Munich Kids

The International Women’s Club of Munich (IWC) is a social club for women of all nationalities living in Munich.  They have a full calendar of events to appeal to a very wide range of interests, e.g., scrapbooking, tennis, potlucks, german conversation groups, and organized museum trips.  There is a mothers’ group that hosts play groups and other get-togethers.  Child care is availabe at the monthly club meetings, with pre-registration.  Club meetings are held on the second Wedneday of the month, from 10:00 - 12:30.  IWC supports various charities as well.  On Halloween, they host a wonderful Halloween party for the kids, and proceeds go to one of their charities. 

Address (for monthly meeting):  Kolpingsall Hall at Kirchenstrasse 6

Phone:  Barbara Birdsall at 089/ 6491 9420 or Margaret Hilditch at 08167 955 044

Website:  http://www.internationalwomensclub.org/

Nearest Public Transportation:  U4/U5, Max Weber Platz

Sticky Fingers is an international play center that offers classes and play groups for infants, toddlers, and children up to age 6.  Sticky Fingers was started in 2003 by Lara Kroll, a British mother of two, who had recently moved to Munich with her husband and children.  From its original launch of about 30 members, Sticky Fingers has since grown into a thriving, international, English-speaking community with about 200 regular members.

There are multiple activities on offer, and all are led in English.  Sample activities include: music, dance, arts & crafts, play group, cooking, and baby yoga.  A parent or nanny attends each session with the child.  Sessions are very interactive and engaging.

The main area of the center is a large room  divided into 6 play zones.  These include the free play, music, adventure, creative, imagination, and quiet zones.  These different zones are based on the British educational philosophy for pre-school aged children.

I started attending Sticky Fingers with my oldest son in 2005.  Primarily, he attended the free play session. He loved having access to so many novel toys and stimulating activities.  As he outgrew the toddler sessions, my twins grew into them.  A new payment package devised by Lara allows us to attend numerous different sessions.  Music and Movement and Toddler Boogie are particular favorites.  Meanwhile, my older son has grown old enough for the junior classes - classes designed for children ages 3 to 6.  Children have more independence in these classes, but should still be accompanied by an adult.

Sticky Fingers offers daily sessions and activities hosted in English for babies and children aged 0-6 years to enjoy alongside their parents or care-givers. Sessions include Creative Ballet, Music 4 Kids, English for fun, Crafts and much more. To attend, parents purchase a 5 or 10 session card, giving them great flexibility to attend as and when they like!

If you would like to attend a free trial session please email Ann at ann@stickyfingers-munich.com or call Sticky Fingers on 089 864 66118.

Readers of the Munich Kids website can benefit from our ‘Spring Joining’ promotion:

Free registration until Feb 28th (normally 50 Euros per family). Email for details.

Birthday party packages are available with a variety of themes, including Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Princess, and Barbie.

Address: Erzgiesserei Strasse 30, Maxvorstadt, 80335 Munich

Phone:  089/ 864 66 118 

Website:  http://www.stickyfingers-munich.com/frames/frameset.htm

Email: info@stickyfingers-munich.com

Nearest Public Transportation:  Tram 21 or 22, Sand Strasse; U1 0r U7, Stiglmeier Platz

The Eltern-Kind Zentrum (Parent-Child Center) in Schwabing/Maxvorstadt is a lovely little community center.  Every day, excluding Sunday, EKZ offers something for parents and children. For example, there are two baby groups on Monday morning, and a mini-kindergarten for three hours in the afternoon.  Mini-kindergarten is also held on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.  Childcare (with pre-registration) is available from 9:00-12:00 on Tueday morning.  On Friday mornings, there are 2 play groups in English.  From 9:15 - 10:30, the group is for infants 0 -18 months, and their caregivers.  From 10:30 - 12:00, toddlers 18 months and older and their caregivers meet.  Friday afternoons alternate between a play group for Spanish speakers and a play group for speakers of Chinese. A music class is available on Saturday mornings. On several afternoons a week, there are open meetings for parents and children to get together over coffee and cake.  (The previous information is based on the program January - April, 2007).

