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Camp programmes
Sosnovy Bor, the site of BKC's Camp programmes, is situated 95km to the north-east of Moscow on the road to the Golden Ring city of Vladimir. Four times a year BKC Country takes over the site’s Sanatorium building, and sleeping, teaching and eating mostly takes place in this big, Soviet building.
The children who come to camp are aged between 6 and 16 and are grouped according to their age and level of English. Teachers are responsible for teaching 3 groups, once a day for two academic hours (1hr 15). Teachers are asked to spend a further 2.5 real hours of contact time outside the classroom with the children (watching their stage shows, playing games or sports, or generally hanging out), but more often than not teachers exceed this.
Outside the classroom the children are cared for by native Russian group leaders, mostly students aged 18-25 from Vladimir University. They are always friendly and, despite some language barriers, can become good friends at camp, and beyond.
There are no set texts books to follow day by day; we believe teachers should have the opportunity to try out and experiment with new ideas. There is plenty of support to be had from the senior teacher (both before camp, and on site), and the resources have been designed and collected together thoughtfully so teachers shouldn't be short of materials with which to entertain the children.
We also encourage our teachers to use “project” lessons. These lessons give the children the chance to create a piece of work using all the skills they already know or have learnt at camp. Black hole wall displays, recorded radio shows, photo concept story boards, board games, magazines, etc. are just some past favourites. These can be displayed on the Sanatorium corridor walls, shown to parents (on parents day), and taken home at the end of the session. Some of the best past work can be seen at the BKC Country Office, Kuznetskiy Most.
These children are on holiday and the last thing most of them want is a heavy grammar lesson, so teachers have to use their skills to conceal learning and, more importantly, make sure the kids have fun with English!
Most teachers return from camp having had a positive experience, full of ideas for their Moscow classes. The support system at camp is far stronger than you would find in any teachers room in Moscow, with ideas and discussions flying around freely. Of course, as with the kids, teachers come to camp to have fun too, and there’s plenty to be had at BKC Country; with the children or not…bike riding, tennis, basketball, (beach) volleyball, walking in the forests, etc.
Energy, imagination, an interest in trying out new ideas in the classroom, and a sense of humour are the essentials of a camp teacher, so if this sounds like you, get in touch with recruitment edu@bkc.ru or the senior teacher: sdunton@bkc.ru or come into the BKC Country Office, Kuznetskiy Most.
Also, check out the BKC Country website: www.speakenglish.ru
Imagination, energy and sense of humour is what is needed from a camp teacher, so if this sounds like you, get in touch.
Testimonials
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