A celebration of language in Junior School

Last Term, our first annual Junior School German Day was held. This was a special event that celebrated German culture and language immersion. It provided an opportunity for our students to engage in enjoyable, educational activities such as trying traditional German foods, learning about German traditions, and immersing themselves in the language and culture.

Students had a wonderful day dancing the Austrian Ländler, decorating Lebkuchenherzen (gingerbread hearts), designing their own Dirndl (traditional dress), popping their heads in the photo booth, watching a bilingual puppet show and tasting the popular Brezeln (German pretzels).

Grace, Year 6 shared, “on German Day, we wore a touch of the German flag colours (red, black or yellow), I wore a red bow and a yellow bracelet. The first activity was Gingerbread heart decorating with three icing colours - Pink (rosa), blue (blau) and white (weiß). After recess we headed down to the puppet show which was HILARIOUS! Then, we learnt a German dance which was a little confusing, but lots of fun. At lunchtime, we had sausages and pretzels, they were delicious. The activities after lunch included designing a Dirndl and the photo booth. It was the BEST DAY EVER”.

Hazel, Year 6 said “on German Day I was very excited. I saw Frau Cook in her Dirndl (a German dress), we ate sausages and pretzels - it was so yummy, but my favourite thing was dancing the Ländler. It was so fun”. Being able to experience a selection of cultural products, practices and traditions in German speaking countries is an important part of understanding the culture behind the language which supports students’ learning. The day was a big success, and I am sure the students are already looking forward to the 2024 German Day.