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5 Fun Ways to Celebrate Oktoberfest for Kids
- Gabrielle Fischer Posted On Jul 22, 2019
5 Ways to Celebrate Oktoberfest for Kids
While much of Oktoberfest centers in and around the beer tents, there are many cultural aspects of the festival that can be celebrated as a family. Learning about Oktoberfest for kids is also a great way to learn and talk about Germany, its geography, language, food and traditions.Oktoberfest Vocabulary for KidsIn 2010, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest in Munich. I knew little to no German when I arrived, but over the course of our trip we picked up some key festival vocabulary thanks to friendly locals we met at our tent tables. Teach your kids a little conversational German as you celebrate Oktoberfest with them- Prost – cheers; every language has its word for toasting.
- Gemütlichkeit – a state of warmth, friendliness and good cheer, often used in description of holidays
- Zelt – tent; there are 14 tents on the Oktoberfest festival grounds. Despite their magnificence and elaborate décor, all the tents are temporary structures, taking months to erect and weeks to disassemble each year.
- Dirndl – traditional dress for women of Bavaria; a lace up front dress typically worn over a white blouse and topped with an apron, it is based on the traditional clothing of the Alps peasants
- Lederhosen – traditional dress for men of Bavaria; directly translated as ‘leather breeches’, they are leather shorts with suspenders typically worn over a shirt. Originally worn for hard physical labor by men in the Alps
- Munchen – Munich; the capital and most populated city in the German state of Bavaria
- Wurst – sausage; there are countless varieties to be found in the Oktoberfest tents, but any menu item that ends in wurst is some form of sausage
- Hendl – roasted chicken; a popular main dish offered in several of the Oktoberfest tents
- Brezel – pretzel; dough twisted into a knot, boiled and baked. In German tradition, pretzels have religious association the knot representing hands in prayer, and the three holes representing the Holy Trinity. You can find them in every Oktoberfest tent, on street carts and every bakery in Germany
- Kartoffelsalat – potato salad; a popular side dish offered in many of the Oktoberfest tents, German potato salad is made with vinegar, and may be served cold or hot
- Lebuchenhertz – gingerbread heart; these gingerbread cookies shaped as hearts, and often put on string to be worn as necklaces, are as common at Oktoberfest as giant pretzels
- Krug – mug or stein; directly translates as jug. Every year, there is an official Krug design for Oktoberfest. Each tent also has its own official mug each year. Traditional krugs are clay with tin lids, but may also be glass
One of my favorite parts of studying different cultures and celebrations is learning about the food. And Oktoberfest definitely doesn’t disappoint on this front. Each tent serves a menu of traditional Bavarian dishes, ranging from roasted ox to roasted chicken, pork knuckles, sausages, cheese platters, and all tents offer giant pretzels.Giant pretzels are symbolic of Oktoberfest. Traditionally, these soft pretzels are boiled in lye before baking. But you can make your own at home. We have made our own for our family’s annual Oktoberfest for years using this pretzel recipe by Alton Brown, which calls for boiling your pretzels in baking soda as an effective lye-substitute.Make Your Own LebkuchenhertzAfter pretzels, the next most common siting at Oktoberfest is Lebkuchenhertz. The traditional German gingerbread cookies are shaped as hearts, decorated and often put on a string to wear as a necklace. You can make your own edible gingerbread hearts with our family’s favorite gingerbread cookie recipe.For a more durable version, make Lebkuchenhertz with brown craft foam. Press a large heart cookie cutter into the foam, cut out along the indentation and let your kids decorate their own with ric-rac, chalk pens, and sequins.
The Colors of Oktoberfest and BavariaLight blue and white are prominent colors at Oktoberfest, as these are the colors of Bavaria, the southeastern region of Germany where Munich and Oktoberfest are located. But you will also see tents decorated with other color schemes paying homage to other regions and states of Germany. Today, Germany is a federal republic consisting of 16 states – including 3 city-states (Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen) and 13 area states. Other common color combinations include red and white; red, black and yellow; and green and white.Let your kids create their own Oktoberfest décor inspired by the colors of Bavaria or another German state of their choice.Create Your Own MugsAt our family’s annual Oktoberfest, we have a Mug Contest. Every attendee can enter their own mug – purchased or self-made. The only rule is you must be able to drink from it. As the years have gone by, more fest-goers have chosen to make their own, with entries getting more inventive annually.Let your kids create their own Oktoberfest mugs. Purchase plain plastic mugs or ceramic coffee cups for your kids to decorate with stickers or oil-based paint pens.
Get Glowing with STEM Ice Lanterns
Your holiday guests will be delighted as they arrive to your doorstep on a cold night greeted by these frosty, glowing lanterns. Oh what fun it will be when they learn your little scientists created the evening’s entryway décor!
It goes without saying that these lanterns work best in freezing temperatures. Should you choose to use them to light your holiday table, make sure to place them in a bowl for when they begin to melt!
This experiment involves the change of matter from a liquid to a solid (and eventually back to a liquid).
You will need:
• Plastic red cups
• Smaller plastic cups that can fit inside
• Decorations - glitter pipe cleaners, craft pom poms, glitter, pine sprigs, etc.
