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LucyP
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In September my husband is going to Germany for a week, for work. I am, frankly dreading a week alone with my high needs children and have planned to take a week off home schooling and have a "german week", following daddy in our imaginations. Does anyone have an ideas or links to help me plan and prepare? I need to feel confident going into this, as the children go into meltdown when daddy is away. I was hoping to have recipe ideas, craft ideas, tell saint stories and folk/fairy tales, so lots of light, gentle activities. We will probably do a bit of geography and language activities if it is possible, but I am less worried about that. I so wish we could go with him!
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Mary K
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Some recommendations:books: Cooking the German Way; Look what came from Germany; Count your way throught Germany. Brothers Grimm stories/crafts to go with them, dvds/cds of German language, learn some German words andtry to use them with each other, tour dvd (might want to preview first). Make "passports" and "flight tickets" with the kids before your husband leaves so you can all "join" him on the trip.
Have fun!
Mary-NY
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guitarnan
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| Posted: June 28 2011 at 5:55pm | IP Logged
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Food fun:
Pretzels
Spaetzle (can be tricky, but oh, so yummy!)
Bratwurst (cook and eat - how easy is that?!)
Sauerkraut (from jar - rinse well, cook gently with cut up apples and a bit of white wine or apple juice)
Off to think of more fun ideas!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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pmeilaen
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Do you know any German? Does your library have German books/tapes/songs? How old are your children? I'm German myself and used to teach German, although at the college level. My children are all bilingual and we have lots of resources here at home. Maybe some of our materials would be helpful to you.
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LucyP
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| Posted: June 29 2011 at 7:04pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for the ideas, ladies. German food in the shops locally always looks - ummm, unappetizing to me, all those sausages and cabbage in jars  But I have seen some actual recipes that sound good.
I did a couple of years of german at school, but that is it. My kids are 7 and 4. We really like Grimms and there are some pretty cool german saint stories...I think it could be fun and help us all keep busy in a gentle way. Mainly I think I need ideas but no definite plans. A big pile of books and then let's see what happens. Otherwise my tension that all my lovely plans are being ignored will add to the problems.
I think my main terror is being left alone for 7 days. One day with my most high needs child is exhausting enough. By then, I hope and pray, we will have been able to get regular child care situation in place, which will help me cope.
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kristinannie
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I could always send you my German Beer Drinking Songs CD!  German food is so much more than brats and beer though. Your family might like Sauerbraten or Jaegerschnitzel. If you have German food in your stores, you might look into that.
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guitarnan
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History ideas:
Saint Boniface
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
Saint Albertus Magnus
Johannes Gutenberg
German composers (Beethoven, Brahms, Strauss, Bach) - Mike Venezia has a fun kids' bio series on artists and composers
And, for that totally desperate day...
Get some big sheets of paper (in a roll, or taped together) and hang them up on an outside or needs-to-be-painted wall...explain about the Berlin Wall and its graffiti...and hand out the crayons.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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stacykay
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Here is an old and short Germany unit thread.
Will dh's visit coincide with Oktoberfest? You all could plan a fun party! Put on some "oompah" music and have a root beer and homemade pretzels.
You could start your school year, if you begin in September, with the schultueten for dc.
Check your library for country videos for children. Our's has a dvd for nearly every country you can think of! I try to pair a video with a country unit. It's so fun to actually see the country. I have a huge list I'd like to visit, now, and Germany is in the top five.
Also, since you mention dc really miss dh when he is gone, would having outings planned for the week, or visits with friends, keep them busy? Maybe turn the Oktoberfest into a small gathering?
In Christ,
Stacy in MI
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pmeilaen
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| Posted: July 01 2011 at 4:52pm | IP Logged
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What about some Eric Carle books in German?
Usborne also has some German books for children, including flashcards.
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CrunchyMom
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guitarnan wrote:
Get some big sheets of paper (in a roll, or taped together) and hang them up on an outside or needs-to-be-painted wall...explain about the Berlin Wall and its graffiti...and hand out the crayons.
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Brilliant!
I really like the Usborne German picture dictionary as well. 
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SallyT
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We have a set of Usborne German word cards -- my husband is a (non-native) German speaker, and my kids have enjoyed being able to surprise him with some German vocabulary. They're colorful and fun, and you can do just a few and feel you've really done something (learn to count to ten in German, etc -- my kids like counting in different languages).
If you have a Sainsbury's nearby, I remember that ours in Cambridge carried things like schinken (sp? thinly-sliced German ham), and maybe also some German breads. Doing a German breakfast can be especially fun and easy. One of my children has a German godfather, and my older ones remember with great fondness his family's big table all set with ham, various crusty and seedy breads, cheeses, and their favorite -- Nutella on toast.
I love that Berlin Wall idea! We may have to do that. I have no end of walls that need painting.
Sally
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Help me plan a german week, please!
