A Night in the Forest
On a summer evening beside the Nature Centre in Teijo National Park, two excited children are waiting eagerly.
Twelve-year-old Säde and ten-year-old Valo have come with their godmother, Niina, to spend the night in the forest. Their accommodation is a tree tent, suspended between two trees. Packed for the trip are sleeping bags, pillows and, of course, a few favourite soft toys.
“I’ve brought my monkey. His name is Apsi. He’s from South Africa, and he likes bananas and rapping,” Valo says.
For dinner, the plan is to grill sausages over the campfire, a classic part of any camping trip. There are of course a few treats packed too.
“Crisps,” the children reply with a smile.
Säde and Valo have only ever slept in a tent in their own garden before, so spending the night up in the trees feels like a real adventure.
“It’s not the tent that worries me. It’s really cosy. But what if a wolf comes?” Valo wonders.
“There aren’t any wolves here. And we’re high up, so they couldn’t reach us anyway,” Niina reassures him.
“Not even the rabbits could reach us,” Säde adds.
Once everything has been unpacked, the three of them head down to Lake Matilda. They plan to take a rowing boat out and try their luck with a fishing rod.
“Let’s go and catch a salmon!” Valo announces confidently.
After a brief delay to fetch a forgotten cap and a couple of water bottles from the tent, they finally set off.
“This is great!” Valo calls out from the shore.
“But I’m a little bit scared. I’ve never been in a rowing boat before.”
The nerves soon disappear as Niina takes the oars and the boat glides across the calm, mirror-like lake.
“This is fun!” Valo says, even though the fish decide not to bite this time.
The next morning, everyone wakes up smiling. Even the overnight rain hasn’t disturbed their sleep.
“We didn’t get wet at all. And there weren’t any wolves,” Säde says.
“I di wake up because of all the different sounds,” Valo adds. “I heard birds singing, owls calling and even an aeroplane.”
The evening had passed with games, bedtime stories and the quiet of the forest all around them.
When asked what the best part of the trip was, the answer comes instantly and in perfect unison:
“Getting to have an adventure and sleep.”