Oh Dear, We Are Raising a Bilingual Child!

It should not have come as a surprise. We are a Finnish family living in Germany and our daughter spends her days in a German Krippe.

And as I have wrote here before, spending some time daily in the Krippe seems to be the easiest way to learn German.

Unrelated photos from last week, when it was 20 degrees warmer than today

But still, I have only now come to realize that we are actually raising a bilingual child!

It has taken quite long for Fräulein to learn to speak, but now that she does, it is easy to notice that she speaks two languages. Two languages! My child! I have always been poor in learning languages and now I have a bilingual daughter!

And I have no idea what to do. At first, when Fräulein said something in German to me, I repeated it in Finnish. But it soon started to sound like I was correcting her and that is not the impression I want to make.

I think I should find some books about raising a bilingual child. I think it is important that a child learns to master one language perfectly. Learning other languages is just a bonus.

But for now, as she is only two years old, we will let her use her own combination of the two languages. The only 'rule' I have is that I speak consistently Finnish to her myself.

Poor Fräulein has inherited my hair, which becomes all curly when it is moist.

We will fly to Finland next week and spend several weeks with our friends and family. So, in case some of you don't speak German, here is a small dictionary of Fräulein's most common German phrases:

 

German	English	Finnish
Mein!	My!	Minun!
Nein!	No!	Ei!
Nicht du!	Not you!	Et sinä!
Ich auch!	I too!	Minä myös!
Zu viel!	Too much!	Liian paljon!
Nur bisschen!	Just a little!	Vain vähän!
Ich möchte ... haben	I would like to have...	Haluaisin...
Danke!	Thank you!	Kiitos!
Morgen!*	Morning!	Huomenta!
Tschüs!	Bye!	Hei hei!
Laut!	Loud!	Kovaa!

Do you notice a pattern here? Most of these phrases end with an exclamation mark - useful in kindergarten :)

*) Fräulein uses 'Morgen!' as a greeting at any time of the day...  

*****
O-ou, vasta hiljattain oivalsin, että Fräuleinhan on kaksikielinen! Itselläni on aina ollut huono kielipää ja nyt oma kaksivuotias tyttäreni puhuu kahta kieltä!

Olen myös oivaltanut, ettei minulla ole hajuakaan, miten kaksikielisyyttä tulisi tukea. Mutta toistaiseksi menemme periaatteella, että Fräulein saa puhua kieliä sekaisin, kunhan itse olemme johdonmukaisia suomen kielen käytössä.

Fräuleinin sanastossa on paljon saksankielisiä sanoja, mutta yllä on listattuna yleisimmin toistuvia sanontoja. Jotenkin huomaa, että nämä on opittu päiväkodissa... :)

Little Lady at the Hair Salon

Fräulein has never had a hair cut, and it was about the time to do something about that.

I didn't even consider cutting her hair myself, so the only option was to go to a hair salon.

Fräulein has never seen anyone having their hair cut. She can be a very strong-minded person, so I was dreading the moment I was taking her to see a hair dresser. As the situation would be completely new to her, I was sure that she would decide that she wasn't going to step into the salon / sit in the chair / stay still / stop crying.

So I was trying to think of any TV program that would show her what it was all about. But the only programs I came to think of were the make-over episodes of America's Next Top Model, and those weren't exactly what I was looking for...

Luckily, I had noticed that here in Wiesbaden is a special hair salon for children, called Ratz Matz. I thought that the setting there would be less intimidating than in a normal 'adult' salon and Fräulein would find it fun there.

The previous evening, I tried to prepare her for the hair cut by showing her some pictures of the place in internet and telling her what was going to happen. She seemed to be excited about going there!

We were there a bit early, and Fräulein was able to explore the play area upstairs - a nice way to get her mind of the hair cut.

But what was even more important, she was able to watch two boys having their hairs cut downstairs. One of the boys was sitting calmly, the other was laughing and having fun. The best preparation we could get!

