#dagis

If you go to the Eurovision Song Contest and look across the audience you see the most eclectic bunch of people from all over Europe for a huge party. Everybody is dressed up in their brightest outfits and their costumes are as loud as their cheers as they clap along to anything with a beat.

If you head to Melodifestivalen you’ll see much of the same. Except people are more likely to be from…

Det är så tydligt att Maria Nilsson Thore kan det där med barnets perspektiv, att följa barnets blick. I böckerna om förskolan Ärtan är vi nere på golvet med barnen, fröknarna ser vi bara benen på. ”Alla Tre på utflykt med förskolan Ärtan” öppnar upp till fantastiska berättelser om förskolan och vad som händer där. Särskilt mycket gillar vi sidorna där en massa små saker ligger upplagda. Ett uppslag med saker man kan hitta i skogen (barr, kottar som djur ätir på, pinnar … ) och ett vad man kan hitta på väg dit (tuggummi, hundbajs, äppelskrutt … ) På sista sidan är det en liten karta över vägen från förskolan, hela vägen till övergångsstället och skogen och där går vi nu. Fram och tillbaka, fram och tillbaka och på något magiskt sätt så tröttnar vi aldrig.

https://www.bokus.com/bok/9789178032792/alla-tre-pa-utflykt-med-forskolan-artan/

Stockholm is a very special city in that despite the fact that is a ‘major capital city,’ it is rich with water and nature and so one can live in the city and still feel totally connected to the planet. No concrete jungle here! I am grateful to say that D and I live right in between my two favorite parks: Hagaparken (where one of the Swedish Royal Princesses lives with her family) and Humlegården, most known for its sprawling grounds perfect for family picnics, its Royal Library, and its abundant lilac bushes, which fill the air with a sweet perfume starting right about now.

The other day was the first day this year that was gorgeous and sunny enough to enjoy Humlegården, and I was so excited to take S so that she could finally- at 11 months old- have a proper introduction with nature (at least at an age where she is now old enough to be aware of it). Needless to say, she was in heaven!

Should you ever get the chance to experience a spring day in a Swedish park, I can guarantee you that you will spot the following:

Young moms with their babies enjoying the sunshine on their maternity leave (because with the Swedish system’s generous health and childcare benefits, this city is always crawling with new babies)…

2. Young dads with their babies enjoying the sunshine on their paternity leave (it is a common assumption among visitors to Stockholm that it is full of gay nannies. Nope! Dads get generous paternity leave, too!)…

3. Children from dagis, or daycare (spotted for their neon vests), whose days are always filled with outdoor time, even in -20 degree weather, because Swedes’ believe in the importance of human connection to nature…

D, S and I awoke this morning once again to gorgeous weather, and so it seems spring really has arrived for good. It’s about time, it is May after all! Winters may get tiring, but the almost-spiritual experience that Sweden’s spring awakening provides always makes November-April worth it. Nature continues to remind us each year that life is about balance and that hardship may occur but we will always come full circle to joy once again.

Our ‘other baby’ Tootsie, soaking up her much awaited morning sun

Ingrid x