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VIÐEY FRIÐEY 2023
Viðey Island offers an exciting week-long course for 8-9-year-old children (born in 2014 and 2015)
The course allows children to explore and experience the island's history and nature through creative and artistic work indoors and outdoors. The course focuses on teaching the children about the land. They will get to know the island's old schoolhouse, which is now renovated and has excellent facilities for experiments and research. The goal of the course is to create a friendly environment for children without smart devices, allowing them to enjoy themselves on their own terms under the guidance of professionals. The course will help the children experience peace through arts, games, purposeful outdoor activities, and exercise.
The course has limited availability, with a minimum of 12 children and a maximum of 15 children. It is a joint project of the Reykjavík City Museum and Reykjavík Art Museum, and it has received a grant from the Children's Culture Fund.
The course runs on three different weeks in June:
Course 1 from 12-16 June,
Course 2 from 19-23 June,
Course 3 from 26-30 June.
The children will be met by their teachers at the pier on Skarfabakki every morning, and the ferry departs punctually at 09:00. Children should arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow time to chat with their teacher. The ferry returns to Skarfabakki at 15:45.
Children are required to bring a snack for breakfast and lunch, sheltered clothing, and good shoes. They should pack their lunch and extra clothes in a backpack as it is a 20-30 minute walk from the pier to the school building where most of the course takes place. The course involves spending much time outdoors, and the island can be windier than on land.
Footpaths run through grasslands that can be wet, and some days will be at low tide. Children should apply sunscreen before setting off and bring slippers as the school building floor is rough. The cancellation deadline to receive a refund is two weeks before the course start date.
The course costs ISK 38,500 for a 5-day course, with a 20% discount for siblings (like other Reykjavik summer courses).
Registration takes place at sumar.vala.is, and interested parties can search for the course by typing "Viðey" in the course name field.
The teachers for the course are Ása Helga Ragnarsdóttir and Björk Bjarnadóttir.
Ása Helga Ragnarsdóttir is an actor and drama teacher who has focused on teaching student teachers to use drama in children's education. She has taught a course on place-based outdoor education organized by the Faculty of Education, where students experience nature with all their senses, work with the stories of the places they visit, and connect art to their experiences.
Ása graduated from the Icelandic Teachers College in 1996 and went to the United Kingdom for further studies. She completed a master's degree in arts with an emphasis on drama in teaching. She has since taught at the Faculty of Education at the University of Iceland.
Ása hosted the National Broadcasting Service's children's show Stundin Okkar between 1982 and 1985.
Björk Bjarnadóttir is an environmental folklorist with a BA in folkloristics from the University of Iceland and an MA in Environmentalism from the same school. She has held storytelling sessions and guided tours for the Reykjavik City Museum in various locations. Such as:
Árbær Open Air Museum: Ghost Walk and Midsummer's Night Walk
Viðey Island: Folklore by the Sea and Caraway Seed Picking
Settlement Exhibition: The Origin of Halloween
Bjrök has a passion for Halloween and researches it in her spare time, along with her hobbies of plants, birds, and organic cultivation.