Children's activities in Nordre Aker

Kor · Vestre Aker menighetshus, Ullevålsveien 117

A mini gospel choir for children from four years old through second grade, in the merged parish of Bakkehaugen, Majorstuen and Vestre Aker. Rehearsals run on Wednesdays 17:30-18:30 (outside school holidays) in the lower floor of the Vestre Aker parish house, Ullevalsveien 117. Halfway through there is a break in the parents' room with juice for the children and coffee for the grown-ups, a short devotion, and then a little more singing. Gospel is easy to take in: simple melodies, plenty of rhythm, and songs the children remember after the first rehearsal.

Kor · Berg skole

The school choir at Berg, affiliated with Ung i Kor Oslo. The choir rehearses at the school and is open to the children who go there, with no audition and no requirement to read music beforehand.

Orkester · Disen skole

A children's string orchestra rehearsing at Disen skole, grouped by age into beginners, aspirants and the main orchestra. Tuition on violin, viola and cello and playing together in an orchestra.

Orkester · Engebråten skole

A parent-run youth orchestra for musicians from around thirteen to eighteen, rehearsing at Engebråten school on Tuesdays 6-8pm through the school year. Most members come from the string orchestras at Kjelsås, Grefsen and Disen, and this is where they carry on once they have outgrown the children's orchestra. Open to anyone who wants to join, and led by cellist and conductor Bård Bosrup from Oslo kulturskole.

Korps · Grefsen og Disen skole

The school band for pupils at both Grefsen and Disen schools, founded in October 1928. The two schools share one band. Aspirants are admitted from the lower grades, with instruments on loan and a dedicated instructor. The 17 May parade is the highlight of the season.

Orkester · Grefsen skole

A parent-run neighbourhood orchestra recruiting mainly from Grefsen school, with tuition on violin, viola, cello and double bass and rehearsals at the school. Together with Grefsen school's junior strings and Engebråten Ungdomsstrykere it forms an unbroken path from age five to eighteen, so children can stay in the same community throughout their school years. The termly fee is 3,000 kroner, and instruments can be rented for 400 kroner a term.

Kor · Grefsen skole

A children's choir rehearsing at Grefsen skole during after-school hours, on Thursdays in term time, and a member of Ung i Kor Oslo. The choir has a tradition going back to 1967 and well over seventy members across three rehearsal groups. Members pay a termly fee set by the annual meeting. Note that the school also has a separate Grefsen skolekor, which is a different thing.

Korps · Kjelsås skole

A school band at Kjelsås for children and young people. The band plays in the 17 May parade among other things.

Kor · Kjelsås skole

A singing choir for children aged 6 to 13, established in 1953. Its own website and board.

Orkester · Kjelsås skole

The string counterpart to the school brass band: an orchestra for children at Kjelsås school and in the surrounding area, with three groups by level. Tutti Frutti for the youngest rehearses on Mondays, Non Stop for the slightly older on Thursdays, and the main orchestra on Thursday afternoons. Individual or small-group lessons run through the rest of the week. The aim is simple and old-fashioned in the best sense: to awaken an interest in music in primary-school children.

Korps · Korsvoll og Kringsjå skole

A school band for children and youth from Korsvoll and Kringsjå schools, with around 70 members aged 7 to 17 across an aspirant band, junior band, main band and its own drill troupe. The band has been part of Korsvoll school since 1964, and new aspirants are normally admitted in May or June. Instrument and tuition are included.

Kor · Grefsen kirke

A children's choir for ages three to eight, rehearsing in Grefsen church every other Monday in even-numbered weeks. Sessions last half an hour. No prior experience is needed.

Kor · Nordberg kirke, Kringsjågrenda 1

A children's gospel choir in Nordberg parish at Kringsjå, with two groups. Lille-Bago is for children from four up to and including year 2 and rehearses on Wednesdays 5-5.45pm, and Store-Bago is for years 3 and 4 and rehearses on Wednesdays 6-7.15pm. Both meet in the parish room next to the church. Children's gospel is more rhythmic than the classical choir repertoire. You sign up by contacting the choir's contact person.

