In the first week, the children and young people were able to attend 26 events. Regardless of the participants' preferences, there was something for everyone. From sports shooting and various music courses to excursions and experiments.
Excursions in Bundenbach
In Bundenbach, the participants first learned interesting facts about the formation of slate, its extraction and properties. They also took a close look at the Schmidtburg castle there and the history of the castle - including the princess and knights - was vividly explained by nature and landscape guide Michael Brzoska. An excursion into the world of small animals awakened the children's spirit of discovery before they went in search of gold on Thursday. A real gold fever broke out and one or two small items found to be gold found their way home.
Self-defense and self-assertion
Also important for gold transport: self-defense. 18 children at SV 05 Göttschied were able to lay the foundations for this. They not only worked with their hands, but also with their heads. It started with exercises on attention, balance and reaction time before slowly moving on to karate-specific exercises. They were shown how to form a fist without hurting themselves or how to move their toes to avoid injuring themselves with a kick. With vocal training for a good dose of self-confidence, the three hours flew by.
Experiments at JAM
The youth club at the market, on the other hand, had a more scientific approach, with various experiments on the program. Questions were answered that might have challenged one or two adults. How can you climb through a sheet of paper? How do you blow up a balloon without using your own body? How can you close a drinking bottle tightly without a cap? With a lot of effort and great curiosity, 20 children were able to try out a lot of things and answer these questions in the process, leaving their parents amazed in the end.
Writing workshop
After a break of a few years, the Obere Nahe Art Association once again offered a writing workshop. Five girls and one boy between the ages of nine and 14 took part and put exciting, funny, thought-provoking and scary stories on paper in the seminar room of the city library.
"It was a lot of fun and the great results speak for themselves," said journalist and author Jörg Staiber, who led the group. "The age range was very wide and I was amazed at how confidently and equally the participants dealt with it, how they organized themselves during the breaks, how they quickly took control of the playful elements together and how they helped each other."
The stories that emerged were very different. Nine-year-old Amelie Schwindt, the youngest participant, had a spooky encounter in the cemetery with a surprising outcome. Ten-year-old Hanna Fischer whisked her grandfather away to a mysterious room, while twelve-year-old Norwin had his hero experience a fantastically absurd adventure. Franziska Forster and Miya Mertens, both 13 years old, ranged from a fantastic encounter with a wild horse to a mysterious disappearance, while 14-year-old Maja Eckardt put a terrifying apocalyptic vision on paper.
The stories will soon be published in print, and the collection will be presented at the start of the fall vacations. "We couldn't find an earlier date, young people have pretty tight schedules these days," smiles Staiber. "But the longer lead time also gives us some time to make the product really nice."
Big and small tennis
Things got sporty again towards the weekend. At the TV Vollmersbach taster tennis training session, participants were able to practice using the large yellow felt balls and take part in a tennis Olympics. At the TuS Tiefenstein table tennis day, on the other hand, the small white plastic balls were used. Here, the kids were able to take the table tennis sports badge and the successful participants were of course also presented with their awards.
