A week’s trip to a old Finnish farm-house, fully modernized for arranging school camps and equivalent up to 100 guests simultaneously. During the week you have several visits to local schools and university, sheding light on the Finnish educational system but also offering active opportunites for discussions and acquaintance with pupils and students.
All the program details aim to create learning situations on Finnish nature, history, culture and educational system. Daily hands-on activities “live like a local” on different issues (e.g. Woodcrafts on the forest, baking rye bread, fishing, crayfishing, tease out and spin lambswool) deepen your understanding of Finnish nature, history and culture and attract insights on background of cultural differencies.
An unique opportunity is to get acquainted with the traces of ice age in the near forest nature and to compare the temperature changes accross ice age to the ongoing climate change.

Tentative program

Day 1
Arrival and welcome to Iloranta, info tour of the farm area
Sign of climate changes on the nature
Iloranta’s climate path shows you various traces of the glacial period, e.g. ancient shorelines of both Yoldia Sea and the large Ancylus Lake. We also guide you to consider the ongoing global temperature rise and greenhouse effect against the huge changes in the nature and scenery, which were caused by only a few degree temperature variations in the ice age
Sauna and swimming/ In winter: sauna and ice swimming
This is your chance to experience the Finnish sauna culture and traditions. You can go for a swim in the clean waters of the lake or take a quick dip in the ice hole in the winter.

Day 2
Visit to Hauho comprehensive school
Get to know the famous Hauho comprehensive school. It is a pioneer in creating a learning environment. It is more than a school, it is an education community.
At Hauho comprehensive school, the students and teachers together have created a school yard that supports a sporty lifestyle

Guided fishing and crayfishing (in Aug., Sep. and Oct.) / In winter ice fishing
The catch is mainly perch, bream, roach and pike but occasionally brown trout can also be caught. Taking part in checking the fish-traps and fishing nets. Fishing with fishing rods and the wintery ice-fishing awakes the perch to eagerly catch the bait.
Finnish yard games/ In winter: Snow shoeing
Sauna, smoke sauna and swimming / ice swimming

Day 3
Hämeenlinna and Iittala day (Häme castle, KultaSuklaa chocolate factory, Iittala glass factory)
Woodcrafts: making your own wooden knife
Wall climbing / In winter: Winter games, sliding downhill, snow football

Day 4
Visit to Finnish university; HAMK
Presentation of Finnish educational system
Interactive working together with Finnish students

”Soft, woolen moments” – carding and spinning lambswool
You get to learn the traditional craft of spinning wool by hand, and we also invite you to think about the sustainability of clothing in the old times and nowadays
Trail of the senses, “Forest bath”
Here we walk in the Finnish forest along a trail sensing the forest in different ways along the way, based on mindfulness e.g. conscious presence
Pancake party by the campfire

Day 5
Visit to Finnish high school
Presentation of Finnish schools systems
Traditional Finnish plays by tutors
Felting wool
Environmental art
We create art using materials from nature and items discarded from other use
Trek in the local, ”dark” evening forest
The lightness of the summer nights or the total darkness of the winter forest; a bright starry night and the snow covered trees maybe even Northern lights?

Day 6
Survival skils in the forest / In winter: Winterwonderland on ice
You learn how to set a campfire and boil water on it.
Curling on natural ice, ice hockey in shoes, kicksledding and Finnish sleigh carouseling on ice
Finnish yard games / In winter: Winter games, sliding downhill, snow football
Woodcrafts: making your own birdhouse
We make birdhouses and then we take them to the nearby forest, so that the small birds would have more nesting places.
Last night party on camp fire

Day 7
Baking rye bread
The tale of rye – baking rye bread using a decades-old starter dough. 
Everyone makes their own loaf of bread. You take your own fresh-baked bread home with you
A trip to the forest and baking bun on a stick on the campfire
The nature trail of Iloranta leads via Mäyräkallio (Badger cliff) along the marshland to Kotivuori (Home mountain) and through the wild nut grove to the old gate. The tales of the animals, trees and ecology of the forest makes the nature almost tangible.
Departure from Iloranta