Children's camps

The global problem of today's youth is that it is increasingly devoting more time to virtual communication, neglecting the real. Now, even in free time, not every child will go for a walk on the street. Even during the summer holidays, when free time is enough, children do not get tired of gadgets. But for them there is an excellent alternative that will allow the child to relax, make new acquaintances, get a whole bunch of vivid impressions, learn something - and just get away from the computer. This alternative is a children's camp.

There are a number of reasons why children simply need to be sent for summer (or at least for a couple of weeks) to a children's camp. Here are just some of them:

• In the camp - a real company. You must agree that each person needs friends, and the need for comrades is especially strong in his youth, when a person does not have a family, and he is ready for various (including reckless) actions.

If your child is not closed in itself, he will almost certainly find new friends there, and some of them will probably remain for a long time. Even not very sociable children can get a lot in the camp - for example, learn to behave in a team, and even get rid of their closeness and excessive modesty.

• It is easy to find like-minded people in the camp. First, here is a social circle of approximately the same age - camps recruit children under 17 years old, breaking them up into groups according to age. This means that you will have to communicate with peers, whose interests are probably more similar than that of people of different ages.

Secondly, many modern recreation centers collect not just any children, but strictly resting on interests, more often - on a hobby, which will be discussed below. In this situation, the more likely it is to find new friends, because everyone around will love to do the same things as your child.

• The camp allows you to mentally relax and improve your health. Typically, such organizations are located away from large cities - in places characterized by the ecological purity of the surrounding nature and favorable climate. The minimum requirement for the location of the camp - the presence of at least the forest around, and more often popular children's recreation centers are located in the mountains or on the seashore.

As is well known, an abrupt change in the situation has a positive effect on the moral state of a person. If the new atmosphere also implies so pleasant conditions of stay, then high-quality rest after a hard school year is guaranteed.

• The camp will increase physical tone. For many people, rest is "doing nothing." Such a pastime is quite acceptable, especially for those who are really tired, but at the same time, an excessive fascination with such rest will lead to early obesity and general weakening of the body. Children who still have all the possibilities for active mobility do not need this.

Leaders in the camp will make sure that at least minimal physical activity is present.

• In the camp can teach something useful. There are thematic camps, the rest in which provides for a specific training program. There are some theoretical lessons in almost any camp for children, but thematic recreation centers usually go deep into the subject (and even provide special conditions for studying it).

Most often, foreign languages ​​are studied in such places - this can be facilitated by an international team of employees (or an international composition of holidaymakers), who in one way or another will have to communicate with each other in the same English. However, even if the camp does not position itself as a teacher, you can always learn something new from the same comrades or counselors — at least minimal things, like making a fire.

• The camp will make the child more independent. Usually, children try to prove to adults that they are ready to be on a par with them. They do not understand that they really do not have independence. To make a child independent can only lack of parents nearby. If it is still too early for him to start an independent life, then it is possible to instill at least the basics of independence at the recreation center. Although the counselors will look after him, they will not cherish, as they would have done at home.

If you wish, you can find a number of reasons that encourage you to send your baby to a children's camp. In the end, everyone sometimes needs to relax from each other, and parents would also like to relax without children - and this is the answer to the question of who will look after them while adults are resting.

Today, the diversity of children's recreation centers is so great that, for better competition among themselves, they began to offer rest oriented strictly to a specific target audience. Such a summer camp is unlikely to be of interest to everyone, but its program is designed in such a way that fans of this particular type of activity simply cannot pass by. Parse all the options is hardly possible, so it is necessary to allocate only some. So, consider the types of children's camps.

There will definitely be a little more sport, patriotism and the theory of war. This is far from the army - in the camp the child will rest, but at the same time, here he will be taught to love (and even protect) his Homeland. This option is traditionally more popular among boys, but the girl can also get there if she wishes. To the military in its own way close patriotic camp - there will simply be less military theory and practice, but here they consider the culture and history of the country or region in which the recreation center is located.

As the name implies, it unites vacationing children who are fond of any creativity. Large recreation centers can combine several types of creativity at once, where you don’t even have to be able to do everything, but there is an opportunity to try everything - all of a sudden you have undiscovered talents.

Camps are less focused on a narrow specialization - such is, for example, literary, theatrical or dance camps. Here you can learn a lot about your hobby and acquire certain skills that were not there before. If the passion allows for a competitive moment, you can take part in the competition in your favorite business.

