Today I want to deviate a little from the puppet theme. It's not far away, don't be scared :)) The first of September is just around the corner, and it's time to talk about first-graders! For this year, this happy fate fell on our family, and there is no way to bypass this topic.

I was fortunate enough to go to first grade back in the Soviet Union. A brown uniform with a white apron and white embroidered collars, white bows on an anxious head, a leatherette red briefcase with a bear and two clasps, the first bell in the hand of a little girl raised on the shoulder by a hefty tenth grader, yellow-red leaves underfoot, sprinkled with autumn rain, fresh September air, the speech of the unchanging headmistress and the traditional "They teach at school, they teach at school ..." from a loudspeaker. A little vaguely remembered, to be honest. Now I am no longer able to separate the first line from the next in memory, and perhaps the picture in my head is borrowed from the third or even from the sixth grade. Although stop, in the sixth school uniform has already been canceled ...

However, the image of a first-grader with a lush bouquet of asters or arrows of gladioli, clutched in trembling hands, with large bows, white top-black bottom, still firmly stuck in my head. However, as it turned out, my child became a completely different first grader. I could not refuse the traditional scheme in clothes, and my child turned out to be the most black and white in the class :) All the rest of the kids usually go to school in whatever. Of course, parents try to dress them more elegantly, in accordance with their tastes. Of course, this was most noticeable in the girls, but they, with a few exceptions in puffy "ball" dresses with tulle, lace and embroidery, were mostly in light summer dresses, colorful sundresses and skirts with T-shirts. There was no bow on ANYONE!!! True, one girl had a hat :)) The boys flaunted in trousers, jeans, shorts and shirts with polo shirts. Two of the entire class were wearing jackets and vests. Only mine had a tie. (And the teacher in the class said that he was the smartest! :)) In principle, the Germans are quite democratic in clothes, which is completely reflected in the outfits of first-graders. With regard to children, they adhere to the principle of quality, convenience and practicality. The main motto when choosing clothes for the "first of September" is to be worn every day.

About what distinguishes German first-graders from Russians, and in general about the German "first of September" and will be discussed today. Let's start with the fact that the Germans do not have "the first of September" in principle. Children go to school when the summer holidays are over. And they, like all other vacations in Germany, are sliding. Start and end dates vary from year to year and from land to land (there are only sixteen states in Germany). This season, for example, we were a little more lucky - our school started at the end of August, on the 24th. But next year, the satchel will have to be collected on the eve of August 7th. Alas, the summer holidays are short - only six weeks. But, however, autumn, two winter (Christmas and February) and spring (Easter) holidays last for two weeks, which somewhat compensates for the short summer. And different dates for the start and end of vacations in different lands were invented in order to slightly distribute the flows of parents going on vacation with their children. (As the Germans themselves say: "To ensure that traffic jams on autobahns are not fifty kilometers long, but twenty" :)) In addition, this is done to unload airports and hotels during the high "holiday" season, because for parents with schoolchildren this is the only way to relax together.

In a word, this year in our land the first of September was August 22, on Saturday. The weather was excellent, the day before, two days of rain had just ended and the sun was shining in a cloudless sky. We (parents, grandparents, relatives - first-graders are usually accompanied by a whole topla) left the house and went to ... No, not to school, but to the territory of the university, in one of the buildings of which, in a huge amphitheater auditorium, a solemn part. In Germany, most elementary schools now exist separately from secondary schools, gymnasiums, etc. So, in our elementary school there are 4 first classes of 28 students. And the "introductory part" was arranged in two visits - at 9:30 for classes 1a and 1b, and at 10:30 for classes 1c and 1d. Otherwise, everyone who wants to attend the celebration would not fit in the auditorium. (By the way, our dad, on the advice of my "experienced" girlfriend, a second grade mom, went early to take places closer to the "stage" for us.) We were the first party under the honorary number 1a. The teachers gathered the children in front of the entrance to the building, in order to then solemnly enter the hall and seat them in the front rows, while the parents and relatives, meanwhile, settled upstairs.