The hairdresser suggested that Fräulein would sit in a chair by the play area, but she had already set her eyes on the red car. So, downstairs we went.

The hairdresser was clearly experienced with kids. And it is nice that Fräulein understands German and was thus able to communicate with the lady. 

Everything went perfectly. Fräulein sat in her chair car quietly and just stared at her image in the mirror. I guess she was a bit terrified, but she was determined to be as brave as the boys before her.

Afterwards, she was very satisfied with herself and her new hair. To be honest, the change wasn't that drastic, but we got rid of the dry ends.

And the only cry she had was when she wasn't going to get second haircut in the moped shaped chair!

*****
Fräuleinin hiuksia ei olta ennen viime viikkoa leikattu kertaakaan, joten latvat alkoivat jo olla aika takkuuntuvat. Viime viikolla päätimmekin vihdoin mennä kampaajalle. Täällä Wiesbadenissa on erityisesti lapsille tarkoitettu Ratz Matz -kampaamo, mistä löytyy leikkialue ja hauskat kampaamotuolit. 

Ennen hiustenleikkuuta Fräulein katseli, miten kahden pojan hiukset leikattiin, joten kun tuli Fräuleinin vuoro, hän tiesi mitä tulee tapahtumaan. Tyttö istui punaisessa autossaan reippaana, tosin vähän jännittyneen oloisena. Kampaaja hoiti hiustenleikkuun ammattitaitoisesti ja ripeästi. Vaikka olin varautunut siihen, että kampaamokäynti voisi olla aikamoista draamaa, selvisimme yhdellä itkulla: harmi iski, kun Fräulein ei saanutkaan toista hiustenleikkuuta mopotuolissa!

What a Week! (Or One Third Of It...)

Last night, when I first started writing this post, I typed "What a week!". Then I realized it was only Tuesday evening...

Fräulein has been a bit ill since we got back from Finland. The sneezing and coughing started as soon as she was back in the Krippe. And last weekend she had some fever.

But early on Monday morning she started vomiting.

I was a bit worried. First of all, we had eaten brunch with friends on Sunday. One of them is 9 months pregnant and I really did not want her to have caught a stomach bug from Fräulein (I have first hand knowledge how it feels to be vomiting just a couple of weeks before the baby is due).

Secondly, Herr Welle was just leaving for a four day business trip, so I really didn't want Baby or myself to get sick.

I was certain it was a stomach bug, but luckily Herr Welle insisted on taking Fräulein to see a doctor, as it turned out to be an ear infection. That is not a nice diagnosis, but at least she could take antibiotics for it and she wasn't contagious.

The Monday evening alone with the girls was a bit demanding. Fräulein was whining about everything and it didn't help that I had to make her drink her antibiotics, wash her hair (because of the smell of vomit) and give her a suppository for sickness...

On Tuesday, the antibiotics were clearly working and Fräulein was full of energy. But because she hadn't really eaten anything since Saturday morning she was a bit cranky. Poor Baby, who had to tolerate Fräulein's whims...

Today we had another check-up with Fräulein's doctor. Her ear seems to be fine, although the virus causing the sneezing and coughing is still present. But we got the doctor's permission to go to the Krippe tomorrow.

These photos were taken at the doctor's office.
Today, I might add... :)

But now Baby is coughing... I hope we can still make it to her first play date tomorrow, because I would really appreciate some adult company!

*****
Fräulein on ollut Saksaan paluumme jälkeen nuhassa ja yskässä ja maanantaiaamuna hän alkoi oksentaa. Pahoinvoinnin syyksi paljastui korvatulehdus, johon saimme antibiootteja. Tulehdus alkaa nyt hellittää ja Fräulein on taas oma itsensä, tosin ehkä vähän kiukuttelevana versiona. Mutta nyt sitten on Babyn vuoro yskiä...

The Easiest Way To Learn German

Yes, I have found the perfect recipe for learning German! This is based on a comprehensive empirical study*.

