Oma and Opa, though (from the Black Forest). I, too, didn't understand much of my in-laws initially but have since adjusted to their version of German with it's Badisch bent.

My oldest son has a beautiful accent - he seems to have a real talent for languages. My four year old, however, has the funniest way of speaking. It's not so much an American accent, but it's not quite German either. I guess it will work itself out in time.

I think the key for me was the total immersion in native German I had while learning. (I didn't start studying German until college so I'm proof that you never are too old to learn!) Most of us won't be able to provide total immersion for our kids, at least not most of the time. That's when it's critical to find other ways to provide native German for your kids, either from native speakers or also from CDs and DVDs. My kids listen to the same stories over and over, and easily pick up words and phrases, intonation and all, and so this can be a great way to reinforce a good accent.

So now we have a tuned piano and we had a nice visit with a lovely piano tuner. After hearing her play, I am longing to play the piano again! Maybe we won't put it up for sale just yet :)

What she said...

I love Corey's take on bilingualism.

Watching German DVDs

German movies and TV shows are a wonderful way to increase the amount of German input your children receive. One of the most frequent questions I get from people is how to watch German DVDs.

Multi-Region Required
First, you must be aware that most (95%?) of all German DVDs require a multi-region DVD player. (For more technical information on all this multi-region stuff, see DVD Regions Explained) The good news is that you may be able to convert your own player to multi-region, if you don't mind a little research. Videohelp.com has "hacks" or instructions for many DVD players on how to "unlock" the multi-region capability for your DVD player. It all depends on the player - some are easy to do, some are harder, and some can't be changed.

If you don't want to update your own player, maybe your computer can play the DVDs! Most computer DVD players will play Region 2 (which is Europe) DVDs. The catch is that you have to switch between regions when you play different DVDs and the number of times you may switch is limited. This isn't a problem if you designate the computer as German (Region2) only. If you still want to be able to switch without limitation, you can install software which will bypass the region setting entirely. I use VideoLan for this purpose. It's not super-intuitive to use but it does the job.

In case none of the above options works for you, I do sell a multi-region DVD player on my website.

So grab some German episodes of Sendung mit der Maus, Biene Maja, Harry Potter and the like and have fun! It's an easy way to increase German exposure in your home.

Suggestions for Adult Learners

I frequently hear from adults who are learning German and are looking to use children's books as an addition to their studies. What a great idea! Children's books can be quite simple and are often more interesting and more affordable than materials written for German as a foreign language (DaF). Here are some suggestions for adults learning German.

Ich
A wonderful little book for people of all ages - simple and thoughtful, funny and sweet. An excerpt: Ich erfreue mich an den kleinen Dingen des Lebens... und natürlich auch an den großen.


See you - im nächsten Sommer. A German - English story
(Not very simple but the switching between German and English might make it possible for you to follow the story and it would be more interesting than a much simpler book. There are also 2 other books in this genre.

Bobo Siebenschläfer
Very simple stories written for toddlers. A good way to pick up everyday vocabulary. Sample pages on the website.

German Reader Set Level 1 (3 Books)
Books for beginning readers - these are fairly simple and would offer good practice.

Leseleuchte Winnie Puuh. Alles macht Musik. Level 1
A simple storybook

Free Downloads for Preschoolers

Carlsen Verlag has coloring pages, puzzles, and other easy-to-do projects. Viel Spaß beim Basteln!

Multilingual Living Magazine

The latest issue of Multilingual Living Magazine is available online, including the first few pages for free.


Some of the articles:

• The multiple benefits of multilingualism! You won't believe how many benefits there are!
• Balanced multilingual? Is it possible? Is it something to strive toward?
• Dual language program - Find out how you can start your own or at least help your school district get one going.
• A grandmother's perspective - what one grandmother of trilinguals has to say about raising children in more than one language.
  

Visit the Bilingual / Bicultural Family Network today for this inspiring magazine as well as a host of other resources for bilingual families.

OPOL4US: 7 Language Strategies

A nice, in-depth discussion on language strategies used by bilingual families. Even though there aren't that many different permutations of language use for bilingual families, I always like to hear how others work it out.

Visit OPOL4US

Hummel im Hintern?

Er hat Hummeln im Hintern. = He's got ants in his pants


This is a new one for me :) This and other important facts about animal sounds in German are available from German.About.com's Tierlexikon

Speaking German as a second language with your kids

I've just published a lens on Squidoo called "Speaking German as a second language with your kids." Lots of information for beginning bilingual families including the basics, myths on bilingualism and links to many resources.

Squidoo is a place for people to share their knowledge and passions with the world. What an excellent resource! If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the challenges of raising bilingual kids, I encourage you to check out my lens.

Ein kleines Fingerspiel

Zwei Zappelmänner

Zwei Zappelmänner

aus dem Sack!

Der eine heißt Schnick,

der andre heißt Schnack.

Schnick hat 'ne Mütze

und Schnack hat 'nen Hut,

und alle beide vertragen sich gut!

