Stories from everyday life

The beginning of August is often an exciting time for children starting kindergarten and for their parents alike. At Honey Monsters, the children who started earlier – the juniors, our future special friends – are excited too.

At Honey Monsters, we put a lot of effort into children's friendships, a safe environment to grow in, play and learning. Every new beginner (or "biksu", as the children say) starting at our language immersion kindergarten is given their own special friend, who already knows what life at Honey Monsters is like. The special friend has an important job: they welcome the new child, show them the kindergarten's play areas and make sure the new Honey Monster always has someone to play with during the first days. If needed, the special friend can also help by translating the teachers' instructions from English into Finnish. With this special friend scheme, we want to make sure that every new Honey Monster feels welcome and at home right from the very first days.

Starting kindergarten is also supported with parents' evenings, information packs and playdates held in the kindergarten yard.

Honey Monsters differs from many other kindergartens in that it is owned by a parents' association. This means that the kindergarten is non-profit and does not seek financial gain. Honey Monsters gives children a safe environment to grow in, moments of success, happy smiles and the chance to learn new things.

When parents take part in the kindergarten's shared projects, the kindergarten has more resources to offer a wider range of activities. Kindergarten life also comes closer to home. By taking part in the parents' association, families get to know each other more easily, and we all get to enjoy a wonderful sense of community.

What would your dream kindergarten be like if you were a child? What kind of kindergarten would you design for your own child? We Honey Monsters parents would design something very much like Honey Monsters is today. The children have skilled, long-standing teachers and carers, a safe environment to grow in, the chance to learn a new language through a carefully planned immersion method (Early Total Immersion), and fun, enriching activities together with their kindergarten friends. Together, through the parents' association, we families can make Honey Monsters the kindergarten of our children's dreams.

Every morning at Honey Monsters, children are greeted with smiles and good cheer. "Good morning. Nice to see you!" is heard at the door as each child arrives. Every child feels that they are an important and welcome member of the group.

Our weeks are full of playing together, laughter, joy and fun. Learning English happens almost by itself, through play and activities. Weekly letters sent from the kindergarten on Fridays, together with photo and video greetings shared through the app, let parents know how the days are going and what is coming up in the weeks ahead. Children often bring home lovely crafts – paper planes, for example – so the play carries on at home too.

The weekly programme includes music playschool for everyone and an optional dance class for an extra fee. Outings are an important part of learning. We go on outings to the nearby forest as well as by bus to places such as the zoo or the theatre.

Celebrations throughout the calendar year, such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Christmas and the spring party, are celebrated at the kindergarten according to tradition. Every child's birthday is also an eagerly awaited event, when the birthday child is celebrated by the whole kindergarten.

At a language immersion kindergarten, children learn English through play and activities. A new language is a great asset and opportunity. For many families, it is a given that during the pre-primary year they will apply for a place in bilingual (Finnish–English) basic education.

Honey Monsters language immersion kindergarten gives children a strong foundation for applying to bilingual basic education after their time with us. The kindergarten supports children's learning, and especially during the pre-primary year the children practise many different kinds of tasks.

Entrance tests for bilingual basic education are held every year. The tests largely consist of the same kinds of exercises and tasks that the children have already practised at Honey Monsters. Almost every year, nearly all of our children have been accepted to their first-choice school.

Even if a child is not selected for bilingual education, it is wonderful to know English before reaching school age. For many families, however, the most important thing their child takes from the kindergarten is what our vision describes: strong roots and wings to fly.