Alina Bechtold, a trainee nursery teacher at the Nahbollenbach daycare center, recently completed her 12-week final project. It was entitled "The fascination of stones" and took the pre-school children on an exciting journey of discovery through the world of gemstones and their home town of Idar-Oberstein.
The project included a variety of activities that introduced the children to the colorful world of gemstones and minerals and their significance for the city of Idar-Oberstein. One of the highlights was a visit to the Gemstone Adventure World, where the children were able to go on a treasure hunt themselves. They returned from this special excursion proud of their newly acquired knowledge about stones of all kinds and with a rich haul - each child was allowed to take home a whole bag filled with gemstones.
Another excursion led to the German Mineral Museum, where an exciting rally awaited the children. Their route also took them along the Nahe river, where they learned interesting facts about the gemstone cutters that were once to be found in large numbers along the banks and about gemstone processing. The excursion was crowned with a visit to Toni's ice cream parlor. There, the group met Thomas Kreis from the "Offene Flamme", who spontaneously took over the bill for the ice cream order. The teachers and children would like to take this opportunity to thank him once again for his generous donation.
A visit from a real book author was an exciting moment for the children: Astrid Specovius came to the daycare center to read from her trilogy "Das Goldklümpchen". The children immersed themselves in the world of Idar-Unterstein with her and experienced an exciting adventure with goldsmith Achatis.
Alina Bechtold's final project playfully combined learning with local history and left lasting impressions in the children's hearts. A big thank you goes to the Friends of the Nahbollenbach daycare center, who made the special excursions possible by covering the entrance fees, and to Rebecca Kaiser, who supported the project with a generous donation of gemstones.