Excited Sofia, Ricarda and Carlotta stand in front of the sign at the entrance to the Kinderheilwald on Usedom in the early morning. The wind blows gently through the third-graders' hair as they look at the orientation map to see the stations scattered around the forest that need to be explored.
Ricarda reads the sentences under the map aloud: »Hello dear children, I am the little forest spirit Theo and I live in the Heringsdorf Children's Healing Forest. In my forest you can go on a healthy journey of discovery and experience a lot.« The little girls don't need to be told twice, and the three of them run laughing across the leaf-covered ground to the first station. The first rays of the day's sun shine through the treetops of the mighty beech and fir trees.
The children's healing forest on Usedom is run by the Kaiserbädern and is the first of its kind in Europe! The offer is particularly suitable for children with chronic respiratory diseases, but all other children can also do something for their health here - without even realizing it. The forest is only a few hundred meters from the sea as the crow flies, so the little ones can breathe in the best forest and sea air as they run around. The hilly landscape and decelerating tranquillity are also intended to promote children's health. Just like the 13 stations, each of which is linked to a training goal.
The first station that Sofia, Ricarda and Carlotta have chosen is the swinging nest under trees. The three of them climb into the round structure, lie down on the back and let Ricarda's dad push them until Carlotta screams: »That's enough, that's enough!« Everyone laughs out loud. That alone is good for their health. But rocking is also supposed to train the sense of balance and motor skills. Relaxed rocking is also calming.
But the three girls don't want to hear anything about relaxation. They romp through the forest, running from station to station. From the swinging nest to the whispering telephone, then on to the brave stair king, where they master an obstacle course, and from there to the sound tree. Sofia carefully takes the mallet in her hand and hits it gently against the sound bars in front of her. Clear tones echo through the forest and merge into a cheerful melody. Carlotta gets wilder, she hits the sticks hard and the forest briefly becomes a party mile.
Time to wind down. Time for children's yoga outdoors. Yoga instructor Petra welcomes the girls to a spot in the forest, not far from the hands-on stations. Petra has tied her shiny white and gray hair back in a ponytail. Her calm and level-headed manner rubs off almost immediately on the children, who are still excited. Quietly, each of the girls chooses a large stone on which they are about to do their exercises.
For a short time, all you can hear is the chirping of the birds. Then everyone is allowed to draw two cards from a pile in Petra's hand. »Well, Ricarda, what can you see on your first card?«, asks Petra. »An airplane,« answers Ricarda. And the yoga teacher gets into the airplane pose, one leg stretched back, upper body forward, arms to the side. The girls follow suit. This is followed by exercises such as the Bär or the giraffe. And in between there is some really loud shouting. It has to be done sometimes. The yoga class ends with a thoughtful tap on the singing bowl and a »Namasté«.
Children's yoga in the spa and healing forest in Heringsdorf is offered on a regular basis. The exact dates can be found on the Kaiserbäder website.
The observation tower of the treetop walk in Heringsdorf winds its way up to a height of 33 meters. And the highlight that Sofia, Carlotta and Ricarda are most looking forward to is at the very top: there is a wide net on which the brave can lie down and then look down. You also have a great view of the Baltic Sea from here!
But to be able to climb the observation tower, you first have to walk the 785-meter-long path back up to the treetops. It doesn’t get boring here either: along the path, from which you can also see the children’s healing forest on Usedom, there are several learning stations where children can find out everything worth knowing about the local tree species as well as the flora and fauna on Usedom. The best thing about the stations: You can turn and touch them. It gets really exciting at the adventure stations, where the three Mädels balance over a tree trunk and climb over other elements at lofty heights. A head for heights is required here!
And then the time has come – the observation tower is reached. Now it's time to cover another 565 meters in several laps to reach the top level of the tower and then face the test of courage of climbing the net. And, of course, the girls master the challenge. They even dared to lie down in the middle of the 50 square meter net. Sometimes on their backs, then on their stomachs with a direct view into the depths. Real heroines!
All the adventures in the forest were exciting, but now of course it's time to go to the beach, where they can play and romp around. And with the right weatherproof clothing, this is also possible on the island of Usedom in the fall. Sofia, Carlotta and Ricarda are met in Karlshagen by Katrin, who is equipped with landing nets, buckets and shovels. She takes the three girls on a once-in-a-lifetime discovery tour. »Little Beach Explorers« is the name of the program, which is offered until the end of October. The aim is to show children which creatures are at home on the Baltic Sea coast of Usedom.
Equipped with rubber boots, the three girls trudge off towards the sea, collect shells and let Katrin tell them everything they need to know about the finds, jellyfish, molluscs and other creatures. The environment is also a topic on the tour. One of the questions the girls have to solve is: What is in the sea, doesn't come out, but doesn't actually belong there? »Müll«, Sofia answers quickly. Correct.
And then the girls run along the beach one last time, breathing in another big breath of sea air. What a day outdoors!
Europe's 1st spa and healing forest offers a unique natural environment. Visitors can enjoy a walk through the tree-rich forest, try out the numerous exercise machines or attend one of the various events directly in the forest.
