Raising a family in Basel: kindergarten (4-6yrs) to primary (7-11/13yrs)

- Off to school
- Indoor activities Outdoor activities
- Fun and games
- Other links

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Off to school

The Swiss state school system explained

Swiss-Schooling discussion group - a place for foreign parents in Switzerland to discuss their childrens' experiences in the Swiss state schools

Enrolling your child
For information on how to enroll your child in a state-school, contact your local Gemeinde (town hall), or visit the following websites:

For Basel: Kindergartens - Primary schools

For Bettingen and Riehen

The Basel Stadt Education department organises an information evening to explain the kindergarten system as well as the procedure and timelines for enrollment. Some of the written information is translated into various languages and there are breakout sessions with staff/interpreters in which you can ask questions and discuss your concerns. Later in the year, open days are also held at the school in which your child is to be enrolled.

Contact the department for more information and/or download their brochures here.

Kindergarten in Basel Land. Contact your gemeinde for more information.

If you require further support and information, get in touch with the auslaenderdienst in Basel Stadt and Basel Land who offer services to foreigners to facilitate their integration.

List of school holiday dates in Basel Stadt

List of school holiday dates in Basel Land

Private schools
Swiss Federation of Private Schools : an organisation comprising 260 private schools across Switzerland
Swiss Private Education Counselling: to help in choosing a boarding school, summer camp or language course.

Home-schooling
Homeschooling in Switzerland: promoting homeschooling and networking between families.
Homeschooling ch discussion group
Expat Homeschool discussion group
BaselCH-homeschool discussion group

Other
International Bacccalaureate Organization : 3 internationally recognised learning programmes - Primary Years (3 to 12), Middle Years (11 to 16) and the Diploma Programme (16 to 19).

Homework help on the net /Discovery sites
Discovery
Ask Jeeves for Kids

 

Fun and Games

Outdoor games to play
Ludothek Swiss toy libraries (click on 'verzeichnis' in the German section for addresses.
Horse chorus (click on the heads to make them stop/start singing)
Games for children (kindersite project)
Songs for children (kindersite project)
Stories for children (kindersite project)

Singing and dancing animals - Pingu - Cat wake up animation -

Episodes from classic tv series:
Ivor the Engine - The Wombles - Mr Benn: Part one - two
The Flumps: Part one - two - Bagpuss: Part one - two - three
Padington Bear - The Magic Roundabout -
Trumpton: Part one - two -
Mr Men: Mr Impossible - Mr Forgetful - Mr Funny - Mr Topsy Turvy - Mr Strong - Mr Sneeze -

Yahoo's web guide, Yahoo kids. Games, jokes and reference material.
How to make paper planes, helicopters and water bombs : D

Free real arcade computer games
Pit your wits against the virtual Rubik's cube

Other links

- The Basel Childbirth Trust offers information and support for pregnancy, birth and beyond.
- Englishforum.ch - threads on Family matters and health
- Kids.ch
- Castles in Switzerland
- Caves in Switzerland
- Birdwatching in Switzerland

HSK -

Heimatliche Spracheund Kultur-HSK

Striving to help children with English as their home language to:

–broaden their general knowledge and vocabulary through speaking, listening, reading and writing in their mother tongue.

– develop skills for shifting between two or more languages and cultures and for understanding and respecting other values and norms.