Where Finnish wisdom meets IB intelligence — the philosophy, the year, the rhythms, and the way we measure a childhood without a single test.
Our Educational DNA
Finland shows us how children learn best. The IB gives us the architecture for what they explore. Together, they make Obi.
Finnish ECEC
How children learn
International Baccalaureate
What children explore
Design Principles
The promises that hold, every single day, in every single classroom.
Every Early Years block is play-based. Even PYP Explorers learn literacy and maths through play contexts, games, and real-world projects.
A minimum of 45 min (Junior), 40 min (Senior), 35 min (Explorers) outdoors every single day. There is no bad weather, only wrong clothes.
Every day includes Choice Time. Children select from provocations. Explorers co-plan their inquiry direction each week.
Dressing for outdoors, setting snack, cleaning up, caring for plants — these are timetabled learning, not transitions.
Time blocks are flow windows (±10 min). Teachers read the room. If children are deep in play, extend. Don't cut.
Monday farm, Wednesday nature trail, daily outdoor provocations, and nature materials in every indoor space.
The teacher sits with children, asks genuine questions, and documents alongside — never standing at a board teaching at children.
Every planning document starts with “What will bring joy?” before “What skill does this build?”
Teachers photograph, note, and interpret daily. Each week's documentation becomes the planning input for the next.
Not one block. Children move between indoor and outdoor — they stand, sit on the floor, climb, carry, and dig throughout the day.
Three Clusters
The 2026–27 Early Years & PYP foundation, ages 2 to 8. Each cluster shares the same DNA, pitched to where the child actually is.
Ages 2–4
IB Early Years
A child who feels safe, explores freely, communicates needs, plays alongside others, and shows curiosity about the world.
Ages 4–6
IB Early Years
A child who asks “why” and “what if,” plays cooperatively, tells stories, notices patterns, and takes pride in helping others.
Ages 6–8
IB PYP Class 1
A child who reads with joy, writes to communicate, uses numbers in real life, asks deep questions, takes action, and reflects on learning.
Year-at-a-Glance
The year follows the seasons and the festivals. Each month is a unit of inquiry the whole school explores together — the same idea, met at every age.
Term 1 · 16 weeks
June – September 2026
Identity, belonging, settling
Term 2 · 10 weeks
October – December 2026
Concepts, community, patterns
Term 3 · 12 weeks
January – March 2027
Agency, design, responsibility
I am special and I belong here.
We are alike and different, and our feelings matter.
Our identity is shaped by our experiences, relationships and culture.
Water is fun and helps things grow.
Rain helps living things grow and change.
Living things depend on natural systems such as the water cycle.
I can tell stories with my body and voice.
Stories carry feelings and culture.
People use stories, art and language to communicate meaning.
I can push, pull and build.
Materials behave differently — we can test and find out.
Materials and forces can be investigated to design solutions.
I can see my shadow!
Light makes shadows and patterns.
Light and energy can be observed, and celebrations reflect values.
People help me.
A community needs many different roles.
Communities create systems and roles to meet people's needs.
The sky changes.
Seasons and the sky follow patterns.
Patterns in the sky and seasons help us understand time and place.
Food helps me grow.
What we eat affects how we grow and feel.
Our choices about food and activity shape our health and well-being.
I can build with my friends.
When we work together, we can make more.
Design and collaboration help us solve problems together.
Animals need food and homes.
Different animals need different habitats.
Living things depend on habitats, and biodiversity sustains our shared Earth.
A Day at Obi
Flow windows are approximate (±10 min). The teacher reads the energy of the group. If children are deep in play, the block extends.
Could today’s activities happen in a Finnish forest? If not, we redesign them.
The Weekly Rhythm
All three clusters share the same weekly identity, creating one campus energy and predictable, comforting routines.
Farm, garden, soil, seeds
Language, narrative, puppets
Science, nature walk, experiments
Art, craft, music, construction
Kalari, movement, celebration
PYP Class 1 · Scope & Sequence
For Explorers, literacy and numeracy progress with genuine rigour across three terms — always through Finnish methods and real-world contexts.
Science and Social Studies are embedded in the daily Inquiry Block, anchored to each month’s unit of inquiry. A Class 2 enhancement track offers depth — not acceleration — to children who are ready for more.
Assessment
Zero tests. Zero worksheets. Zero grades.
Assessment is observation-based, continuous, and formative. It exists to inform teaching — never to rank children.
Daily
Engagement, social behaviour, emerging skills
Weekly
Learning moments, process, interactions
Monthly
A narrative of the child's inquiry journey
Termly
Milestone tracking across five domains
Ongoing
Art, writing, photos, project documentation
Termly
Collaborative review, parent perspective
The Joy Check
Before any checklist, every teacher asks themselves seven questions. If the answer is “no,” tomorrow gets redesigned.
The Teacher’s Stance
At Obi, the teacher is a co-learner, not an instructor. The difference shows in a hundred small choices, every day.
The units of inquiry are anchors, not scripts.
The path stays flexible. The child leads.