1. Spend daily (Mon-Fri) 4-6 hours in a German speaking group
2. The group should have simple routines, which are repeated day by day
3. There should be a couple of teachers, who speak simple, clear German language and are willing to repeat themselves patiently
4. The daily program should involve learning basic skills such as the use of scissors and toothbrush.

And where do you find these groups?

They are called Krippes. Unfortunately you must be under three years old to attend.

Unrelated photos of Fräulein playing the piano...

Six months in the Krippe and Fräulein understands and even speaks German!

As a prove, here is a discussion that took place last week, just after we got back from our three week holiday in Finland.

It was noon and I was picking up Fräulein from the Krippe. Outside we saw a lady.
Fräulein: Morgen! (Morning!)
Lady: (in German) Is it the right time to say that?
Fräulein: Ja! (Yes!)

If this conversation would have taken place in Finnish, I would have been a bit embarrassed (it was noon). But now this made me so proud!

It is nice that at least one of us is learning the language...

* the study population included the members of one family, which has been living in Germany for 2.5 years...

...and Baby listening.

*****
Olen löytänyt täydellisen tavan oppia saksaa! Oppiminen edellyttää päivittäistä osallistumista saksankieliseen ryhmään, jossa toistetaan samoja rutiineja ja opetellaan perustaitoja. Ryhmässä tulee olla pari opettajaa, jotka puhuvat helppoa, selkeää saksaa ja ovat valmiita toistamaan itseään kärsivällisesti.

Fräulein on nyt osallistunut tällaiseen toimintaan puolen vuoden ajan ja ymmärtää ja jopa puhuu saksaa! Valitettavasti Krippet ovat vain alle kolmevuotiaille...

No More Dummies!

I have been thinking about loosing Fräulein's pacifiers for quite some time. You might remember, how I asked your opinion about it one year ago. She was only using them when sleeping, but I did not have the energy nor the strength to take them away.

Pacifiers are not good for a child's teeth and might affect the occlusion. In Finland, it is recommended that when a child is one year old, she should use a pacifier only when sleeping. And when the child turns two years old, the pacifiers should go for good. I'm not sure if there are any recommendations here in Germany regarding the pacifiers, but I often see four-year-olds using one...

After Fräulein turned two, the birth of her little sister came closer. As the pacifiers where very comforting for Fräulein, I thought it would not be the best time for something that felt so radical.

This January, when my mother was visiting us, we finally decided to get rid of the pacifiers. Fräulein packed all her dummies to a plastic bag and we took the bag to our front door so that a cat could pick them up and take them to her kittens.

A half an hour later we went back downstairs and found out that the cat had taken the dummies and left Little My from the Moomins as a present for Fräulein! What a coincidence that Little My is Fräulein's favorite character. ;)

Both German and Finnish children's culture present:
Kikaninchen and Little My

Sleeping without the pacifier went relatively smoothly. Fräulein asked for them a couple of times, but when she was reminded that the cat had taken them and given her the Little My, she was happy with it.

The following Monday I told to her Krippe teachers that we had lost the pacifiers, but I guess there was some kind of miscommunication, because a few days later I noticed she had used a pacifier while taking her nap.

Before our trip to Finland, I talked with the Krippe teachers again and we agreed that the pacifier would get lost during our three week holiday. So, yesterday was the first day she took her nap in the Krippe without the pacifier. Yay!

No more dummies for Fräulein!

Silent Sunday
August 19, 2012

*****
Vähän myöhässä suomalaisista suosituksissa hankkiuduimme vihdoin tammikuussa eroon Fräuleinin tuteista. Veimme ne muovipussissa ulko-ovelle, mistä kissa kävi hakemassa ne poikasilleen. Vastalahjaksi kissa oli jättänyt Pikku Myy -pehmolelun!

Nukkuminen ilman tuttia sujui yllättävän helposti. Mutta kielimuurin takia en onnistunut selittämään päiväkodin työntekijöille tilannetta, joten tutti oli käytössä vielä päiväkotipäikkäreiden aikana. Nyt Suomi-loman aikana tuokin tutti oli "mennyt hukkaan", joten nyt tässä huushollissa on tutti vain vauvalla!

