If you have children, the chances are that you have heard about BG World, or at least Baby Gym, the name under which the organization first operated when it was launched by Swiss mompreneur, Sandrine Nagy, in 2004. Having earned its reputation as one of the most popular and imaginative centers for child-related activities in the Geneva region, BG World is now undergoing a major transformation, with lots of new activities designed to appeal to older children as well.
To find out more, just head on down to the ground floor of the shopping center at La Praille and see for yourself the wide-ranging facilities that are now in place for young children up to the age of 12 years old. Whilst the staff remain unchanged – unwaveringly professional and welcoming at all times – there are a number of new attractions including both a dedicated gym hall and purpose-built dance room, ideal for hosting a wide variety of classes. The games and snack rooms, perfect for holding children’s parties, have also been jazzed up and redecorated to match the new, modern look from BG World!
A ball pool in the reception area, so that kids can have fun whilst they wait for their classes, is just one of many special touches that BG World has made to their premises in La Praille to ensure the continued happiness of their young clients!
Having successfully served the local community for 8 years with its popular indoor entertainment park in Geneva, Yatouland has come up with a new concept that will ensure your children have even more fun than before, in a safer and more secure environment.
Tickets at the newly decorated park in Vernier will now be available through advanced group reservations only so that children can enjoy the area with their friends, safe in the knowledge that entry will be limited to private parties only.
As before, bouncy castles, a multi-level adventure labyrinth, video games and other surprises will be available in an enclosed area measuring 1200m2. Within the park each party will also have its own customized private zone in which guests can lounge around and enjoy unlimited soft drinks provided by Yatouland. By setting a limit of 6 parties, with up to 20 children aged between 1 and 10 years old, Yatouland believes children will enjoy a more personal birthday experience, with all the necessary ingredients to make their party a truly memorable experience.
Often, as parents, we are looking to find that magical balance between fun and education for our kids. In the Summer time this can be especially true when we want our kids to have a great time, making the most of the weather (assuming the sunshine arrives eventually), enjoying lazy days free of the pressure of the school run and the tight week day schedules. On the other hand we don’t want our kids to lose the habit of learning and to keep their curiosity alive.
Teachers at TutorsPlus, the Geneva-based organization providing tutors throughout Switzerland, don’t feel that these two goals are mutually exclusive. When they were setting up their Summer Camp this year, they gave their teachers the challenge to create workshops that will give kids the chance to have a brilliant time, make new friends, have fun and be really creative whilst learning at the same time.
Photo: CIO/A.Meylan
Organized by the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, this year’s Olympic Week celebrations will take place between the 14 and 18 October. Around 5000 youngsters between the ages of 9 and 15 years old will have the opportunity to try out approximately 30 different sporting disciplines along the Ouchy lakeside. This year’s special theme will be food and the five senses.
Although the main Olympic Museum is officially closed for renovation at the moment, this has not prevented the organizers from hosting the 32nd Olympic Week. Around 30 sporting clubs, and about 300 instructors and volunteers will be on hand throughout the school holiday week, to help initiate youngsters in sports such as fencing, rock climbing, sailing, capoeira, taekwondno, and even skiing! The Ouchy lakeside between La Place de la Navigation and the Olympic Museum will be shut throughout the week of sportive festivities.
Since 2012 is the year in which Lausanne was nominated “Ville du Goût” (City of Taste), young participants will have the chance to take part in a variety of workshops based on the theme of the 5 senses. Cooking lessons will be organized to help children become more familiar with fruit and vegetables and to concoct some surprising, but delicious recipes that are easy to make again at home.
Now that the kids are back to school, it's time to start thinking about additional activities to keep them entertained and challenged when they are back at home. To help you, we have been busy posting details on our Activities Calendar of various courses recommended to us at knowitall.ch. Below we have highlighted just a small handful of the recent ones that we have posted on the site this week. Since the calendar relies solely on recommendations from you (we don't trawl the internet looking for courses), we urge you to let us know if you think we have missed a good one!
Undoubtedly some of the most popular courses in the region are those provided by Intersoccer. With lots of different programmes running throughout Switzerland, including Geneva, Founex, Nyon, Versoix and Gland, Interosccer has soccer classes to suit all ages and ability from 2 to 13 years old. If you're not sure whether it's the right thing for your child, why not pop along to one of the Free Trials they are running during September. Visit our calendar for more details.
For younger children, The Little Gym in Geneva has a huge program of activities for children aged from 4 months to 12 years. We've just posted their schedule on our calendar, but if you want more details on individual classes then visit their website here.
