My son started Pre-School in Germany this week, and it is a German tradition to give your babiekins a Schultüte (a prettily decorated big cone filled with toys, sweets, school supplies, and other goodies) on their first day of school to make their big day a little sweeter. A Schultüte is really meant to celebrate entering the first grade, but since my family is new to living in Germany and I love starting traditions with my son, I decided to make him a Schultüte (entering pre-school is a pretty big deal too). I searched Pinterest for ideas and showed him several Schultütes: decorated traditionally; with ninjas; with soccer balls; with a giant crocodile; and one like an ice cream cone. My son, with wide eyes, picked the ice cream cone (an ice cream cone is his favorite treat after all). With my design inspiration in hand, I accomplished making my son his very first Schultüte, and this is a tradition I am thrilled to share with him and continue. Do you have back to school traditions you share with your babiekins?
Supplies | large cone or poster board | kraft paper | scissors | stapler | glue | packing tape | washi tape | measuring tape | ribbon | fabric | needle & thread | letters & or beads for decorating your Schultüte
Measure a large triangle for your Schultüte & or the paper to wrap your Schultüte with, then cut it out with scissors.
Decorate your Schultüte – I used washi tape, a drawing of an ice cream cone, and painted wooden letters to spell my son’s name.
Staple fabric to the top of your Schultüte, I also stapled a fabric scallop that I cut out to represent ice-cream, then fill the Schultüte with toys, sweets, school supplies, and other goodies.
Fill & shape the top of the Schultüte, I used bubble wrap or you could use tissue paper, then tie it closed with a ribbon at the top.
Lastly, decorate the top of the Schultüte to look like candies on the ice cream cone by sewing on beads. My son helped by picking out the beads to use, but I didn’t let him look inside the Schultüte – that was a surprise for his first day of school!
My son’s first Schultüte!
My son loved his Schultüte and he loved his first day of school. I hope your babiekins have a wonderful first day of school too!
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