While on a recent shopping expedition at a local paper goods store, I realized (a) it's almost August and (b) most German kids start back at school in August. I love the smell of new school supplies--that was always my favorite part of going back to school--and so I got a kick out of looking through the types of things that German kids are required to buy for school. Imagine my surprise when I saw what looked like dunce caps of various sizes proudly and prominently displayed in several stores.
Although the German school system differs significantly from the US system, I figured that a BYO dunce cap policy probably was not one of the differences. And the label on the cones said
Schultüte (literally, "school bag") rather than
Narrenkappe ("fools hat", aka dunce cap), so I went home to consult Google and (surprise, surprise) these things aren't dunce caps.
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proud dunce cap, er, school bag recipient, circa 1953
source |
Nope,
Schultüten are special school supplies containers for kiddos heading into their first year of school, an old tradition in Germany. They are made of heavy decorative paper, filled with necessary supplies and some treats, and then topped with netting or crepe paper to seal the top like a carrot. Sizes range from child-sized (3 feet tall!) to regular (2 feet) to small (1 foot).
This is such a cute idea--I imagine a first grader would be so excited to get a special gift bag for the first day of school. And the bonus is that it can turn into a princess hat, dunce cap, or (in cases where the first grader in question is male) some sort of sword/weapon. You can
buy a huge assortment or sizes and designs, or
make your own if you're feeling crafty.
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