• Water
• Tape
• Food coloring
• Candles (battery-operated is probably best)
Grab one of your red cups, and twist pipe cleaners up the length of the cup. This part requires some engineering inspiration and small hands. How do you get them to stay up? If you choose, add some craft pom poms. Working on the pom poms to stay suspended in the pipe cleaners also creates a unique challenge. Think!
Next, pull out a long piece of tape and attach it to one side of the cup near the lip. The tape will be the important piece that will hold down the second cup, so it doesn’t float. Basically, have the tape ready before you pour in the water.
Fill the cup about half full with water. Add a few drops of food coloring if you would like at this time.
Place the smaller cup into the bigger, red cup. Pour your water in between the two cups, so it fills until about a half inch below the rim. You’ll want to push down on the smaller cup the entire time because the goal is to have the two rims even with each other.
Secure your second cup in place with the tape.
Place in the freezer overnight.
When you are ready to place your lanterns out for all to enjoy, remove them from the fridge and give yourself about 5 minutes. This is the perfect time to discuss the scientific changes you observe.
• The water is now frozen.
• The frozen water has pushed the small cup up.
• The frozen water has perhaps even changed the shape of the outer cup.
Remove the inner cup with a little tug and turn the red cup upside down to shake out the ice lantern. Time is not on your side handling the frozen lanterns, as they will melt quickly.
Showcase them with a battery-operated candle any place around the house where you’d like to wow your guests!
Happy Holidays!
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Celebrate Astronomy Day with Kids
Each year Astronomy Day is celebrated worldwide. The stars have fascinated humanity for literally centuries, and even to this day captures the imagination of kids of all ages. Celebrate this event with them this year and don't worry if you don't own any expensive telescopes. These DIY activities use real life discoveries to inspire your little astronomers!
Track the Phases of the Moon
Bone sticks from across Europe and Africa dating back as long ago as 35,000 BCE that tracked the moon’s phases. Use a simple number line with your kids to track the phases of the moon over the course of a month, from full moon and back again. Do it for several months and see what patterns they begin to observe.
Depict a Celestial Phenomenon
A celestial phenomenon is a astrological event that involves one or more objects. The earliest example depicted was discovered in Germany in 1999. The Nebra Sky Disc dates back to 2000 BC and it depicted a star cluster, phases of the moon and the rising sun.
Use a black paper plate, or even just black paper, and encourage your children to depict their own star formations. If they can’t stay up to observe them at night, project some indoors with this Shining Stars Projector.
Astronomy to Keep Time
The Chinese astronomers kept detailed observations beginning about 600 BC, for the primary purpose of timekeeping. Their records allowed them to predict eclipses, and include the first record of events such as supernovas and comets.
On the other side of the world, the Mayans developed their own astronomical tables for predicting the phases of the moon, eclipses, and the appearance of the other planets. They used these and the cycles of the Sun, the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and constellations to establish the Mayan calendar.
All of the above astronomy was without a telescope, and you can still observe these astronomical events with your kids today. Check out this astronomy calendar and pick a full moon, eclipse, planetary event, or meteor shower to observe as a family.
Try this simple astronomy experiment to help kids as young as preschoolers understand what makes night.
Just because ancient astronomers did all of this without a telescope doesn't mean your little ones have to! All of the above activities can be done with the naked eye but if you feel like shooting for the stars check out Learning Resources Big View Telescope. How will you celebrate Astronomy Day?
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DIY Earth Day Sensory Art
Happy Earth Day! A wonderful way to celebrate our one-of-a-kind planet, this Earth Day art project is alive with color. Engaging the senses of even your littlest conservationist, recreate this masterpiece with a just few items you probably already have at home.
You will need:
- A baking sheet with sides
- Shaving cream
- Food coloring or watercolor paints
- Chopsticks or craft sticks for swirling
- White cardstock
- An old gift card or credit card for scraping
On the cardstock, trace circles about 8-9” in circumference using a bowl or plate. Cut out and set aside.
Spray the shaving cream directly into the baking sheet. Now spread the shaving cream evenly in the pan. It almost feels like frosting a sheet cake.
Using a generous hand, drop your food coloring or paint all over the shaving cream in the pan. Then, with the craft stick, swirl the pain around. Be careful to swirl, not mix. This step is rich in sensory for the children – the smell of the shaving cream, the drag of the foam, the mixing of the color. Fantastic!
Grab one of the circles. Gently lay your soon-to-be-Earth on top of the shaving cream, pressing down gently. You want to make sure all the Earth’s surface is touching the paint/shaving foam mixture.
Grab a little section and gently peel up your circle off of the foam. Find a spot to lay it flat.
Next, using the former gift or credit card, begin on one end and scrape the paint off, getting very close to the surface of the card stock. Revealed under all that shaving cream is a beautiful, marbled, Earth-from-outer-space look!
Add some additional paint or food coloring to your mix if you feel like either color is coming through strong enough. It seems like it’s almost impossible to add too much color.
Enjoy this sensory-rich activity with all ages of kids.
Happy Earth Day!
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