Orkester · Korsvoll skole

String orchestra at Korsvoll school rehearsing every Monday: a starter orchestra from 17:00 to 17:45, a children's orchestra for ages 9 to 12 from 17:30 to 19:30 and a youth orchestra for 13 to 19 from 18:00 to 20:00. Beginners get tuition on violin, viola, cello or double bass with lessons arranged between teacher and pupil.

Orkester · Ullevål skole

A small string orchestra for children and young people in Ullevål hageby, teaching violin and cello with ensemble playing, ear training and singing at the centre. Every pupil gets both a group lesson and an individual lesson each week, in the afternoons Monday to Thursday and within after-school hours where possible. Beginners are mostly first- and second-graders, but other age groups are taken in as capacity allows. The orchestra borrows premises at Ullevål and Berg schools.

Kor · Tåsen skole

The school choir at Tåsen, affiliated with Ung i Kor Oslo, bringing together children from the school and the surrounding neighbourhood.

Korps · Tåsen skole

A school band founded in 1927, with both a brass band and its own drill troupe, added in 2003. A brass band means they play brass instruments and percussion. The band admits aspirants from the lower grades, lends out instruments and provides tuition, and the drill troupe is an alternative for children who would rather march with a baton than play.

Korps · Ullevål skole

A concert band for young musicians at Ullevål school, with aspirant admission for the youngest pupils. As in all school bands you borrow an instrument from the band and get tuition on it, so the family does not need to buy anything to start. Follow the band's Facebook page for admission and rehearsal times.

Rugby · Blindern

A rugby club at Blindern with its own junior programme, and one of the most established rugby clubs in Oslo. The club also runs toddler rugby for the very youngest, a Sunday session at Bjølsenhallen with play, throwing, catching and balance and no tackling, as preparation for minis rugby from age six. Children's rugby is played without hard tackling pressure at the start, focusing on passing, running and teamwork. Note that training takes place at several venues, not only at Blindern.

Fotball · Grefsen stadion

Children's football at Grefsen stadion with Kjelsås IL, founded on 16 March 1913. The club is a multi-sport association with football, handball, basketball, cross-country and alpine skiing, snowboarding and orienteering, and is perhaps best known for cross-country: its women's team won the national relay championship thirteen times in fifteen years between 1985 and 1999. There is equal playing time and no league tables up to and including age twelve.

Håndball · Kjelsås

Handball at Kjelsås IL, with teams for girls and boys in every age group up around Kjelsås and Grefsen.

Fotball · Kollbanen, Nordberg

The football section of IL Koll for children and young people, with its pitch and clubhouse at Kollbanen in Nordberg, next to Nordberg church. Koll is a multi-sport club that also has volleyball, athletics, skiing and orienteering. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

Volleyball · Kringsjåhallen

The volleyball section of IL Koll, with teams for children and teenagers at Kringsjåhallen and its own beach volleyball facility, Koll Arena, right next door. The club has both grassroots and elite teams, plus its own para volleyball programme. Several teams have a waiting list, so register your interest early. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

Fotball · Korsvollbanen

Children's football from age six at the neighbourhood club Korsvoll IL, with Korsvollbanen as its home ground in the north of the city. Until age thirteen there is equal playing time and no league tables. Korsvoll is a multi-sport club with handball, floorball and cross-country skiing in addition to football.

Håndball · Korsvollbanen

The handball section at Korsvoll IL has age-group teams from six to nineteen, plus senior sides.

Fotball · Kringsjå

Children's football at Kringsjå with Lyn, founded on 3 March 1896. The youngest play five-a-side and seven-a-side under the FA's rules for children's sport, with equal playing time and no tables up to age twelve. The clubhouse and artificial pitch are in Olav M. Troviks vei, right by Kringsjå metro station.

Speider · Speiderhuset Hiet, Grefsenveien 78 b

KFUK-KFUM scouts based in the Hiet scout house at Grefsen. Age groups follow the school years, and each has its own scarf colour: yellow for the oppdagere in years 1 and 2, red for the stifinnere in years 3 and 4, blue or dark green for the vandrere from year 5 upwards.

