Some vacation souvenirs are so big that they don't fit in a suitcase. This is exactly what the children who took part in two very special formats at COMO Maalifushi, Maldives, in June 2025 were able to experience: the literature workshop for young language explorers and the yogitainment program for creative teenagers. The workshops were led by Nadine Schwengenbecher, who uses her sensitivity, experience and passion to create spaces in which young people can flourish.
What happens when children not only hear stories, but also feel, shape and experience them with all five senses? Creativity is unleashed, imagination blossoms and thoughts go on a journey, just like in the literature workshop for kids, which was held under the motto "With all senses around the book".
The young participants, aged three to ten, immersed themselves in the world of books in three workshops. They listened, wrote, drew, made things and played. The children not only read the stories, but also lived through them as their own shared adventure, sometimes literally with their feet in the sand.
The story "Sepia and the Great Sea" brought the tropical sea with its colorful coral reefs to life. The children accompanied octopus girl Sepia, who hid so well while playing hide and seek that she was not found and was pulled into the open sea by a current. Not only did the children take part in Sepia's adventures, but they also learned interesting facts about the conservation and protection of the sea, baked starfish and painted Sepia's journey. At the end, they all held a little book of knowledge in their hands that they had created themselves.
In Robinson's story, the little literati became stranded themselves and sailed to an uninhabited island. Crab races and coconut throwing are just some of the adventures they experienced with Robinson. They passed tests of courage, learned survival tricks and climbed palm trees.
The third workshop dealt with the friendship between the human girl Mia and the little mermaid. Together they dived for hidden treasures and swam with dolphins. But: Molly has never been on land - until the Night of the Magic Moon, when all sea creatures can magically swim through the streets of humans.
The kids recreated the Night of the Magic Moon by digging up hidden treasures together, fishing for colorful, tasty seaweed and making glittering mermaid tail fins, just like the two friends. The right soundscape was provided by various instruments that create the sound of the sea and the wind.
Each workshop started and ended in a sitting circle where good thoughts were exchanged and simple yoga exercises were performed for relaxation. To top it all off, each participant was given a wonderfully tingling head massage. At the end of each workshop, the kids received a special give-away to remind them of the literature workshop on COMO Maalifushi.
"Yogi-Tree of Elements" is a yogitainment format that Nadine Schwengenbecher ran alongside the literature workshop on COMO Maalifushi. Instead of just quietly meditating in the lotus position, the young participants practiced strengthening asanas and exercises in pairs. As in the literature workshop, the head and back massages were particularly popular, triggering a pleasantly warm tingling sensation and providing a wonderful sense of relaxation.
In three workshops themed around the elements of water, fire, earth and air, the kids learned about mindfulness, breathing, body awareness, gentle movements and creative self-development with playful ease.
After each yoga session, the children were able to let off steam creatively with a do-it-yourself project, such as designing a small box in which they can keep their give-away or designing a silk eye mask for relaxation.
Whether it was the joint DIY projects, the breathing exercises with a view of the greenery or the courageous walk across the spiky "yantra nail board": each session of the workshops offered the children and young people space to be completely with themselves, discover new sides and at the same time experience themselves as part of a community in a safe environment.
What made the Yogitainment so special was the balance between depth and lightness. No one had to worry about being too slow or having to compete. Nadine Schwengenbecher had a wonderful way of creating time and space for the kids so that they could develop freely and, above all, relax.
Behind both formats is a woman whose heart beats for children and young people. The former primary school teacher is not only an experienced educator, yoga teacher and author, but above all an inspiring companion for her young audience. For many years, she has been designing creative educational formats that appeal to both the heart and the head. She meets both the kids in the literature workshop and the teens in yoga entertainment at eye level, with openness, empathy and a keen sense of their potential.
With her, reserved children thaw out, shy teenagers find new friends. Despite their individuality, a heterogeneous group becomes a harmonious unit. The combination of professionalism, warmth and humor makes Schwengenbecher's workshops an experience that adds a wealth of impressions and lessons learned to the kids' vacations.
She says of the workshops at COMO Maalifushi: "The enthusiasm, joy, fun and dedication as well as the undivided attention of everyone involved, which was inherent in all the events, is [...] [clearly] noticeable."
On a family vacation, children and parents can spend time apart from each other with a clear conscience without compromising valuable family time. Nadine Schwengenbecher's workshops give parents the good feeling of not only giving their children a luxury vacation in the Maldives, but also a personal experience, detached from the adult world.
The young participants found space for their thoughts and feelings in a protected, respectful environment. Nadine Schwengenbecher was also delighted with the high level of privacy: "I was pleasantly surprised that there is a lot of room for privacy on Maalifushi in a very pleasant, casual luxury that is interwoven with art and tasteful design throughout."
The literature workshop and the yogitainment definitely went beyond a vacation program. Rather, they were a small compass for everything that lies dormant in our children.