German Culture Site
	Francine McKenna BellaOnline's German Culture Editor

Children´s Songs in Midi [offsite link]
This is a website that lists children´s songs, along with their midi sound track, in order to help you learn.

Chocolate Museum in Cologne, Germany
Cologne´s Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum, a fun, and interactive, museum which is the world´s largest and most comprehensive chocolate museum. A futuristic building, designed as a boat moored alongside the River Rhine, where you can visit a sub-tropical forest with cocoa plants, learn about chocolate history, and watch as a chocolate bar begins life as cocoa beans and ends up ground, processed, molded and wrapped in silver foil. With a short video.

Enchanted Learning [offsite link]
The German Theme Page of Enchanted Learning offers K-12 graders English-German information, dictionaries, quizzes and much more, presented in a fun and enjoyable style. Despite being a subscription site there are many, and varied, options and possibilities open to non subscription users.

Father´s Day in Germany
Father’s Day in Germany is something of a ‘moveable feast’, as it is linked to Ascension Day which changes each year. But ´the sons and daughters´ of those fathers are not as involved as they would be in other countries, and, to anyone who is new to it, the first experience of a German Father’s Day can come as a bit of a shock, as that is not the only way the celebration differs from other countries.

Forest Schools, Germany´s Waldkindergarten
Waldkindergarten, nature´s pre-school nursery for children, where fresh air, the natural world and exploration replace classroom walls. A system of education that began in 19th century Germany, and is becoming increasingly popular throughout the country.

Groundhog Day, Hedgehogs and Candlemas
February 2nd is Groundhog Day, an annual tradition with roots which lie in a Christian festival, age old European and German superstitions about hedgehogs, the weather, and pagan celebrations bound to the cycles of nature.

Halloween Celebrations in Germany
Halloween has arrived in Germany. Although not quite in the style of the USA’s huge ‘Trick or Treat’ Festival nevertheless the witches have returned, parties are held and pumpkins, ghosts and ghouls are to be seen in the country´s cities and suburbs.

Kidsville [offsite link]
The "Mitmachstadt" (participation city) for children in the Internet.

Schultueten, Zuckertueten and the first school day
The first day at school is a milestone in the lives of German children. Whenever possible parents and grandparents escort the new pupil to school where, after welcoming speeches and songs, those photos taken for posterity and with that Schultuete held tightly, it’s time for school life to begin

St. Martin's and Halloween Children's Lanterns
Making and carrying illuminated lanterns are something of a favourite pastime for most children, so these safer versions of lamps are fun to make as well as practical for everything from Halloween, St. Martins and New Year, to those 'any occasion will do' celebrations.

St. Martin's Day, November 11
A typical Sankt Martinstag in Germany. Candle lit lantern processions with singing children and a St. Martin 'Weckmann' eaten by a warming bonfire. Beginning with a church service in his honour and perhaps ending with the traditional goose supper, Martinsgans.

Voyage Kids [offsite link]
A colourful interactive German English dual language website for the very young. Frequently updated, and a joint UK/German government project, it offers all types of possibilities to have fun with German, from interesting topics, Games, Puzzles, Songs and Stories, to Craft and Cookery corners.

Young Germany [offsite link]
Run by Germany´s Federal Foreign Office, it is a lifestyle, career and education guide, a colourful and informative English language website, including up-to-date news and developments, and aimed at high school and college students. Covering diverse topics relating to Germany, from life, living and education, to events, comments and news, it offers possibilities for not only increasing familiarity with, and understanding of, the country and its people, but also learning the language.

Links marked with the [offsite link] designation point to websites not associated with BellaOnline.com. BellaOnline.com is not responsible for the material found there.

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