Special discount for knowitall.ch readers! (see conditions below)
If you have ever spent any time with a donkey you will realize how rewarding they can be, especially for young children. You can pet them, brush them, ride on their backs and even be led on a carriage by them, they are such versatile, easy-going animals!
One person who recognized the true value of donkeys at a very young age is Ursula Bivans, current owner of 13 donkeys at the popular Elevage des Charmilles, located in stunning countryside near Dardagny, to the west of Geneva.
Ursula told knowitall.ch, “As a child, I decided that when I was older, I would have a donkey that would never work, to make up a little bit for all the poor, overworked donkeys in the world. My dream came true in 1980 with the arrival of Benny. I soon discovered that donkeys don’t like to live alone, so I got her some girlfriends and eventually a handsome boyfriend. Over the years they had many babies, some of which I sold, but donkeys are so lovable that this was getting more and more difficult. So I quit breeding and selling them.”
A giant, 200m long water slide will be set up in the heart of Geneva on Saturday 13 June 2015!
Organized by the local newspaper, Les Nouvelles, Gliss’en Ville is the first event of its kind in Switzerland, and is inspired by similar “Slip and Slide” events that have enjoyed phenomenal success recently in England and the United States.
Wishing to create a unique and memorable event accessible to everyone living in and around Geneva, Les Nouvelles will set up their giant waterslide for the public on the rue Voltaire between 13h and 18h on Saturday 13 June 2015. Centrally located with a gentle, natural slope, rue Voltaire is the perfect location for Geneva’s first giant waterslide.
Adults and children aged at least 7 years old and measuring 1m30 or above are invited to take the plunge either in swim suits, dressed in disguise, or fully clad – whatever takes their fancy! Clothing with zips or other accessories likely to damage the slide are forbidden. Brightly coloured buoys, air mattresses and body boards will be available for the more adventurous participants! Festive music combined with various animations will contribute to what can only be described as a great summer holiday atmosphere!
The Characterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) mission is a joint ESA-Switzerland project, dedicated to "searching for exoplanetary transits on bright stars already known to host planets". The instrument will be able to point towards almost any location in the sky and perform ultrahigh precision photometry. The CHEOPS Space telescope is scheduled to be launched at the end of 2017 and will look from the Earth's oribit at planets in other solar systems.
Send your drawing into Space!
Together with the CHEOPS Space telescope, the CHEOPS Mission Organization plans to launch 3000 children’s drawings into space. They will be engraved in miniaturized form onto a plaque, which will be mounted on the telescope by a prominent representative of the Swiss Confederation.
Who can participate?
All children between 8 and 14 years who live in Switzerland or another ESA member country can submit a drawing. For Drawing-Campaigns outside Switzerland, the respective space agencies for each country are responsible. A list of contact addresses for different countries will be made available through the CHEOPS-Children’s Drawings Campaign website shortly.
15% discount on all parties booked before end of June 2015
Imagine having a real life princess or superhero come to your child’s party. How exciting that would be!
At Once Upon A Time Parties your child’s wish could actually come true! Set up by mother of 2 children, Melissa Madeira, this Lausanne-based party entertainment business organizes real life princesses and other super-heros and -heroines to attend both private and corporate events in the Vaud/Geneva areas.
Melissa told knowitall.ch, “I decided to start this business because as a mum I was always looking for new and interesting party ideas and I knew other mums in the same position. Princesses and superheroes are so popular with little kids that I really wanted to create a special and unique party option for them.”
Thirty years on from its opening, the Alimentarium is preparing to close temporarily from 24 August in order to undergo an unprecedented transformation. Ahead of its reopening scheduled for June 2016, the museum held a press conference recently to launch the Alimentarium Academy platform, a totally new online learning ecosystem, and to provide a preview of the new scenography of the new permanent exhibition. As the Alimentarium makes a definitive turn towards digital media, it is positioning itself as a globally unique Centre of Competence, dedicated to matters of food and nutrition.
A pioneering online learning ecosystem
Driven by the desire to make its expertise and resources available to as many people as possible, the museum has created its Alimentarium Academy, a pioneering educational platform aimed at pupils and their teachers. Specialists and experts in digital education designed this new venture around three axes: online lesson material that allows children to learn while having fun; online courses aimed at teachers wishing to devise food and nutrition-related lessons with activities, games and videos and, finally, a mobile app, which encourages reflection and dialogue between parents and children on the topic of food. This complementary and interconnected educational programme is available on smartphones and tablets, in French, German and English.