Everything was unexpectedly informal, warm and homely. The director of the school, surprisingly, did not make long parting speeches, but showed the first-graders what he usually carries with him to school in a large satchel. The children laughed in unison when he, like a magician, with funny comments from the bowels of the satchel, took either a teddy bear, or a boat, or a cell phone, by which he calls his mother when he becomes very sad. Then the fourth-graders took the stage with a small humorous musical and theatrical production about pirates and inhabitants of a magical island. And of course, the moral of the mini-performance came down to the fact that knowing the letters and learning to read and write is very useful. Well, immediately after the fun intermezzo, the kids were called to the stage (each was called by name, and when he went downstairs, his name shone on the big screen), congratulated again and the teachers took two classes out of the audience to go with them to school.

At school, each class found its own room, sat down at their desks and the teacher gave them the first lesson. Of course, I don’t know exactly what was there, I didn’t hold a candle :)) The child said that they were told a fairy tale! And then handed out textbooks and notebooks. I think this part is standard in all countries. Parents, meanwhile, also slowly reached the school (it took about ten minutes), and while their children were preparing to absorb knowledge, they were refreshed in the school yard with delicious cakes (with wasps :)) and drinks (non-alcoholic!), Which were specially prepared by the school fund financial support (there is one here, based on a voluntary basis, for everyone who wants to help the school (repairs, projects, etc.)). The treat was not free, but at purely symbolic prices.

So, while eating sweets, the parents crowded in the yard, waiting for their tomboys to leave the school. Each class went out in turn, then spread out along the steps of the school porch for a long time, so that parents and relatives could click the buttons on the cameras. In the eyes of the children there was no longer such fear and excitement as at the very beginning. Each first-grader held a small sunflower in his hands (the Germans generally have a very popular flower) and smiled in front of the camera a little bolder and more confidently. After all, after the photo session, the most important event of the day awaited them - the presentation of the Zuckertüte! And that's a completely different story.

Zuckertute or Schultute(lit. sugar or school bag, bag) is a cone-shaped bag, usually made of cardboard, that parents prepare for their first-grader to sweeten his way to school. The history of the sugar bag has more than two centuries, and they appeared, according to rumors, in Saxony (in Dresden) and in Thuringia (in Jena). In these lands, children used to be told that a tree with sugar bags grows in the teacher's house. And when they get big, it's time to go to school! The tradition of giving sugar bags to first-graders spread throughout Germany only after the First World War. Previously, godparents handed the bags to the child, but now, as a rule, parents do it. Often they give their child just huge bags the size of almost the size of a first-grader. Grandparents and other relatives, as a rule, give smaller bags.

Usually, the bags have a classic conical shape, although at the time when Germany was divided into western and eastern, it was customary in the GDR to give hexagonal bags 85 cm long, while in the FRG they had a round base, and were "only" 70 cm long. The bag itself can be made of different materials, but, as a rule, it is made of cardboard, to which a strip of fabric, corrugated paper or colored film is glued on top, which is tied with a ribbon (so that the contents do not fall out). Bags can be bought ready-made, or you can make it yourself with your child and decorate it to your liking. And here everyone is already trying, depending on their imagination and on the hobbies of the future student. Well, the filling for it can be very different. Parents usually fill them with sweets, fruits, small toys and school supplies (crayons, paints, etc.). The famous German children's writer Erich Kestner, born in Dresden, recalled in his memoirs his first day at school in 1906, when he, wanting to show his sugar bag to one of the neighbors, accidentally dropped it, and all the contents slept out. And little Erich stood ankle-deep in lollipops, chocolates, dates, oranges, cakes, waffles and golden chafers.

In a word, you already guessed that the sugar bag is, in fact, the culmination of the day and exactly what all this fuss with first-graders is arranged for :)) A little distraught from the eventful morning, they are taken into the arms of their parents and relatives and , finally, they get their cherished sugar bag (by the way, quite weighty), which they then carry, holding tightly with both hands, home in order to gut them as soon as possible, and along the way they try to guess and feel what lies inside.

