The kindergarten children are supervised in one group of mixed ages, from 1-6. This kind of common supervision is considered as the perfect form of care by many of our parents:

• The children stay in one group from an early age and can make permanent friends this way.
• The younger children can learn from the older ones through model-oriented learning.
• Older children can pass-on their experience and knowledge to the younger children, and can therefore improve their skills and gain confidence.
• Older children have more possibilities to develop social competences, e.g. through consideration of others and taking responsibility.
• The long presence of the children in a group leads to an intensive relationship with the qualified employee
• Encouragement to be independent and self-paced learning: There are learning materials for children of all ages, which gives them the possibility to decide which activity they would like to choose.

At the same time the group of mixed ages poses high demands on the framework conditions and the employee’s competences. The excellent interior design and the qualified employees allow us to face this challenge, because the expanded age-mixing of our children gives us great
possibilities.

Apart from the kindergarten group there is a group of primary school children. At parties and projects and trips both groups do often take part together. The kindergarten and the school children enjoy this time together. Many school children have their siblings in the kindergarten or have spent their kindergarten-time at Die Rheinpiraten.

At Die Rheinpiraten, there are German- and English-speaking educators, assisting educators who work together according to the immersion method. The children immerse themselves into the new language. Even if the children do not speak English at the start, the native speakers will speak English with all the children. The children develop the language skills through the context in which it is spoken. This is how a person also learns his/her mother tongue – learning grammar and vocabulary are not the focus. Immersion learning is currently the most successful method worldwide when it comes to language acquisition, and it differs fundamentally from conventional language courses. The method requires there is a lot of time spent with the new language. As our children all have 45 hour-places in the kindergarten, our institution is the ideal place to make use of this possibility.

Bilingualism was supported professionally at Die Rheinpiraten

Die Rheinpiraten were supported scientifically from a research team of the University of Cologne, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Andreas Rohde, one of six teams of the research network “Bilinguale Kitas”. Our educators were in regular contact with the scientific employees. Their research findings gave us a precious insight into the learning process of our children, that we could use immediately. Additionally, the research contributes to theory formation in the area of language learning and teaching. You can find information on the research network “Bilinguale Kitas” here:

http://www.bilikita.org/

Die Rheinpiraten – partner of the EU-project ELIAS/Early Language and Intercultural Acquisition Studies

Die Rheinpiraten were one of seven bilingual kindergartens throughout Europe to take part in a scientific long-term study lasting two years, thanks to a research cooperation. Aside from the studies, our employees were trained in topics concerning the bilingual kindergarten. Through participating supervision by employees of the University of Cologne, the interaction of the children with the educators was supervised and their language level was identified.

You can find a link to the homepage of ELIAS here: http://www.elias.bilikita.org/

You can find further information concerning the immersion method in bilingual kindergartens and primary schools here: http://www.kristin-kersten.de/ and on the website of the institution of early plurilingualism in kindergartens and school (Verein für frühe Mehrsprachigkeit an Kindertageseinrichtungen und Schulen):www.fmks-online.de

At Die Rheinpiraten, nature pedagogy has a special value. It is put to practice through frequent stays in the free nature and projects. Once a week we take the children for exciting trips to the Rheinwiesen or the forest. The children experience nature and gain a deep comprehension for this habitat and the beings living in it. They get the space and time to observe and explore it. Games for their perception and senses, as well as elements from the games and adventure pedagogy, are installed. 

Honoured by the Land NRW as a kindergarten with a cultural profile

Art and creativity also have a permanent spot in the weekly schedule. Working with previously-prepared art templates is not part of our mission. It is about giving the children space and materials for their own creative ideas, and to get them to deal with things in a creative way by giving them selective stimulations. Theatre play is also a permanent weekly offer. Children from the age of 3 can participate if they have the confidence to do so. Two times a year, there is a performance in the Matchbox Theatre.

Project work supports the holistic learning – every month, there is a specific project topic at Die Rheinpiraten. In these projects, the children’s current topics and ideas are being picked up, planned and worked out. The project work is also supported by media educational work. They do their research with books, encyclopaedias, newspapers, CDs and audiobooks, a camera and the internet. If possible, the permanent weekly offers are being adapted in terms of content to the project topic. This way, the topic can be worked on in the different ways of activity (colouring, singing, playing instruments, technical working, telling stories, circle games, research working, etc.). The end of a project is normally completed with a trip or a party matching the topic, e.g. for the music project; experiments were made to explore tones and sounds, during the exercise offer we included dancing to music, books dealing with the topic were being read, music instruments were crafted, coloured and used, a workshop took place with an employee of the opera Düsseldorf and we saw a performance of The Magic Flute.

