Thirteenth Stop
Workshop at Välen Nature Reserve with The Open Preschool of The Family Center Opaltorget · May 2026
Workshop Leaders: Leila Natsheh and Simona Cavalieri
Photo: Leila Natsheh
At this workshop we were working with 3-5 year-old children and their families. The session took place at Välen, a Nature Reserve close to the city and the sea. We introduced two characters, Kotte and Lotte — two little purple pinecones who love to play outdoors. They want to see how the children play, relax, have a meal, and more in this area...
Välen is where the Open Preschool of The Family Center Opaltorget meets once a week during the warmer months of the year, and it is where they have their Open Preschool activities on those days.
Photo: Leila Natsheh
Hot and Cool
Lotte loves to hide. Our first mission was to find her together with Kotte and the children. We played “Hot and Cool” to figure out where she was hiding — a game where one has to instruct the seekers towards where something is hiding through saying cool, cold or freezing when the seekers are far from the target, and warm, hot, or burning hot when the seekers are close to the target. It is a game that many children know, and it allowed us to start engaging and playing with the children immediately.
Photo: Leila Natsheh
Where Can We Play?
Once we found Lotte, the mission was to show Kotte and Lotte all the cool places in this area, at the Välen Nature Reserve. “How can we play here?” We asked…
“On this giant fallen tree trunk we can balance, sit, rest, play hide and seek… and we can even use it as a slide!” — J, 4
The children were very confident in this environment. Most of them come here regularly with their families and are familiar with it. For them it is safe, since there are many families and children around, and the children can explore together, and there are endless opportunities for play.
A group of children played hide and seek for while. Finding something hidden is a “game” that comes up often in our workshops. Treasure hunting is something that really catches children’s interest and invites them to play and move around in a space. Thinking of Barnens Smarta Karta as a series of treasure hunt spots is an angle that we are exploring for the final outcome.
Photo: Leila Natsheh
“Where can we bike?” We asked. “On the gravel path!” They said while pointing to it. They then showed us where we could play with a ball on the grass patch, where one could picnic, and where one could rest and relax on the soft moss.
© VectoBloom / Adobe Stock
Simple Visual Representations
We showed the children a set of seven icons — or simplified visual representations — of actions. We asked them to tell us what they think these represent. The children were able to easily identify what each icon meant. One icon was confusing, and they decoded the walking stick in the “Hiking” icon as someone with a “bread-on-the-stick” — a treat that the children are used to making and grilling together when they are at Välen with the Open Preschool.
Icons and visual representations are an important part of the final outcome of Barnens Smarta Karta, and there are many aspects that we will keep in consideration while designing them.
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