“Help me to do it myself. Show me how to do it. Don’t do it for me. I can and want to do it alone. Have patience to understand my way to do it. It might take a bit longer and I may need some more time, because I want to try more than once. Allow me to make mistakes, because I learn from them.” (Maria Montessori)
OUR PEDAGOGICAL WORK
We encourage children’s independence and confidence in themselves, supporting them in their individual development within all areas of learning (intellectual, emotional, motoric, linguistic, social & creative). Orientating them towards the “Bayerische Bildungs- und Erziehungsplan”.
We use methods & principles of various approaches, which fit to the needs of each individual child:
Observation – We place close attention to the needs of each child to use as a basis for a well targeted pedagogical effort
Bilingual Education – “One person, one language” immersion approach
Involvement with Parents – We welcome parents into our Kindergarten and encourage their involvement in our Parent-Initiative. We do several family activities such as Summer Fest, Easter Basket workshop, Lantern workshop and Christmas party.
Physical Activity & Outings – We visit the playground on a daily basis and alternate going to libraries or museums during bad weather. The children are taken on regular excursions that explore current themes being explored or celebrate current festivals. The involvement of our International families also means that our children are exposed to festivities and traditions from all over the world.
Pre-School – Supporting children before and within the transition to Primary School by conducting 2 pre-school sessions a week in German & English. We follow the Bayerische Bildungs- und Erziehungsplan closely.
Organic Catered Lunch – Supporting healthy and well-balanced eating habits
Music – We include music in our daily routine and have a variety of instruments in the Kindergarten for the children to play with, including a piano. We also have a weekly music class, conducted by a professional music school.
Our Daily Schedule
7:30 – 8:50: Drop Off & Free Play – With suggestions and stimuli from the Team
9:00: Tidy-up Time
9:10-9:45: Morning Circle (German/English)
Two groups: Sapphires (over 4 years old) and Amethysts (under 4 years old). For special occasions there is a big morning circle with all the children.
9:45-10:30: Healthy Breakfast – Provided by kindergarten
10:30-12:00 (Summer) 11:00-12:00 (Winter): Daily Outdoor Activity – Playground / Excursions
12:30-13:00: Organic Lunch – Delivered daily by an Organic Catering Company
13:00-13:30: Quiet Time / Story Time / Sleeping Time
13:30-14:30: Free Play / Pre-School (2 times per week)
14:30-15:00: Healthy Snack – From Home
15:00-16:45: Free Play – With suggestions and stimuli from the Team
WHO WE ARE
We are a group of parents who founded and are now running a bilingual kindergarten in order to give our children a safe and comfortable place ideal for both learning and playing. We are a registered non-profit organization. Each parent has to become a member of the organization.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US
- Supporting the children in their individual development
- Early language training
- Experience of an international environment
- Supporting healthy and well-balanced eating habits
- Involvement in and support of our children’s care
WHY BILINGUAL
In the age of globalization, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to speak more than one language. Furthermore, the integration and the support of non-German families is very important to us. Kindergarten is the ideal time to lay the foundations for bilingualism and we want to support this. Children learn by playing, singing, dancing and painting. They will be encouraged to participate and at the same time their language skills will develop.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
Close parental involvement with the kindergarten team is necessary to create an optimal environment for our children. Becoming part of our Parent-Initiative means that each family will take on a role at the kindergarten. The parent tasks vary from finance to recruiting, event planning, website, maintenance & repairs.
Parents should be prepared to spend a few hours a month actively working on behalf of the kindergarten. The board of management consists of 3 members, who are elected from and by the parents. These board members oversee 3 committees namely Finance, Parents & Personnel. Every family is expected to take over certain responsibilities and should be willing to take over a board role, should the need arise.
There aren’t any daily cleaning or cooking duties, but parents do a spring clean of the facilities twice a year and are also placed on a stand-by roster once a month. Mandatory parents’ meetings are held every second month, where one parent per family needs to be present. he collaboration between parents and staff is essential for the smooth running of the kindergarten and is a significant factor in the friendly and family-like atmosphere.