Learning – Blue Moment

Day 122: Finnish Baseball

June 18, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Home, Kiara, Outdoors, SportTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Espoo, Home, Kiara, Learning, Outdoors, Sport, SummerLeave a comment

As a kid, I loved Finnish baseball (pesäpallo). It’s quite different from American baseball – most notably, because you pitch the ball up, not across.

So, when I came across a set of used pesäpallo equipment for kids at some sale or another, I did not hesitate for a second.

The girls’ success rate of actually hitting the ball is still low enough that we can practice in our backyard. I do not expect that to last long.

I would still love to pick the sport back up myself, but unless you are part of a fairly serious team, you can only really play in summer. And in summer, there is so much else to do.

Day 115: The Last of First

June 10, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Family, Kiara, Stuart, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, family, Holidays, Kiara, Learning, Stuart, SummerLeave a comment

The last day of first grade: report cards received, flowers given to teachers. We all even survived singing Suvivirsi (you need to be a Finn to understand that).

Done.

Ten weeks of summer holiday deserve a celebratory pastry.

Day 108: Poison and Beauty

June 2, 2026June 2, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Finland, NatureTagged 365 Project, Children, Finland, Learning, NatureLeave a comment

When Merlin, our late Schnauzer, was in puppy school, he surprised me by learning the command ‘leave’ in 5 min. He surprised me even more by actually obeying it – regardless of what he found on our walks.

It was harder with kids.

Finnish forests are full of delicious berries and plants. It takes a lot of repetition to ensure the kids do not experiment with anything, even when they think they know. Lily of the Valley is easy, but some plants are easier to confuse – and more poisonous.

At least we don’t live in Australia.

Day 98: A Year’s Worth of Circus

May 17, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Family, Kiara, People, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Espoo, Kiara, Learning, SpringLeave a comment

Every spring, the circus school Alanna and Kiara go to puts together a final performance. The performers vary in age from 3 to 20+, and in skill from total beginners to the performing group, but the energy and enthusiasm are always there.

Unfortunately, the lighting looked great live but was less kind to photography. Any presentable picture required at least a fraction of a second of stillness, and there wasn’t much of that.

Day 34: Homework

March 9, 2026March 9, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Espoo, PeopleTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Espoo, LearningLeave a comment

With 2/3 of first grade behind us, the elation of the first days has settled into a steady routine. Luckily, both girls quite enjoy school and are doing well in their studies – although homework is still quite an unpleasant chore.

I have been most impressed with how differently first-grade maths is taught compared to my own school days. The girls have studied how to visualize data in charts, estimate prices, solve verbal equations, measure distance, build 3D models… all this before ‘formally’ even learning how to write the number 10. It is all about challenging problem-solving skills, not learning by heart.

I’d quite like to go back to first grade myself.