by Alexa Kreitlow

 

Ben had been attending our kindergarten for 6 weeks when I did the Questionnaire of Child‘s Interests with him. I had just asked the whole group who would like to answer some questions and Ben was the first one to come forward.

These were some of his answers:

Question 1) Have you got a favourite toy? What do you like playing with the most?
“Yes, the thermo pack. You press it and it gets warm, not cold like the cooling pack.“

Question 4) What have you been thinking about yesterday or today?
“I been thinking about the children’s seat from kindergarten. We have it in our car and it says Kita on it [Kindertagesstätte = day care center]. I was thinking what it would be like if the whole kindergarten was in the car.”

Question 5) Have you got a best friend?
“…, he used to live in H. But not any more. You have to take the tram now and get off at ‘Maria’. I visit him sometimes.”

Question 6) Is there anything that you fear?
“Yes, a big fat bear. Other than that I’m not afraid of anything.”

Question 7) Is there anything that you really like collecting?
Have you got a ‘treasure chest’?
“I collect mussels, nuts and the best cookies in Germany. I’ve got a treasure chest and a savings box.”

Question 8) What are you really good at?
“Vacuuming my room and the corridor. And building castles in the sand. I’m really good at it. But nothing else.”

Question 9) What would you like to learn?
“Driving a real dumper truck and handling the buzz saw correctly.”

Question 10) What’s your favourite thing to do in kindergarten – and why?
“Playing on the ship outside – (upon the “why” he gives me a funny look, as if to say: what a stupid question!) – well, because it’s fun.”

Question 11) What is difficult for you in kindergarten?
“Nothing is difficult!”

Question 12) What do you not like at all about kindergarten?
“Nothing!”

Question 14) Is there anything that often bothers you in kindergarten? What keeps
driving you mad?
“Nothing bothers me or drives me mad.”

Question 15) Name one toy that you have got at home and that is really important to you – a toy that must never be thrown away.
“My tools, my axe and the real saw out of iron and my ruler and my calculator.”

Question 16) Can you tell me why it is so important to you?
“If mom’s or dad’s tools are broken I can lend them mine.”

Question 19) What do you like watching on TV or on DVD?
“I don’t watch a lot of TV, the sandman sometimes. I always watch the CD with “Bob der Baumeister.” [Bob the Builder]

Question 20) What do you like about it so much?
“I like the images. I just said that.”

Question 21) What is the next thing you want to learn here in kindergarten?
“Handling the tools so that I can be in the shop by myself. Make that certificate.”

Question 22) Have you ever done something that made you really proud of yourself?
“Yesterday I rode my bike uphill all the way to the mountain top, without getting off and pushing. That was great.”

Question 23) Which profession do you like a lot? And why?
“None. Maybe run a digger.”

Question 24) Which profession do not like at all? And why?
“Don’t know.” (His concentration is fading)

Question 25) Who is the best person for you to talk to?
“Nobody!” (Upon further inquiry) “Mum and dad.”

Question 26) Imagine you met a person who knows everything about the world and about life, somebody who knows even much more than your parents. What would
you want to ask that person?
After quite some thought: “How to build bicycles.”

27) Questionnaire with Emoticons

Ben makes the marks himself. Now he is keen on continuing the interview again. He is excited how many things he has marked “like”. He counts everything and finds only 3 things he finds stupid and 5 things he does not care about.

He had great fun answering the questions.

 

Published in German: March 2012
Copyright © Hanna Vock, see Imprint
Translation: Arno Zucknick

 

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