Children and the Sea

“Every summer we have pancake parties with my friends, and my mom makes this super-hard strawberry cake that you almost have to break with a spoon! And then we ride hobbyhorses a lot with my friends. My friends have a trampoline too, so we play there all the time. And then if we’re just, like, over on East Rock, well… maybe mostly the hobbyhorses. But I also read quite a bit there when there’s nothing to do – which is pretty rare, but still. That’s probably what I do the most.”
Lulu Rita, Tammio

Islands and the sea often leave a lasting impression on a growing child’s heart. In stories about one’s relationship with the island, people often mention how many weeks or months old they were when they were first brought there. A childhood in the archipelago offers a deep dive into nature, as a child learns to understand their surroundings with all their senses. At the same time, they absorb the family’s shared way of approaching the sea – tacit knowledge begins to form from an early age. Intergenerational traditions teach how to act and communicate safely and efficiently in harmony with nature’s elements.

Children in island communities play with whoever happens to be nearby. Some friendships have lasted into old age. Sometimes, no peers were around and games were played alone. The surrounding nature can become a playmate, with rocks, cliffs and coves forming the stage for endless ideas. Children swam from morning till night, built forts, floated toy boats, played house, fished, adventured, shot air rifles at targets, climbed boulders, played hide-and-seek across the entire island, used walkie-talkies, raced hobbyhorses – all the freedoms of childhood play unfolded on the island.

The island has generally felt like a safe place for children to roam without constant supervision. The biggest worry has always been the sea. Older islanders didn’t always know how to swim, but swimming instruction became widespread across Finland in the early 1900s. For some children, swimwear was essentially everyday clothing.

Few missed the city when living by the sea. Summer playmates belonged to a different world than school friends. For teenagers, island life hasn’t always felt like paradise: during the postal boat era, letters were frequent and chances to return home were eagerly taken to see friends. Then again, in some years, strong peer groups formed on the islands – and summer romances were not uncommon. Today, the internet tempts, but at least in Tammio, where the connection occasionally cuts out, the phone is easier to leave behind.