Kinderladen
6 January 2010
You have kindergarden, you have pre school, you have nursery but Germany is the Icelandic horse, having an extra gait. That of the kinderladen. Kinderladen is much like kindrgarden but is more relaxed, with more emphasis on playing. Kinderladen’s began popping up in the late 60′s and 70′s in germany and from what I am told were anti establishment for the time but they have slowly gained in popularity to the point where now modern german kindergarden has taken on alot of the kinderladen philosophy. Anyways Clay started kinderladen this week. He started on Monday. I don’t remember this happening when I was at nursery, but for the first week or so the parent/s stay with the kid until he or she has settled in and is ready to let go. It’s very gentle and makes the kids really feel safe as they move into their new chapter. So this week I have mostly been in the company of 2-5 year olds. These people are the coolest. They are so natural and don’t hide their emotions. I feel quite at home. The kinderladen day starts with breakfast around a table with all the other kids, then some play, then go outside in the snow for some outside play, ( I was relentlessly ambushed by 6 toddlers yesterday).
Then back for some inside play, then it’s lunch, then they can choose to sleep or storytime… what happens in the afternoon I can’t say because we go home after lunch. There are 3 women and a guy who work there. They are all very cool and deal really well with the kids. They also feed them organic food. Apparently organic food has the same amount of nutrients as normal food but has non of the chemicals or toxins associated with the mass food industry, insecticides etc which probably contributes to many ills cancer blah. Nora has leaned toward organic for some time and, although sceptical at the beginning, I have to say I, don’t get ill as much as I did before. Oh and the kinderladen is german speaking. Clay speaks english but understands german. He speaks more german when I am on tour. There is one other little boy who speaks a bit of english but it’s of no consequence as most kids at that age operate outside of language. They all have their wee trays which are stacked up, containing their vital shit. Anyways, I was happy to see The King was in the building.
This is lovely. Thank you Fran for writing these wonderful stories. It’s great and I believe quite a bit different to things here. Not that I would have much of an idea, of course.
i study educational sciences and actually had an exam about the beginning of kinderläden last year – it’s funny you come up with it, heh. it all sounds very nice
oh and another great pic of wintertime in berlin! according to the weather forecast you’ll probably get tons of fresh snow at the weekend…
I have a 3 yr old girl attending preschool and it seems that I can fully understand how you feel watching Clay in school. My girl also speaks two languages. It makes her confused sometimes but mostKids grow really fast, don’t they?
I can’t believe my girl is going to be 4 yr old in a few weeks later.
(Sorry for my mistake. I accidently pushed the enter key while correcting sentences.) Anyway, it seems that language difference doesn’t bother her from making new friends and learning new things. What a wonderful age!!! Hope Clay would be happy in his new chapter of life.
Hello Fran,
Thanks for sharing these lovely wee stories of your daily life in Germany. As you may recall, I mentioned I was going to visit Berlin in October during your visit to San Francisco when Ericha and I gave you that ride to the Swedish American Hall (What an amazing night!). Anyways, Berlin was brilliant! I did get to see the Bradenberg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and Mitte. We missed the flea market:( Next time! Hope to see you soon! -Lila xx
Elvis!! hehe
That was sweet to read. Hope Clay’s gonna have a great time with Elvis, Tristan, Piet, Jutta and all his new Kinderladen friends
…nice shot btw.!
oops..I mean Jette not Jutta
Tee hee, not sure who’s having the most fun, the kids or you Fran! Enjoy
And has Clay settled in well? Sometimes us parents have a harder time then they do, kids are so resilient aren’t they?
A couple of years ago, i was anxious when my oldest daughter started college..OMG! They are never too old to be worried about
Still waiting for enough snow for a snowball fight and sledging here on Toronto…..
Enjoy your fun and try to get some rest, did you get any good advice for your jetlag yet?
this is the coolest thing iv read in ages lol..elvis…that kids a fking legend
haha I remember how nervous I was the first day. I’m an only child so the prospect of other little people my age was a bit nerve racking. I dragged my mom up to the door but all the other little children we playing and laughing, and I turned around to her and said, “OK you can leave now!” hahaha Hopefully Clay’s experience is better than mine. I was too smart for kindergarten and so, during reading time and such, they sat me at a table in the corner, by myself to read chapter books. I was a pretty self-contained child anyway but, I wanted to read about Babar too!!!
hmph.
“wee trays…containing their vital shit.” Well put! As adults we should all have wee trays containing our vital shit. Love the little glimpses into your daily life. Can’t wait to hear more of the record! Do you think you’ll tour as a solo artist – with a band – without a band? I suppose you need to concentrate on recording, first! Ok, keep it coming and thanks for sharing…
Maybe Elvis, and Clay doing his Michael Jackson impression, can team up to rule the school.
