Pilke nature-oriented daycare centre Vihreä Willa

Pilke Vihreä Willa is an ecological, nature-oriented daycare centre that bases its activities on the principles of community education. Vihreä Willa is located at Laanikatu 33 in the southern Seinäjoki residential area of Soukkajoki, approximately 7 minutes away from the city centre.

The daycare unit’s premises have been designed to provide children with abundant opportunities for self-initiated activities, independent exercise and versatile play. We emphasise the importance of free play as it enables children to explore their world and learn new skills. Since we don’t form small groups on the basis of age, siblings can spend plenty of time with each other, and children of different ages grow and develop together, learning from one another. Younger children learn from the older ones and vice versa.

We familiarise the children with nature through activities that take place in the forest. The children learn to know the traditional every man’s rights and get to enjoy the wonders of the forest and its peaceful atmosphere. On forest trips, children engage in pedagogical activities planned by our early childhood educators in every season of the year. The lunch and snack prepared by our cook are packed in rucksacks in the morning and eaten later in the midst of nature. We invest in the forest activities by, for example, acquiring high-quality hiking equipment, such as magnifying classes, loupes, traditional wooden cups or ‘kuksas’, hiking utensils, rucksacks, sitting pads etc. Two educators set out on forest trips daily with the daycare centre’s cars.

When procuring indoor and outdoor equipment, we always take sustainability into account, where possible. The kitchen is the heart of Vihreä Willa, and it is employed by our very own cook who prepares clean homemade foods using organic ingredients. The sweet smell of healthy food spreads throughout the daycare centre from the open kitchen in the middle of the building.