The first day of school in Germany usually ends with a big family holiday, to which all relatives and close friends are invited. Someone celebrates at home, in the yard, with a grill and partying until late; someone meets in cafes and restaurants (they say that all decent establishments in the city on this day are usually booked almost a year in advance). We limited ourselves to domestic pleasures in the form of a bicycle ride along the Elbe and a small evening family feast. The child fell asleep right on the street in a folding chair in front of the fire ... It was a hard day :))

Homework, getting up at half past seven in the morning, grades at the end of the term - that's all later, and on Sunday there's still a whole day somewhere in between. Between childhood and the beginning of responsibility.

Hope you enjoyed!

Always yours,

Olya podsnezhniki.

P.S. All photos in this post are taken from the internet.

*this is a guest post

Irina Panasyan: Today my guest is Lyudmila Petrova - the author of the site "Folk ways of mastering the Internet."

She lives in Germany, and recently I asked her to talk about the history of traditional gifts for first graders. Here is her report from Cologne:

Ludmila Petrova: So, the first time in the first class. The scene is the city of Cologne, Germany ... Before that, parents buy special attributes for their children, symbolizing admission to school. This is the so-called "school bag" (Schultüte) - you can see how it looks in the photographs. Usually, after the donation of these attributes on the first of September, a festive divine service is performed, and after that, first-graders get acquainted with the school and teachers.

School bags were previously given only in East Germany. Then the tradition gradually spread throughout Germany and now it is an obligatory part of the September 1 holiday. As you can see, the tradition is colorful and the bags are quite weighty.

The age at which a child is sent to school is, like ours, 6 or 7 years old.
Sometimes especially caring parents want to speed up the learning process of their child and insist that the child be taken a year earlier to study. That is, not at 7 or 6, but at 5 years old. Officials usually do not interfere with this. Studying in Germany is a long and laborious process that requires full dedication from the student. Pupils, especially in high school, according to the stories of my friends, are loaded with studies to the very ears. After all, it is customary to make a good career here in order to earn good money later. And making good money means having money to buy a house, several cars and, in turn, provide your own children with everything necessary.

Therefore, all the efforts of parents are aimed at giving a proper education to their beloved offspring. I know Russian families who have come to Cologne who deny themselves everything so that their children get a decent education. And in order for its quality to be at its best, they often also pay for the services of third-party tutors. For example, to improve the knowledge of the second and third foreign languages.

“School bag” (Schultüte) is a beautiful tradition, it’s good that it has taken root in the country. Shops on the days of the school action are decorated in a festive style, the Germans certainly know how and love to do this. Natural taste and a sense of harmony allow you to embody the most original artistic ideas.

There are plenty of holidays throughout the year. Easter holidays are especially colorful, which smoothly flow into carnival processions. A school holiday, compared to carnivals, of course, looks much more modest. However, the school bags are as colorful as the carnival masks and outfits. And they will be remembered by first-graders in Germany as a memory of a distant sweet childhood, when trees and people were big, and when you first came to your first grade to learn more about everything that surrounds us.

Let's wish all first graders of the world, no matter what country they live in, happy school days and successful studies.

About how to make such a gift with your own hands, my master class is written:

About life in a German school - by the tags "first grade", "second grade", "third grade"...

Is your child a first grader in a German school? It will be a new (and hopefully positive and interesting) experience not only for him, but also for you.
For example, did you know that:
- to be an excellent student in a German school, one must study for one unit (and this mark is given very reluctantly). To get the final unit, you need not only write excellent written work, but also actively raise your hand in class, and sometimes even help others
Holidays start and end differently in every country. Some German children go to school already on August 5 (Brandenburg), while others from the second week of September
- German school cannot be skipped - a fine can be imposed for this, as well as for being late. It is very difficult to "take away" a child a couple of days earlier on vacation, but a fine for unauthorized delay at a resort or on vacation is not from the realm of fantasy, but a very real fact. As well as checking at airports with the subsequent issuance of fines
- if the child did not come to school without a call from the parents, then his search begins - they call the parents, send the police to the house
- in elementary school, children in some states write with pencils and then with fountain pens or, from the very beginning, only fountain pens (but not ballpoints!)