I don’t know of any pre-schools or nurseries who let the parents stay in that first week. It’s a really good way to settle the wee ones down instead of just leaving them on day one. My daughter is now 11 but I remember her first days in pre-school so clearly, like it was last year, cherish all of these moments Fran. I hope Clay loves his time at kinderladen, it sounds lovely and very caring towards the children.
Was quite disturbed at the wee trays sentence and thought: What? They don’t have a toilet? What’s a wee tray??? And then saw the photo
What we call organic food these days our grandparents or great grandparents would have simply called Food. They were so fortunate not to have their food full of chemicals back then.
Aww, how sweet! This makes me think of my kindergarden days. I remember it like it was yesterday…Thanks for sharing!
This takes me back to when my eldest boy started nursery school here in France. He was 4 yrs old at the time. We’d just moved from the UK and English was his main language (he spoke a little French but found it tough making sentences) I was worried he find it difficult making friends. It took him 3 weeks to be chatting away in French. I was gobsmacked at how easy he made it look. At that age, kids are so flexible and they adjust to practically any situation. I hope Clay has fun times with Elvis and co and that his Dad isn’t too upset at not getting to play allday at the Kinderladen.
Is the Kinderladen free or does one have to pay for them? Either way it is awesome that that provide organic food and allow a time for the child to transition with a parent going to school with them. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story!
I wonder if little Elvis will be picked on later on in life for his name. Hopefully, not/
It is a pay thing. I don’t know how much it costs. Nora is the boss.
Nice story
heh fran,
nice storys and website..!!
best wishes for 2010 for you and your
family..
hope to see you again this year !
greetings from frankfurt..
toad
Aww, I loved this story! I remember when I first started kindergarden (nearly 21 years ago, lol) my mum stayed with me on the first few days. Can’t remember for how long she stayed, since I was 3 years old. But I remember my mum being there with me while we played. I thought this was a common thing, but apparently it’s not.
And I totally get what you say about kids and the language thing. My friend’s little kid (his name is Fran!) was born in Argentina and speaks mostly Spanish, but they moved to Germany a couple of years ago. He started kindergarden last August (he’ll turn 4 in April). He’s a big fan of numbers, and the very first day there was a kid with a 2 in his t-shirt, so Fran followed him all morning and that’s how they became friends, lol. Fran’s adapting quite well. He has many friends now, and language is not a problem. Now he speaks a mix of Spanish and German. He tought me a couple of words: nochmals and blumen.
Good luck to Clay in Kinderladen! Sounds great.
)
its great to read that things are going happily good in your life
best wishes for 2010
nice website and thanx for telling us all this things
good luck with your solo album cant wait to hear it
greeteings from monterrey,mexico
hope to see you soon
Fran,
I love this story of your adventures at Clay’s school! I am a pre-k teacher and work everyday with four- and five-year-old kids– 20 of them. I love how you describe the children… “These people are the coolest. They are so natural and don’t hide their emotions. I feel quite at home.” This is why I’ve worked with kids for over 13 years!! Most of them haven’t been tainted by the world yet. And I do feel quite at home with them. Thank you for sharing these stories with us! It’s like seeing a beautiful new part of you! And it’s obvious how much you love your family!!! Take care! Donna Mac
Hi Fran,
where in Berlin is this Kinderladen? I probably move to Berlin in the coming month and have a 3 years old daughter. So I may need a “Betreuungsplatz” very fast and what you wrote sounds really good…
Lydia
God, I feel a little bit dumb…I’m from Germany myself and have never heard of Kinderladen. Which is a rather strange name too, since “Laden” is the german word for “shop”. Lovely story anyway.
Hello Fran…
Hahaha… 
Cool!
(I have already sent you a short Twitter message…
Here is Sara, from Bremen. I just read your very nice stories…and..I was totally surprised!!!!!!!!! I have never known -until you just told it-
that there would exist a “kinderLaden”!!!
I know kindergarden which are managed by parents…but I have never heard that word “Kinderladen” before!… And… -maybe I shouldn`t tell you that??!-
I AM a nursery nurse
I just had to check the word via wikipdia….hahaha…
Your stories and your kind of writing is wonderful. Please write MUCH more stories! And I hope one day in german, too!?….
It is funny how interested and excited young parents can be about the kindergarten stuff! For me it`s normal…
Affectionate regards
(= herzliche Grüße)
*Sara*