Project info
Operator: Menschenskinder e.V.
founded in 2004
60 full-time and part-time employees (as of March 2026)
www.menschenskinder-darmstadt.de
Location: Darmstadt-Kranichstein
approx. 10,000 inhabitants from 80 nations
Project: Family daye
3 to 5 events per half year
Average number of visitors: 25
Our funding
Funding period 2021: Coverage of 90% of the costs for 5 family days (€3,600)
Funding period 2025–2027: Co-funding of family days for three years at €5,000 per year
Woodcarving, gardening, pottery, felting, building beehives, or pressing apple juice: The “Family Days” are designed for families with children of all ages.
Through this accessible, free educational program offered by the “Menschenskinder e. V.” association in Darmstadt-Kranichstein, children can explore and grow alongside their parents in a workshop or outdoors in nature. The focus is not on the finished product, but on the process of discovering, experimenting, and reflecting together.
Through joyful and holistic learning, they experience a counterbalance to school experiences that are often difficult or frustrating.
The project operator
Menschenskinder e.V. is a nonprofit organization with approximately 90 members; it is a member of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband and a recognized provider of child and youth welfare services. Since November 2012, the organization has been based in Darmstadt-Kranichstein, a social hub and “hotspot” with a wide range of cultures, family structures, living situations, and educational backgrounds.
The work of Menschenskinder e.V. and its 60 full-time employees is largely funded by public and municipal funds.
The offerings include a daycare center, the Café Menschenskinder, and the family center “Menschenskinder – Workshop for Family Culture.” The family center serves both as an educational facility and a gathering place for young people and their parents. It is located in the heart of the Kranichstein neighborhood, at the intersection between the “old” socially disadvantaged area with high-rises and small businesses and the “new” residential area with its single-family homes. Families with a wide variety of backgrounds, lifestyles, and sociocultural origins live here. They are all welcome at the family center.
Family Days
Family Days are day-long events aimed at families with children of all ages. The focus is on providing informal – that is, self-directed – learning spaces for everyone and on creating opportunities for unconventional learning experiences.
This also serves as a counterbalance to school experiences that are often difficult or even frustrating. Experiencing nature, creative work, following one’s own curiosity, and the free development of one’s own ideas and possibilities are the core themes of Family Days.
Why we are committed to the project
Through its Family Days, the Menschenskinder e. V. association creates exactly the kind of environment and spaces that we believe foster self-directed learning and exploration. Projects such as woodcarving or pasta-making, which parents and children “work on” together to produce tangible results, lay a solid foundation for joyful interaction. These experiences can have a positive impact on parent-child relationships and foster a new vision of cooperative education within the family.
Through Family Days, Menschenskinder e.V. offers children, especially those from educationally disadvantaged families, an opportunity to gain experiences independently and on their own initiative, helping them feel important and valued.
Education is what we need to shape our lives in a way that ensures we can all thrive, both today and tomorrow. Education must make happiness possible. Education must be available to everyone.
Charlotte Weidenhammer, co-founder of Menschenskinder
Doing things together strengthens children and families. That makes me feel optimistic about the future. The Family Days make me realize just how much is possible when we work together. We want to create spaces for this and build connections. Could community be what we need for the future?
Dinah Divaris, staff member at Menschenskinder and co-organizer of the Family Days
Outlook
The Menschenskinder Association has created a unique and special family education center and fosters a culture of welcome and acceptance. We have maintained good relations for many years and are familiar with the facilities and programs in Darmstadt-Kranichstein. Here, self-efficacy and the joy of independent learning are fostered in a trusting and nature-oriented environment. We were pleased to facilitate a second phase of support for the family days.