An indispensable attribute of the first day at school for a first grader in German-speaking countries - Schultuete(lit. "school bag"). The tradition of giving such a bag to children began at the beginning of the 19th century. in Saxony and Thuringia, where children were told that if a teacher grew up on a magical Schultuete tree in the teacher's garden, then it's time to go to school. Slowly, for about 100 years, this custom spread throughout the German-speaking lands, from east to west, from large cities to small ones.
Schultuete is made by either parents, or parents with children (in the garden or at home), or children with caregivers in the garden. Often kindergartens invite parents to come to the garden in the evening on certain days to make Schultuete together, in such cases it is usually necessary to pay for materials. If you really can’t make it yourself, then most bookstores and children’s stores offer different options for Schultuete, you just have to choose. Another option is Bastelset, ready-to-glue kits.
From the experience of lanterns for St. Martin's Day, I can say that purchased ordinary ones (that is, not very expensive) look worse than home-made ones, except that the creators of the home-made ones had completely crooked hands. Of course, in online stores you can also buy very original (as a result, very expensive) bags that will look like handmade.
As a rule, the children themselves choose the motif and color of the bag - they draw or discuss it.
quick guide, how to make a bag.
1. We take a large sheet of thick colored paper (for example, we buy it in Muller, where you can choose very beautiful large sheets).
2. We tie a thread of the desired length to the pencil (there are from 60 cm). We hold one end at the corner of the paper, draw a quarter circle with a pencil. The bag can be smooth, or it can be six-sided (for this we will divide it into 7 parts - one (it may be smaller) will go for gluing).
3. Next, glue into a bag.
4. We strengthen the sharp end with an additional piece of paper - at the same time it will serve as a decoration (grass for a pony, sea for a dolphin, etc.). For strengthening, special ends are also sold, for example, from wood.
5. We glue a strip 2-3 centimeters wide with glue along the inner upper edge of the bag and glue tissue paper (rectangular piece) to it. Then we tie this paper with a ribbon (when the bag is full).
Or we attach a piece of beautiful fabric with a stapler - soft felt, for example.
6. We decorate the bag at the request of the child. Even toys (cars, barbies, shells, etc.) and Christmas tree illuminations are glued with a glue gun! The name of the child is usually depicted at the top of the bag.
7. Fill and tie.

Each school has its own rules about when to bring Schultuete. Somewhere they take it to school in advance, somewhere they bring it to the service, and then to the classroom. Some parents make a double bottom in a bag, stuffing it with paper. Someone throws playmais or popcorn for weight loss. So, a summary list of what can be put in a bag. Sweets in our time of caring for teeth and proper nutrition are in last place (many children get them every day anyway).
Little geschwisters (brothers or sisters) of conscious age make small bags so that it is not offensive.

1. Beautiful stationery for home or school (if you know its requirements) - if it Like to kid
2. Small alarm clock
3. Wristwatch
4. Children's wallet
5. Lanyard for keys, key ring
6. Lunch box, water bottle
7. Gutshine to visit some park/entertainment, movie tickets
8. Name stickers for school supplies
9. "Book for friends" (Freundschaftsalbum/-buch)
10. For girls - hair ornaments, earrings, bracelets
11. Jump
12. Soap bubbles
13. Box for milk teeth
14. Small photo album
15. A small toy (soft, playmobil, doll) or a handmade "gutshine" for a large toy long desired by a child
16. A book of interesting tasks for first graders.
17. Reflective tapes or other devices, a book / memo on the correct behavior on the road
18. Personalized cup
19. A small board game (for example, in the form of cards) or a puzzle
20. CD, DVD (but various games are NOT recommended - computer, telephone, etc.)

By the way, about mobile phones. All schools are required to turn off mobile phones in class. For violation of this rule, the phone can be taken away and returned only to parents. In some schools, it is forbidden to use the phone during breaks.