das Kaleidoskop

Application Deadline Feb. 17:GAI Summer Camp Lead Teachers

2012-02-13T13:52:00.003-06:00

The Germanic-American Institute is accepting applications for lead teacher

positions for its 2012 Summer language camps.

Camps run June 18th-August 20th, each lasting (Monday-Friday),meeting daily from 9am-12pm.
Children are 6-12 years old, with a variety of German ability levels, although most are beginners.
Lead teachers are responsible for developing the curriculum for the week, including all related craft and outdoor activities, as well as additional prep-work related to the camp.

Note: The GAI will post positions for camp teaching assistants later in the spring.

Qualifications:

Fluency in German
At least 1 year professional experience/training teaching German or equivalent
Successful experience working with elementary-aged children
Strong ability to design highly-interactive, kid friendly learning activities

Compensation:

$500 / week. Lead teachers are contracted on a weekly basis.
Up to 2 lead teachers / camp, depending on enrollment.

To Apply: Send the following information by February 17th to the GAI Language Services department, language@gai-mn.org. You may apply for up to 3 camps.

Your name and a cover letter, including a short summary of your teaching credentials and experience or resume to the GAI.
The weeks during June 18th-August 20th for which you would be available to teach, as well as your preferred week(s) to be assigned.
If possible, your idea for a camp theme including a brief description, although this can be decided later. See example below:

Theme Example: Roman Gladiators and Germanic Tribes
We will travel back to the ancient time of Roman gladiators and Germanic tribes. Children will experience firsthand how the Romans impacted Germania and world culture. Activities will include games and crafts such as archery, jewelry and map-making, spear throwing, wagon races, food preparation, clothing design, and more. The week will culminate with a celebratory festival.

Questions? Please contact the GAI at language@gai-mn.org / 651.222.2979 for

further information about our camps and employment as a lead teacher.

New Arts Program: GAI Zwerge

2012-02-13T13:41:00.001-06:00

GAI Zwerge: Early Childhood Arts Enrichment through German Immersion

Ages 6 months – 4 years
Saturday mornings, 10-11am
Music (Spring, 8 weeks): February 25 – April 21
Dance (Summer, 6 weeks): July 14 – August 18
Art (Fall, 8 weeks): October 6 – December 8

Explore the subjects of music, dance, and art with your child in a German immersion environment at GAI's new early childhood classes. All children are creative and musical; they have the innate ability to sing and to move. The sooner we introduce the child to the arts, the better we will be able to awaken and develop such talent. Children are exposed to a variety of songs, rhymes, dancing and movement, instruments, visual arts, and sensory play all in German!

Each series will focus on one of the three subjects and this spring we will be focusing on learning through music. During the class, children will sing songs, playfully explore their body and its movements, and play with simple instruments. Non-German speakers are also welcome as the immersion environment facilitates understanding.

For more information, please visit us online or contact the GAI Language Services Department at language@gai-mn.org / 651-222-2979.

TCGIS is World Savvy; Volunteer Opportunity

2012-02-13T13:37:00.002-06:00

This year the Twin Cities German Immersion School is participating in a youth program called The World Savvy Challenge. The program engages middle and high school students in project-based learning and solution seeking around a global theme, which for the next two years is “Sustainable Communities”. World Savvy sees language acquisition as an important part of being globally competent.

This year thousands of students from across the Twin Cities and the US are exploring the social, economic and environmental components of sustainability. On March 3, 2012, 300 of those students will come to Macalester College to share their research and solutions with peers, parents and community members, completely in German.

The top 10% of winners from each of the three regional competitions will be eligible to submit their Knowledge to Action plan to a national competition. Winners of the national competition will receive a $500 grant to implement their knowledge to action plans over the summer, with support from World Savvy staff.

If any proficient German-speakers would be interested in volunteering as a judge on March 3rd, please follow this link for more information, including how to register for this event: http://wsc2012volunteermn.eventbrite.com/.

Event: The World Savvy Challenge
Date: March 3, 2012
Registration and Info: http://wsc2012volunteermn.eventbrite.com/

Contact:
KK Neimann, Program Associate
612-767-4438
kk@worldsavvy.org

The Met Live in HD: Siegfried!

2011-11-01T22:00:00.001-05:00

Daniel Freeman, music scholar and Wagner expert, will us lead us on Siegfried’s journey of bold drama and ravishing music of astonishing variety and ingenuity before the Metropolitan Opera's HD broadcast of Siegfried! brought to you by The Richard Wagner Society of the Upper Midwest.

