A look into the children's paradise
Games and craft activities at the Chemnitz Linux Days
For many years now, the children's paradise with its games and crafts programme has been an integral part of the Chemnitz Linux Days. Last year, Andrea Scherbaum took over the organisation and management of this offer and carried it out with great pleasure. Her report gives visitors an insight into her experiences:
Welcome to “KiPa”
The Chemnitz Linux Days almost traditionally offer childcare so that parents can watch the presentations. In recent years - until 2019 - I was often a helper in the KinderParadies (KiPa) and was able to support with many ideas for handicrafts, but of course also with the actual care of the children.
The KiPa offers children a shielded area in a room where they can play, do handicrafts and relax. Some cool toys are borrowed from the KINDERVEREINIGUNG® Chemnitz e.V. for this purpos. There were still lots of craft materials from previous years. Catering provided fresh fruit, snacks and drinks. There is also a nappy-changing room with breastfeeding facilities in the TU building, so that even very young participants are well catered for.
Since 2018, I have been reorienting myself professionally and training as a pedagogical specialist, which I successfully completed in 2021. So I was all the more delighted when the organising team asked me if I could lead the KiPa this year. Of course I said yes - and it was clear that we would finally be travelling to Chemnitz again this year! Even before my husband and our child knew whether their presentations had been accepted.
During my training, I had the opportunity to try out some new craft ideas that I wanted to do with the children. There were also many tried-and-tested ideas that were always very popular:
- colouring Tux as well as othe colouring pictures
- design pictures with iron-on beads
- felting
- painting plaster figures
- making bath balls
- design pictures using shrink film and then leave to harden in the oven (Video) – it delighted young and old alike
- Tux made from wool: Pompom-Penguin, After the black wool ran out, we made chicks from yellow wool.
On Friday, the time had finally come! After a journey with detours, we finally arrived in Chemnitz and were able to bring a lorry load of craft materials to the KiPa. Other hard-working helpers had already collected the toys and stored craft materials so that we could set up the slide and other equipment straight away. I also prepared the tables for the next morning. It turns out that even older children are fascinated: Our child couldn't tear himself away from the game of skill.
The children particularly enjoyed painting the plaster figures and shrinking pictures at the weekend. In the end, the whole windowsill was full of plaster figures.
Some adults came along to do handicrafts with their children.
All in all, the Linux Days were a very successful event. There were more children here than we originally expected. Many thanks once again to all the helpers in my team.
See you in March, I'm really looking forward to it!
