>
Alpha Mom's Once Upon a Holiday

« Sea Shell Mosaics | Main | Free Printable Lunchbox Notes, Tags & Stickers »

Make a Schultüte for Your Child's First School Year

Published 08.06.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (15)

Back-to-School Schultüte
By Marie LeBaron

There are many ways to get your kids excited and ready for the new school year. As my oldest is going into First Grade this year (I can't believe he's already in 1st grade), I thought it would be fun to make him a Schultute. A Schultüte, or school cone, is a German tradition where parents give their child going into their first year of school one of these giant cones filled with school supplies and treats. So as my son is going into his "first" year of school, I've made him this giant Schultüte, Star Wars of course, can you tell he likes Star Wars?!

Schultute%20Backpack.jpg

Supplies for a Schultüte:

* poster board or large cardstock paper
* scissors
* glue stick
* heavy tape, I used packing tape
* Decorations: I used a Star Wars poster to cover the poster board, but it could be decorated with paint, crayons, paper, stickers, whatever you think your child might like.
* tissue paper
* ribbon

Schultute%20Supplies.jpg

First, you'll want to cut the poster board into the shape of a large triangle. I also cut my Star Wars poster the same size too. Then I attached my Star Wars poster to the white poster using a glue stick.

Schultute%20Cutting.jpg

You're ready to roll it up to form the cone. Then using the packing tape, seal the edges together. I used regular scotch tape to hold the cone closed until I used the heavy tape to seal it all together.

Schultute%20Taped.jpg

With your glue stick, put some glue all around the outside of the cone, about one inch from the top. Then holding the cone straight between your legs, attach the folded in half tissue paper to the outside of the cone. The first tissue paper didn't make it all the way around, so I used two sheets of tissue paper.

Schultute%20Glue%201.jpg

Schultute%20Glue%202.jpg

Fill the Schultüte with your goodies for your child. I put in colored pencils, a notebook, his favorite candy M&Ms, and a few other things that he might need for school.

Schultute%20Toys.jpg

Then tie the tissue up with ribbon to seal it off and keep the contents hidden! Now it's ready to give to my son on his first day of school!

Schultute%20Wrapped.jpg

**For another version of a smaller style Schultüte, visit our friendZakka Life.

Also, if you're not the crafty kind or *cough* can't fit *cough* this project into your schedule, you can find unfilled Schultütes for sale at Magic Cabin
.

Comments (15):

natalie said:

Thanks I am a german girl and had my first Schultüte and hope my kids (when we have them) will love it as much as I did!!

Posted on August 6, 2009 09:37

suzanne said:

My mom made me a big layer cake and let me eat it for breakfast and after-school snack on my first day of kindergarten! I still remember how thrilled I was.

Posted on August 6, 2009 10:40

Mackeran said:

I liked it. So much useful material. I read with great interest.

Posted on August 7, 2009 06:37

Lancelot said:

My wife just started a company to introduce this tradition to the U.S. We love the idea of making them by hand, but realize that the convenience factor is big here. KinderCone includes a journal that children can complete as they go through their first year, Karli the cat, a plush toy that is the companion/buddy in the book, pencils, tattoos and a bookmark. The cones are handmade in Germany of recycled paper and have a hanging loop to make them easy to store. Of course, adding your own gift can make it personal and we hope that they will be used year after year to make the first day special every year...like a stocking for Christmas. She sells small craft cones that can be decorated and the large KinderCones empty as well. Check out the video on YouTube.

Posted on August 7, 2009 15:59

sara said:

what's that mickey mouse thing?

I LOVE this idea. It's very sweet and I'm sure your son will be excited about it. What a fun way to start your first day of "real school"! :)

Posted on August 8, 2009 16:56

Nyki said:

I love it! I am so making one of these for my little guy when he starts school! I think I will try it with felt for something that is reusable and folds up for storage.

Posted on August 8, 2009 21:30

Lisa said:

Aww, that's an awesome idea! You have one lucky little boy. :)

Posted on August 9, 2009 08:54

Simply Delightful said:

I have never heard of these before, but what a great way to celebrate the first day and make it more memorable and fun.

