Activities for Young Children

[juliek]

Hi Everyone!

This will be my first winter in Finland and I have a very active 2 year old, so I'm looking for things to do with him. Thus far, we've been to the indoor playground under Hakaniemi a lot (http://www.leikkiluola.fi/). I've also read about this indoor playground in Espoo (http://www.huimala.fi/en/start_here/) but it would be a 1 hr bus ride for us. I've heard good things about HopLop locations (http://www.hoplop.fi/) and it looks like they are planning one for downtown sometime next year. Scanning travel guides, I found the aquarium (http://www.sealife.fi/local/index.php) which has a good deal on an annual pass if you'll be going more than twice. Any other ideas?

And a (slightly) random question, but does anything start before 10am? Even the daycare at my gym doesn't start until 9.45am and that's on the early days. We're early people (a good day is when he sleeps until 6am), so when it's too wet and soon to be too cold to do the outdoor playground in the mornings, I don't know what we'll be doing.

Any other ideas are much appreciated! Thanks!

[Mook]

Dinosaurs: http://www.luomus.fi/english/nhm/perman ... oflife.htm
Libraries
Apparently theres some sort of snake/reptile place in Kallio beside the swimming pool
swimming

[juliek]

Excellent advice, thank you! It looks like many of the pools open early too! Yeah!

[juliek]

Here are pool links for anyone else interested:

http://www.urheiluhallit.fi/Default.aspx?id=465594

http://www.hel2.fi/liv/eng/pools.html

[NaomiG]

I try to wear my boys (3 and 1.5 yrs) out at our local open daycare in Espoo or the resident's park in Lauttasaari (where kids are supervised by their parents in free city-provided play centres). I've heard they operate in Helsinki too, but don't know where they are, I'm sorry.
Some friends in Helsinki go to Gymi with their kids - www.gymi.fi/en/index.html
Also, you might be interested in the Kids Fitness classes run in english by Darlene Koskinen (www.kidsfitness.fi). We go to her classes near Iso Omena in Espoo but I think she runs some in Helsinki too.

[Niblet]

nothing seems to start before 10am, so annoying as I drop off my older boy at daycare at 9am and then have an hour to fill. It's ok now as we can go to the park, but when it gets colder I don't know what we're going to do as it'll take that long to walk home, get out of our winter gear and then get back into them and go somewhere.

Check out your local playparks/leikiepuisto (sorry if spelling's off) they usually have something going on, baby groups, singing sessions, lunch for mums, etc. And check out the local churches, mine does a baby group that has time in the gym, so they run riot for 45 minutes and wear themselves out.
Gymi is good, they have a club whic is for 0-5 which allows a lot of free time in the gym and then a short structured activity.

there's also the expat baby/toddler group at Stockmann's Cafe on Thursdays at 10.30. Join us.

[juliek]

Thanks! I found this list of Helsinki city playgrounds too : http://www.hel.fi/hki/Sosv/fi/Perheiden ... kkipuistot