Russian MiniLessons: Summer Camps for Kids and Related Russian Vocabulary

The following bilingual Russian MiniLesson is meant to build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal its English translation.

Nearly all schoolchildren in the Soviet era used to go to пионерские лагеряPioneer Camps in the summer. Every major предприятиеenterprise had its own Pioneer camp, where its employees’ children went for vacation in the summer. A child from 7-15 years old could be sent to this kind of camp for one сменаsession, which lasted for 21 days.

In Pioneer camps, день начинался под звуки горнаthe day started to the sound of a horn. The children делали утреннюю зарядкуdid morning exercises and then went to линейкаlineup, where they were told what activities they would have during the day. Then everybody went to breakfast, sometimes chanting on the way. After that, there were разнообразные мероприятия на воздухеvarious outdoor activities: игрыgames, прогулкиwalks, and походыhikes.

Morning exercises at Artek, once the USSR’s most prestigious summer camp.

After lunch a тихий часliterally - quiet hour, that is, nap time was usually held, but generally children did not sleep, they рассказывали историиtold stories or хулиганилиbehaved like hooligans, for example, by драться подушкамиhaving pillow fights or мазать зубной пастойput toothpaste on the faces of sleeping children. Then children had полдникan afternoon snack, and they went to кружкиhobby groups or репетицииrehearsals. After supper, концертыconcerts and дискотекиdiscos took place.

Holidays would also be celebrated, such as День самоуправленияSelf-governance Day, when children would take over the camp and run their own activities, and Neptune’s Day, when everyone dressed up as sea creatures and celebrated on a river bank, playing funny games.

Костерa bonfire marked the end of a session: all the campers got together at the bonfire to петь песни под гитаруsing songs to a guitar and печь картошку в золеbake potatoes in the ashes. The most famous Pioneer camp during the Soviet period was Artek, located in Crimea. Children could apply to go that elite camp, but only those with достижения в учебе, спорте, общественной деятельностиaccomplishments in their studies, sports, social life were accepted.

In many aspects, Soviet Pioneer camps resembled US boy and girl scout camps and had similar traditions, such as рукоделиеarts and crafts, which were mainly practiced by girls in the USSR, спортивные игрыplaying sports, плаваниеswimming, as well as пение песенsinging songs. However, гребля на байдарках и каноэcanoeing and плетение корзинbasket weaving were not practiced in the Soviet Pioneer camps, unlike in many American camps.

Nowadays, summer camps for children are called летний оздоровительный лагерьsummer health-improvement camps. They more closely resemble комфортабельные санатории для детейcomfortable sanatoriums for children, with many indoor facilities. They have приключенческие и интерактивные игрыadventure and interactive games, развлекательные мероприятияentertaining activities, and children also often watch a lot of movies.

A new trend in summer camps are языковые детские лагеряchildren’s language camps, where программы языкового погруженияimmersion language programs are held. English language camps are the most popular, especially those with носители языкаnative language speakers working there as teachers. Children have lessons in such camps in веселый английскийfun English, as well compete in викториныquizzes, and many other interesting мероприятияactivities.