Der folgende Bericht entstand im ALL-Projekt im Englischunterricht von Herrn Eickmeyer. Jede/r Schüler/in erstellte dabei einen eigenen Report. Die Klassengemeinschaft einigte sich darauf, dass der Text von Catherine Donohue stellvertretend für die Gruppe auf der Homepage veröffentlicht werden soll.
Our class trip to Gut Kragenhof was a lot of fun and really brought us together as a class.
It all started on Monday, September 11th, when we biked the 12 kilometers to Gut Kragenhof. Upon arrival, we toured the property and were showed our rooms. The Kragenhof was a large property with lots to offer, including a soccer field, volleyball net, seesaw, hammocks and a large empty hall adjoining the courtyard.
After the warm welcome and some time to unpack and explore, we enjoyed lunch before receiving the schedule for the next two weeks. Each day started at 6:45 with morning sport taught by Marcel, one of chaperones. We typically did some duration/stamina training and a game till 7:15, when we had time to shower and change before breakfast at 7:45. Breakfast usually went until about 8:10, and after that was room control, to make sure that our rooms stayed neat and organized. Sometimes we had a class meeting at 8:30, but most days our next event was at 9:15- class. Every day was a different class. We had biology/chemistry, in which we learned about bees and honey and even made some of our own candy and soap, we had English/sport, in which we learned how to play football while speaking English, we had religion, where we prepared an entire church service for Sunday all on our own, and lots of other classes to help keep us stimulated.
After lunch, we had free time till 14:15, when we started working on our projects. We got to choose between theater, mechanics and pottery. At the end of the trip, we would present a small report, showing what we learned in the projects. In theater, the kids learned about drama and acting, and put on a small show for the parents. In mechanics, the kids took apart an actual VW Golf and presented it to the parents with a few things they learned about car mechanics. In pottery, the kids learned about molding, modeling, shaping and using clay. They made their own three-dimensional figures and sculptures or busts. All of the projects were very informative and you learned a lot. The specialists were incredibly helpful, very patient and all-around kind.
After the projects, which ended at around 17:30, we had free time until 19:45. Some kids played soccer, some sang or played instruments, some hung out in their rooms or on the hammocks, and some just chilled outside. At 19:45 was dinner, and at 21:00 was Silencium. The Silencium was half an hour of silence to reflect on our day and/or a named story, or just to recollect our thoughts, take time for ourselves and wind down before bed. Afterwards (22:00) was lights out and bedtime. Our schedule mostly stayed the same for the two weeks, but on Saturday and Sunday, things were a little different. On Saturday, we got to sleep in a little later and then we all rode our bikes to the 12th century town, Hannover Mϋnden. There, we did a photography scavenger hunt, while enjoying the quaint scenery.
On Sunday, we walked down the mountain (where Gut Kragenhof situated) to the church in Staufenberg, where we held our self-arranged church service. The rest of the day was pretty relaxing, and for dinner we had a barbeque. One important element of the trip was the chores. Over the course of two weeks, everyone had roughly eight to nine preassigned chores/jobs that were done in groups of four to five kids. Some jobs included setting up breakfast during sport, cleaning up after meals, cooking lunch during the lesson that day or vacuuming the common room/-s.
Overall, the trip to Gut Kragenhof a good undertaking to help bring us together as a class and it was a lot of fun to partake in.
Catherine Donohue
