As soon as we found out we were going to Germany we planned on enrolling Abby in an all-German school. They are pretty hardcore about education over here and children start preschool at age three. The day is fairly structured, but they still allow plenty of time for creative and free play. The children aren’t graded, but parents received regular feedback from both teachers.
We looked at over 10 preschools but didn’t find one that we feel in love with. Jeremy and I definitely had an idea of what we considered constructive learning and what kinds of traits we wanted to see in her teacher. It was nice that we had full control as to what school she attended and who would be influencing her. It’s certainly better to be the interviewer than the interviewee.
Luckily, we fell in love with a preschool that is located 10 minutes from our house. I’m not going to post the name of the school because I want to write freely about her experiences there without them being able to Google my blog. That being said, I will post a ton of pictures J.
This is a photo of Abby on her first day of preschool.
She loves the mini toilets.
I love how they use nature to inspire creative play. For example, the vine tunnel.
This is the main classroom.
The reading nook.
The play center.
This is the art room on one side and the dining room on the other.
This is in the bathroom.
I love all the interesting art around the school.
It's awesome that they eat all organic and local foods. It is all made from scratch every day. They even set the tables with real glass plates and decorate it with fresh flowers. Abby loves the fine dining.
I snapped this photo on my way out the first day. They are having pears and apples for a snack. She immediately made a group of friends and ditched us.
Her teacher is amazing. She specializes in speech development. Let me just say that a HUGE lesson I am learning in Germany is not to judge people. Abby’s teacher is a prime example of why. She is very pretty and looks like Angelina Jolie. She is incredibly thin, has quite the chest and dresses like Peggy Bundy. There is no way they would hire her in the States; she would be considered too cutting edge for the students. But if you look past the one-shouldered tops, skin tight pants and platform shoes you would see a very thoughtful, diligent, brilliant, caring and capable teacher. She is good at what she does and the kids love her. Abby goes to a super competitive school and this teacher must have had mad skills to have been hired.
The teachers here are super affectionate with the children and don't think twice about kissing them right on the lips as they leave. Abby is the youngest in her class and leaves a few hours before the other kids. Her teacher loves to put the other kids down for their nap and then cuddle up in a blanket and read with Abby until I get there. She really puts in extra effort to spend time with each child individually.
It is really nice to have my mornings just with Oliver so I can get some chores done and sneak in a nap. Preschool is the best idea ever.
Sometimes I have to get creative with Ollie when I am busy helping Abby. He's hung out in her bed, in her toy box, tucked between the microwave and my breastfeeding pump on the kitchen counter, in the laundry basket (with laundry), etc. It's a good thing I never forget where I put him!
Lately she's been throwing some serious tantrums at night. I've nicknamed him The Godfather. Doesn't he look like he wants to call a hit on someone in this photo?
Abby spent the ride home breastfeeding her bear. It's pretty sad to think she's more confident doing it in public than I am. But I digress...
