Officine del Sole – Scuola di Piccolo Circo

The Scuola di Piccolo Circo is the circus arts project of the Officine del Sole association, located in Saronno, Lombardy, between Milan, Como and Varese.

Officine del Sole is today a multidisciplinary center offering various activities around movement, well-being, dance and aerial practices.

Circus arts, however, occupy a special place there thanks to an educational project developed over several years with children and schools.

The Scuola di Piccolo Circo is based on a fun-educational concept of the circus.

The goal is not to seek competition or athletic performance .

Circus techniques become tools that allow children to simultaneously develop their physical, emotional, creative, and relational abilities.

The circus is thus presented as a place of experimentation : the child can try, he can make mistakes, he can start again, he can gradually discover the activities that best correspond to his desires and abilities.

This diversity constitutes one of the great educational benefits of circus arts.

The disciplines practiced

Juggling helps develop coordination, concentration, and precision. The school uses a wide variety of equipment.

Children can manipulate balls, scarves, Chinese plates, diabolos, flower sticks, clubs, rings, bolas or hula hoops.

Balancing acts constitute a second major family of activities.

Depending on the courses and ages, the equipment used may include balance ball, rola-bola, stilts, slackline or pedal-go.

Floor acrobatics complements this approach. It allows the child to discover new physical possibilities while developing coordination, mobility and awareness of their own body.

Aerial arts are also part of the school's historical educational universe. Silks and trapeze, in particular, are documented in the various Piccolo Circo programs developed by Officine del Sole.

Clowning plays an important role. It is associated with the creative movement and theatrical education.

The children participate in games and improvisations. They gradually learn to use their bodies to express an intention or an emotion. This artistic dimension distinguishes the project from a simple gymnastics class. Circus techniques provide a framework for developing personal expression .

The collective dimension

The collective dimension is also essential. Many activities require observing others. Children learn to share materials and space. They gradually develop their ability to collaborate. Trust in others is also a learning process. The group thus becomes a space for socialization .

Officine del Sole also emphasizes the development of self-confidence . Some circus activities naturally present a challenge. Maintaining balance, successfully performing a manipulation, or executing an unusual movement often requires several attempts.

The child learns to gradually confront their limits and sometimes their fears. Successfully mastering a new skill can then boost their self-esteem.

The school, however, seeks to avoid systematic comparison between participants. Each child possesses different abilities. The variety of disciplines allows each child to find areas in which they feel particularly comfortable. The circus thus becomes an environment in which several forms of success can coexist.

The 2026-2027 season in Saronno

The 2026-2027 season confirms the continuity of the project in Saronno. The current offering is particularly focused on early childhood .

Family Circus (2-3 years old)

The first program is called Circo in Famiglia . It is for children aged two to three accompanied by an adult. This presence of a parent or other caregiver allows children to experience the first activities in a reassuring environment.

The sessions offer age-appropriate motor skills activities. Children are introduced to the basics of juggling and participate in balance games. Physical expression and play naturally take center stage.

The aim is not to teach complex circus techniques to two-year-olds. Rather, the equipment and imagery of the circus serve as a support for psychomotor development and the relationship between the child and the adult.

Piccolo Circo (4-6 years old)

The second current course is the Piccolo Circo, designed for children aged four to six. At this age, children become more independent, and the motor skills activities can gradually become more varied.

The sessions utilize obstacle courses. Small acrobatic moves are introduced. Children discover different balance situations. Manipulating objects helps develop coordination. Theatrical games complement the physical work.

Symbolic play is also used. Children can imagine characters and build worlds. This use of imagination maintains a strong playful dimension while developing real skills.

The teacher

The teacher featured for the Piccolo Circo in Saronno is Marta Rusconi . She is trained as a Clown Doctor. Her work with children utilizes educational play and creativity. She also works in preschools and elementary schools.

Circus at school

This outdoor activity constitutes another important dimension of the project. Officine del Sole does not limit its approach to educational circus to children coming to its own premises. For several years, the association has been developing workshops for schools .

Nurseries, preschools, and private or public institutions have hosted these activities. Circus arts are then used as a comprehensive educational activity.

• Visual and motor coordination can be developed.
• Rhythm and balance are developed.
• Concentration comes into play naturally in many situations.
• Children gradually acquire new technical skills .
• Body expression is another area of focus.
• Self-esteem and confidence can be strengthened through progress.
• Collaboration is finally developed through group activities.

This educational use of the circus makes it possible to classify Officine del Sole very clearly among educational circus structures.

A story that goes beyond the current program

The Scuola di Piccolo Circo also has a longer history than its current program for 2-6 year olds. Officine del Sole states that it has offered specific circus activities for different age groups over the years, including children, teenagers and adults.

Aerial disciplines, in particular, were the subject of specific courses. Acrobatics, juggling, and aerial practices thus coexisted in different programs.

This distinction allows us to present a NetJuggler profile that accurately reflects current reality without losing the richness of the project developed over the years.

A playful and educational philosophy

The identity of the Scuola di Piccolo Circo remains deeply linked to the recreational and educational circus.

• Pleasure is the starting point.
• Competition is not the goal.
• The group is used as a space for cooperation rather than as a space for comparison.
• Creativity goes hand in hand with technique.
• The expression accompanies the movement.
• The child is encouraged to discover what they are capable of doing rather than reproducing a single model.

This philosophy also explains why circus arts can work with very young audiences. At two, three, or four years old, the goal is not yet to train a juggler or an acrobat. The goal is to create rich motor and sensory experiences .

Through these experiences, the child learns to better understand their body. They discover the concept of balance. They improve their coordination. They learn to observe. They develop their imagination. They meet other children. They gradually learn to interact with them.

Circus objects and techniques provide a particularly rich environment for this learning.

Its place in the NetJuggler directory

According to the NetJuggler directory, Officine del Sole presents a different profile from major Italian professional schools. It is not a training program designed to prepare professional artists . Rather, it is an amateur and educational circus project using circus arts as a means of child development. This focus fully justifies its inclusion in the directory.

The continuation of activities is also confirmed for the 2026-2027 season. Officine del Sole is publishing a specific schedule of sixteen sessions for children. Trial days are being organized in September 2026. Classes then resume at the beginning of October .

In summary

The Scuola di Piccolo Circo in Saronno thus provides an entry point into the circus arts particularly suited to very young children. Its approach combines movement, creativity, expression, cooperation, and technical discovery.

It allows children to discover the circus world from the age of two with an adult, and then to start practicing more independently from the age of four .

Its experience in schools further reinforces its identity as a fun and educational circus structure.