Hand movements: Hold the fists together, with thumbs hidden. At "aus dem Sack" the thumbs come out of their hiding place and are stretched up in the air. Then first the left thumb (Schnick) and then the right thumb (Schnack) bow to each other. Then, alternately wiggle the thumbs. Finally the thumbs touch each other gently. This game is also good with painted fingernails or little finger puppets.

This game comes from Fingerspiele, Klassiker und neue Ideen für Babys und Kleinkinder (the translation is mine). Viel Spaß beim Spielen!

Learning about Emotions

Being the mom of a kid with Asperger's syndrome and sensory integration dysfunction, I am always on the look-out for ways to discuss emotions and how to deal with them with my son. Asperger kids often have a low tolerance for frustration and a tendency toward perfectionism. His feelings frequently get the better of my son and using lots of stories and role-playing help him practice appropriate responses when he is unhappy, agitated, or just plain mad. The book, Ich und meine Gefühle, is a great resource for this topic.



The book reads:

Wenn ich traurig bin, muss ich manchmal weinen.
When I'm sad, sometimes I cry.

Wenn ich meine Gefühle kenne, kann ich oft auch die Gefühle von anderen verstehen. Es ist schön, zu spüren, dass ich anderen helfen kann.
When I know my own feelings, I can often understand the feelings of others. It is nice to know, that I can help others.

The book has a dynamic flow to it - large, vivid illustrations and short statements on each page. It might be a good book to read only a few pages at a time, allowing the child to discuss and digest the message of the book. All of us struggle with difficult emotions at times and reflecting on them can help us to master them instead of them mastering us. Every kid can benefit from discussion about feelings.

My special kid has come a long way since I first wrote about some of his unique challenges. This book will be an aid for him as he continues on the path to adulthood.

Ich und meine Gefühle. Emotionale Entwicklung für Kinder ab 5 from Alphabet Garten

A read-along adventure: Winnie Puuh

A story of a rainy, windy day in the Hundred Acre Wood where Puuh and Ferkel (Piglet) are blown about by gusty breezes and Puuh rescues Ferkel from a flood.


The pace and length of this story is just right for my 4 year old - a few sentences per page with accompanying sound effects and different voices for the characters. The page-turn signal allows him to listen without assistance from me and he can listen to the whole book in under 10 minutes. We particularly like the sweetly classic Pooh illustrations and gentle colors.

Winnie Puuh und das Hundewetter (storybook with audio-CD) from Alphabet Garten

New Titles in the Baby Boardbook Set

I'm very excited to announce the new titles in the Baby Boardbook set. With this collection, you receive Im Kindergarten, Auf dem Spielplatz (At the Playground), Bei uns Zuhause (At our House), and Beim Einkaufen (Going Shopping). The books are a bit bigger this time, 7 inches square, with lots of detail to look at in each double-page spread. The sturdy boardbook pages will withstand much loving from their readers!

This set is one of the top 5 items in the store - it's great for kids ages 1-4. If you don't speak German, you will find this is an easy choice for a gift - a great collection all ready to go.

Zum Geburtstag, viel Glück...!

My baby is 1 year old today! With 2 big brothers, he certainly doesn't need any toys or clothes. In fact, we have been trying to weed out all the extra stuff in the house. So I had no problem turning to my favorite indulgence, books! Or specifically, Bücher! And there was so much to choose from!

Have you seen Groß und Kleine - Wilde Tiere? It is the cutest book - perfect for my little guy who expects a book to have more than a story - it needs to do something. This book has a large puzzle piece with a wild animal baby on every other page and a picture of the baby and it's mama on the opposite side. The book is about 5 inches square, a bit on the chunky side, perfect for little hands and the boardbook pages are extra-thick and durable. I recommend loosening the pieces before giving it to the anxious recipient.

The new Max und Mini series is also a big hit - cut-outs in every page let you peek through to the next page. J is enjoying Max und Mini lernen die Gegensätze (opposites).

This last book isn't really for babies but the story is so sweet, that I decided to add it to our collection anyway. J has just started sitting still for short books so we'll work up to this one - Das kleine Blau und das kleine Gelb. In this story in verse, das kleine Blau (blue) and Gelb (yellow) play together and get all mixed up when they discover they can make green! When they go home, their parents don't recognize them until they separate again. With only a line or two on each page and large text, this is a great book for beginning readers. A fun way to talk about colors and friendship.

An excerpt:

Doch in der Schule, wie man sieht,
Sitzt alles brav in Reih und
Glied.

Kaum aber ist die Schule aus,
Geht's wie der Wirbelwind nach
Haus.

Happy Birthday, J!

Review: Geschichten vom Fussballplatz

Four short stories about Ole and his soccer team aimed at beginning readers. The stories are interesting, employing soccer specific vocabulary that will keep your young sports fan engaged and challenged. With pictures replacing main words in the text, and a glossary at the end of each story, it is a good way to introduce new vocabulary and longer words that might discourage a beginning reader. Part of the first level of the Loewe Reading l Ladder series, this Bildermaus book is targeted to beginning readers age 5 and above.