A good way to learn a foreign language is to communicate regularly with others. At home, it is unlikely to succeed - someone from the environment does not own it sufficiently, parents who are tired after work, are also unlikely to want to do this, and so on. Another thing - the camp, which collected those wishing to deeply learn the language. The rules of such a camp may involve communication between vacationers (or at least with the counselors) only in English. This may be just an in-depth study during the holidays.

For a deeper immersion in the atmosphere, it is possible to recreate some English or American situation - at least the same watching of films without translation can be organized daily.

Nobody said that children's camp need to go strictly in the summer. You can spend spring break there or even New Year holidays. Perhaps, the rest on the sea in this case disappears, but here the mountains and forests await guests at any time of the year. Such a pastime in our country is not yet as popular as the summer option, but now the recreation centers are trying to enter the year-round work schedule, and the reviews of holidaymakers indicate that this is largely successful.

A very conditional category that does not describe in any way what it is to do there, but outlines the intended way of life as precisely as possible. This option is suitable for those who would like to move as far as possible from civilization, and many children will also be delighted with this idea.

As a rule, rest in such camps is short because you get tired quickly from the “wild” life, but at least sometimes it is necessary in order to fall in love with the city bustle again.

International camps gather vacationers from different countries, and this is where their main goals are manifested - to learn a foreign language with the help of inevitable communication with other vacationers and to provide interesting contacting and exchange of experience, as well as the establishment of international contacts.

This option is not suitable for the youngest children, since they are unlikely to be able to communicate normally in the same English, but for teenagers This will definitely be an unforgettable adventure. Usually, our fellow citizens prefer international recreation centers located abroad.

In recent years, the influence of religion on public life has increased, and there are more and more real believers who observe rites and sacraments in the country. If your family is also one of those, and you are afraid that on vacation the child will face phenomena that will alienate him from the faith, if you want him to become interested in Orthodoxy and study it voluntarily - send the child to an Orthodox organization. You can be sure that they adhere to the norms of Christian morality, and the theoretical part will be devoted to issues of religion.

Another very loose concept, summarizing for which is only the hobby of all vacationing children tourism. Here they have to teach various camping wisdom - such as setting up tents, making a fire and orienteering. Ideally, the camp itself is mobile, that is, a tent camp, and a certain route passes during the shift.

Recently, among teenagers, the camp is gaining popularity, where there are no children at all - only young people. Whatever one may say, the program of the recreation center is always built in such a way as to more or less meet the interests of all those present without disturbing anyone, therefore the exclusion of the younger age groups contributes to a greater compliance of the program with the interests of adolescents.

You should not think that in such an organization it is impossible to rest - enough time is allocated for rest here, just in parallel, children still have time to do something useful. Here they do not work, but only learn to work - they can conduct master classes in certain types of activities (for example, boys will be trained in carpentry work, and girls - in cutting and sewing).

A real dream for everyone who wants to ride a horse as often as possible. Here they will teach the basics of equestrian sport, caring for horses, perhaps, will give some theoretical knowledge. But the main thing - there will definitely be live horses, and they will give them to ride!

Variants of hobbies of a modern person, even a small one, can be a million, and here thematic camps will come to the rescue, the meaning of which is in the constant change of a very narrow line of activity. As a rule, the main theme changes every shift, so you need to get to the fact that you are interested. However, this is a plus - sometimes the animators of such recreation centers invent something so original that parents never would have guessed that such a thing is possible.

Examples of topics can be varied (depending on the age of the guests) - for example, Sherlock Holmes, pirates, oriental tales, and so on. Absolutely everything is held in the camp - theoretical lessons, film shows, active games and even visual design.

Even after all that has been said, the list is not exhaustive, so look for the ideal option always, no matter how strange a wish your child has thought of.

Prepare for the trip, start by choosing a recreation center and booking places - do not postpone it for the last day. In the most popular camps all the places are bought up in the winter, so hurry up if you want to please your child.

Next, pay attention to the psychological state of the child. If you have sociable children who do not get lost in the company of peers, then there will be no problems. If the kids are closed and have never been in a similar situation before, it is better to prepare them for permanent stay in the environment of one-year-olds, explaining how to behave. Advise to overcome timidity.

