Hi! We are a military family who lived in Stuttgart, Germany for 2.5 years. My name is Chelsea and I am the mom of a fun loving four-year-old boy. Travel is a huge part of our lives and thus when the opportunity arose to live overseas, we jumped at the chance. We were able to enjoy living in Southern Germany for a couple of years and our son was able to enjoy so many experiences, including visiting over 20 countries!
Here is what a normal day was like for me in the life of a mon in Stuttgart, Germany:
6:00 AM MORNING: Up Bright and Early!
My son is an early riser, so we are typically up by 6:30am. We enjoy a bit of snuggles while I pry my eyes open and then down the large wooden staircase in our home in Dettenhausen (30 minutes south of Stuttgart). Some mornings we would make a quick bowl of oatmeal, or we would walk down to the Bäckerei for a bretzel or croissant. The shopkeepers were always delighting us with free bretzels and other treats.
When our son turned 3, he was offered a spot in the waldkindi or forest preschool in our town. Drop off is between 7am-8:30am, so after breakfast we would hop on his Puky balance bike and head to school. We would park the bike, then my son would change into his hausschuhe and say tschuss to begin his day at Kindi.
What is waldkindi?
Waldkindi is a unique preschool opportunity where children aged 3-6 spend almost the entire day in the forest. They do spend one day a week inside to have opportunities to cook and one day a week sorted by age to work on age specific skills.
This is what their typical day looks like:
7-8:30– playing inside the classroom. Most of the items are natural wood, but they have trains, blocks, a doll house, a housekeeping area and art room with lots of books.
8:30– Time to get ready to go outside. Gear up with waterproof pants (matschhose), jackets, sturdy boots and a backpack. In the winter he wears polyester under layers, cotton leggings and shirt, waterproof two-piece snow suit, a neck gator, a hat, elbow length gloves and boots with wool liners. Then he heads outside to the playground to wait for everyone.
8:45- Line up according to the two groups (snails: schnecke and moles: maulwurf). The kids all find their spot on the rope.
8:50- head into the forest (0.5 mile walk).
9:00- the two groups would circle up for greetings and a few songs before they split into two different areas within the forest
9:30- hand washing and snack. The children bring their own snack and eat outside on a bench made of sticks and a table made from a tree stump.
10:00– outside playtime. There aren’t any toys, but tools, rope, paper and paint. Kids can dig, slide down the hills, play in the creek, make a swing with the rope or a tightrope, paint rocks or sticks.
11:00– group activity- it could be a birthday celebration, leading a new skill, exploring a new area or various themes.
11:45- closing circle and song
12pm- parent pick up (option 1)
1:30 pm- second pick up option back at the school. (Option 2)
Since my son was only 3 and typically exhausted from all the fun, I picked him up at 12pm and we walked home from the forest.
LUNCH:
Lunch to go and ice cream at Café Mieze
Since pick up is up at the forest, I would pack my son’s lunch box and take his foldable wagon up the hill. After a long morning at Kindi, he was happy to jump inside and munch away on his lunch before our regular afternoon ice cream stop at Café Mieze.
AFTERNOON:
Exploring Killesberg Park
Sometimes we would enjoy a lazy afternoon, but often, we wanted to meet up with other American families, so we would head to the park during the Spring-Fall.
One of our favorite places was Killesberg Park. Killesberg Park is a 123 acre park with a petting zoo, train for kids, multiple playgrounds, observation tower, a few rides like a swing and carousel, Biergarten and a pool.
We loved riding the train with our friends and then wandering through the park to the large playground. The kids would run around and play while the moms caught up on the daily happenings.
After the kids had their fill, we headed down to grab a snack at the food truck near the carousel. The powdered waffle was always a favorite!
Once the kids had enough, we would head back home.
EVENING:
Dad returned home around 5:30pm, so he and our son would play outside in our yard with our neighborhood friends while I made dinner. Our favorite German dishes were local sausage from the butcher with kasespeatzle (almost like macaroni and cheese). Of course, my husband loved the delicious German bier!
If we headed out for a family friendly dinner, it was often to a local biergarten with their amazing food and wonderful playgrounds! One of our favorites was Schönbuch Bräu Brauhaus in Lange Str. 20, 71032 Böblingen, Germany. It features grab and go food outside or sit down ordering inside with a large playground area with sand box and tables close by for the perfect blend between eating and playing for little ones.
Finally, it was bedtime for our little one. Most German homes don’t have air conditioning, so the windows were open to let in a cool breeze and fun German stories were read snuggled in bed.
So that’s what a typical day is like for a family living in Stuttgart, Germany!
Want to read more about our favorite things to do with kids in Stuttgart and our guide to the best day trips in the area? Check out my posts on my family travel blog.
Bio: Chelsea is a military wife and mother of a young son. She is a special education teacher by trade but is currently staying home with her son and writing for her family-friendly travel blog. If you enjoyed reading this post, check out our travel adventures around the globe at https://www.packmoreintolife.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/packmoreintolife
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