The Protester

I participated my very first demonstration yesterday.

In the state of Hesse, some changes to the kindergarten laws are about to happen. I'm not sure how far the process is at the moment, but I know that it would bring a lot of negative changes to the everyday matters.

For example, in the groups of small children (under 3 years old) there are two teachers and they can currently take care of 10 children. After the change, there could be 16 kids in every group!

Not good, not good at all.

So, yesterday there was a demonstration against this new law held at the Kochbrunnenplatz in Wiesbaden.

There were quite many participants - mostly kindergarten teachers and parents with their children.

Unfortunately the weather was not the best possible ( -1°C and windy), so we didn't stay there for very long time.

But on our way home, we saw the first signs of spring!

*****
Hessenin osavaltiossa suunnitellaan lakimuutosta, joka toisi selviä heikennyksiä päiväkotien toimintaan. Esimerkiksi nykyään alle 3-vuotiaiden ryhmissä voi olla kymmenen lasta kahta "tätiä" kohden. Uudistuksen jälkeen lapsimäärä voitaisiin nostaa kuuteentoista! Eilen täällä Wiesbadenissa järjestettiin mielenosoitus lakia vastaan ja mekin osallistuimme. Ensimmäinen mielenosoitukseni! 

Vaikka keli oli jäätävän kylmä, löysimme jo ensimmäisen lupauksen tulevasta keväästä: kukkivan puun.

Hi, My Name Is Frau Welle And I'm an Engineer

Comparison of the weights of Fräulein and Baby

Expat Hausfrau's Peek into Local Customs - St. Martin's Day

As an expat Hausfrau, it is sometimes a bit difficult for me to get into the local habits and customs. Fortunately, Fräulein's daycare provides a great connection to German everyday life.

Yesterday, we had the first free-time activity arranged by Fräulein's Krippe. The kindergarten arranged a St. Martin's day procession for children and their paper lanterns.
(I'm sorry for the hideous quality of the photos!)

The small bright spots are the lanterns...

It was already dark at 6pm. when the procession started from Nerotal, so the lanterns looked beautiful. Along the route, there were musicians playing their trumpets. After a short walk, everyone gathered by the local church, where there was a play about St. Martin and some singing.

Fräulein's selfmade lantern

And last but not least, all children got one of these:

It was a great experience not only for Fräulein, but for me, too.

*****
Eilen pääsimme tutustumaan paikallisiin traditiohin, sillä Fräuleinin päiväkodista järjestettiin Martinpäivän kulkue.

The Return Of the Energetic Guest

We were very lucky last week and got my mother to visit us for a few days! As I have told you before, she is a very energetic guest!

Herr Welle and I have been thinking about changing our study / guest room into a room for Fräulein for a while now. However, during the end of last spring I didn't have any extra energy to make that happen, so Fräulein's bed is still in our bedroom.

But as there must be something for my mum to do while Fräulein is in daycare and taking her nap, I thought we could move our desk and bookcase from the study to the corner of our living room.

But we ended up doing a lot more than that! We even visited Ikea and bought some new furniture for Fräulein's new room. And as you saw in yesterday's Silent Sunday picture, we had some help in assembling them.

Helping grandma

Testing (no, this is not her new bed)

Moving books to the new room

I don't have any nice before and after pictures,
but here you can see some of the new things we got for Fräulein's room

But the visit was not just hard work. After many days of rain and autumnal weather, we were able to visit our favorite playground, too.

*****
Äitini oli meillä loppuviikon kylässä. Kuten olen kertonut ennenkin, hän on kovin puuhakas ihminen. Tällä kertaa olin ajatellut hyödyntää äitini paikallaoloa siihen, että siirtäisimme kirjoituspöydän ja kirjahyllyn pois vierashuoneestamme. Tarkoituksenamme on nimittäin ollut tehdä huoneesta Fräuleinin oma huone. Huonekalujen siirrot oli kuitenkin niin ripeästi tehty, että ehdimme vielä Ikeaan ostamaan uusia huonekaluja ja saimme jopa koottua ne valmiiksi!

