The SPIELI Children’s Center at SkF is an open facility for children and youth work in the Zellerau district. As a large adventure playground, SPIELI offers numerous opportunities for children aged 6 to 14 to develop, grow, and spend their free time.

When the Sail for Kids team approached us and introduced us to the project, it was immediately clear to us that we would like to participate with our children and young people. The children and young people had the opportunity to apply for sailing and then diligently painted pictures and formulated small texts.

So we had the great opportunity to participate with twelve of our children in a sailing camp in Croatia, which was organized by Sail for Kids. The trip began with an exciting bus ride to Croatia, where the children were already able to gather their first impressions of another country.

We spent the next seven days on the water, which was a completely new and exciting experience for all the children and educators. Many of them experienced the sea for the first time in their lives. The sailing adventure offered a variety of activities and learning opportunities:

• Some children took the opportunity to improve their swimming skills or learn to swim at all. The clear waters of the Croatian coast offered perfect conditions for this important step.
• Fishing was one of the most popular activities during the camp. The children were excited to catch their first fish and practice patience and skill.
• Under the guidance of the experienced skippers, the children and educators learned the basics of sailing. They were allowed to take the helm themselves, set the sails and steer the catamaran together as a team. These experiences not only boosted their self-confidence, but also their ability to work together.
• Furthermore, the children learned social interaction through joint team activities such as shopping, cooking, washing up and cleaning work, and their self-efficacy could be strengthened.

The sailing camp with Sail for Kids was an unforgettable adventure that not only gave the children a lot of joy, but also strengthened their personal skills and self-confidence.

We would like to thank the Sail for Kids team and especially Jane & Philipp Lenner and Stephanie & Ümit Uzun for their pedagogical intuition, their patient and appreciative manner and their joy in supporting children and young people.

Kind regards
Isabelle Zlndler
Head of Department SPIELI Children’s Center