Saturday, 5 November 2011, 9:00 AM
Kerasotes Showplace Icon Theatre
1625 Park Place Blvd(W 16th St and Park Pl Blvd) St Louis Park, MN 55416

Admission it is $15 for RWSUM and GAI members, $25 for non-members; and free to students with valid ID. Members bringing friends to our events pay the discounted member rate for all. Theater tickets must be purchased separately.

For discussion tickets, please pay online or make your check payable to the Richard Wagner Society of the Upper Midwest and mail to The Richard Wagner Society of the Upper Midwest, PO Box 3804, Minneapolis MN 55403.
For Kerasotes Showplace Icon Theater tickets, please click here.

This presentation is followed by an 11:00 AM HD broadcast of a live Metropolitan Opera performance with a stellar cast. Gary Lehman sings the title role and Deborah Voigt’s Brünnhilde is his prize. Bryn Terfel is the Wanderer. Fabio Luisi conducts.

Siegfried, the title character is a unique operatic hero. He has spent all his formative years in extraordinarily isolated circumstances in a remote forest. The progeny of mortal parents, but endowed with the lineage of the gods, Siegfried never knows his father and mother, since both of them die before he reaches his first year. He is brought up instead by a dwarf named Mime, who pretends that the tender care he has demonstrated toward Siegfried was motivated by nothing but pity, when in fact he wants to profit from the vast supernatural powers that Siegfried is destined to possess. More information about Siegfried as the third of the four operas in Der Ring des Nibelungen can be found at Wikipedia.

I Am My Own Wife, at The Jungle Theater

2011-11-01T21:02:00.000-05:00

I Am My Own Wife

November 4-December 18, 2011

By Doug Wright

Directed by Joel Sass

Starring Bradley Greenwald

“Museum. Furniture. Men. This is the order in which I have lived my life.” - Charlotte.

The Jungle reunites actor Bradley Greenwald and director Joel Sass to tell the astounding true story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Collector of antiques, non-conformist, and guardian of the past, Charlotte survived the Nazi terror and the communist oppression of East Germany. What makes her story so extraordinary is that Charlotte von Mahlsdorf was a man, and lived her defiant, distinctive life adamantly on her own terms. One of the most popular shows the Jungle has produced, and winner of a 2006 IVEY Award for Performance. Not to be missed!

I Am My Own Wife is based on the interviews of someone who survived the Nazi terror and communist oppression of East Germany. The play tells a fascinating story that one would rarely read in today’s history books. True, some of the content talks about a very unpleasant time in history, but the play is still refreshing, with many moments of laughter and warmth within it. There are sweet moments in the play where as a play-goer, you are reminded that this isn’t just a fictional play, but that it is based on the true story of someone who actually lived at that time in history.

Additionally, at the Jungle, groups of even just 10 qualify for the group rates. We also have a student group rate of $15 for any performance Tuesday through Sunday, except Saturdays. If you are a group leader, you can place seats on hold as soon as you know the date you want to attend, and the payment and final numbers aren’t due until 2 weeks before your event date. This gives you time to confirm numbers and arrange/collect payment. If you would like to reserve group tickets, contact Deb (Grosskopf) Sand, Jungle Theater Group Sales Manager. Mailing address: 2951 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis MN 55408. Phone: 612-278-0147 On the web at www.jungletheater.com.

Meet The Author: My Brother's Shadow

2011-10-10T16:12:00.000-05:00

Join author Monika Schröder at The Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul October 28 to discuss her new book My Brother's Shadow. From Good Reads:

As World War I draws to a close in 1918, German citizens are starving and suffering under a repressive regime. Sixteen-year-old Moritz is torn.
His father died in the war and his older brother still risks his life in the trenches, but his mother does not support the patriotic cause and attends subversive socialist meetings. While his mother participates in the revolution to sweep away the monarchy, Moritz falls in love with a Jewish girl who also is a socialist. When Moritz’s brother returns home a bitter, maimed war veteran, ready to blame Germany’s defeat on everything but the old order, Moritz must choose between his allegiance to his dangerously radicalized brother and those who usher in the new democracy.

Monika Schröder, Jugendbuchautorin, wird am 28. Oktober im Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul ihren neuen Roman MY BROTHER'S SHADOW vorstellen.