Pipi and Pallo

Fräulein isn't much of a speaker. Around the time of Christmas, she was saying a handful of words, like mum, dad, meow (what cat says), yes, no and give (well, the Finnish versions of those).

But since Christmas, there has been hardly any new words. And as Fräulein is now spending time with her German Tagesmutter, I thought it would slow down her starting to speak even more.

But I was proven wrong! During the last week, there has been several new words!

First it was just woof-woof (what dog says), and as she is making other animal sounds as well (not really words, but like the sound of a bear), I didn't pay much attention.

But then she showed a picture in a magazine and said "lady". Yesterday, she had bruised her arm and knee and said "sore" (children call it pipi in Finnish). Several times. I guess there is some fun in spotting bruises from your body... And this morning, loud and clear "ball" (pallo), pointing at a balloon!

Not a sore nose, but this is what happens when she gets hold of a Bepanthen tube... 

I'm so excited! It sounds so funny when she is saying all these things! And I can't wait for her to start really talking - it will be so nice to hear what goes on in that little mind of hers!

*****
Fräuleinin sanavarasto ei ole vielä kovin laaja. Joulusta asti hän on osannut sanoa äiti, isi, juu, ei, mau  ja anna. Mutta viimeaikoina uusia sanoja ei ole tullut lisää. 
Nyt kun Fräulein viettää aikaansa saksankielisen Tagesmutterin kanssa, ajattelin, että puheen tulo on toistaiseksi jäissä. Mutta nyt viimeisen viikon aikana onkin tullut monta uutta sanaa: hauhau, täti, pipi ja tänä aamuna vielä pallo!
Tosi hauskaa! 

Lovely Long Weekend

Yesterday was bank holiday here in Germany. For the whole weekend, the weather was as nice as it could possibly be - sunny and +25°C. (A couple of days earlier, it was about +32, which was way too hot for any activities.)

Even though we stayed at the walking distance from our home, it felt that we had a small holiday.

On Sunday, there was the Nerobergfest. It is a family event on, you guessed it!, Neroberg.

There are several activities for children, like a bouncy castle, sledding hill, ball shooting and puppet shows.

Fräulein was still a bit small for this event, but she enjoyed the atmosphere and the amount of children running around.

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at the Nerotal park. Usually, there is one or two other kids at the playground, but now it was quite crowded there.

But there is always room for one little girl!

*****
Täällä Saksassa nautittiin kolmipäiväisestä viikonlopusta, sillä eilinen oli täällä vapaapäivä (kätevää kun Helluntaita juhlitaan sunnuntain sijaan maanantaina!). 
Saimme nautiskella kauniista kesäkelistä sunnuntaina Nerobergfestissä ja eilen ihan vaan ulkolkoilemalla lähipuistossa.

Toothmeat

First two teeth about one year ago

It is teething time again.

It was a bit over one year ago, when Fräulein got her first two teeth. The first eight surfaced quite easily. She didn't seem be bothered about them during day time, but she was awake whining for one to two hours in the early hours during one night for each tooth.

But when it was time for the first molars, the problems started. As one molar tooth is like four smaller ones, she was awake for four nights for each tooth.

In the beginning of December, a couple of friends were visiting us. One of them has had her first child while living in Switzerland, so she was able to share a tip, which I have been very grateful of!

In the pharmacies, they sell some anesthetic gel especially for teething pain!

If you are from central Europe or UK, you probably think "yeah, so what's new?". But this is something you cannot find in Finland!

For about 4 euros, you can buy such a great relief! You just apply a small amount to the baby's gums. With Fräulein, I only do this before her bedtime. And I have later noticed that they sell this gel also in our local grocery store, Rewe!

After Fräulein's four molars, there was four month break in teething. During the last couple of week, she has had her first two eyeteeth. So, two more eyeteeth and four molars left from this baby teething period!

