By Anja Opitz
Hooray, finally vacation! After nine weeks of getting up early, German, math and music, homework and cramming for the next test, the Berlin students are looking forward to two weeks of free time.
Romp, read, go to the cinema or museum or just chill at home. There are so many holiday options – we have put together a few tips for you!
creative holiday
1. Monster Factory: At the youth art school in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, children aged 9 to 14 can design eerily beautiful monsters out of paper and clay. When? October 24–18, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Where? Nordhauser Strasse 22, Charlottenburg. For free
2. More Than Garbage: What can be made from leftover paper and empty packaging? Children can find out with upcycling in the Marzahn outdoor laboratory. Registration at fll.inu-berlin.de. When? 31.10.-4.11. Where? Marzahn outdoor laboratory, Torgauer Straße 6, Marzahn. Free of charge
3. Crafting on cool: Build dragons, design spooky creatures and much more. m: At the Technical Youth Education Association in Praxis e. V. is all about Halloween and autumn. When? Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Where? Lobitzweg 1, Koepenick. Free of charge
4. Tricky, such a movie: Young directors (ages 10–14) design clay figures and bring them to life using stop-motion technology. Registration via [email protected]. When? November 1–4, 11 a.m.–4.30 p.m. Where? C/O Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 22, Charlottenburg. Costs? 70 euros
5. Curtain up: Children from 6 to 10 years create their own stories, learn the basics of expression through music, language and body and present their play. When? October 31–November 4, 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Where? Exploratorium, Mehringdamm 55, Kreuzberg. Costs? 25-50 euros (self-assessment)
6. Colorful, Yes Colorful: In the workshops (13-15 years) at the Alte Möbelfabrik, theater is played, designed with light, fantasy spaces are created and stories are told. When? October 24–28, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Where? Karlstrasse 12, Koepenick. Free of charge
science goes on
7. From the sofa to the museum: At www.youtube.com/user/MfNBerlin you will find videos with guided tours through the Museum für Naturkunde and the podcast “Beats & Bones”. Smart look!
8. Future visions: With its interactive exhibitions, the Futurium follows the question of how we would like to live in the future. From living mushroom cultures as a recyclable substitute for leather and rubber to songs that you can program yourself with artificial intelligence on site, there is a lot to discover. When? Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Where? Alexanderufer 2, center. Free of charge
9. Crazy Lab: The FEZ is transformed into a giant laboratory in which children can carry out experiments: they research with magnets and mirrors, play with colors and light, build robots and explore many questions about everyday life. When? Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat./Sun. 12pm-6pm. Where? Street to the FEZ 2, Köpenick. Costs? From 4 euros
10. Feel light, see warmth: Experiments in the Technology Museum make it clear that we perceive heat and light with different senses, but from a physical point of view they have a lot in common. When? 23.10., 12.30 p.m./2 p.m. Where? Trebbiner Strasse 9, Kreuzberg. Costs? Admission 8 euros, 4 euros concessions.
11. Heavenly: On 10/25 there is a partial solar eclipse. From 11:09 a.m. CEST the moon moves in front of the sun, at 12:13 p.m. it covers about a third of it, at 1:19 p.m. the celestial spectacle is over. Pupils can observe this celestial event at all three locations of the Stiftung Planetarium Berlin. Current information at: www.planetarium.berlin/partielle-sonnenfinsternis
Little adventures in the big city
12. Playground Challenge: Can you try a new playground every day of the holiday? Our favourites: world playground in Treptow (Am Treptower Park 27), Indian village in Volkspark Friedrichshain (Am Friedrichshain 13), jungle playground in Steglitz (Dalandweg 23).
13. Touring with Pokémon: Does your child not feel like going for a walk? Download the Pokémon app and go looking for the cute monsters together.
14. Roaming through the night: Depending on the age of the children, roam in the dark with flashlights to the nearest playground or further. Then enjoy hot cocoa at home.
15. Graffiti Search: Graffiti, murals, stickers or sculptures – Berlin is full of street art. A good starting point is B. the area around Hackescher Markt.
Chill inside
16. Lights out, film on: Lower the blinds, take out the popcorn, snuggle up on the couch and watch the children’s current favorite movie.
17. Kitchen Ice Cream Shop: For once, buy a few more types of ice cream, add Smarties, gummy bears and mini marshmallows – and everyone can put together an ice cream sundae.