Posted on August 10, 2009 05:55

anna said:

@suzanne That is so sweet! Your mom sounds awesome

Posted on August 10, 2009 20:14

Joyce said:

What a great idea, I've always given my daughter first day of school gifts and a small party (usually pizza for the night before) She is starting her senior year this year:(

Posted on August 12, 2009 12:10

Anonymous said:

I am a teacher who makes these for my Kindergarten students. I lived in Germany for years and loved this tradition. I wanted to make smaller ones, and have an idea now - I had been using poster board . This year it will be card stock.

Posted on August 17, 2009 08:33

Lorraine Stark said:

We homeschool, and I've been trying to think of ways to make our first day "back to school" a more fun and positive day. I think my son will love this and I can't wait to get one made up. Thank you!

Posted on August 19, 2009 12:45

Lenetta @ Nettacow said:

This is a GREAT idea - and I have to say, I'd be tempted to do it every year as a fun way of bringing out the new school supplies. I linked to it on my weekly link roundup (post is under my name). Thanks for sharing!

Posted on August 30, 2009 14:11

Holly said:

when we lived in germany i helped a little kid make theirs.this year in high school i'm going to make it for a german project.so i needed the steps to start it. thanks for the details. [=

Posted on November 25, 2009 10:48

Martina said:

We moved to the US right before I started first grade. Now almost 20 years later its still one of my best childhood memories when my mom and Oma handed me my School Cone and next year Ill be carrying on the tradition with my little girl. Thanks for the info! I thought I was going to have to buy one over there and ship it..=/

Posted on November 28, 2009 17:07

Post a comment




Remember me?




alphamomlabs

About this column

This is a year-round Holiday column. Kids love Holidays. As parents we have come to appreciate how Holidays seem to help structure our lives. Plus, any excuse to have fun sounds good to us!

We'll admit it, now that we're parents, we secretly look for Holidays to celebrate and between National, Secular, Unofficial and Bizarre Holidays, we think there are enough days out there to keep us inspired every week.

This column will be a place where you can get inspiration for how to enjoy time with your kids. Crafting projects and ideas will be posted on Thursdays by our brilliant contributors (see below). Other fun ideas will be posted here throughout the week as the inspiration hits us!

About our Craft Contributors

Ellen Baker Bio Ellen Luckett Baker is the author of the long thread, a blog about handmade goods. She has always enjoyed making things, but the flexibility of staying at home with her two daughters along with the creative inspiration they provide has led her to craft on a daily basis. Combining her love of graphic design and sewing, she has created an Etsy shop selling machine embroidery designs and sewing patterns.

Ellen lives in Atlanta with her husband and two young daughters. She holds a B.A. in Art History and a Master's of Public Administration with a focus in Non-Profit Management.

Cindy Hopper BioCindy Hopper was fortunate to be raised in a family who appreciated the arts. This background led to a Bachelor's Degree in Art Education. With a keen eye for design and color, Cindy has continued her love of art and is now passing her creative skills on to her three children. Cindy's family and friends are the beneficiaries of her passion for fun and meaningful creative projects. Cindy's personal blog, Skip to My Lou, has taken her love of a project to new levels. Postings keep the family busy -– from testing new recipes for holiday treats to designing and building floats for a neighborhood parade to making fabric rolls to hold crayons to creating themed parties. Cindy seems to have an unending supply of ideas for gifts, parties and rainy days.

Brenda Ponnay Bio Brenda Ponnay is a stealthy secret agent who juggles parenthood to her adorable daughter by day and freelance graphic design by night. Whether it's painting, baking, drawing, making castles out of card board boxes or just doing the laundry with flair, Brenda Ponnay has finally discovered (at the ripe old age of thirty-six) that what really makes her happy is being creative every single day.

Brenda lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter, three cats and thirty-seven pet birds. You can read about all her crazy adventures on her personal blog: Secret Agent Josephine.

Disclaimer

This column is only for entertainment purposes. Any recommendations or information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for advice by a trained professional. For a full statement of our site policies, please click here.


© Alpha Mom, Inc. All rights reserved. | Legal | Privacy