Privatkindergarten Schmetterling

Preparation week 2023

During this year’s preparation week, we dealt intensively with the topic of child protection and trained our staff in this important area. The training included theoretical basics as well as practical consolidation to ensure that our team is best prepared for its responsibility in dealing with children. Another focus of the preparation week was on clarifying our goals and values in the context of our “butterfly” approach. In small groups we worked out together our attitude and values which form the basis of our work. These group presentations allowed us to bring in different perspectives and develop a deep understanding of the common goals. Of course, the annual fire drill was also an integral part of our preparation week this year. A special highlight of the week was Kevin’s presentation, in which he once again introduced the Schmetterling kitchen concept to everyone. The importance of a balanced and healthy diet for the children is very close to our hearts and Kevin’s presentation gave us all valuable insights and suggestions on how we can best implement this concept. In addition, the rooms were re-designed in a cosy and inviting way to give the children a pleasant start. The crowning finale of the preparation week was a team hike through the Prater, followed by a joint dinner in the Luftburg. This time away from the work environment gave us the opportunity to exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere, to recharge our batteries and to start the coming period as a strengthened team.

Environmental week with demo and summer festival

The environmental week at the Neustift site in June 2023 was an eventful and educational week at the kindergarten. From Monday to Friday, various activities were organised to introduce the children to the topic of environmental protection and to strengthen their awareness of the environment. On Monday, the week began with a creative start. The children had the opportunity to paint T-shirts and create their own little works of art. In parallel, books about environmental protection were also read aloud and our environmental song was sung together. Tuesday was all about DIY Upcycling & Recycling. The children learned how to make new objects and toys from seemingly useless materials. Wednesday was declared “GARbageCollectionWednesday”. The children were equipped with gloves and rubbish bags and set out to rid the kindergarten and its surroundings of rubbish. On Thursday, Resource Conservation Day was on the agenda, where parents were also asked to keep the day car-free. The children learned, for example, how to use water sparingly or how to switch off electrical appliances when they are not needed. It was important to show the children that every individual can do something for the environment. The highlight of the Environment Week was, as always, the demo with the children and parents. It was impressive to see how the children, together with the parents, stood up for their environment with full conviction. After the demo, the afternoon was rounded off with the summer party, where the children and their parents celebrated together and enjoyed games. There was also a creative bazaar with homemade products such as herbal salt, flower sugar, jewellery made from Nespresso capsules and other upcycled decorations, as well as delicious homemade food and ice cream. There was a happy and relaxed atmosphere and the mood was just great.

20 Years Kindergarten Schmetterling

On 02 June 2023 the 20th anniversary of the Kindergarten Schmetterling was celebrated and it was a very special event. In the garden of the Neustift site, the guests were treated to Kevin’s barbecue and accompanied by the tasty wines of the Seymann winery from the Weinviertel region.
All existing employees, former colleagues and companions were invited to celebrate this wonderful occasion.
The party was a complete success. The guests came together, were touched by the harmonious speeches and the band DO-RE-MI Fastination and shared many moments of joy and common happiness.
All in all, the 20th anniversary of the Kindergarten Schmetterling was a magnificent celebration that will be remembered by all. It was a time of joy, of letting loose and of collecting new stories. We can now look forward to many more years of learning and joy at Kindergarten Schmetterling!

Schmetterling - Team - Talents

I open the door. For my visit – and for the thought that I may accept it. She, the mercy, who knocks on my door today to do what corresponds to her nature.
She says: Sit down, my dear, I’m going to cook you something. She massages my feet. She sits with me and knows what ails me, what frightens me and what I despair of. She listens to me. And then she says: I’ll stay. You know, I have time.
I notice how unusual it is to be visited, to be comforted and to be given gifts. But it works. I can open the door, even that of my heart. “Thank you for being here,” I say. Not out loud. She sits next to me.
Mercy is silent. Everything has been said.

The words are written by Barbara Pachl-Eberhart and the story inspired us – we took the time to dedicate ourselves as a team to the “essence”. We asked ourselves the question, what makes our Team Schmetterling? And here you will find our variety of talents. Will you also be inspired?

Kindergarten Schmetterling goes Instagram

Kindergarten Schmetterling will also be presenting itself on Instagram in the future.