18. Catwalk Fancy? Children love to rummage through their parents’ wardrobe and slip into absurdly colorful outfits. If evening dresses and heels are allowed, even teenagers are still happy to be there. Lay out the ceiling as a catwalk, turn on the music, switch on the flashlight on your mobile phone – let’s go.
19. Get out boards: At the games evening, each family member can choose their favorite board game. Maybe order pizza in between? Playing makes you hungry.
On screen and stage
20. Ready for school: If not they themselves, but Ida and Benni go to “The School of Magical Animals 2”, all the children enjoy cramming. So buy cinema tickets as a little holiday highlight!
21. Queen under the stars: Your teenager doesn’t know Queen yet? But then now! The Zeiss Planetarium pays homage to the exceptional band with many original music, image and video recordings, combined with a laser show and 360° video effects. When? November 5, 10:15 p.m. Where? Prenzlauer Allee 80, Prenzlauer Berg. Costs? 12 euros
22. Fairy Tale Magic in the Yurt: Narrator Ana Rhukiz tells stories by the fire as the snake queen Shahmaran. Afterwards there is bread on a stick. Registration via ☎ 475 84 72. When? November 3, 4:30 p.m. Where? Neighborhood center Amtshaus Buchholz, Berliner Strasse 24, French Buchholz. Costs? 3.50 euros/2.50 euros red.
Off to nature
23. Rush of Leaves: Just go crazy for a moment and have a leaf battle with the kids in the park – holiday tip with a good mood guarantee.
24. Scavenger Hunt Using GPS: Lure your teenagers out with geocaching: With a GPS receiver or smartphone, a hiding place (“cache”) with a little surprise has to be found. Whoever has it, writes it down in a logbook – and the search continues.
25. Forest in the City: Rage through the Tegel Forest, making a detour to the forest playground and the game reserve with deer, stags and wild boars.
26. For lake addicts: Jumping in is no longer recommended, but a walk by the lake is fun even in autumn. You can comfortably walk around z. B. the Kaulsdorfer See and the Krumme Lanke.
This is where it gets spooky!
On October 31st, children in scary costumes go from door to door and busily collect sweets with the slogan “Trick or treat”. There is also a lot to experience in Berlin around the Halloween festival, which falls on the second Monday of the holiday this year:
27. Blacklight Haunting: In the Grashüpfer puppet theater, children from the age of 4 can build magical sock puppets and ghosts that glow wonderfully scary under the black light lamps. Registration at www.kinderkulturmonat.de.When? 22.10., from 12 p.m. Where? Puschkinallee 16A, Treptow. For free
28. Witching Hour in the Museum: At the Museum for Communication, children can design a Halloween mask and take it home – making scaring them even more fun. Registration at www.kinderkulturmonat.de.When? October 30, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., one hour each.Where? Leipziger Strasse 16, center. For free
29. Halloween Party: Witch Estrella and creepy Bambusel invite you to monster dances and games in the dark. When? 30.10., 3 p.m. Where? Educational and cultural center Peter Edel, Berliner Allee 125, Weißensee. Costs? From 8 euros
30th Halloween night in the FEZ:Fantasy creatures such as witches, ghosts, dragons and wizards create the right eerie atmosphere, and a ride on the Halloween Express or the ghost train makes the spooky even more exciting. Highlight: a large ghost lantern parade. When? October 31, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where? An der Wuhlheide 197, Koepenick. Costs? 8 euros/person, families 6.50 euros/person
31. Spooky Mall: At Alexa, Halloween visitors can meet stilt performers in spooky costumes. Masks to dress up and sweet surprises will also be distributed. When? 31.10., from 2.30 p.m. Where? Grunerstrasse 20, Mitte. Free of charge
32. Behind-the-scenes creeps: On Halloween, the Babelsberg Film Park is transformed into a spooky paradise with lots of spooky hands-on activities. When? October 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where? Großbeerenstrasse 200, Potsdam. Costs? 10.80 euros/children, 21.80 euros/adults
33. Mummies, Monsters, Mutations: At the Klaistow asparagus farm, you can carve pumpkin faces, dance in the costume disco, have fun at the lantern parade and eat bread on a stick by the campfire. When? 29.10., from 3 p.m. Where? Glindower Strasse 28, Beelitz. Free of charge