A February Full of Chocolate, Carnival, Science, and Business Discoveries

In the last week of February, our students set off on yet another exciting week full of enrichment activities. Our youngest students explored the colorful world of Fasnacht, while primary and secondary students dived into the fascinating realms of science and business. And even though February can be a bit gloomy, this week was nothing but bright and full of joy, curiosity and creativity!

Kindergarten: Fasnacht and Creativity Everywhere

The week kicked off with our youngest learners taking to the vibrant streets of Winterthur to join the Fasnacht parade. And what a parade it was! Our group of Spidermans, Elsas, witches, and many other creative costumes fully embraced the festive spirit, putting on a display that could make any parade-goer a little jealous.

Back at school, Fasnacht continued to inspire activities all week long. Who knew one celebration could do something like that? Students practiced motor skills and geometry through clown-themed crafts, and immersed themselves in a Fasnacht-themed scavenger hunt. They drummed, marched and moved like parade characters, and spun like confetti in the air, learning in a fun and engaging way.

And the perfect ending to the week: waiting at the finish of the scavenger hunt was a homemade rainbow Zopf! Thanks to the warm & sunny Friday weather, everyone could enjoy sharing it during an outdoor picnic!

Primary School: Science, Business, and Sweet Surprises

In primary school, the week was fully packed with diverse hands-on experiences that engaged all the senses. From excursions, watching documentaries, and tastings to crafts. Just like in real science and business projects, our young learners followed the full process from A to Z: sparking curiosity, asking questions, conducting research, and finally developing their own products and business plans.

The absolute highlight was a visit from Spot, the four-legged robot “dog” by Boston Dynamics, who instantly won over the students and sparked so much curiosity and questions about the technology. And it’s easy to see why: our Campus Schloss Sihlberg is a castle after all, with several floors, many rooms, and plenty of stairs, and Spot confidently climbed them all. Who wouldn’t be impressed?

Another unforgettable moment was our visit to Focus Terra at ETH, where students explored earthquakes and natural forces through interactive exhibits. The earthquake simulation was unforgettable and we can absolutely recommend it!

And of course, we can’t forget the sweetest part of the week — a visit to Lindt, the home of chocolate. Students learned about the history of chocolate, how it’s made, and, naturally, the experience wouldn’t have been complete without a little chocolate tasting.

Back at school, our young entrepreneurs and scientists dived into different business and science projects through a variety of engaging workshops, which our wonderful experts and mentors prepared. Some designed business cards for their own future companies, while others developed creative chocolate business plans (Switzerland may soon welcome a few new chocolatiers!). They also explored topics like climate change and even created their own bath bombs.

Secondary School: Focus, Projects, and Future Paths

After an intense learning sprint for our secondary students, the focus on this week was to dive deeper into personal projects and explore possible career paths. It was wonderful to see such a wide variety of interests and project ideas, including healthcare and wellbeing, creative writing, animated drawings and character development, historical and business comparisons, entrepreneurship, game programming, and coding… and the list could go on.

And because everyone needs a bit of something different for learning, our student also created their own dedicated workspace or “office”, which has already made a visible positive effect on their learning. Thanks to our spacious campus, they could pick a space in different rooms and personalize them with decorations according to their own needs.

Conversations about career choices and future possibilities continued to be a focus on Thursday, with our students visiting the Berufs-Informations-Zentrum. Here our students had the chance to gain more insights into Switzerland’s vocational and apprenticeship pathways.

At the end of the week, we also took advantage of the beautiful weather and moved the learning outdoors. Students enjoyed a walk through Zurich, reading and discussing books, sharing ideas, and brainstorming new projects. It was the perfect way to wrap up the week.

This Enrichment Week reminded us once again how powerful learning can be when students are given the time and space to explore what truly interests them. By connecting activities to real-world relevance and personal curiosity, learning becomes engaging, meaningful, and motivating.

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A huge thank-you to our incredible team for planning all the amazing activities, and to our students for bringing their enthusiasm, creativity, and curiosity. Moments like these are a wonderful reminder of why our work matters.

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Enrichment at SOT: Inspiring Curiosity, Creativity, and Passion for Learning