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Outdoor learning is great in Switzerland. The kids I was with today have an hour outside every morning, exploring and playing. This was a structure built by two 4-5 year olds. Impressive eh?

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Parent consultation day today so lots of queuing to speak to teachers about my kids and time to 'fill' so I started looking out if the window. Yesterday i wouldn't have been able to see the ground, it was so foggy!
All good today I'm pleased to say; sunshine, and good reports for my boys 😀☀

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The Kapellbrücke and Wasserturm in Luzern today. Beautiful flowers, especially considering it's October!

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Yesterday and today, a building has been on the love in Oerlikon. The story is here and here are pictures from my man on the scene, John who works near the moving building! 

 The finishing line.

 This is where it started (the barrier)

Building on the move.

And here's how it moved!

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Today was Museumstag in Switzerland, a day on which entrance to many museums is free. 

So Famille Stevens went to the Naturmuseum in Winterthur. The associated Coin Museum was also free for the day but we didn't have time unfortunately as there was too much to see in the Naturmuseum. We participated in a talk on bears - in German (I was very proud of myself for managing to understand most of it and translate it for the boys when they got lost!) and saw lots of stuffed animals, an exhibition on pets in Switzerland, lots of fossils and types of stones. We also went into a part that was like a ship with cargo exhibits in packing cases from around the world - the floor moved so you felt like you were on a ship. Most disorientating!

un musée - a muséum

accès gratuit - free entry

un ours - a bear

un navire - a ship

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Wandering in the woods near Bruderhaus Tierpark today, the boys spied a partially built shelter and set off to investigate. They were quite impressed with the shelter, especially when they discovered it has every 'convenience'. As Jude is indicating, the architect has his priorities right and fitted a toilet even before the walls are up.

The boys then proceeded to use it for pinecone throwing target practice!

to throw - werfen - rüärä

to play in the dirt - im Dreck spielen - dräcklä

toilet - die Toilette - Aabee, Hüüsli, Abtritt, WC, Oertli

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Some rather attractive toilet doors bring us very important vocabulary today. 

Damen / Frauen - d'Dame-Toalette - the ladies

Herren / Männer - d'Herre-Toalette - the mens

Wo ist die Toilette?  Wo isch d'Tualettä? 

 - Where is the toilet?

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Today we went on an excursion to Schloss Kyburg, a lovely castle in the Winterthur area of Kanton Zürich. Whilst the rest of us investigated, Isaac did his art Hausaufgarbe and drew one of the buildings. You can see the pictures from today here.

Today's words are all places you might live -

ein Schloss - a castle
ein Palast - a palace
ein Haus - a house
eine Wohnung - an apartment

ein Zelt - a tent

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There are many lovely buildings in Winterthur - and this is one of them - the Stadthaus. The fountain in front is switched off for the winter but it was in full flow when we arrived in Switzerland in October. The Stadtgarten is behind another lovely building, Museum Oskar Reinhart.

Die Stadt is the town in German and to go into town is in die Stadt gehen or schtibärä.

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This building is near the Feuerwehr (fire station) in Winterthur and, according to the sign, is part of the Mehrzweckanlage Teuchelweiher or msw-Winterthur. It's apparently a multipurpose plant - which seems odd and a bit of a waste of such a beautiful building!

Today's useful phrases are
Enschuldigung / Entscholdiged si bitte - excuse me.
Ich verstehe nicht / Ich verstoone's need - I don't understand.