The Forest Kindergarten
Firlefanz is new to the forest kindergarten — a kindergarten without a house, right in the middle of the trees! With his mud pants and rubber boots, a day full of moss, a campfire, and new friends awaits.
Firlefanz woke up and remembered right away: Today was his first day at the forest kindergarten! A kindergarten without a house, without a roof, without doors — right in the middle of the trees. Firlefanz felt a tickle in his tummy. A little bit of joy and a little bit of nervousness, all mixed together.
For breakfast, Firlefanz spooned warm oatmeal with apple pieces and honey. He wondered: Where do you sit when there are no chairs? And what do you do when it rains? So many questions. He definitely had to ask Papalapapp.
Papalapapp was sitting on the bench in front of his house, drinking his morning coffee. "Papalapapp! Where is the forest kindergarten? And how do you get there?", Firlefanz called from afar. Papalapapp smiled. "It’s behind the big beech hill, in a clearing. I will take you there. But in the forest, you need the right gear!"
Firlefanz slipped into his dark blue mud pants that went up over his belly, and stomped into his red rubber boots. He added a green hat, his little brown backpack with a snack, and his walking stick. He turned around in front of the mirror. "This is what a real forest child looks like," he said, satisfied.
Then they set off. Over seven alleys and past seven garden fences, over seven babbling brooks, seven mossy stones, and seven gentle hills, until the village was very small behind them. Firlefanz held Papalapapp's hand tightly. With each step, the trees grew taller and the ground softer, and it smelled of earth, pine needles, and mushrooms.
Suddenly, the forest opened up to a round clearing. In the middle stood an old, brightly painted caravan. In front of it was a campfire made of gray stones, and hammocks hung between the trees. All around, the leaves whispered, as if the trees were quietly talking to each other. Firlefanz stopped. The tickle in his tummy grew big.
"The forest whispers," said Firlefanz softly, pressing against Papalapapp. Then a large, gentle doe with a green felt hat came out of the caravan. "Welcome, Firlefanz! I am Mrs. Fern," she said in a voice as soft as moss. "Do you hear the old beech over there? It whispers the name of every child who comes to us for the first time." Firlefanz listened. And indeed — in the leaves, it rustled very softly: Fir-le-fanz, Fir-le-fanz. He had to smile.
Around the campfire, the other children were already sitting on tree stumps: a little owl chick, a hedgehog with a pointed hat, and a squirrel. They were all singing the forest song, and Firlefanz just hummed along. Papalapapp hugged him tightly once more. "When the sun is above the big beech, I will be back. I promise." Then he waved and disappeared among the trees.
"I am Kiro," said a little red fox with a moss green wool hat. "Will you build a hut with me?" The two gathered long branches and leaned them against a thick tree trunk, more and more, until it became a real hut. Inside, little sun spots fell through the cracks. "This is our forest house," whispered Kiro. Firlefanz nodded happily.
After that, everyone cooked in the mud kitchen. Firlefanz stirred a mud soup with pine cones and beech nuts. "Done!", he shouted — and everyone pretended to slurp. The best soup in the world! For a snack, there was warm tea from the kettle over the fire and apple slices. Firlefanz noticed: The tickle was gone. Instead, he felt warm and light.
Then came the forest quiet. Each child lay down in a hammock, and Mrs. Fern gently rocked them. The leaves swayed in the wind above Firlefanz, and the light sparkled in between. A woodpecker tapped somewhere, a brook gurgled, and the old beech whispered softly. Firlefanz yawned. It was so quiet and so beautiful in the forest.
When the sun was above the big beech, Papalapapp stepped into the clearing. Firlefanz proudly showed him the hut. "See you tomorrow, Kiro!" — "See you tomorrow! Then we will build the roof!" On the way home, Firlefanz's boots grew heavier and his eyes grew smaller. Papalapapp carried him on his back. And at home in bed, Firlefanz still heard the leaves whispering softly: Fir-le-fanz. Then he fell asleep.