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Come and enjoy some time with us!

We welcome visits to the German Playschool.  We affectionately call them “Schnupper” (sniffing around) sessions.  

Prospective families are most welcome to come to the GAP and join in one of our sessions for free. Schnupper sessions are usually arranged a few weeks or months prior to the child’s eligible date to start (after or in anticipation of recieving an offer of enrolment).  Children need to be toilet trained when they come to GAP as an enrolled child, but don’t need to be toilet trained in order to come for a Schnupper session.

Please let us know (by emailing gap.director@spielwelt.org.au) which day you would like to come, so we can let the teachers know you are coming. (It is so much nicer and welcoming for your child, if the staff already know your child’s name, and we can make sure there are enough craft items to include your child that day. Having children and their families feeling included and welcome is important to us.) Check out our Yearly Calendar to see what we are up too!

To make the most of your Schnupper, we recommend arriving at the GAP around 9:15 or 9:20am.  Arriving before the session starts at 9:30am gives your child a chance to explore the environment a little, and for you to meet the teachers, before the rest of the children arrive.

Bring morning tea and a water bottle for your child (and any siblings who might accompany you). Suitable outdoor clothing is also essential, as we spend time playing outside each day.

On arrival, children hang up their bags in the cloakroom, put their water bottles in the water wagon, and their food in the “fridge”.  The teacher will add you to our attendance list as a visitor. Most children usually take a little time to warm up, and so there is free play time each morning for all our children to play outdoors until it is time to start our morning circle.

When you arrive, join straight in with the sign-in process and head out for some outdoor play, to allow your child to explore the area a little.

When everyone has arrived, the bell rings and the teacher calls the children to “Morgenkreis” (morning circle). The children sing a traditional German welcome song, and the theme of the day is discussed.

After this, the children go to wash their hands, collect their morning tea/lunch boxes and join the group to share a meal.  This is followed by more time for outdoor play.

We encourage you and your child to join in the play time, circle, handwashing and morning tea, right from the start.

If you have younger children accompanying you, we ask you to ensure they aren’t allowed to roam free during morning circle time or eating time, as it can be disruptive for the other children’s concentration – at all other times it is fine – we are child-friendly.

While the children are outside for outdoor play (usually around 10:30am), one of the staff or volunteers (or often our Director) will have time to step aside and welcome you, give you a tour around and answer any questions you might have.  There may be a craft or special activity on offer after morning tea, and you are welcome to stay and participate in this too – in fact, we encourage you to do so, so that (with any luck, and depending on the program that day) your child may have something to take home to show everyone what we made at Playschool today!

Of course, as your child is not officially enrolled, you are responsible to supervise your own child while on the premises. Siblings are also made welcome, and are also your responsibility, naturally.

Schnupper sessions end just before lunch time, and by then, we believe you will have been able to make a good assessment of what we are all about, and your child will have explored and seen a little of what it is like at GAP.

We look forward to your visit, and hope you have a great “Schnupper”!

Here’s one family’s account of their Schnuppertag:

“At first I thought Alexander seemed a little uninterested, but we got home and he announced, “I can speak German: Alles“!!! [“Everything!“] He then requested a German video, and later a German bedtime story. He has since been asking to return, so it seems necessary that I should get his name on the waiting list!”

And another parent’s comment:

“This might sound crazy, but I took a look around the room at lunch time, and I could see that these kids are from families who really care about quality education and take the aims of the GAP seriously. All the lunches were quality, healthy meals – lots of fruit, vegetables, wholewheat bread, even some German rye breads (!) – and the kids were very at home with that. Even the way lots of the kids were dressed – there was a definite European quality to it. I had this feeling the kids there were expected to go far in life! I’d love for my daughter to have that advantage in life of a second language. Where do I sign?!”