The first Children’s Day at Papiliorama- a huge success !
The 12th of October 2006 was entirely dedicated to the youngest visitors of Papiliorama. With the organisation of a Children’s Day the Papiliorama foundation wanted to offer visiting families a very special experience during the autumn holidays. And judging by the many happy faces at the end of the day, the goal seems to have been achieved! The next Children's Days will take place on the 5th of May and the 20th of October 2007.
The special Children’s Day program started at 10h30 and went on until the late afternoon. At one of the many animal information stands the young visitors were able to learn directly from the zoo keepers and guides where butterflies come from, what the giant gourami Johann has to do with one of the most famous musicians of all times, why sloths are so slow, why anaconda females are a lot larger than males and why there’s no reason to be afraid of bats, snakes and spiders. Butterfly eggs could be looked at closely under a magnifying glass, and the bravest kids were allowed to touch or even hold the boa constrictor. For those who prefer more usual domestic pets, there were cute baby rabbits and the zoo keepers taught the children why a rabbit is not the same thing as a hare. Not only the children learned a lot about nature, for the adults many things were quite new too!
The children were also able to show their creative talents at the Children’s Day. At a handy craft stand, colourful paper snakes were painted and cut out and now probably decorate many children’s bedrooms. Autumn being pumpkin season, the children were invited to make their own Halloween pumpkin, another nice souvenir of the day.
One of the big highlights of the Children’s Day were the three children’s theatres in the cafeteria and the theatre room. The fabulous mime theatre “Butterfly” by Kunos Circus Theatre was perfect for a good laugh and showed some stunning acrobatic acts. In the theatre room Johana Bory (French) and Daniela D’Arcangelo (German) entertained the public with puppet theatre using some beautiful, self-made puppets, including caterpillars and butterflies. All three plays were greatly appreciated by the entire audience !
The longer the day, the more colourful the children’s faces became. This was thanks to the work of Stefanie Mäder and Marina Mori, who painted beautiful butterflies, dolphins and bats onto the children’s faces with spray and body painting. Not a child left the house without a pretty picture on its cheek !
The Papiliorama team was very pleased to welcome almost 1'000 visitors on its first Children’s Day. The numerous activities were highly appreciated and many people asked when the next Children’s Day was to take place. Well, there definitely will be another such happening, probably on a Saturday between Easter and Ascension 2007. The exact date will be published here on our website. We’re already looking forward to it !
The next Children's Days will take place on the 5th of May and the 20th of October 2007.
