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Come for a Schnupper session 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 receiving an offer of placement).  Children need to be toilet trained when they come to GAP as an enrolled child, but not 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.

To make the most of your Schnupper, we recommend arriving at the GAP around 9:00am.  Arriving before our morning circle starts at 9:30am gives your child a chance to explore the environment a little during free play time, and for you to meet the teachers.

Bring morning tea and a water bottle for your child (and any siblings who might accompany you). At 9:30 the teacher calls the children to morning circle. The children sing a traditional German welcome song, and the current topic is discussed. Often we play a game.

After morning circle, 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!

While the children are outside for outdoor play (usually around 10:30am), we will give you a tour around and answer any questions you might have.

Of course, as your child is not officially enrolled, you are responsible to supervise your own child (and siblings) while on the premises.

Schnupper sessions usually 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 Schnupper Session:

“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, whole-wheat 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?!”