If not, put only necessary things, like clothes, suitable for the place of stay (beach accessories - at the sea, sweater or jacket - in the mountains), washing accessories and other trifles.

If the camp is located far away, supply the child with food on the road, if he needs specific medications, then so will they. Needless to say, at the location of the recreation center somewhere behind by the border it is necessary to take care of all the formalities with the documents, including international passport and papers permitting departure without parents.

When planning a summer vacation, an important point is the budget. In financial terms, it is best to relax for free, and this is not even fiction, but you can usually get such a ticket only at work - if your company has its own recreation center that provides decent holidays for the children of its employees. It should be noted that free camps are not bad, but smart - hardly.

As for the cost of a paid voucher, then everything depends on the length of stay and conditions. It is obvious that in the campground for a couple of days the prices will be significantly lower than the one that accommodates double rooms with a shower and a toilet for a month.

A good camp, especially a foreign one, will request several tens of thousands of rubles per shift, budget options will probably also be expensive. At the same time, it is possible that, for any reason, you can become a participant in the program, under the terms of which one or another private or state structure partially compensates for the costs of recreation for children. Then the amount may be less. In any case - planning expenses, leave some of the money to the child pocket money. On the spot, various souvenirs and goodies that are not in the dining camp will be sold for sure.

It is not possible to compile an adequate rating of the country's recreation centers (precisely because each person has his own ideas about which camps are the best). On the one hand, a good choice seems to be the same double rooms with a shower in each. However, there are after all true connoisseurs of tent rest, not to mention the fact that there is no way you can compare an Orthodox camp with a labor or creative one.

Here the traditional success of the camps of the Krasnodar Territory - as one of the most southern regions of Russia. Camps are known throughout the country "Ocean", "Seagull", "Friendship", "Change", "Wave" and "Energetic", but be careful - these names are very popular among recreation centers for children. Buying a ticket to such a center, you can send a child not to the famous camp in the whole country, but to a mediocre recreation center, the reviews about which are not very good.

If you talk about cities, then focus on Tuapse - most of the children's organizations are concentrated here, while the neighboring Sochi still more designed for adults. If, on a geographical basis, the Far East is much closer to you, orient to Vladivostok - this is the main seaside resort of this region.

In other places for a beach holiday conditions are not so good, but there are interesting camps. Highlight the following:

• "Signaler" in the Leningrad region. An example of a classic camp that does not have a specific narrow focus. Good living conditions, location in a pine forest (only 70 kilometers from the multi-million St. Petersburg), as well as year-round work and a flexible price system that allows children from any family to rest here.
• "Dubravushka" in the Moscow region. This institution is located 80 kilometers from the capital and is an international camp in which Russian children learn English with teachers from the UK and foreign guests learning Russian here. Being narrowly focused in essence, this center tries to diversify its program with creativity and sports.
• "Forest outpost" in Chelyabinsk. Wellness complex with such a name is one of the most popular in the Urals. This center also does not have a narrow specialization, but it strives to comprehensively develop its visitors, preparing them for the school using the game method. The big plus of this camp is the pool, which can be reached on any given day.

The list should be based on what your child is interested in. Agree, since the rest is organized for him, it would be good if he was delighted - it means you need to meet the expectations of the kid, because the variety of types of recreation centers today is impressive. Do not be lazy to look for something that best suits your children’s hobbies, or even ask directly how they envision an ideal vacation.

When sending a child to rest, make sure that he will live there in a comfortable environment - if only the baby does not rush purposefully to ascetic tourist or tent camps. On the website of the center or by phone, find out what conditions there are - what numbers, what is in them for convenience, how many people live in one room, what program, how many times children eat and what.

You have the right to know this, because you are paying for everything and you would hardly want a son or daughter to spend a disgusting summer for your money. Be sure to look for forums or independent sites where a particular institution is being discussed - it’s understandable that it doesn’t criticize itself, even if it’s time to close it.

Rest in the children's camp is perceived by most people as positive - both children and their parents think so. In all the more or less well-known camps, criticism is good, individual complaints can only be caused by the wrong choice of camps by appearance or problems in communication of a particular child with others.

Judging by the reviews, met at various thematic forums, the children's camp is the best option for the holidays for children (from primary school age to high school students). No need to think about whether to send the child to the camp or not - this is anyway worth doing, you just have to think carefully which one.