Award-winning! Smart Work 2025: Moving from the city centre to the countryside

In late summer and early autumn, we moved from Kaivokatu (the Peukaloiset daycare group) to Kanta-Voutila. The backyard looked large but deserted.

We are an active group and are used to encouraging parents and children to move together. The group consists of children from various countries, as well as native Finns. In many cultures, parents do not always engage in activities with their children in the way that is common in Finland.

We wanted to change this. We have previously organised joint activity sessions, such as sledding together, visiting the indoor play area, and hosting dance evenings for mothers and children. There are many benefits to these shared moments: the joy of doing things together, better sleep, nutrition, friendships, cultural exchange, and more.

We began exploring what could be found on the other side of the fence. We discovered a slackline tied between trees. We moved it to our fenced yard and set it up between the trees there. We purchased a support rope so that the children can hold on while moving along the line to practice their balance. This activity is suitable for children of many ages and has encouraged even the more hesitant children to give it a try. Modelling works wonderfully here—watching others and then trying it yourself. It is all about encouragement.

There were also many large and small branches on the other side of the fence. Together with the children, we dragged these into our own yard. The children have used them to build things like dens. A large tree was also felled near the fence, and we were given a large number of logs cut from it. We used these to create paths in the yard, which the children are free to rearrange as they wish.

We also built a campfire site where we use a bucket grill to cook sausages or warm up pancakes. This is a favourite among the children, and the parents love it too! We used pallets to build bases for lean-to shelters and covered them with tarpaulins. We have dismantled them for the winter, but we will set them up again once spring arrives.

Our plan is to buy more rope to wind from tree to tree. We want to make “belts” with loops for the children, so they can clip themselves to the rope and move from tree to tree. They can complete the course from the ground, for example, while wearing a safety helmet. We are planning tasks for the adventure course that the children can complete alone or together. We will also provide visual instructions for the tasks so that everyone can participate. The adventure course will be the highlight of our next family activity session!

We want to develop the yard according to people’s wishes, using as much recycled and natural material as possible. Our goal is to make the yard a shared space where parents can stay and play together after the daycare day, getting to know one another through fun activities.

We welcome any ideas for developing the yard and our activities—you are warmly invited to come and see our adventure yard and join us for a barbecue!

Developers

Tuula Lodvonen-Vekka, Early Childhood Education Childcare Worker
Riina Nurminen, Early Childhood Education Teacher
Marika Varpenius, Early Childhood Education Childcare Worker