Please Tell Us About Your Country - German Edition

 
I requested materials from many countries' embassies for our upcoming year of school.  This is the last country in the series of posts.  You can read the original post here.  The German embassy went well above the call of duty and an sent amazing array of materials.  They were very prompt in replying and these two photos are of the things they sent us.  They also sent an email with a great list of online resources.  Those I've added in at the bottom of the post with their descriptions.

The embassy sent in triplicate:

•  lanyards with the German and US flags
• German flags and wristbands
• Pens, pencils and stickers for the German Information Center
• Get to Know Germany Coloring Book
• Facts about Germany
• UNESCO World Heritage in Germany (that was my favorite) 
• All this is Germany - magazine highlighting historical towns and cities
• DE Magazin Deutschland - Politics, Culture and Business (the current issue highlighted sustainable development).  They also an issue from 2007 focused on Art and Culture.
• Religious Germany
• Vibrant Towns and Cities - A large travel magazine
• Welcome to Germany - The Magazine for Independent Travellers (Issues Winter 2011 and Summer 2012)
• Destination Germany
• A 2 sided map with political and physical boundaries.
• On the ball with the beautiful game - Women's World Cup booklet      
• A road map

It was so much stuff it made me feel guilty for asking.  I'm sharing all the duplicates with homeschool coop families.

Dankeschön

Online Materials suggested by the embassy:

http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/02__GIC/GIC/03/__Print.html

Educational videos and dvds are available online and for download through the following website:

http://www.magazine-deutschland.de/en/video-categories.html?rmnmm_src=video

For additional educational material, we suggest contacting the Goethe-Institut, Germany’s center for language and culture.  To find an institute near you and to view their material online, please visit the following website:

http://www.goethe.de/lhr/mat/enindex.htm

In addition to these materials, I would like to direct you to our website, www.germany.info.  There you can find information about Germany for various grade levels and interests.  Germany for Kids (www.germany.info/kids) and Germany for Teens (www.germany.info/teens) are accessible websites especially designed to introduce students to various aspects of German culture and life.

Also located on www.germany.info under the heading "Education and Exchange," you can find teacher kits and other educational resources for teachers.
http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/06__Education/01/03/__Resources__for__teachers.html

The German Information Center USA also provides several electronic newsletters, including a bi-monthly newsletter for educators, "Germany in Class." To find a description of all electronic newsletters and instructions as to how to subscribe, please visit the following website:

http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/02__GIC/GIC/04/__Newsletter.html

Finally, the following Web sites may provide you with additional materials for your class.

http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/

http://www.young-germany.de/

http://www.land-of-ideas.org/

http://www.deutschland.de/

http://www.cometogermany.de/

http://www.entdecke-deutschland.de

http://www.hanisauland.de/en/en_index.html (for children)

http://publications.europa.eu/docs/flipping_book/catalogue/index.htm#/0 (about European Union)

I've shared this post:
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Learning ALL the time 
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Schultute - 1st day of 1st Grade

Schultute are German and it's the special package you get on the first day of first grade.  They stuff theirs with school supplies and candy.  We stuffed ours with maps and snacks.

I got this idea from Wondertime magazine which is no longer being published.  The small cutting instructions are theirs.

First I painted a sheet of white poster board in a way I thought he'd like.  I used another blank sheet as a template following the magazine's instructions.

We homeschooled last year, but this first day of first grade feels more like our intro to homeschooling.  Our school district has a lottery for their magnet and fundamental (read better) public schools.  Last year we didn't get anything in the lottery and decided to homeschool until first grade when there's eligibility for the county gifted school.  This year we made the lottery for the gifted school but decided against going.  It was a hard decision as there's no guarantee  we would make the lottery in any future grades however, the school is a ways away.  It would 3 hours of round trip travel every day.  The school is only 18 miles away but with driving to the bus stop, waiting for the bus, doing the bus route, getting to school and then reversing the process it would be an extremely long day for a 6 year old, who is not very mature for a 6 year old at that.

Not having the option to see friends during the week, do sports or any extra activities for older Toad as well as younger because of the long  schedule made the decision to homeschool an easy one for us.  We really appreciate the flexibility that homeschooling offers.

 It's going to be a great year!