GAP
Practical guidance, family resources and everyday moments connected to German-language early learning through GAP Playschool.
These posts help families understand the rhythm, routines, culture and community around early childhood learning at Spielwelt.
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Birgit’s Nature Mandalas
Wenn ihr spazieren geht und in der Natur seid koennt ihr doch mal versuchen Mandalas zu machen. Es gibt viele Dinge mit denen man kreativ sein kann. Zum Beispiel: Blumen, Baumrinde, Blaetter, kleine Aeste. When you go for a walk out in nature (or as our indigenous friends say, when you are “on country”), it…
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Survival Tips From Families
In our phone calls to GAP families, we asked them to share some of their lockdown survival tips. Here are some of the tips. Alter your expectations and reframe what “a successful day” looks like.. Yes, you know you want to avoid children having screen time, but this is a pandemic. Give yourself a break.…
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Getting Greener
The IPCC report has been published for 2021 and it is clear that humans have not been doing enough to halt climate change. We have made many “green” changes at Spielwelt, won environmental awards, and implemented our Keen-to-be-Green initiative. As a parents association responsible for our children’s future, we applaud the ACT government’s efforts, and…
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Support Material for Young Children about Covid
We hope you are all doing well, and are still having fun. The Australian Childhood Foundation website has plenty of covid-19 related resources for families, including social stories to help explain covid-19, mask-wearing, and beating lockdown-boredom for children and to help them manage any worries they might have. There are activities and posters you can…
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Igelchen and Echidna Lesson
The little echidna pictured at the top of this blog lives in Canberra. I took a little video for the children, showing the echidna walking along. She has short bent legs, and it reminded me of a German children’s song about a hedgehog (ein Igel). Hedgehogs and echidnas look quite similar. Here is my very…
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Make a Crown
Paper crowns are super easy to make, and who doesn’t want to be a Queen, King, Prince or Princess for a day? Schön wäre es, Königin, König, Prinz oder Prinzessin zu sein! Lisa3 has kindly created a fancy crown template for you to download, print and colour in. Once you have coloured it in, all…
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Vacuuming Paper Bits
Here’s an extremely simple and fun activity that children (3yrs and up) can do themselves. Give your child some paper, scissors, a straw and little container. Your child can cut the paper into little squares (or other shapes). For those who like learning to cut in straight lines, here’s a downloadable sheet of squared paper…
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Bohnenblumen: Bean Flowers
Spring is in the air and flowers are starting to appear! Maybe you can make flowers appear inside your house too… Join GAP Teacher Gerda in making some beautiful flowers and hearts using beans and lentils! Click on the link to download / watch the video. As you know, we love art and craft using…
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Vogeldrachen: Bird Kite
A craft and an outdoor activity in one! Here is Lisa3 to show you how to make a super bird kite that you can take to the park or play with in your garden! Download and watch Lisa3’s awesome Vogeldrachen instruction and demo video. Tip: Before you punch the hole for the string, reinforce the…
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Potato Prints
Here is a great craft you can do indoors or outdoors: Kartoffeldrucken (potato prints)! Parent supervision / help will be needed with the knife and cutting part, but the rest children can likely do themselves. You can download and watch Lisa3’s lesson about Kartoffeldrucken in German. Tip 1: If you plan to do letters, make…