The “ABC-Kids,” the preschoolers at the Weierbach Daycare Center, have wrapped up an exciting, educational, and unforgettable final year of preschool. Through a varied program of field trips, projects, and hands-on learning, these future schoolchildren were thoroughly prepared for this new chapter in their lives.
Safety was once again a major focus of the event. First, Chief Inspector Pascal Stamm from the Idar-Oberstein Police Department visited the daycare center and gave the children a firsthand look at his profession. He showed the fascinated girls and boys the equipment a police officer needs for their daily work. Afterward, Police Commissioner David Hofmann took over to provide important traffic safety instruction. He practiced with the ABC-Kids how to behave correctly and safely as pedestrians in traffic. What they learned was put to the test right away in a practical setting, to ensure safe behavior in everyday life. The group was very excited and curious when they visited the Idar-Oberstein police station themselves.
The preschoolers took a big field trip by bus to Idar-Oberstein, where a real cultural program awaited them. First, they visited the famous Rock Church, which was built between 1482 and 1484 and thus looks back on over 540 years of history. After an exciting guided tour of this historic landmark, the children were able to tour Oberstein Castle. A heartfelt thank you goes to the Oberstein Castle Association (Burgenverein Schloss Oberstein e.V.) for the wonderful, child-friendly tour. During the tour, the little explorers also learned a fascinating fact: The castle, which today stands so proudly above the town, burned down completely in 1855 and had to be painstakingly rebuilt by the castle association starting in 1980. To round off the exciting day, the group headed to the castle pond, where they played and ran around to their hearts’ content.
Another highlight was the visit to the Idar-Oberstein Hospital. There, the children got to take a very close look at an ambulance. What made it especially exciting was that each child got to have a real bandage applied. After all the excitement, the little explorers refueled with delicious drinks and snacks provided by the hospital.
Regional history was also well represented. A very special field trip took the group to the gemstone mine in Steinkaulenberg. During the exciting guided tour, the children not only learned how the shimmering minerals are formed, but also discovered what makes this mine so unique: It is the only gemstone mine in all of Europe that is open to visitors. In addition to the glittering treasures in the host rock, there was another fascinating fact about nature to learn: The old tunnels now serve as an important refuge where bats live. Afterward, the group walked to the historic Weiherschleife. There, the children learned even more about the glittering stones and had a great time at the playground.
Another outing took the group to the Wildenburg wildlife park. Even though the weather that day could have been a bit nicer and warmer, it didn’t dampen the good mood. The children were absolutely thrilled with the new playgrounds, which they immediately declared “awesome.” Feeding the raccoons was a special experience: The ABC-Kids watched in fascination as the nimble animals climbed with such skill and devoured the treats with such gusto.
The preschoolers had a real adventure on their end-of-year field trip to Katzweiler. Because the bus was late, the group had to hurry like crazy after they arrived. They rushed to the open-air theater grounds, where the children made it to their seats just in time. Their sprint was rewarded with a fantastic performance of “The School of Magical Animals.” After about two hours of thrilling entertainment, it was time to say goodbye. Tired but happy, they took the bus back to the daycare center, where the parents were already waiting for their little theater fans.
In addition to the big field trips, the children didn’t neglect their daily routine at the daycare center. Teachers Max and Eileen organized regular physical education activities at the Hessensteinhalle, where the children could burn off their energy. In the group room, the preschoolers reinforced their skills through worksheets, movement exercises, coloring pages, and lessons on shapes and numbers—all of these valuable learning opportunities were carefully guided and structured by the four group teachers.
A wonderful highlight in the daycare’s daily routine awaited the preschoolers just before Easter: During a cozy movie afternoon, the room was transformed into a movie theater. Equipped with delicious snacks and refreshing drinks, the children watched the movie “Hop—Easter Bunny or Superstar?” together, which was met with great enthusiasm. Another very special highlight was making their own school gift bags: Under the loving guidance of Angela and Bianca, the children once again got to make their own unique school cones for free this year. Although this activity is very time-consuming, the pride in the children’s eyes as they admired their handmade masterpieces made all the effort worthwhile.
To wrap up the year, the children celebrated a fantastic “ABC Summer Party.” The big end-of-year party was also coming up shortly afterward: Although the program was scaled back due to the extreme heat, that didn’t dampen the mood in the least. Already that morning, wonderful surprises awaited the children. Each child got to make their own bracelet with a personal lucky stone and artistically paint colorful stones. At noon, the parents joined in to celebrate the farewell together. After a story told in a festive manner, the emotional highlight followed: The children were proudly presented with their “Me” portfolios, in which all the activities, artwork, and milestones of the past year had been lovingly documented and collected. As a farewell, the daycare center gave each child a small parting gift for their new journey in life before the teachers “tossed” them out of the daycare center.
The Weierbach Daycare Center looks back with pride on a thoroughly successful preschool year and wishes all ABC-Kids a fantastic and successful start to their school years. The team would like to express its heartfelt thanks to everyone involved, because it was only through successful collaboration that these many activities were possible in the first place.