Das Buch erzählt von Moritz (16) und seiner Familie während des Endes des Ersten Weltkriegs in Berlin 1918. Schröder ist in Deutschland geboren und aufgewachsen, doch schreibt sie auf Englisch und ihre Bücher werden in Amerika verlegt. Schröder's erster Roman, THE DOG IN THE WOOD (Boyds Mills, 2009) den Kirkus Reviews ein "exceptionelles Debut" nannte, spielt im April 1945 während des Einmarsches der Roten Armee in einem Dorf in Ostdeutschland. Während ihrer Presentation im Red Balloon wird die Autorin über ihr Interesse an deutschen Nachkriegszeiten sprechen und Dias von der Quellenarbeit zu ihrem neuen Roman zeigen. Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, October 18, 7pm

It's Oktoberfest Season...Where's My Boot?

2011-09-26T18:38:00.000-05:00

Ziggy Zaggy Oi Oi Oi! The Twin Cities is ripe with Oktoberfest party opportunities - more than we can list on our calendar of events! It should be no surprise to anyone that the months of September and October are a very festive time of year around here thanks to our Germanic ancestors. If you know of a party we've missed, just drop us a line.

The Black Forest Inn, Minneapolis has ten themed days of celebration, 9/23-10/2. September 29th is a special event that benefits the GAI-Kinderstube. Make a reservation today!
The Klub Haus in St. Paul offers a two-day extravaganza 10/7-8 in St. Paul.
Gasthof zur Gemutlichkeit, Minneapolis also throws a giant tent-party Nord-east style the first three weekends of October, 10/1-15.
The Glockenspiel Restaurant in St. Paul has a "Glocktoberfest" celebration 10/1 starting at noon with food, music, meat raffle, and more.
Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter, Stillwater has a 21+ tent party, plus family days during its Oktoberfest weekends.
You wouldn't want to miss Oktoberfest in New Ulm, Minnesota's most German City!
Midwestweekends.com has a fairly comprehensive listing of regional Oktoberfest events. We have not personally vetted every event listed, so your mileage may vary when it comes to event specific details.

If you attend these events, we'd love to hear your comments about the experience.

10 Days of Oktoberfest!

2011-09-23T18:47:00.002-05:00

The Black Forest Inn invites all GAI members to its “Ten Days of Oktoberfest” celebration, September 23-October 2.

On Thursday, September 29, put on your smarty-hosen for German trivia at “Big Brain Night”, and support the GAI too!

20% of all sales on Thursday, September 29 will be donated to the GAI’s Kinderstube German Immersion Preschool.
GAI members who spend $20 or more get a plate of free assorted appetizers from the Oktoberfest specials menu. This tasty platter is a $9 value and includes ham & sauerkraut balls, Deutschburger balls, spätzle & cheese balls, and meatballs.

Additionally, you could win a 12-18-week language class of your choice at the Germanic-American Institute by participating in the fun at The Black Forest Inn Oktoberfest in Minneapolis! For more details, see the Black Forest's Oktoberfest schedule.

Here's a run down of the the themes each of the ten days of the celebration:

Freudian Slip Night (Tuesday, Sept. 27) Do not repress your desire to experience this night. Buy any Franziskaner and get a tall logo pint glass for one dollar.

Sturm und Drang (Storm and Urge) Night (Wednesday, Sept. 28)
Get your angst on while you lament the 18th-century German movement of extreme emotion.

Big Brain Night (Thursday, Sept. 29)
The Trivia Mafia will be testing diners' knowledge of Germany, while 20 percent of food sales go to the Germanic-American Institute's Kinderstube German Immersion Preschool.

Mill City Farmer's Market Oktoberfest

2011-09-02T15:50:00.002-05:00

Sat, 09/26/2011 - 8:00am - 1:00pm

Celebrate Minnesota brewing past and present as Mill City Museum and the Mill City Farmers Market team up for a Mill City Oktoberfest! Enjoy the tastes, smells, sights and sounds of Germany with activities inside the museum, outside in the Ruin Courtyard and in the Farmers Market area in the Train Shed and Chicago Mall next to the Guthrie Theater.

At Mill City Farmers Market, taste samples of beer and learn about the art of brewing from Minnesota craft brewers, Lift Bridge. Watch German cooking demonstrations by Heather Hartman and Nick Kramarzcuk in the Mill City Cooks demo kitchen. Dance to the music of the Elk River German Band and enjoy performances by the S.G. Edelweiss Dancers.

Relax with a Minnesota brew and German fare in Mill City Museum's Ruin Courtyard beer garden. View a display of Minnesota brewing collectibles with the North Star Chapter of the American Breweriana Association and photographs of Minneapolis’ historic riverfront breweries. Taste and watch a demonstration of Central European baked goods in the museum's Baking Lab.

All the while, enjoy the farmers market for what it is: a one-stop-shop for local, sustainable foods. Don't forget your grocery list!

