Children in Rotterdam are baking cupcakes, doing woodwork and gardening during school hours. At 26 schools in the city, pupils receive lessons not only in maths and language but also in technology, nature, cooking and other practical subjects. The organisers hope these lessons help children gain confidence and enjoy school more. A reporter visited the Imeldaschool, where pupils had a nature lesson and learned how to bake cupcakes with sweet ingredients.
What this means if you are learning Dutch or new in the Netherlands
This story offers a small window into how Dutch primary schools can work. Alongside core subjects, some schools give time to practical and creative lessons, often called techniek, natuur or koken. If you have children in the Dutch school system, they may come home talking about these activities, and the vocabulary around them can be useful for you too. Words like bakken (baking), timmeren (woodwork), tuinieren (gardening) and zelfvertrouwen (self-confidence) are common in everyday school talk. It also reflects a broader Dutch emphasis on hands-on learning and on children feeling at home at school. You do not need to master every term at once. Treat this as a chance to pick up a few new words and to ask your child what they did in class today.