But what was the subject of this post about?

Well, one of my favorite German words is Zahnfleisch, which means gums, but is literally 'toothmeat'.

This just makes me giggle...

*****
Fräuleinille on taas tulossa uusia hampaita. Reilu vuosi sitten hän sai ensimmäiset etuhampaansa ja jouluun mennessä hampaita oli 12. Nyt muutaman kuukauden tauon jälkeen vuorossa ovat kulmahampaat.


Vaikka hampaiden tulo on ollut suhteellisen kivutonta, etenkin poskihampaat valvottivat tyttöä. Onneksi sain ystävättäreltäni vinkin, että täällä myydään apteekissa puudutusgeeliä, joka on tarkoitettu avuksi juuri hampaiden puhkeamiseen! Itse asiassa geeliä myödään myös tavallisessa ruokakaupassa, hinta n. 4 euroa.


Ja mitä postauksen otsikkoon tulee, yksi saksan kielen lempisanojani on ikeniä tarkoittava Zahnfleisch (kirjaimellisesti "hammasliha").

Home Alone

Finally an update about Fräulein's start in the daycare!

I guess it is a common practice here in Germany, that children start with the daycare veeeryyy sloooowlyyyy.
According to the stories I have heard from Finland, the practice is to go and visit the daycare place once or twice and after that the child is left there possibly for the whole 8 hours.

But not here.

During the first three visits, I was present the whole time and we played there for an hour.

On day 4, I went to the hallway for 20 minutes. Fräulein was first crying a lot, but started to calm down slowly. The Tagesmutter (child minder) told me later, that the crying started again whenever Fräulein spotted my handbag and remembered her mum...

The following three times, we played together for 20-30 minutes and then I went outside for half an hour. What a freedom! I spent the time at the local cafe.

All those times I left Fräulein there crying, but she had always calmed down quite quickly with the help of her pacifier and some cookies. Fräulein uses her pacifier normally only when sleeping, but I think that, in this case, the end justifies the means.

This Monday was the first big day, when I actually drove home! What a funny feeling to be home alone! Fräulein spent two hours at the daycare. After one hour I got an SMS telling me that Fräulein was not crying but playing with the other children.

When I went to pick her up, the Tagesmutter showed me some photos and a short video she had taken of the children playing. It had been better than I could have hoped for!

Is that a smile behind the pacifier?

Today is the second day when Fräulein spends there the 'whole day' (from 9am to 1pm). And I am proud to inform you that I have actually done something useful with this free time that I have! I have seen a dentist (subject for another post) and, ummm..., now I'm writing this...

And I have already made plans for next week: visit the bank, dye my hair, and stop by at the post office to send a baby-gift, which I have had ready for ages...

If the baby girl who will receive this package is reading this (or her mum),
don't be disappointed if it won't look as nice as this,
because I'll need to open the package in order to fit it into an envelope...

*****
Fräuleinin päivähoito on alkanut mukavasti. Hitaan alun jälkeen olemme nyt päässeet rutiiniin kiinni. 
Ja minulla on kovasti suunnitelmia tämän vapaa-ajan täyttämiseksi...

Let It Rain

After several days of bright sunshine, today was totally different.

Rain, rain, rain.

And when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it began to thunder.

So, we spent most of the day inside.

In the afternoon, I thought we could visit a toy store, so that Fräulein could do her daily running around and exploring. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only parent who had thought of that...

But she was able to consume some of her never-ending energy.

And she didn't have to leave the store empty-handed (ball 0.99€, still quite cheaply pleased!).

 *****
Kaunis auringonpaiste vaihtui tänään loputtomaan sateeseen ja välillä ukkostikin. Päivä kului siis pääosin rauhallisesti sisällä.
Iltapäivällä kävimme "ulkoilemassa" lelukaupassa. Fräuleinin kanssa noista reissuista selviää onneksi vielä halvalla (pallo 0,99€)!

