KULPS and the Mauri Kunnas exhibition
There are three different KULPS packages to choose from: a character creation workshop, a story workshop, and a guided tour about Mauri Kunnas.
KULPS morning sessions are full for spring 2026. Cancellations can be inquiried at weegee.kulps@espoo.fi.
General
The KULPS guidance packages for the Mauri Kunnas exhibition are a journey into the world of telling stories and creating characters. There are three different packages: the character creation workshop, the story workshop, and the Mauri Kunnas tour.
The workshops match well with visual arts and Finnish teaching. Their content has been designed to take both the pre-primary and basic education curricula into account. In particular, the content supports grounds L1, L2 and L4 for horizontal learning in the National Curriculum. Under their teachers, pupils get to continue developing their characters and stories with a further assignment.
Note! The character creation and story workshops do not set aside time for free play in the functional part of the Mauri Kunnas exhibition. If the guidance packages are not suitable for your group, please let us know and we can arrange something more suitable for you.
For whom
Pre-school groups and basic education groups in years 1–4
Duration
1 hour 15 minutes
Number of people
Max. 25 children per guidance package. Groups of over 25 book two guidance sessions.
Languages
Finnish, Swedish, English
Price
Free for groups in pre-school and years 1–4 from Espoo. The KULPS for the Mauri Kunnas exhibition is a “Mielin määrin” activity – come as often as you like.
When
Tuesdays, 9:15–10:30
Wednesdays to Fridays, 9:15–10:30 and 13:00–14:15 (afternoon sessions only at the character creation workshop and the Mauri Kunnas tour).
Book here
Fill in the KULPS package booking form(external link, opens in a new window). You will get an email cocnfirmation within ca. a week.
Getting there
Ahertajantie 5, 02100 Espoo (Tapiola)
Please arrive 10 minutes in advance.
In case you are late: call the information desk at Exhibition Centre WeeGee (+358 9 81631818) and let them know how late you will be for your guide to make adjustments. If you will be over 15 minutes late of your scheduled tour, the workshop will automatically be changed to a self-service visit with a short introduction to the exhibition and the work of Mauri Kunnas.
KULPS culture path is the City of Espoo’s culture education plan that consists of art and culture content. These contents are created to be a part of a school day and regular teaching.
The culture path promotes equal opportunity for children to make, experience and interpret art and culture. Culture path activities are children-first, taking age groups into account. KULPS culture path is free of charge for teachers and pupils.
Further information is available at weegee.kulps@espoo.fi.
KULPS package options
This package introduces the world of Mauri Kunnas’s picture books and how he creates his characters. It combines a tour of the exhibition and personal creative work.
Content
The package focuses on the role of illustrations in storytelling. It includes a tour of the exhibition and an introduction to the work of Mauri Kunnas. The themes of the exhibition and Mauri Kunnas’s characters serve to inspire the children. In the workshop, the children get to imagine and draw their own characters that might live the world of Mauri Kunnas. Finally, the completed works combine into their own, coherent world.
Further assignment: Page in a friendship book: The further assignment involves the children creating pages in a friendship book for their characters. Teachers will be given the page template during reservation.
Objectives
The guidance aims to boost understanding of how picture book characters come to life on paper. The guidance encourages creative expression and trying new ideas. It aims to boost group coherence by sharing your creations into a shared canvas.
The guidance applies to objectives three and four for visual arts teaching in basic education. The core of the visual arts curriculum for years 1–3 focuses on the development of visual observation, thinking and expression. It aims to teach the children to observe their environment and art with all senses, to talk about what they see, and express their experiences in different ways.
In this workshop, we dive into the colourful and detailed world of Mauri Kunnas from the point of view of his stories. Pupils get to stretch their imaginations as writers and create stories that draw inspiration from the images and environments of the exhibition.
Content
The guidance begins with an introduction to the illustrations of Kunnas and their locations. After this, the participants begin to craft their own stories. At the story workshop, the children get to add to prepared story templates, which are based on the themes of the exhibition, with their own words. Everybody creates a unique part of a shared story. Finally, the texts are compiled into a shared booklet.
Further assignment: Illustration: Finalising the booklet by creating illustrations and cover art. Teachers will be given the further assignment during reservation.
Objectives
The guidance aims to allow practice in building stories and creative use of language. During the workshop, each participant gets to include their work in a shared story, which strengthens the joy of working and learning together.
The guidance applies to objectives five and six of the basic education curriculum for Finnish and literature. The curriculum for the lower grades focuses on narrative skills, writing, and working in a group.
At the workshop, children get to practice creative writing, literary expression and find the joy in building a story.
Content
The tour introduces the life and books of Mauri Kunnas and how he creates his books. The duration of the tour is 45 minutes. This includes 15 minutes for free play in the functional part of the Mauri Kunnas exhibition.
Objective
A conversational guided tour encourages children to make their own observations, think their own thoughts and talk about their feelings.