There was ;ot of buzz about it before it was open, but it is still underestimated and fun place to take kids and old. Wow centre on the edge of Kuressaare town in Saaremaa, has added extra value for families who want to have perfect summer escape on the biggest island of Estonia.
Saaremaa is already and great destination for the holidays. Sandy beaches, culture, fish, festivals and lovely people.. the moment you park up n ferry over you can feel entering to different vibration. For some it’s vibe of holiday, for some it returning home. Whatever it is, it attracts millions to the island every year from all parts of the world.
But as much to cherish its spa life, beach life and night life.. there was something missing for families. All is well when the weather is good – there is castle, beach, playgrounds or pet farms.. but when weather did not hold up, you were soon to hand over the tablets and hope for the clear skies to return. This is exactly where Wow centre hits in the right spot.
It is hours of fun, technology, brainwork, pingpong and science. Sided with delicious cafe and incredible views to the bay and oak forest. Admission fees are reasonable and coffee is not overpriced – stuff what every parent also has to watch out for.
So what is there to do… My kids went in twice: once with my mum and second time with me. When my mum came back out she said she hasn’t seen kids more than to grab a drink – it was same the second day. I brought my ipad with me, and a book and i got bored at the end of it. So I went out to see what are they doing.
First was the virtual world. My daughter who is nine absolutely loves it, it is her scene.. she is learning coding and creating games, so it was just perfect for her. It is literally where you wear the screen around your face, stand in the square and have to use the joysticks connected to your hands to cut sticks. You can also watch it in screen outside the area how is she doing. It was really fun.. and if you have never had virtual world experience – this is like 4D, you are literally in the game… mind blowing and fun fun fun.
Then there was this trampoline what was attached to tv screen and you had to jump higher to play the game. Game was similar like Super Mario but you jumped up to get to next platform on the screen… hours of jumping and you didn’t even know it.
Beside it was the soccer pitch. Another one my kids favourite and absolutely families favorite. so you had to kick as many balls into as many holes in 90 seconds. higher the hole, more points you got. Honestly – I want one on my back garden… this is for any age and can be hours.. I mean HOURS, of fun.
The hamster wheel nearly broke my back and neck, but if you do not get frightened in it, it wouldn’t.. another one where you could see who get s the speed higher. If you have any competitive in your family – then you could use all four above and the pingpong table to get the whole family involved. Stay there, draw out some spread sheets and go back each year to see who scored higher next years.
There is also race tracks with cars, but the cars only move if you put light on them… Mind blown! You can have race if you want.. Interactive map, where if you move sand higher the light shows as a mountain and if you dig a whole you bring in the water. you could create a land as it is. Countries as they are on the planet if you want to be precise. It can be easily grown ups sandbox… Mesmerizing!
It also has interactions to explaining renewable energy and how it is created. The power of wind and static electricity. There is so much to discover. Even trying to get lifesize soap bubble to stand in it – what my daughter who is 145cm tall was able to create.
We went in early afternoon and left three hours later. We had fun, we were tired and hungry for hearty meal. I can’t wait to go back next year with kids to try out more. This place was created as the smaller version of Ahhaa centre In Tartu, Estonia. But it is much smaller, so with kids under ten, you are able to still see them and explore with them.
There was also the thing about it, that you have full quality time to try and master each of the attraction. When there is so many to discover with kids age six and nine, it can get very overwhelming to their brain. Its just too much stimulation. You hear many times when parents say: it was just boring for them or we didn’t got what the fuss was about.. well that is it! You dont teach and show everything on the day one, you do it in small parts so as much as you can adjust your brain to certain tasks, so do they. So yea, Wow is small, but so super effective to create curiosity and interest on kids to learn, study and find out more.
You can see the fun times in here:
MissAnnulaLaLand 