Mixed Feelings

A couple of months ago, there was a big debate in the Finnish media about children's daycare. Apparently, there were parents who took their kids to daycare even when they were on vacation themselves.

I can totally understand the anger this has raised. Why to have children, if you don't like spending time with them?

But now I have started to think, if I am going to do something similar.

I have found a wonderful Tagesmutter (childminder) for Fräulein. We are planning to take Fräulein to this Tagesmutter two mornings and one afternoon per week, ten to fifteen hours per week in total.

The main reason for this is that, we would like Fräulein to learn German, and the younger she starts the easier it should be. I would also like her to learn how to interact with other kids.

Fräulein playing with a friend after the Finnish music group last autumn.

But I must admit, I have also more selfish reasons. Herr Welle works long hours and travels a lot. On weekdays, I cannot really count on him taking care of Fräulein, so that I could have some time for myself. I would really appreciate a few hours to run any errands, have appointments, or just simply enjoy a cup of coffee in peace.

So, am I actually as bad as the parents, who take their kids to daycare on holidays?

I have tried to reason this and have come to the conclusion that I'm not. But even when I feel relieved and happy about this new arrangement, I cannot help feeling a bit ashamed in taking my daughter to daycare, although my "job" is to be a Hausfrau...

We just had the first 'orientation day' today. I'll keep you posted.

******
Joku aika sitten Suomessa kohuttiin perheistä, jotka vievät lapsensa päiväkotiin oman lomasa aikana. Mielestäni se on väärin, mutta nyt minua on alkanut mietityttämään, olenko tekemässä jotain samanlaista. 
Olen nimittäin löytänyt tytölle Tagesmutterin (perhepäivähoitajan), jonka luo Fräuleinin on tarkoitus mennä muutamaksi tunniksi kolmena päivänä viikossa. Tärkeimpiä syitä ovat, että tyttö oppisi saksaa ja kommunikoimaan toisten lasten kanssa. Mutta voin kyllä tunnustaa, että yhtenä etuna on, että näin saan itse arkisin vähän "vapaa-aikaa".
Tänään oli ensimmäinen "sopeutumispäivä". Palaan aiheeseen myöhemmin.

Playground Review Part 2 - Wiesbaden Mitte

Now that the days are longer, it seems to be a good time for my second review of playgrounds in Wiesbaden. As you can see from the pictures, I've been gathering the material for a couple of months...

This time I'll take a look at the playgrounds downtown. Like in Part 1, I'll consider the playgrounds from the perspective of a one-year-old child and give them up to five cookies based on the equipments and surroundings.

KOCHBRUNNENPLATZ   

The playground at Kochbrunnenplatz is very conveniently located, but also very crowded. Thus it is not the best playground for small children.

Sunday afternoon rush

The equipment of the playground:

- Roundabout
- Sandpit
- Spring rider
- There has also been a swing, but last time we visited this playground, it was taken out for some reason.

- Junglegym with slide for older children

KLEINER KURPARK (Frankfurter Straße)    

A nice and cozy playground for small children.

- Jungle gym made of robes (a bit too demanding for a one-year-old)

- Sandpit
- Swing suitable also for small children

- Roundabout

BLUMENWIESE (Parkstraße, Kurpark)   

This playground is also cozy and quiet, but the equipments are not the best for a small child.

- Jungle gym, which is very demanding, with
- Slide, which has a very high drop at the end of it

- Slide, which is so wide that small children cannot reach the handles

- Sand
- Two swings
- Spring rider

BÜDINGENSTRAßE   

If this playground would have either a baby swing or a roundabout in addition to the current equipment, we would definitely visit it more often.

- Swings

- Jungle gym
- Spring riders

- Two slides

ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL   

- Baby swing, this was actually the first playground in Wiesbaden, where we found one!
(Since then, I have found one from the Fasanerie as well.)

- I'm not sure what to call these things shown in the picture below, but they were nice for a small child anyway

- Jungle gym made of robes

- A lot of benches, which Fräulein loves

- Roundabout; if only this had been suitable for small children, this playground would have received five cookies from us!