Things are different here in Austria as many mothers don't go back to work for a good period of time after their children are born and they tend to spend lots of time at home or with family. When we got here I knew Finn needed to go back to school as soon as possible. He loved going and when we arrived in Austria he kept asking "Mommy, when am I going to school again to see my friends?" So I started searching.
In Austria most kids start going to "school, pre-school, etc." around 3 years old and it is called Spielgruppe = Playgroup. And that is what it is all about: playing. They can go from 2-5 mornings per week and once they are 5 years old Kindergarten starts. But also Kindergarten here in Austria is different, not so much educational, more like learning through playing. With Finn being only 2.5 years old, I had a little problem. And of course I would have preferred if he would have spoken English at school. ..
There were some English speaking options in other towns, but the one I liked did not have space right now - we are on the waiting list there. And the other English speaking place we visited I did not like very much. So the English part would not work.
There is a Spielgruppe in our village and I had tried to get Finn in but they were full when we arrived in Austria. But I was pretty persistent :-) and kept calling and finally something became available. They had an opening for one day per week. I was very happy and Finn too. He marched in the first day and owned the place. The teachers are great and Finn is really happy and exhausted after each day. Those days he takes a really long nap. And we were lucky enough that another day opened up and Finn goes 2 days per week now. He absolutely loves his new school and is working on making new friends.
They have a great outdoor play area.
Finn at the entrance. It is called "Dean und Duss" - Inside and Outside.
The other day they were collecting flowers.
Miss Petra is helping Finn to walk on stilts.
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