Geschichten vom Fussballplatz $14.20

Review: Kunterbunte 1-2-3 Minutengeschichten

A collection of 100 poems and short stories to entertain your little ones or challenge your more experienced readers. With so many choices, you are sure to find some favorite themes, and at only 1-3 minutes long, there is always time to read “just one more”.

Kunterbunte 1-2-3-Minutengeschichten

-- Hardcover: $30.95

-- CD $27.54

Review: Du groß, und ich klein (Minimax)

In this allegory, the King Lion adopts an orphaned little elephant who can only say “Ich, klein.” The two spend their days together, like father and son, with the lion teaching the elephant all he knows. The Elephant grows bigger every day, until the King Lion says he is so big that the Lion can’t believe he is the King. So the Elephant must go off on his own to live his own life. Upon his return many years later, he finds that the aged Lion needs the Elephant to take care of him. Repeated throughout the story is the theme of “Du groß, und ich klein”.

Du groß, und ich klein: $13.60

Book Review: Fünfter sein

A good choice to read with your child prior to their next doctor’s visit. This prize winning, yet simple and elegant book is based on a poem by the famous author, Ernst Jandl. The spare, rhythmic text counts backwards from five, as the broken toys sit in a waiting room, until there is only one left and on the last page we see who and what is in the next room. The illustrations complement the text, showing a range of emotions often seen in waiting rooms, including curiosity, boredom, apprehension and fear, while the swinging ceiling light emphasizes the toys going in and coming out.

Fünfter sein: $32.28

Gifts for 4 year old twin boys

Hi Sarah,
It’s that time of year again when I need help picking out gifts for my nearly 4 year old twin nephews who speak German primarily.

I would appreciate any book/dvd/game suggestions. You always make excellent suggestions. I am interested in the Dr. Suess book that I saw on your website.

Thanks-J

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Hi J,

Thanks for your note. Yes, the Grinch book is a classic. I've just put a new title "1-2-3 Minuten Geschichten" on the website - it's got over 200 pages of very quick stories. There is also an audiobook with the same stories - it will be in next week.

Die Weihnachtsmaus is very cute

Was können diese Fahrzeuge is a nice book with several stories about vehicles.

I think the Mini Lesemaus set is new since you last ordered

Augen zu, kleiner Tiger is adorable.

Na warte, sagte Schwarte is a very silly story about two pigs who get married and decide to paint all the wedding guests since, being pigs, they are all in the buff and dirty.

There's a great collection of DVDs called Abenteuer Sehen with 6 hours of classic shows for kids.

That should give you a good start! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Viele Gruesse,
Sarah

Book Suggestions

I have gotten so many requests for suggestions lately, I thought I'd post some of them online so that others may benefit from the ideas. I will leaving names and other identifying information off for reasons of privacy.

I hope you find this information useful! If you have any questions about what books are appropriate for your child, please send an email to thea @ alphabet-garten.com.

Viele Gruesse!
Sarah

Suggestions for Teenagers

Hi! I'm interested in purchasing a few books for my son, age 17, who has studied High School German for two years. We are a homeschool family and have used an online school (German Online - Oklahoma State University) for this language study. I'm wondering if you could possibly help advise me as to what books might be an appropriate level.
Thank you for any help you can offer.



Sincerely,

L

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Dear L,



Thanks for your request. How nice to hear from other homeschoolers! I am homeschooling my 3 little ones (7, 3, and 1). I suggest you take a look at this series of German/English stories- I think they would be perfect for your son with a good command of German - they should be entertaining and a bit challenging. They are a lot of fun.
Please let me know if you have any questions.


Viele Gruesse,
Sarah

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

Christmas Titles

We have so many wonderful new titles for Christmas! Here are a few that are sure to make your season sparkle!

Die neue Liederfibel zur Weihnachstzeit

This songbook is such a beautiful accompaniment for Christmas time. I love the colorful illustrations on the cover and throughout. My kids always get a kick out of my playing the piano (melody only!) and this book will make it easy for me to play some of these songs for them. The melody is provided in fairly large musical notation, 1 song per double page spread.

The CD is also a great addition - I'm always looking for good Christmas CDs. The children's voices are so sweet and listening put me in such a Christmas mood! Isn't it a bit early for that? :)

Listen to a sound clip.

Please note - the book and the CD are sold separately and also as a set so make sure to pick the set if you want them both.

Die neue Liederfibel zur Weihnachtszeit Book / CD Set $58.80 (save 12%)

Die neue Liederfibel zur Weihnachstzeit (book) $41.50

Die neue Liederfibel zur Weihnachstzeit (CD) $24.99

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Die Weihnachtsmaus (Laterne, Laterne)

The most famous poem from James Krüss. A treat for all.

Die Weihnachtsmaus (Laterne, Laterne) $13.90