Finns love to be surrounded by nature. Most families own a remote cabin on a lake (there are close to 200,000 lakes in the country, so there’s plenty of room for everyone). So it stands to reason they have an island devoted to their love to being outdoors.
Helsinki’s open-air museum (Seurasaari) houses structures that were brought from around Finland as a representation of life in previous generations. While the island is always free to explore, in the “on” season, there’s an entry fee for the museum, which consists of dozens of wooden structures.
Before we crossed the bridge to the island I went down a little path to look at something. A few seconds later I turned around and spotted Indy: I leave him alone for two seconds and he’s guaranteed to find something to climb!!!!
He was very proud of himself and had a lovely view!
There are no bicycles on the island, but there were plenty of strollers!
I’ve posted this picture before but I LOVE it!
The kids weren’t overly patient in letting me stop to read signs, but I managed to glean a bit of information!
These are tar boats. By the 1700’s, tar was Finland’s main export. These boats could accommodate up to 25 barrels of tar; fully loaded, they could weigh in excess of four tonnes!
This is a cache and people would climb a ladder to access the meat and other items stored inside to prevent bears and other animals from causing damage.
Belle caught Indy jumping off a stump mid-flight…
Here’s his requisite tree pose for the day.
This is the instant I was taking pictures of said tree pose (he wants photo evidence every. single. time) and he stopped to point toward Belle. A SQUIRREL was running across her shoe! I wish I’d had the camera pointed at her in that moment. She certainly yelped in surprise.
A church.
This telephone booth was a big hit with both kids. It was designed in Sweden and was functional on the island until 2007.
We made do with a cell phone and pretend conversations though, at one point, I FaceTimed Belle! My kids have never used a pay phone in their lives (and likely will never get to do so).
Indy was pretending to laugh at something funny the person on the other line was saying… except there was no other person.
It’s outdoor selfie time.
And here comes the rest of my crew.
This giant tree was irresistible.
The highlight of the island, for me at least, was Kekkonen’s Fitness Stairs. Urho Kekkonen was the President of the Republic until 1986 and would go jogging every day on Seurasaari. His route would take him by these steps and every day he would try to jump to the top step in a single leap. (Not quite as crazy when you learn he had been a professional high and long jumper).
At the age of 74 he could still reach the second-highest step. #LifeGoals… maybe?
Indy attempted it many times and did indeed reach the second-highest step. I was relieved we left without any injuries. The plaque next to the steps clearly states any jumping is to be done at your own risk.
Pictures never do these action sequences justice…
Here’s a screen grab from the video I took of his most successful attempt. Six steps isn’t too shabby at age 11! In terms of homeschooling, I’ll call this track and field practice for the day.
At one point we spotted a man fishing and he was happy to provide all sorts of information about local fishing regulations and Finnish culture. (They LOVE to eat fresh-caught fish.)
I was a big fan of Seurasaari and can see why it’s such a popular destination for Finns.
- Would you attempt to jump up seven stairs?
- Have you ever used a pay phone?
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Back in the day, we had to use payphones! You’d carry a quarter with you if you were going out or staying after school to call for a ride home! Also would always check the coin return for leftover change.
Why, yes, I’m old!
What a fun museum. And Indy’s adventurous streak would give me gray hairs.
Maybe his “adventures” are exactly why I currently have more and more grey’s coming in??
Another epic day!
The only working phone booth that I’ve seen in recent years was on Pelee Island. Just sayin’ it checks the boxes of giving your kids a life experience, it’s in Canada, and it’s close to me so I could pop up and visit.
Ohhh! A working phone booth. How… quaint?? It’s crazy that something that was so ubiquitous a few decades ago now feels like a hard-to-find relic.
This looks like an amazing place! Back in the day, long, long ago, I used payphones all the time. It was the only option! It was really a pain, and this makes me realize once again how much I love my cell phone! I can easily say that I’ve never attempted to jump up (or down) seven stairs! Indy seems to defy gravity!
I do love the convenience of a cell phone (though there are definitely “cons” to being available at all times)!
Indy hasn’t met a structure he doesn’t want to climb, jump up/down, or explore physically in some way.
Those old buildings are so very draw-able.
Indy is a hoot with his perpetual jumping and climbing. I’d be lucky to leap up to the second step.
As an adult, I used to race my dad to phone booths to check the change slot. It embarrassed Mom something fierce!
I didn’t try to jump a single stair. NO THANK YOU. I did have brief visions of him hurting himself and it was well over a km back to the bus. Can you imagine me trying to get him back there with a broken leg? It’s always this toss-up between letting kids explore, have fun, and push boundaries. In this case, it felt like a calculated risk, and he had so much fun. But I am ALWAYS relieved to move on.
Did you find change regularly? Why wouldn’t people take it with them when they left? I need more information on this!
This museum looks incredible! The stair jumping – oh my gosh! Have you ever read an out how letting kids take physical risks and learn their own limits statistically makes for safer drivers as teens, and less likely to engage in risky behaviours as teens/young adults? It’s something I tell myself frequently when my kids do heart stopping stuff like that. 😅
It makes sense, actually! I know places with lower drinking age requirements tend to have less issue with DUI and substance abuse!
I remember when my kids were in preschool (which was a very explore limits sort of place) the owner had a book called something like 100 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do.
Indy, for all his exploration, is also quite timid in certain situations and will stop FAST if he feels uncomfortable. So I think he has a good gauge on what’s safe/what’s not, which is a great skill to have. Especially as he heads into his teen years.
Ooh we have a simiar open air museum in Wales we can visit! But also… it doesn’t have jumping stairs.
Our kids only know what phone boxes are from seeing them in a museum.
Haha – that phone boxes are now museum pieces says it all!!
I’m picturing myself with a bloody nose or broken wrist, so no jumping up seven stairs for me. But yes, I did use a pay phone- all through my childhood and young adulthood! It seems wildly inconvenient now, but back then it was just the way to make a phone call.
This looks like such a fun experience- especially for Indy! He really knows how to enjoy himself.
He really does squeeze the most out of every experience. He’s a very jolly, energetic kid.
I love open-air museums and this one is particularly intriguing being located on an island. What a fun place to explore (and I had to chuckle that Indy was climbing and jumping on and off things LOL).
“Have you used a pay phone?”… is that a trick question for the <20 crowd? I think most of us have had to use pay phones back in the day. I am always delighted when I see an pay phone “in the wild” now 😉
I don’t think I ever used a payphone (and I’m almost 40)! I recognize them, of course, but there just wasn’t much use for them when/where I grew up.
That kid hasn’t met a spot he can’t turn into an obstacle course. It’s one of his many talents 🙂