Germany
By: Victoria Hamm
SCHOOL
Children ages 3-6 may attend kindergarten. Elementary is considered to be grade 1 to 4. After the 4th grade, they are separated according to their academic ability and the wished of their families. They chose from either academic or vocational achievements.
The education system including college is available at no charge. The only catch is, the classes are taught in German which makes it more difficult to learn.
The German children only attend school in the mornings. There is a lot more homework with few extracurricular activities.
Homeschooling is not allowed in Germany!
CLOTHING
German kids do not wear uniforms to school. There clothing is very similar to our clothing but they have a different style. Some girls wear knee boots with short skirts to school while others would wear blue jeans.
PETS
Pets are very popular with the German kids. Over half the homes in Germany has a pet. The most popular pets are:
1st = Dogs 2nd = Cats 3rd = Hamster 4th = Fish
FAMILY LIFE
The father is generally the head of the family. The average family has only one or two children. Order, responsibility and achievement are traditional family values. Multi-Family Homes use to be very popular in Germany. However now a days, the young adults who earn wages often move out on their own.
UNUSUAL CUSTOMS
Birthdays are celebrated a bit differently in Germany than they are in the United States. Firstly, it's thought of a bad luck to wish someone a 'Happy Birthday' or give a card or present before the actual day. So, just to be on the safe side, many Germany wait until after the day has passed to send cards and presents. In Germany you are also expected to throw the party for yourself. You invite everyone to your house or to a restaurant where you cook or pay for everyone else.
LANGUAGE
American German
Hello! - Hi! Guten Tag!
Good morning! Guten Morgen!
Fine, thanks. Danke, gut.
Please! Bitte!
Thanks! Danke!
No Nein
Yes Ja
FAVORITE GAME
Chocolate Eating
Primary goal is to eat as much as possible of a bar of chocolate, but there are some obstacles.
Items needed:
Bar of chocolate
Newspaper
strong ribbon
dice
hat
scarf
mittens
knife and fork
Instructions:
1. Wrap chocolate in several layers of newspaper and secure with ribbon and place in the middle of the table.
2. All the kids should be sitting around the table.
3. Everyone rolls the dice to see who goes first. The highest roller is it, moving clockwise.
4. Each player rolls the die. The winning number is six (6).
5. The player who rolls the six begins to dress up with the hat, scarf & mittens. Unpack the chocolate and begin eating the chocolate with the utensils in hand… European style: knife in right hand, fork in left hand.
6. In the meantime, the other kids continue to roll the die in turn. As soon as the next one rolls a six, they take away the hat and other items from the prior girl and starts over again.
7. The main idea is to eat as much of the chocolate bar you can.
RECIPE
Brezel
You will need:
- A mixer
- A mixing bowl
- A kitchen knife
- Baking paper
- A basting brush
Ingredients:
- 250 g wholemeal flour
- 120 g butter
- 6 tablespoons of milk
- A pinch of salt
- Coarse salt or sesame seeds to sprinkle
- 1 egg yolk
Making the Pretzels:
- Preheat the oven
- Put the flour, the butter, the milk and a pinch of salt into the mixing bowl and mix them together until the dough is smooth.
- Form the dough into a roll and put it into the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- Cut the dough into lumps of about 3 - 4cm and roll each piece into a very thin rope (a little bigger than a pencil).
- Fold the dough into a U-shape. Bring the ends together and twist them to the shape of a pretzel.
- Lay them on a greased baking tray.
- Mix the egg yolk with one spoonful of water and brush the mix over the pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt or sesame seeds. Put in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
Then ... eat and enjoy! | 
