News
The First Summer Camp of the Short Term Summer Fun Project Was a Great Success
Between 20 and 24 July, the first summer camp of this year’s Short Term Summer Fun project took place in Cristuru Secuiesc. During the five-day World Traveler Camp, children had the opportunity to explore the cultures of different countries through fun and interactive activities while also developing their Romanian and English language skills.
Each day of the camp focused on a different country. Monday was dedicated to Spain, Tuesday to France, Wednesday to Germany, Thursday to Romania, and Friday to England. The program featured a wide variety of activities: we started each morning with a group dance to a song in the language of the country of the day, which created a cheerful atmosphere and set the tone for an exciting adventure.
One of the camp’s unique features was that every participant received their own “passport” on the very first day. By the end of the week, these passports were filled with stickers depicting the flags of the countries they had “visited,” giving each child a special keepsake to remember their journey around the world.
Creativity also played an important role throughout the week. The children made masks, room decorations, 3D monsters out of cardboard boxes, and clay figures, while also having the chance to draw and make bracelets. The various arts and crafts activities encouraged everyone to use their imagination and experiment with new techniques.
Of course, the children had plenty of outdoor fun as well. Almost every day, we visited a nearby park, where the participants enjoyed team games, skill-based challenges, and lots of laughter. They quickly discovered their favorites: games such as Hi-Ha-Ho, Chicken-Fox-Snake, and musical chairs became so popular that, at the children’s request, several of them returned to the program on the final day of the camp.
Language-learning activities were another important part of the week. Through playful games and interactive tasks, the children practiced their Romanian skills while also having many opportunities to communicate in English with our international volunteers. Thanks to the multilingual name tags they received on the first day, they also learned how to introduce themselves in different languages.
At the end of each day, we took time to reflect on our experiences together. Using a feelings wheel, the children shared how they felt by expressing their thoughts through drawings or a few simple words. It was wonderful to see that almost all of their feedback throughout the week reflected just how much they had enjoyed the camp.
Friday’s pizza party and face painting activity provided the perfect ending to our first camp. Although many of the children were sad to say goodbye at the end of the week, we are delighted that we were able to create so many happy memories and smiles. It was an unforgettable experience for our volunteers as well, and we are already looking forward to the upcoming summer camps of the Short Term Summer Fun project.