Orientering · Kollbanen, Nordberg

The orienteering section of IL Koll welcomes children in O-gøy for ages 5 to 12, with play based map skills, and runs a youth group for 13 to 16. With the Nordmarka forest right behind the clubhouse at Kollbanen, the terrain where children learn to read maps is the same one their families hike in. The club also organises the Nordmarkstraver'n trail race.

Speider · Nordre Aker

A scout group at Kjelsås, part of Oslospeiderne, with its own scout house in Kurveien. The younger section is for years 3 and 4, the troop for years 5 to 10, and the rover crew for those over eighteen. Kjelsåsspeiderne has Lillomarka and Maridalen as its nearest terrain.

Speider · Blindern

41. Oslo Ullevål was founded on 19 November 1928, and its first scout house at Vestgrensa, an old German barracks, was inaugurated in 1948. When the boys' and girls' troops at Ullevål merged in 1984 they took the name Longship Group. The group has a canoe tradition going back ninety years, with trips through Nordmarka.

Speider · Nordberg menighetshus, Kringsjågrenda 1

KFUK-KFUM scouts meeting at Nordberg parish house at Kringsjå. The forest begins just above. The parish house also hosts the Nordberg children's gospel choir. Children start as oppdagere in years 2 and 3, move on to stifinnere in year 4, become vandrere from year 5 to 7 and join villmark from year 8 to 10.

Speider · Nordberg kirke

YWCA-YMCA scouts with a troop for ages 10 to 15, every other Monday from 18:00 to 19:30 by Nordberg church. Campfires, canoeing, primitive cooking, tower building and nights outdoors, plus first aid and social responsibility in the neighbourhood. The membership fee is 570 kroner.

Orientering · Kjelsås, Sognsvann og Maridalen

The orienteering section of Nydalens Skiklub takes children and youth in two groups: Løp & Lek for ages eight to twelve and Ungdomsgruppa for thirteen to sixteen. The youngest train on Wednesdays from 6pm to 7.15pm, and a session starts with games and orienteering technique before a course you walk or run in a group or on your own. There is no hall or fixed ground: the group meets at changing spots in the Kjelsås, Sognsvann and Maridalen area, and the meeting point is posted in Spond. The training fee covers maps, the training programme and race entry fees.

Speider · Tåsen

A scout group for children at Tåsen, part of Oslospeiderne. Weekly meetings through the school year, plus trips and a summer camp.

Fritidsklubb · Sognsveien 210

A youth club in Sognsveien in Nordre Aker, for children and young people from ten to eighteen. Free, with no registration in advance.

Fritidsklubb · Frysja 33

A Thursday disco for children and young people with support needs at Frysja. The group posts times and other information on Facebook, so check there before you go.

Fritidsklubb · Midtoddveien 12

A culture and youth house in the old tram depot at Kjelsås, with large rooms and high ceilings. There are concerts, workshops and activities, and young people help run the place. Free and drop-in.

Fritidsklubb · Maridalsveien 292

An open meeting place for young people in the Rachel Grepp house at Torshov, with no programme and no registration. It is deliberately informal: the point is having somewhere to be, not taking part in an organised activity. Free, and staffed by adults who are there if anyone needs them.

Langrenn · Kollbanen, Nordberg

The cross country section of IL Koll, with training groups from age 5-6 upwards, organised by school year. The club is based at Kollbanen behind Nordberg church, with the Nordmarka forest as its nearest neighbour, and also has ski jumping hills at the same grounds.

Alpint · Oslo Skisenter, Grefsenkleiva

An alpine club with around 250 members, offering training from year one to year ten. The youngest train once a week on the slope and once in the gym at Grefsen stadium. From year five it rises to two or three sessions a week in season, with dry-land training the rest of the year.

Langrenn · Grefsen stadion

Cross-country skiing for children and youth at Kjelsås IL, with Lillomarka and Grefsenkollen as the nearest training grounds.

