Outdoor life, orienteering and fishing for kids in Oslo

9 options are listed under outdoor life, orienteering and fishing for children in Oslo, across 7 districts, for ages 0 to 18. Below is the full overview with age, district and a link to sign-up.

Districts with an offering: Gamle Oslo, Nordstrand, Sentrum, St. Hanshaugen, Stovner, Vestre Aker, Østensjø.

Oslo has forest on three sides and the fjord on the fourth, and a handful of clubs turn that into a regular activity rather than something you do now and then. Outdoor groups walk all year, orienteering clubs combine running with map and compass, and fishing clubs take children out on the water.

Orienteering deserves a word of its own: it is one of few sports where children and adults can run the same course in their own way, and where the youngest start with short courses in familiar terrain. The map skill carries over into all other outdoor life.

Worth knowing about the outdoor activities

These offerings often have a lower threshold than the rest of the list: many run open trips you can join without becoming a member first. That is a cheap way to test whether it suits your family.

Dress the child for standing still, not for walking. It is the waiting at the controls, on the jetty or around the fire that decides whether the trip turns cold, and an extra layer in the bag saves more afternoons than any other kit.

Every option on a map and list

Want every discipline in one list? See the full overview of organised activities

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9 activities

Barnas Turlag Oslo

Friluft

Turer i marka og på fjellet, Sentrum

The Norwegian Trekking Association's own programme for families with children, with hikes, play and activities for children aged 0 to 12. Barnas Turlag Oslo arranges everything from short local walks in the forest to mountain trips and camps, both for the whole family and for children on their own. Membership costs around 150 kroner a year - among the most affordable organised children's offerings in the city.

ages 0-12

Bækkelagets Sportsklub Orientering

Orientering

Bekkelaget, Nordstrand

The orienteering group at Bækkelagets Sportsklub takes children and youth into the forest on the east side, with maps and controls in the terrain around Ekeberg and Østmarka. From easy beginner courses for the youngest to training for those who want to compete - a calm outdoor niche with a sense of mastery at every control.

ages 6-18

DNT ung Oslo

Friluft

Friluftshuset på Sørenga, Sørengkaia 124, Gamle Oslo

DNT's youth programme in Oslo, for everyone between 13 and 25 who joins. Regular, free activities all year round: bouldering in the bouldering room at Friluftshuset on Sørenga every Thursday, and climbing at Oslo Klatresenter in Skullerud every other Tuesday. On top of that come group hikes, winter trips and courses. Where Barnas Turlag takes the youngest up to age twelve, DNT ung is where teenagers carry on - with trips they largely plan and lead themselves.

ages 13-18

FRIGO – Friluftssenteret i Gamle Oslo

Friluft

Ensjøveien 20, Gamle Oslo

The district's own outdoor centre since 1995, lending out skis, skates, bikes, canoes, tents and sleeping bags free of charge to all children and young people in Gamle Oslo. FRIGO runs weekly activity groups for pupils at the Gamlebyen, Vahl, Tøyen and Kampen schools, and staffs open meeting points at Rudolf Nilsens plass by Vahl school and in the Jordal skate park, where equipment is lent out on the spot. Everything is free, and for many families this is the way into outdoor life without equipment becoming a cost.

ages 6-18

Høybråten Jeger- og Fiskerforening

Fisking

Høybråten, Stovner

A local chapter of the Norwegian Hunters' and Anglers' Association with its own programme for children and youth in the north-east of the city. Children get to try fishing in the forest under expert guidance, and in summer the chapter takes part in the national 'Fiskesommer' - free fishing days where children learn the tricks from experienced anglers, no registration needed (bring a life vest). A rare doorway into calm outdoor life in the middle of the city.

ages 6-18

IL Heming Orientering

Orientering

Slemdal, Vestre Aker

The orienteering group in the large multi-sport club Heming gives children and youth maps, compasses and forest fun right by the woods at Slemdal. Orienteering trains both head and legs: you find the way yourself, at your own pace. A nice niche for children who like nature and problem-solving.

ages 6-18

Miljøagentene Oslo

Friluft

Mariboes gate 8, St. Hanshaugen

Children's own environmental organisation, with more than 10,000 members and around sixty local groups across the country. The Oslo groups usually meet a couple of times a month for litter picking, forest trips, swap markets, bike workshops and Christmas workshops - activities where caring about the environment becomes something concrete you do together, not just something you hear about. Miljøagentene is the children's arm of Naturvernforbundet, and a family membership in Naturvernforbundet i Oslo og Akershus includes membership for the children. From around age fourteen the path continues to Natur og Ungdom.

ages 6-13

Undring naturgrupper

Friluft

Østensjøvannet bålplass, Østensjø

Nature groups by Østensjøvannet where children investigate whatever they find, together with adults who have both a natural science and a teaching background. Sessions follow the children's own urge to explore rather than a fixed programme, and the leaders put words to the species and phenomena the children meet along the way. Small groups with a high adult to child ratio, and no equipment is needed. Sessions run on Mondays through the term, with ages 4 to 5 at 17:00 and ages 6 to 10 at 18:00. The price is 1600 kroner per term, which is six sessions. Undring say they are flexible about age and can mix the groups. Meet at the campfire site; sign up by email or phone.

ages 4-10

Ung Botaniker (Norsk Botanisk Forening)

Friluft

Turer og kurs i Oslo og Akershus, Sentrum

The Norwegian Botanical Association's own youth programme, Ung Botaniker, with trips and courses for young people who want to learn to recognise plants and understand the nature around them. The association arranges hundreds of trips a year and has a dedicated branch for Oslo and Akershus. A calm, knowledge-rich niche for children who would rather investigate than compete.

ages 10-18