Camp program 2023

Program variety

The main emphasis is on variety. The daily routine is understandably regular, but games and activities change every day. We keep an eye on the balance between physical and intellectual activities, between active and passive free time, or competing and improving language skills. We don't leave children to do their own thing too often, because we know that they get bored quickly and easily, which is not why they are here. The most important aspect of our interaction with children is getting them to know that they use English unconsciously. For native speakers of English we want to provide a positive multicultural experience and an opportunity to discover more about linguistic diversity.

Main camp game

The link between each of the camp's ten days is the game. It's called TEN DAYS WITH APOLLO. The participants of our camps are already used to the fact that we are always in one of the English speaking countries and we get to know its life and customs. After having visited England, Australia, Hollywood, Scotland, New York, the British Asian empire, London, having driven across the USA, visited the Tasmanian devil, accepted an invitation to the Emerald Isle, saddled up with cowboys on the open plains of Texas, experienced Hawaiian luaus and volcanoes, we admired the elegant glory of Route 66, and we learned the 12 steps of traditional Scottish dance, experienced the gold rush period in California and we explored Alaska the northernmost and largest state in the United States, this year we will head straight to the MOON! We will be inspired by the American space program APOLLO. That's why we've called this year's main camp game TEN DAYS WITH APOLLO! The APOLLO program was created more than 60 years ago, when US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy declared a national goal of landing humans on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth by 1970. Kennedy's mission was accomplished when Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon in the lunar module of their spacecraft on July 20th, 1969, and ascended to the lunar surface on July 21st, while another astronaut, Michael Collins, waited for them in the command module in lunar orbit. All three returned safely to Earth aboard the Apollo 11 and landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th, 1969. Five more Apollo missions succeeded in landing on the Moon, the last in December 1972. During these six space flights, a total of twelve astronauts walked on the Moon, becoming the only humans ever to visit another celestial body. Certainly, this is a basic summary of APOLLO's achievements.

But we have to remember that at the time, the APOLLO program accomplished the next-to-impossible for many! To put three people on a massive rocket packed to the brim with extremely explosive fuel, get them to Earth's orbit, connect two ships, get them to the Moon, land them in a tiny shell with thin walls and a primitive computer, and then launch safely, to rejoin the two ships and begin the journey back to Earth was indeed an art worthy of top scientists and engineers working often with only logarithmic rulers and brilliant minds. Well, yes, even a simple personal computer today is many times more powerful than the technology available at the time! Imagine that the astronauts in the APOLLO program had a simple sextant on board their ship, like sailors in the Middle Ages. They used it to determine their position from the stars and then fed the data into a primitive on-board computer. You might also like to know why the astronauts going to the Moon could not have any life insurance due to the enormous danger of the mission and how they solved the whole thing with ordinary postal envelopes. Or explain where Neil Armstrong seems to have gone wrong in his famous statement "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". What is certain, however, is that the entire APOLLO program ultimately had a far-reaching impact on humanity. Not only did man finally get to see planet Earth from a sufficient distance, but there was also the development of a vast array of new technologies and techniques that were straight out of science fiction a decade before Apollo 11 landed. It is reported that the total cost of the program, which was in the billions of dollars at the time, has been recovered several times over and is still being recovered. Consider, for example, that entirely new materials have been developed; lightweight, strong, temperature and mechanical resistant. There was the development of computing, with significant advances in the development of integrated circuits.

The first color television camera was used. The invention of Velcro is an example; originally designed for the quick attachment of objects in spacecraft, its use in many places now seems to us to be self-evident. Wondering when humans will return to the moon again? Probably sooner than you think. A few months ago, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA for short, launched the Artemis program to put humans back on the moon. In November 2022, a Space Launch System rocket with the Orion module blasted off into space, orbiting the moon and returning successfully to Earth. This is the first test mission so far, but in the next phase the first human crew will fly around the Moon and around 2025 astronauts are expected to stand on the lunar surface again. The plan is that it will be a man and a woman. The entire Artemis program is primarily focused on exploration and resource exploitation in space. The purpose of returning humans to the Moon and later reaching the planet Mars is primarily about sustainability and, indirectly, about the ecological aspect that is so important today. It may not be obvious at first sight, but going to the Moon will bring us new energy-saving technologies that we do not have now. We will get to know much better the processes that we do not understand at present - for example, in terms of providing suitable living conditions for astronauts. We will learn to make do with fewer resources to achieve a goal. We will develop space technologies that are more usable on Earth. All of this will bring great savings to us, to humanity as a whole, as well as improving our lives and the environment. And we're not talking about science or inspiration. After all, APOLLO has inspired generations of scientists and engineers around the world! The ones who will come with us to the Moon will never regret it, because together with traditional camp games and competitions there are always some new and unusual ones. We want everyone to get something special so the realization of the games is always guaranteed by the English speaking instructors and the Czech staff. The main aim of the games is to inconspicuously support language skills development, naturally flowing communication, and learning competencies that will be used in conversations on trips abroad and as the time goes at the English Graduation Exam.

Daily program

What do children need to take for themselves? Suitable clothing for the camp's daily program, a swimming suit, a table tennis paddle, maybe a guitar for singing at the campfire, and glitter for the disco – all of these things will certainly be useful at EUROCAMP. Each morning the children will eat breakfast together and afterwards will set off with their leaders to the morning activities. During this time, they will learn all the important vocabulary and facts about that day's main event. It's not just a boring lecture – it's great fun. They will play many sports as well. Because we care about the balance between mental and physical activities, we offer many different sports that are suitable for everyone. Throughout these activities the children are, of course, using English as their primary spoken language. After lunch there is a rest period which is just the right time for relaxing in the pleasant shade of their cabins or watching their favourite movie. Afterwards there is a short afternoon meeting where everybody learns about the rest of the day's program – so straightaway an afternoon full of adventure can begin. We will set off for the future and head straight to the Moon, where a wide variety of experiences await us. If science is not mistaken, we will go into Earth's orbit in a space elevator, a shuttle-like ship will take us to the Moon, and here we will descend from the orbital station to the surface in a reusable lunar module. And maybe it will even be possible, as Alan Shepard from Apollo 14 tried to do, to play golf on the moon and hit the ball as far as 3 kilometers! Finally, in the evening there is a discussion of the day's activities related to the camp game and then everyone is ready for a disco, movie, campfire, or any number of interesting and fun activities. This is why the children will return home full of new skills, many beautiful memories, and the experience of a true bilingual camp.

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