A child is examining trilobite fossil with a microscope.

Guided tours and workshops

Reservation and prices

Guided tours

Visitors can explore the exhibitions in Kieppi on a guided tour led by a museum guide. Time slots for the guided tours must be reserved in advance. The duration and theme of the tour can be tailored to suit your group’s interests. The group can also explore the exhibitions independently before and after the tour.

Size of the group

The recommended size for a tour group is under 25 persons, so that everyone has a chance to hear the tour guide. The maximum size of the group is 35 people, with a shorter guided tour and more independent exploring. It is also possible to divide the group, so that the other half of the group explores the other museum destinations in the Museum Quarter or enjoys refreshments in adjacent Vohvelikahvila The Waffle Cafe (open in the summer).

Workshops

Kieppi organizes educational workshops, diving into the wonders of nature by using tools such as environmental education, science and art. In the workshops, we help visitors to understand natural phenomena and encourage them to make observations and conclusions about what they see. We discuss issues such as material cycles and humans as a part of nature. The goal is to stir interest towards nature and its conservation by emphasizing knowledge, experience, understanding and independent doing.

Duration, size of the group and themes

Kieppi’s workshops must be booked in advance. The workshops are organized for groups at agreed times, also outside the museum’s opening hours. The workshops can be adapted to suit different age groups. The duration of a workshop is approximately 1.5 hours or as agreed. The recommended group size for the workshops is at most 15 persons, and the maximum group size is 25 persons. Below, you will find more information about the workshop selection in Kieppi. NB! Workshops are not available at the moment.

In Finland, over half of the nesting birds are migratory birds. The rest are partial migrants, nomadic birds and resident birds. In this workshop, we familiarize ourselves with different bird species and the things we can learn from their structure, beak and sternum. What do they eat, where do they migrate? Veikko Salkio’s natural history collection includes about 200 bird species nesting in Finland. We can also find various nests and different colored and shaped eggs. What does the law say about eggs? We use a CD of the Finnish birds, including their migration routes and times and their nesting areas and habitats.

Swans are returning to Finland.
Everyone is familiar with butterflies such as Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) and Common brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni). But how much do you know about sphinx moths, geometer moths or owlet moths? In this workshop, we familiarize ourselves with the multiplicity of Lepidoptera and metamorphosis from egg to adult. What happens in the different stages of transformation? We can also discuss the differences between Odonata and Lepidoptera, or examine other insects as well. Folding origami butterfly asks accuracy but the result is awarding.
Some animals escape the winter’s frost, but those who stay can find shelter in the snow. Some hibernate months, while others seek constantly food during the short winter days. Animal tracks on the snow can reveal us much about the wintery fauna. Which animals have walked by? Welcome to Kieppi where you can meet almost all Finnish mammals and about 220 species of birds. How do they survive the long and cold winter?

Forest folk, Jyrki Portin, from exhibition in 2010.
Viljo Nissinen’s mineral collection contains many rare minerals and their precious forms. In this workshop, we will find out which elements and which processes are needed to form gemstones. We will find an amethyst, topaz and ruby from the collection. What properties must a stone have in order to be grinded? Finally, we can study precious stones and gemstones with different instruments, grind stones by hand, or make our own amulets from different materials.

The Brillance of Stone, GTK, from exhibition in 2014.