Die Rheinpiraten work according to their own concept that includes different elements of pedagogical approaches, and it is based especially on nature educational activities, creative works and project works. The children are free to use the functional spaces, in cases where they do not want to participate in small groups, in activities done in the framework of the project work or they do not want to do something together with the group. All this happens in a bilingual framework and in a creative learning environment. Therefore, the employee’s attitude is always appreciative, they put the children and their individuality in the centre of things and do not lose track of the meaning of the childlike game. Holistic support, value-based goals and caringly shaping the relationship are the basics of their actions – according to the guideline of the institution “Mit Spaß und Verstand in die Zukunft”.

Die Rheinpiraten have the following image of the child: “The child as a player of his/her own development is an independent, active and self-forming being from the moment of his/her birth which explores the living environment out of his/her own accord. The children learn through what they experience with their own senses, and through what they explore in social engagements. We assume that this formation as a self-formation is not just done on the child’s own initiative. It is also an outcome of the co-constructive work through social interactions with qualified employees, as well as with the community of peers.” (conception Die Rheinpiraten e.V. 2014, S.9).

The child’s role

The child and his/her individuality is the centre of our work. They have the right to be a child, to follow his/her childlike needs, to act independently and to act out his/her individual personality. His/her opinion is always appreciated. We are a community – we live and learn with mutual respect, which the child has to maintain towards others as well.

The educator’s role

We support and accompany the child in his/her own individual development. We offer a respectful, sensitive, caring and a child-appropriate environment in which he/she can form himself/herself, and where they get a specific stimulation for the expansion of his/her competences. It is our task to give the child an appreciative attitude, but also to teach them the rules and boundaries, as well as the norms and values. We replenish the parents’ education.

Hand in hand

Collaborating with the parents is one of the central tasks of the kindergarten, and is regulated by the KiBiz (§ 9). We care deeply about having a cooperative educational partnership, a relationship based on trust and an intensive exchange with the parents of our children is our aim. Our parents should also feel comfortable at our institution. A good collaboration between the parents and the educators is very important, because it influences the development of the child. When the children notice that their parents feel comfortable in the institution, less separation anxieties will arise and the transition into the prevailing world is easier for the child. The parents are seen as experts of their children, and their experiences are used for the work in the institution. The educators perceive the parents as competent partners, who are likewise responsible for the wellbeing of the children.

Parents have the possibility to have a say in the work of our parent initiative, and to participate actively in the events. As soon as they sign the contract, parents are admitted in the institution and they receive the possibility to participate in the institution’s work and to help shape the parent initiative. Additional to the participation at general meetings, all parents must do 20 hours work a year to maintain and to upgrade the kindergarten. We, as a parent initiative, rely on the collaboration with the parents. We do not see the parents’ work as an annoying duty, but as a possibility to participate actively at designing the kindergarten, to bring one’s own skills in and to give the children an estimation of what a community looks and the feeling that it goes beyond a pure partnership of convenience. Parents are not only welcome in our institution for parties, we also give them space for their own ideas! Moreover, they are welcome to make use of other ways of participation. Therefore, they can additionally support the educational work in the kindergarten by taking part at the parents' council elections at the general meeting once a year.

The institution shares the property with the Matchbox Theatre whose rooms (belonging to a former matchbox factory) can be used regularly for rehearsals and performances.

There are also close collaborations with:

• Youth Welfare Office of the city of Leverkusen and the Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR)
• Two local primary schools
• Sozialraum-AG
• University of Cologne; which has accompanied the bilingual programme scientifically.
• An Irish University
• Haus der kleinen Forscher
• Villa Zündfunke
• Local institutions from Hitdorf
• Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverein (DPWV) and Paritätisches Jugendwerk (PJW)
• Verein für frühe Mehrsprachigkeit an Kindertageseinrichtungen und Schulen (FMKS)
• Landesverband der Mütterzentrale NRW

The premises

The institution, Die Rheinpiraten e.V, uses the premises of a former matchbox factory of 250m² for a bilingual kindergarten, and an additional 60m² for bilingual supervision, formation and education of children at the primary school age. In 2012 and 2013, large parts of the kindergarten were upgraded from public funds for the day care of children under the age of 3.