The Finkenau music kindergarten in the so-called “Schanzenhof” follows the principle of “musical immersion”. Every day, the nursery and kindergarten children of the day-care centre immerse themselves in a “musical bath”; interacting with music is playful and natural. Due to a close collaboration with the State Opera and the Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg, the children receive visits from instrumentalists or singers twice a month. The children are made familiar with the world of classical music at an early age this way.

Our Studio “Bei den Pinguinen” – A Place for Connection and Learning

The “Bei den Pinguinen” studio is a community and educational space that Silja Breckwoldt played a key role in establishing from the very beginning. Since its inception, it has been a vibrant place where children as young as two and staff from the Finkenau Kindergartens Foundation come together—whether for children’s classes, professional development sessions, or planning days.

The large, bright studio space features a printing press, a variety of tools, a wide selection of creative materials, and expansive walls for painting. The spacious floor area and the terrace in front of the studio are also used for creative activities.

Children have a completely natural way of exploring the world with all their senses. In the studio, they can pursue their curiosity and their need to experiment with colors, tools, and materials. The creative process is the focus here—the finished artwork is secondary.

Silja Breckwoldt, studio and workshop educator, has shaped aesthetic education at the Finkenau Kindergarten Foundation with tireless dedication since 1995 and helped establish the “Bei den Pinguinen” studio. Until her retirement in 2025, she led the studio, offered a variety of creative courses for children and adults, and enriched the foundation through numerous professional development programs for educators.

Since 2025, Anja Brockmann has been continuing the work at the studio. With fresh ideas and a deep appreciation for what Silja Breckwoldt has built, she is further developing the studio as a creative educational space.

Course Offerings

• Creative workshops for children’s groups in Finkenau on various topics
• Professional development courses for educators in Finkenau in the field of aesthetic education

The Synapses research laboratory can be used by all facilities of the Stiftung Kindergärten Finkenau. The vision multiplier of the “Haus der kleinen Forscher” (Little Scientists’ House) Sönke Frahm is available to support the educational staff.

In Synapses, the children can try out things with water, colours, sounds, numbers and letters. An adjacent garden offers space for exploring nature. Insects, beetles, leaves or trees can be observed and scrutinised more closely. Microscopes with computer connections for large pictures are available for this purpose. The research lab was backed by donations from Philips as well as the Asklepios Klinik Barmbek hospital, which provided laboratory equipment from their former pathology department.