Kindergruppe Simsalabim Zwerge

The Kindergruppe Simsalabim Zwerge is a small kindergarten in the 3rd district of Vienna, easy to reach by tram from the city center or the train station Wien Mitte. It's situated in a quiet neighbourhood close to Prater, the large public park in Vienna. It’s based in an apartment with a small courtyard with a sandpit and the possibility to plant some vegetables and flowers. The Kindergruppe has a kitchen, a crafting room, a gym with a slide and a room where the kids can do more quiet activities like reading books or doing role plays. Our Kindergruppe is a non-profit organisation run by the parents. We have a team of 3 teachers. There are maximum 14 kids between 2,5 and 6 years with 2 teachers taking care of them Monday to Friday from 8 am till 4pm. The idea of the organisation is based on a humanistic philosophy. We live diversity, are open minded to different cultures, religions and rainbow families. The main target of the teachers are to build up individual relationships with the kids and to respect and take their individual needs serious. Our meaning of education is to accompany the children and help if they need it, but not lecture them. Each child is accepted as an individual, encouraged to develop self-consciousness and self-confidence. The parents are also involved in the daily kindergarten life, they take care of (predominantly organic) lunch and snacks, cleaning and all the things needed to run a kindergarten. All of them have different tasks and responsibilities, like buying material for handicraft work, looking after the yard, renovating, organising the parents' cooking shifts etc. This way, they have more insights in and understanding for the children's and teachers' daily routine. They are participating much more in the daily routine than in a regular kindergarten and the children experience a big community with everyone being responsible and involved with her/his time, skills and tasks. A regular day at the Kindergruppe looks like this: The first teacher arrives at 8am, welcomes the first children arriving and starts to prepare breakfast. The second teacher arrives at 9am and the children have to arrive till 9:30am. In the morning we either stay at the Kindergruppe where the kids can play, do handcrafts or draw or we do outdoor activities like going to different playgrounds which are close to the Kindergarten. On Tuesdays we are going to a nearby school using its gym. We also go to children theaters or museums several times a year. Lunchtime ist at about 12:30, the meals are already prepared and we only have to warm them. After lunch we have „Ruhestunde“ till about 2pm where the kids can do quiet stuff, like drawing or reading books. In the afternoon the kids play at the Kindergruppe or in the courtyard. At about 2:30/3:00pm we have a snack. One of the teachers is leaving at about 3:00/3:30pm. At 4pm the Kindergruppe closes. We celebrate the children's birthdays together, as well as occasions like Lantern Parade, St. Nicholas' Day and Christmas in winter, Carneval and Easter. We like to go to the playground at the Prater, a large public park nearby. In summer we also go swimming and splashing at the public baths at the Danube like Gänsehäufel and Bundesbad Alte Donau.