What made you smile today? :)

[Sannerl]

Corner-Buns.png (623.79 KiB) Viewed 144 times

[Franklan]

The new supermarket.jpg (61.58 KiB) Viewed 130 times

[colincostello]

As I walked into my local library , I came across a lovely sight. Young kids decorating the Christmas tree.
Each kid was given a small decoration to hang on the lower branches. The higher branches were no problem as the adults simply lifted the kids up. It brought a tear to my eye. They were so well behaved as well.
The kindergarden must be one of the greatest gifts ever bestowed upon the rest of the world by Germany.

[HEM]

The kindergarden must be one of the greatest gifts ever bestowed upon the rest of the world by Germany.

I recall back in the Winter of 1966/67 when we were living in Munich / Ottobrunn that we had a visit from a US chemistry professor who uttered the immortal words "Say, do they have Kindergarten in Germany as well?"

[bethannbitt]

The kindergarden must be one of the greatest gifts ever bestowed upon the rest of the world by Germany.

I recall back in the Winter of 1966/67 when we were living in Munich / Ottobrunn that we had a visit from a US chemistry professor who uttered the immortal words "Say, do they have Kindergarten in Germany as well?"

But he meant Vorschule (which doesn't exist in Konstanz) I would think, not Kindergarten as we know it here. In the US kindergarten is Grade 0 and it's located in the grade school. In my day where I grew up it was only a half day and not compulsory. What Germans call Kindergarten is commonly referred to as preschool in the US (at earlier points it was of course commonly called nursery school). So I find his question logical, depending on the context of the conversation and the participants, as the word has a different meaning in American English.

[colincostello]

And what next? Do they have nativity plays in Germany? In the schools and kindergartens? I hope so.

[Fraufruit]

But he meant Vorschule (which doesn't exist in Konstanz) I would think, not Kindergarten as we know it here. In the US kindergarten is Grade 0 and it's located in the grade school. In my day where I grew up it was only a half day and not compulsory. What Germans call Kindergarten is commonly referred to as preschool in the US (at earlier points it was of course commonly called nursery school). So I find his question logical, depending on the context of the conversation and the participants, as the word has a different meaning in American English.

In South Carolina, it was mandatory in order to get in first grade. My late sister flunked kindergarten and started school at 7. She was just too immature and grew out of it. No idea what the requirements are now.

Oh, and kindergarten wasn't in all elementary schools. We went to some place called Mead Hall for kindergarten. Very few moms were working back then. God I'm old.

[bethannbitt]

In South Carolina, it was mandatory in order to get in first grade. My late sister flunked kindergarten and started school at 7. She was just too immature and grew out of it. No idea what the requirements are now.

Oh, and kindergarten wasn't in all elementary schools. We went to some place called Mead Hall for kindergarten. Very few moms were working back then. God I'm old.

Yeah, interesting how different kindergarten was from place to place, even within a state. I believe at some point after our time (yours and mine) it became compulsory to offer it nationwide in order to receive federal funds, but since the Department of Education is slowly being demolished, where that will go is anybody's guess.
My kindergarten story, from 1963, is about pissing off my very old teacher, Mrs. Billhouse, cuz rather than tend to the store in the big playhouse corner I would sit at the table and read the faux newspaper instead of tending to the stove. She told me since I was a girl I shouldn‘t pretend to be a man reading the newspaper, and I politely explained that my mother also sits at the table and reads the newspaper. She complained to Mom about what a sass I was and Mom explained that I was just stating the facts. Mom, 88, still loves to tell that story. Repeated it again in September during our visit.