Most readers with recent German heritage have likely already figured out what the “school cone” is: a “Schultüte” or “Zuckertüte.” It’s a colorful card stock cone that German children receive on their first day of first grade. It is sometimes as tall as the kid and always stuffed with a mix of useful school supplies – pencils, erasers, a ruler, some fun paperclips, a few safety reflectors for the “Schulranzel” (the school backpack) – and treats like pretzels, granola bars, cookies, candy and maybe an apple.
This time of year, colorful school cones in all sizes are on display in every shop in Germany and also quite popular in neighboring areas of Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria, but not so much beyond. If you are in the US, the German Girl in America blog has tips on where to find them.
The Story Behind the School Cone
In 1817, a few kids in Jena, a small town in Thuringia, got small paper cones with baked goods on their first day of school. That was the humble beginning of the school cone. According the the City Museum in Jena, kids either picked the cones from a tree in the school yard or got them handed to them. The tradition stayed quite local to Thuringia and Saxony and what is now the Czech Republic and neighboring regions in Poland but spread further throughout Germany in the 1930’s and after WW2. My mom, who grew up in Eisenberg, nearJena, remembers getting a small cone to match her older brother’s when he began 1st grade. However, when it was her turn to become a 1st grader in 1943, the war was raging, sugar and snacks were rationed, so there was not much room for celebration, and she never got another one.
While Germany was divided, hexagonal cones became standard in the East while the round shape remained in the West. Just like modern notebooks, pens and backpacks, today, cones have prints with cartoons, popular movie themes and designs to match every special interest.
What to Put In the School Cone
My mom, of course, continued the tradition with her Swedish grandkids and gave them German school cones for first grade. The kids were thrilled to find snacks and candy but also cool pens, a pencil case, sticky notes and other fun school supplies. One of the cones miraculously survived a transatlantic move, so for college move-in day, we packed it with some carefully selected school and dorm supply. After all, our college student is planning to minor in German.
We love the idea of the Decomposition notebooks, made in USA with eco-friendly materials and whimsical designs. What could be better than kittens in space? We added some matching cat, kitten and rocket ship safety reflectors for the dark night walks between the library and the dorm. You might not think of that when school starts in late August, but come November and December (read finals and term papers), students will certainly be walking around campus in the dark. The safety reflectors will come in handy and also give us parents peace of mind.
Every student needs paper and binder clips, so we continued the German theme with some in black, red and gold, the German flag colors. They look awesome in a souvenir tin from Berlin, which, in a whimsical style, lists Berlin’s attractions, monuments and iconic street names. The word “Mauer” (Wall) is crossed out as a reminder what was, but no longer is. As a granddaughter of a political refugee from East Germany, my heart does a little happy dance when I see that 🙂
All-purpose Norwex Enviro cloths are great for making it super-easy to keep the dorm room clean and relatively germ free with just water, so without any harmful and costly chemicals. Finally, in the bottom of the German school cone, wrapped in the soft Norwex cloths, was a good sized coffee mug from lovesthlm. It will be a nice reminder to take some Swedish fika breaks. Or maybe it will be used for Korean pink noodles. Our international studies student will figure it all out.
Elisabeth