We would like to announce in advance that we will never post photos or videos of your children without your explicit consent.

In the future, our work at all Schmetterling locations will only be presented transparently on this channel.

Let us surprise you with the material we have already collected and what will come in the future.

You can find us at www.instagram.com/kindergarten_schmetterling or scan the QR code.

Austrian Eco-label - we are back again

“When I dream alone, it is only a dream. When we dream together, it is the beginning of a new reality.”

– Dom Hélder Càmara –

In this spirit, our locations Am Heumarkt, Dornbach and Heiligenstadt are now also applying for the Austrian Eco-label for Kindergartens and are in the process of taking stock of the sustainable activities that have already been developed in the past months and at the same time testing new pedagogical impulses. There are no limits to creativity and the fun of implementation is not missing either. The examination of the various criteria enriches our everyday work just as much as the general handling of the available resources.

https://www.umweltzeichen.at/de/bildung/start

We wish our teams much joy in this lively application process!

Nature Time at the Schmetterling Kindergarten

As part of the nature time at the Schmetterling kindergarten, the children learn about the seasons intensively.

We introduce the children to nature and herbs in a playful and fairytale-like, wild and healthy way.
In spring, the garden beds were prepared so that our fruit and vegetable plants as well as flowers could be planted immediately afterwards. Soon the snack or lunch table was enriched with harvested vegetables, salads (radishes, tomatoes etc.) and fresh herbs.
We also got to know our trees and wild herbs in the garden and observed them throughout the year. Last but not least, the children of the Owl Group made a “butterfly immune” oxymel from the nasturtium, which is now available in our Kindergarten for a donation, in accordance with the snuff nose season.

This year again, our preparation week was under the motto “Together we can create everything new for the start of kindergarten” on 05.09.2022.

Many different trainings such as first aid and fire safety were on the programme as a refresher. Our teams made the groups flourish again and equipped them with many new games and furniture made of high-quality and sustainable materials. Team building on the individual sites was not neglected either. From happiness to mindfulness training but also topics like resilience and many different dynamic team games refreshed the programme.

As always, our employees were treated to the best barbecue from the Rathstraße kitchen team. From venison fillet to vegan dishes, there was everything to please the palate.

And the joint team day was again spent very differently from location to location. While the team from Heiligenstadt went out on the pedal boats, the staff from Dornbacher Straße went into the forest. The staff at the Am Heumarkt site dealt intensively with the local flora and made healing ointments and tinctures. The Neustift team spent an intensive “city farm” time in the Augarten, where they harvested, planted, fertilised and finally conjured up a lunch together from freshly harvested vegetables.

Now we are re-energised for the time with your children and look forward to the new start.

For us, spring is all about healthy, conscious and peaceful community. This year, we also celebrated the environmental week extensively. From energy saving day, discovering spring in our nature garden, the bicycle workshop with our enthusiastic fathers to the car-free day, everything was there again. The highlight, as always, was the manifestation on the street “More space for children”, which was safely supported by the police.

The song “Do something” (environmental song based on “Bella ciao”) accompanied us during the gathering and the presentation of our messages:

• More meadows, trees & forest – less concrete desert
• More bicycle paths – less car roads
• More wooden toys – less plastic
• More bicycles, buses and trains – less cars, trucks and motorbikes
• More space for children – less space for cars
• More fresh fruit and vegetables from Austria – less blueberries in winter
• More curtains, blinds – less air conditioning
• More playgrounds – fewer department stores

Thank you to all children, parents and our Schmetterling team for their efforts this week!

We have done it! The Neustift site is a proud recipient of the Austrian Eco-label.

In a playful way, loosely based on Friedrich Schiller’s “making nature our friend”, we teach the responsible use of our earth’s resources and the fascinating diversity of nature and landscape in the kindergarten. This automatically creates a sense of identity with the respective home area as well as with nature itself.

In April 2022, the Environment Week will take place for the second time. The focal points here are the car-free day, the fascinating world of energy saving, the exploration of the home garden with its spring flowers as well as vehicle repair with our committed fathers. The highlight of the Environment Week is a joint street party with the parents under the motto: “More green space for our children”.