More Information:

http://www.millcityfarmersmarket.org/

Location

Mill City Farmers Market

704 2nd Street South

Minneapolis, MN

United States

Dance Performance by German Immersion School Students

2011-07-22T16:57:00.001-05:00

Blumenkranz perform at the Merriam Library in St. Paul.
Date/Time: August 9th, Tuesday at 10:30am

Conversation Group Event!

2011-07-21T22:12:00.003-05:00

Announcing a new Meetup for The Twin Cities German Language Meetup Group!
What: Sprachabend Ost
When: Thursday, August 4, 2011 6:30 PM
Where: India House Restaurant
758 Grand Avenue
St Paul, MN 55105
651.293.9124
Come enjoy an evening of Indian food and German conversation.
The management makes it very easy to pay separately, and there is ample parking in the parking lot on Summit and Grotto (behind Caribou Coffee, which is across Grand from the restaurant). As if that weren't enough, Grand Old Creamery is next door.
It would be much appreciated if you could change your RSVP if you sign up and then find that you can't make it after all. The past couple of times I've called the restaurant to request a larger table due to last minute RSVPs, only to have several no-shows.
Hope to see you there!

Check it out!

US World Cup Game at Riverview Theater in Minneapolis - FREE

2011-07-12T14:40:00.002-05:00

We are pleased to announce that there will be a FREE viewing of the Womens WORLD CUP semi-final match of USA vs FRANCE on Wednesday, July 13 at 11am. Doors will open at 10:30am. In order to accomodate this viewing, there will no showings of AFRICAN CATS or RIO on that day.

For those who may not know, the Riverview is an old 1940s style (BIG) theater on the corner of East 38th Street & 42nd Avenue South in Minneapolis (just a couple miles from school). www.riverviewtheater.com. They've done several sporting events like this in the past, and they've always been fun (not to mention they have the best popcorn in town - real butter!)

Come join us for Kino-Kneipe!

2011-06-27T13:42:00.001-05:00

Come an enjoy an evenings at the GAI where all can come together, socialize and enjoy German culture through German film (with English subtitles).

KinoKneipe offers the opportunity to encounter German language, but that all are welcome, German speakers and non-German speakers alike.

We open the doors at 7pm for patrons to get a drink and have a little social time auf Deutsch (for those who speak German). We keep the bar open throughout this period, the film and post-film time, when we have a discussion of the film.

In the discussion we will talk about ideas such as: What did viewers think? Did they like it? What did they associate it with? Any experiences they can share with the group?

A wide range of styles, genres, narratives and years will be brought to the screen im Keller. So far, we've show Kirschblueten - Hanami, Der junge Toerless and Romanze in Moll.

The upcoming screenings are listed below:
July 15th, 6:30 - im Garten - (probably) Sonnenallee (Haußmann)
August - Himmel über Berlin (Wenders)
September - Emil und die Detektive

Please check out the GAI website for future dates or e-mail kino@gai-mn.org

Kaffee und Kuchen every Saturday 9-11!

2011-06-21T10:28:00.001-05:00

Enjoy a relaxing morning on beautiful Summit Ave in Saint Paul. Sit with friends and enjoy homemade cakes or other treats as well as coffee all prepared for you by our Deutscher Damenclub.

Kafee und Kuchen will run Saturdays this summer from June18th - August 27th, except for July 2nd.

Join us for Deutsche Tage 2011

2011-05-28T09:49:00.002-05:00

Lederhosenlauf 5k
On June 11th and 12th, 2011, take a stroll down beautiful Summit Ave in Saint Paul, and join us for good food, good people, music, running, family activities, and for those who can partake, German beer.

Here are some pictures of past Deutsche Tage activities, as well as other GAI fun.

The Lederhosenlauf 5k is in it's 4th year, and will be taking place on Saturday, June 11th at 8:15am. To register day of come at 7:30. Not only do you get to run through one of the more beautiful historic areas of Saint Paul, but you have full license to dress up, enjoy others' crazy clothing.....and really what could be better than running 5k and ending with a beer (or Apfelschorle - sparkling apple juice) and a brat? Check out the Lederhosenlauf 5k - The joy in photos!

To get the full schedule of events. Including information on the Tanzparty and Family Events, check out the website for the Germanic-American Institute.

Traditional Bavarian Sportswear?

Run in ANY attire.

They say that beer and sweat are necessary to soften the leather.

Herzlich Willkommen!

2011-03-14T12:02:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the official blog of The Germanic-American Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. The goal of this blog is to supplement the monthly member newsletter, our core website, and utilize this medium as another community outreach opportunity. We welcome your ideas, feedback, and suggestions.