Mamma Park

By: Jelena Jovanovic

Belgrade, Aug.25 ,2009 (Serbia Today) - A part of the green space on Ada Ciganlija, one of the favorite summer spots in Belgrade, became at the beginning of this Summer, a Day Camp for small children. Mamma Park offers workshops, small schools, games and ideas for children and their parents how to spend time with other kids in beautiful surrounding.
Vesna Stanimirović,coordinator of the park and journalist of Belgrade magazine Mamma, explained that this magazine, established 12 years ago with an aim to help young parents and make things easier for them, got an idea to step out from the magazine pages and offer some outdoor contents – places where children can spend their time, entertain, associate and educate and where parents can be relaxed more than usual and be certain of their children’s safety.
Ada Ciganlija was a logical choice. It is a favorite city resort, with 300 000 visitors per day in the peak of the season, with many playgrounds and thematic parks. So, magazine Mamma , in cooperation with Public Company Ada Ciganlija, adjusted one part of Ada’s green space and made Mamma Park. Opened at the beginning of the summer, the Park has become very popular. It will be closed at the end of summer, on August 30th.
Mamma Park offers various programs, realized by experts in children education who have already cooperated with magazine Mamma. Children can attend English language school Helen Doron and read stories in English, attend small school of proper speeches, sports workshop Hercules, small dance school, creative fine arts workshop... Parents can get advices from pediatricians, nutritionists, dentists, psychologists, ophthalmologists. Yoga and fitness programs are also part of the program, as well as ecological education program, where basics about environment and its preserving are taught. In the beginning, the programs were addressed to the youngest- small and preschool children. But, older children also started to enjoy here. All programs are free and all children can participate- there is no age limits.
Vesna Stanimirovic says that in Mamma Park everyone can learn something new and have fun.
“I think that that age variety is a special allure of Mamma park. Sometimes only three children are involved in certain activity and sometimes we have more than 25 children. Children and their parents come here regularly and parents are very satisfied- they can exchange experiences with other parents and get answers and free advices from various experts”. Ljiljana Jocic, Secretary for Children Protection in the City of Belgrade, suggested a continuation of this action during winter period and relocation of Mamma park indoors, in some of Belgrade kindergartens. This idea might be realized, and the certain thing is that Mamma park will be part of Ada Ciganlija next summer and that joint project of magazine Mamma and Ada Ciganlija will be continued.