Children can attend the mini-kindergarten one day per week.  The cost is only 25 EUR per month (for approx. 12 hours of care!).  The number of spaces available are small, so you need to put your name on the waiting list.  

The center consists of a large playroom, some office space, and a bathroom.  It is cozy, but very comfortable.  The playroom is fully stocked with all manner of toys, balls, art materials, etc.  There is a small couch for the kids and a big couch for the parents.  There are also children’s tables and highchairs available so your kids can have lunch or a snack while attending one of the groups.  The environment is very friendly, casual, and welcoming. 

Membership is 30 Euro per year.  Members pay only 1,50 EUR per structured group (no extra cost for siblings).  Non-members pay 3,00 EUR per meeting.  Questions regarding child care, kindergarten, membership,and other themes, can be answered during office hours on Tuesday from 4:00 - 5:00.  A quarterly program can be picked up on site on on the website

Address:  Schraudolph Strasse 10

Phone:  (089) 27 81 89 74

Website:  http://elkischwabing.googlepages.com/home

In addition to the theaters reviewed in this section, there are several theaters that occasionally show English language movies.  A list of these theaters and their addresses can be found on the Munich Found website.  Search under “English cinema”.

http://www.munichfound.com

Museum Lichtspiele is not a museum, but a movie theater. It offers several original-version, English-language movies, as well German-language movies, and movies dubbed into German.  A few cult classics, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show have been shown regularly for years.  Museum Lichtspiele has 4 small theaters, with seating for 54-95 moviegoers, depending on the theater.  The theaters are small, and the sound system is not the most modern available. However, it is a quaint, enjoyable theater with an artsy feel to it.  There is almost always at least one children’s film showing on the weekly program.   The have a very useful website, but it is all in German, including the movie summaries of English-language movies.  You can frequently see original-version movies here that have long since stopped playing at some of the major theaters.

Address:  Liliennstrasse 2, 81669 Munich

Phone:  089 48 24 03

Website:  http://www.museum-lichtspiele.de/cms/

Nearest Public Transportation:  S1-S8, Isartor or Rosenheimer Platz; Tram 17 & 18 

Cinema is the largest English-language movie theater in Munich.  It has all the amenities of a good, modern movie theater, including digital projection, THX sound system with Dolby surround sound and air conditioning.  There is only one theater, with 427 seats.  For very popular movies, you may want to reserve your tickets ahead of time.  Tickets can be purchased up to one week in advance. They offer sneak previews on Fridays and double features on Saturday.  They frequently offer Kinder Kino on the weekends, when they have an animated film or other kid’s film on offer.  They have an excellent website that is meticulously maintained and updated on a weekly basis.  For movie descriptions and showtimes, visit the web site.

Address:  Nymphenburger Strasse 31, Munich

Phone:  089 55 52 55

Website:  http://www.cinema-muenchen.com/englisch/default.htm

 Nearest Public Transportation:  U1, Stiglmaierplatz, exit Nymphenburger Strasse

Munich Munchkins is an international activity group for children ages 0-3 years and their English-speaking parents or nannies.  One primary purpose of Munich Munchkins is to provide a means for English-speaking families to meet, arrange play dates, and to give support to English-speaking families that are new to Munich.  Groups meet for different themes on different days of the week.  Current themes are Music & Movement, Music & Creative Activity, and Baby Group.  Groups are held in a large hall with lots of room to play and move.  The room is usually used for karate practice, so the floor is covered in soft mats. Just think, finally a padded room for your kids to play in! There are several Bobby cars for the kids to drive around, a big tent and tunnel to climb in, and lots of interesting, well-maintained toys. Classes for older children, e.g. Music Melodia for ages 2-6, are also offered. There’s even something just for moms - about once a month, mothers get together for a girls’ night out. A list of groups, classes, days and times is available on the web site. 

Prices are reasonable, and can be paid for using a 10-punch session card. Additional cost for a second sibling is only slightly higher, rather than double. Great for parents with twins!

Website:  http://www.munichmommies.com/

Address:  Sporthalle des TSV Milbertshofen, Hans-Denziger-Strasse 2, Munich

Phone Number:  (0)89 3603 6822

Public Transportation Stop:  Milbertshofen/U2

Days and Times:  Available on website