News Update - Leisure from knowitall.ch

: Published: 12 April 2018

la cote photography club 2

A new English-speaking photography club has just been launched for those living in Geneva, Vaud, and neighboring France!

Called “In Focus: La Côte Photography Group” the new club has been set up by professional photographer, Catherine Lewis, with the aim of bringing people together with a common interest in photography. Whether you are a beginner just starting to get to know your own camera, or an experienced amateur who wants to attend local photographic exhibitions with like-minded people, there is something for everyone in the new group.

As a professional in-house and freelance photographer with many years’ experience working in the UK for different magazines as well as a national newspaper and several corporate clients, Catherine knows exactly what is required to take a good shot! Having trained at the London College of Printing for a postgraduate degree in Photography, Photojournalism and Printing, she also has a good understanding of how photography should be taught.

More recently Catherine has been running her own photography business in France and Switzerland, focusing on portrait and botanical photography, the latter of which is a special passion for her and has led to much work with the Royal Horticultural Society. During this time, she has met many clients and friends who have become frustrated by photography…but why?

: Published: 01 April 2018

Lausanne Art Fair F8B3821 web

Expo Beaulieu Lausanne, 19 - 22 April 2018

First announced on our site last year, the Lausanne Art Fair will shortly return to the region with another outstanding display of international contemporary art.

To celebrate this special occasion, knowitall.ch will once again offer tickets to the show, which will take place at the Expo Beaulieu between 19 and 22 April 2018.

More than 3000 pieces of work, 80 galleries and 504 artists represented

More than 3,000 pieces of work, including paintings, sculptures and photographs, will be displayed over the 6000m2 of floor space that has been allocated to the 504 artists displaying their work this year.

With 80 galleries from Europe and the rest of the world taking part in the fair, visitors can expect to see all the latest trends in contemporary art represented. So, whether you are looking for examples of expressionism, abstract art, crude art, the Cobra movement, naive art, kinetic art, Pop art, minimalism, new realism, free expression, graffiti, bad painting, or post graffiti, you can be sure to find something that will appeal to your artistic taste!

: Published: 25 March 2018

encode 4

As Easter approaches, many of you will be scouring the internet for activities that your kids can get involved in. Indeed, our Activities Calendar is packed with ideas for both day- and week-long camps that your kids can attend not just over the Easter holidays but summer too.

One new camp that has recently caught our attention is the Atelier ENCODE. Organized by the non-profit organisation, Wigii.org, Atelier ENCODE is a practical workshop that enables children from the age of 10 to discover coding using real-world programming languages such as Javascript and HTML / CSS.

During the week-long camp, children take control of their computers to create practical programs that reach beyond making games, something which parents tend to associate with coding camps. For example, they can create their own calculator, or program an interactive user interface for a simplified drawing program. Younger kids may prefer the challenge of programming a turtle to navigate a maze. The opportunities are endless.

For the Easter period, 3 camps are proposed, all running in the morning and priced at Fr. 325.- for 5 morning workshops:

3-6 April 2018: Bellevue (GE) or Gimel (VD), Tuesday to Thursday 8h45-11h30, Friday 9h45-11h30
9-13 April 2018: Gimel (VD) 9h45-11h30

During the summer more camps are proposed as follows:

9-13 July 2018: Bellevue (GE) or Gimel (VD), 9h45-11h30
13-17 August 2018: Bellevue (GE) or Gimel (VD), 9h45-11h30
20-24 August 2018: Bellevue (GE) 9h45-11h30
Read more ...

: Published: 22 March 2018

bricks4kidz girl
Photo courtesy of Bricks 4 Kidz

Whenever we receive information on camps and classes to post on our Activities Calendar for Kids, it’s always great to see hear about organizations that are trying to do something a little bit different to encourage our children to engage in new and exciting activities.

So, we were especially pleased to hear recently from two local companies, both of which have been offering classes for children for many years now, but who have decided to take up the challenge of getting more girls involved in science and technology activities, and helping them reach their full potential.

Free places for girls at Bricks 4 Kidz!

The first of these, Bricks 4 Kidz, has committed to offering one free place for a girl on every day that it runs a holiday activity at its centre in Saint. Sulpice. So in 2018, that means there are 50 free places for girls to attend one of their highly engaging camps for a day!

For those who are unfamiliar with their concept, Bricks 4 Kidz camps provide a fresh and fun way for kids aged 4 to 13 to spend their school break. Guided by experienced teachers working on themes like Amusement Parks, Space and Robotics, children use LEGO® Bricks to build specially-designed Bricks 4 Kidz models, play LEGO® games and explore the world of engineering, architecture and animated movie-making.

Annie STEDMAN, Manager of the Swiss Romande region, told knowitall.ch, “Although International Women's Day is celebrated on the 8th March, we believe that it is an ongoing commitment to stand up for equal opportunities. We want to encourage girls to take an interest in S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) so that they have the same opportunities as boys to access a career in science and technology.”

: Published: 08 March 2018

my way tennis 1

A new tennis academy will open next month in Geneva at the Centre Intercommunal des Evaux.

Catering for adults and children from age 3 upwards, My Way Tennis will be run by Monika Maj, a certified Swiss tennis coach and 3-times Swiss Junior Champion. In her youth, Monika played regularly with Martina Hingis, and represented Switzerland at many international junior tournaments.

Knowitall.ch first came to learn about Monika’s activities when she set up her successful tennis school in Lutry 7 years ago. Now moving back to Geneva where she grew up as a child, Monika is seizing the opportunity to set up a new school, where the emphasis is very much on having fun. Monika explained,

"I want to use this opportunity to teach a different way of learning tennis. In my opinion, if you enjoy what you are doing, the more motivated you are to continue and improve."

More about Monika

Originally from Poland, but having lived in Switzerland for 30 years, Monika is passionate about tennis, which she started playing at the young age of 6. With her natural ability for the sport, she received the first of her three junior championship titles at the age of 12.

However, at the age of 15, she retired from competitive sport due to the high pressure of intense training and decided to continue with her educational studies. Having passed her maturity exams and started working at Reuters in Geneva, she soon found the lure of tennis too great and returned to the courts, training with Swiss Tennis to become a coach.