Dans · Disen skole

This is where the club's whole path for children runs. The youngest start in children's dance for ages three to five, the foundation course is for six to nine, and from there the path continues to the recruit group, the competition group and elite, all three for children and young people. You learn the basic steps in many of the ten ballroom dances, from waltz and tango to samba, rumba and jive. No dance experience is needed, and you can dance solo or as a couple. The courses run for a whole season following the Oslo school calendar, and the season ends with a show for the family. The competition and elite group also trains at Njårdhallen, which has its own page here.

Dans · Frysja

The studio of the Quick Style crew, at Frysja in the north of the city. They offer dedicated classes for children and youth in street and hip hop for all levels, and also perform at events and on TV.

Koding · Ole-Johan Dahls hus, Gaustadalléen 23B

A free coding club for children and young people in Ole-Johan Dahls hus at the University of Oslo, Blindern. Courses run in the evenings in both autumn and spring, led by volunteers from Lær Kidsa Koding, and the children program in Scratch and similar tools. The children code in the computer science building, where the students do. Note that the 8-12 age range is an estimate based on what such coding clubs usually target. The club does not state it, so check with them before signing up.

Makerspace · Norsk Teknisk Museum, Kjelsåsveien 143

An open maker workshop for children and youth at the Oslo Science Centre in the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology. Here you can build, program, 3D-print and experiment with technology in a workshop where the equipment is available and there are adults to ask.

Paraidrett · Sognsveien 73

Adapted strength training for teenagers from 13 (and adults), Mondays from 18:00 to 19:00 in Sognsveien by Ullevål. Joint warm-up such as spinning or rowing, then circuit training with varied exercises for the whole body, and a coach follows the group every session. Those who want can add an extra round in the weights room after. The price is 200 kroner a month or 1200 per half year.

Paraidrett · Grefsen stadion

Sports for people with intellectual disabilities, a dedicated group in Kjelsås IL with around 25 members. For children there is adapted training with play and activities on Saturday mornings in Stadionhallen by Grefsen stadium, and the group also runs boccia and floorball on Mondays and swimming on Wednesdays (non-swimmers bring their own helper in the water). Training is adapted to each person.

Tennis · Berg

A local tennis club for children and other members, with four clay courts and one artificial clay court at Berg. Note that this is a summer club: the courts are open in the summer half of the year, roughly April to September, and there is no indoor option in winter. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

Tennis · Grefsen tennisanlegg

Tennis club at Grefsen where children start at red level from age six, on a smaller court with softer balls, moving up to orange and green as they grow.

Friidrett · Friidrettsbanen ved Norges idrettshøgskole

The athletics section of IL Koll for children and young people. The clubhouse is at Kollbanen in Nordberg, but training meets at the athletics track by Norges idrettshøgskole unless stated otherwise, and the oldest group also uses Bislett and Bærum idrettspark. Koll is a multi-sport club that also has football, volleyball, skiing and orienteering. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

Turn · Grefsen flerbrukshall

A parent-run gymnastics club for children aged five to thirteen, with low-threshold and affordable groups. Training takes place where the children live, spread across Grefsen multi-purpose hall and the schools at Berg, Korsvoll and Morellbakken, so nobody has to cross the district to get to practice. Founded in 1981.

Allidrett · Kjelsås

All-round sports for children between the age of three and starting school, in one of Oslo's large grassroots clubs. In the sessions the children practise basic motor skills such as jumping, hopping, running and throwing, through varied games and exercises with no competitive pressure.

Kampsport · Kjelsåsveien 145B

Karate for children from seven to twelve, in three groups by belt colour, from beginner to brown belt. Training four days a week, so it is easy to find a day that fits. The dojo is just below the Technology Museum.

Svømming · Norges idrettshøgskole

Swimming all the way from baby classes to club level. Baby courses take children from ten weeks, toddler courses run from two to four with an adult in the water, and the swimming school then follows the national levels of diving, floating, gliding and propulsion. Courses are held at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Lovisenberg and Bergtunet, and the club also offers synchronised swimming.