How We Spent the Summer in a Pioneer Camp: Megaplan Employees Recall

[jisansorkar12]

The start of summer holidays in childhood was a big holiday. And why not! Ahead of them was a carefree time in the village with grandma or a fun trip to a pioneer camp. Most Soviet children spent their holidays in nature in the vicinity of their hometowns, surrounded by forests and near bodies of water. And only the lucky ones went to the famous children's health resorts on the sea coast: to "Artek", "Orlyonok" or the Far Eastern "Okean".

You can have different attitudes towards pioneer camps. But you can't argue with the fact that they helped to raise a physically strong generation and left many warm memories for those who visited them. Physical activity in the fresh air, a good appetite and a sound sleep contributed to health improvement. Each trip was like life in miniature: an excellent school for growing up and collective creative work. It had everything: love and deceit, strong friendship and betrayal, team records and personal achievements.

This article is a continuation of the conversation about summer recreation for the 40+ generation. It will resonate with those who remember the sound of an invigorating bugle in the morning and who had the tunisia whatsapp list chance to wear a pioneer tie. It will also be useful for those who have forgotten that summer recreation can be both carefree and educational. Two years ago, we already recalled the most popular summer entertainment for Soviet children. Today, we will go back for a while to the busy everyday life of collective children's recreation.

A bit of history
Children's health camps began to appear in the 1920s, modeled on the summer trips of pioneer squads to the countryside. This type of leisure was initially invented for street children, of whom there were many after the Civil War. They lived most of the time in orphanages within the city, and in the summer they went out of town to restore their health. For example, in 1925, "Artek" was created in Crimea for children with tuberculosis, including those left without parents.

The idea of ​​the pioneer movement goes back to the scout movement. It came to Russia from Great Britain and was especially strengthened during the First World War. But after the revolution of 1917 and the Bolsheviks' rise to power, the scouts as the mainstay of the White Guard movement fell into disgrace - they were replaced by pioneers.

The boom of country pioneer camps began after the war: by the early 1950s, almost every enterprise, from a large machine-building plant to a small tannery, had its own recreation center for workers' children. Pioneer camps were also created at collective farms and trade unions: for example, for the children of trade workers, transport workers, and aviators. Summer camps were also opened in cities at schools, stadiums, and creative arts centers. Young workers from enterprises became camp counselors, or students were invited.

In the last years of the Soviet Union, there were more than 40 thousand country pioneer camps operating in the country.

Vouchers to the pioneer camp were given to almost everyone who wanted to send their children on vacation. The trip was partially paid for by the organization, and partially by the worker himself. Usually the cost was symbolic. Excellent workers and low-income families were encouraged to receive free vouchers. Children from 7 to 15 years old went to the camp in three summer shifts of 24 days.

So in the summer almost all the kids flew out from under their parents' wings and rushed on buses accompanied by traffic police cars to meet adventures. What memories did the pioneer camp leave most often? We noted 6 of the most vivid events that we remembered ourselves.

1. Raising the flag
At the beginning of each shift, the flag was raised to the sounds of the orchestra. Before this, a ceremonial line-up was held, at which the camp director greeted the arrivals and wished them a good rest. At that time, the children were divided into groups and met with the counselors. In some camps, short lines with the raising of the flag were held every morning, at which the plans for the day were announced. And in the evening, the results were summed up, and the flag was lowered.

At the end of the shift, the flag was lowered and the camp went into shift change. The girls cried because they would soon have to part with their friends. The boys usually held back their tears, but they were also a little sad. Although everyone was looking forward to going home, because despite all the fun at camp, they still wanted to go home to their parents.

2. Control weighing
Remember how comrade Dynin in the film "Welcome, or No Trespassing" was puzzled by the fact that all the children showed a weight gain after the shift? This is not a joke! In the early pioneer camps, where malnourished pioneers arrived, the main task of the staff was to return a well-fed child to the parents. For example, in the 1920s, a child had to gain 1 kg per week.

Despite the fact that the food situation more or less normalized after the war, the goal of intensively feeding children remained until perestroika. The food was not always tasty, but in the fresh air everything was eaten. At the beginning and end of the shift, the children from all units were weighed. Then a winner was chosen - the one who gained the most weight. He received a valuable prize - a bag of candy. Apparently, so that he would continue in the same spirit.

Control weighing