MIR

🌟 Our Amazing Counselors — Future Leaders, Our Hope and Support! 🌟

We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to our wonderful helpers who worked at our Russian Language Summer Camp! ❤️

Their energy, enthusiasm, and passion for learning and preserving the Russian language inspired our younger campers every day. They helped children learn, play, make friends, and feel like an important part of our camp family.

What makes this even more special is that all of our counselors were once campers in our Russian Language Summer Camp themselves. Today, they have returned in a new role — as helpers, mentors, and outstanding role models for the next generation.

We are incredibly proud to watch our former campers grow into confident young leaders who are helping others develop a love for the Russian language and culture.

Thank you for your kindness, patience, responsibility, and caring hearts! 💙
You are the future of our community, our hope, and our support!

👏👏👏 Спасибо, дорогие вожатые!

Galina Tomisser, a member of the CRAFT Board of Directors for almost 15 years, presented a book "Аляска от А до Я" to our campers. Thank you, Galina!

“I was very excited to do the presentation of our Russian Children's Club book for the kids attending the Russian Immersion Summer Camp. In US history, this is the first book about the facts of Alaska arranged in the alphabetical order using all 33 letters of the Russian alphabet. We worked on it the whole academic year, and took another year to make corrections, additions, change the font and photographs in the book. When I say 'we', I mean it was a team work: the parents, the kids, their grandparents, and the members of our Alaskan community.

The kids in the Summer Camp were active listeners: they responded to many different questions about the book and gave their own comments. I am thankful to teachers for scheduling our presentation, and I give special thanks to the parents and kids who found time to participate in the presentation on a beautiful summer day”.

🌟 Today we are excited to spotlight one of our Russian Immersion alumni, Nora Houston-Speckman! 🌟

Nora first walked through the doors of Turnagain as a curious little kindergartener and graduated from our Russian Immersion Program in 2025, earning the Seal of Biliteracy. She is now continuing her journey by studying Russian in college.

What makes us especially proud is that, even with a busy college schedule, Nora always finds time to return to Turnagain during her school breaks. She volunteers in our K–1 classrooms and has been an incredible help at our Russian Immersion Summer Camp.

Nora, thank you for your enthusiasm, patience, and genuine love for sharing the Russian language with our newest generation of learners. Your kindness, dedication, and willingness to give back to the program inspire our students and teachers every day.

We are so proud of everything you have accomplished and grateful that you continue to be such an important part of our Russian Immersion family!

🤩 Wow! What a wonderful day! 🤩

Today was the last day of our Russian Language Summer Camp, and what a special day it was!

🌎 We spent part of the day learning about North America, and guess what? We went on a field trip to the Alaska Zoo! A huge thank you to Maria Belozertseva for organizing this amazing trip. This was the first time our summer camp has ever visited the zoo, making it an especially exciting experience for everyone.

🚌 The children were thrilled to ride on a comfortable tour bus. During the ride, we sang Russian songs together, laughed, and enjoyed the journey. Everyone was happy and excited!
When we arrived at the zoo, we stopped by the gift shop and had a short conversation about souvenir stores in different countries, and the various types of money people use around the world.

🐅 The zoo was full of fun! We enjoyed seeing the animals, chatting with friends, and sharing our excitement throughout the day.

🌼 After returning to camp, we explored dandelions. Many of the bright yellow flowers had already transformed into round seed heads. The children delighted in blowing the seeds into the air, creating light and beautiful clouds floating in the breeze.

🗺️ To wrap up our day, we revisited our discussion about continents and created colorful flower crafts to help us remember them.

We enjoyed many more activities today, and we can’t wait to share them with you in our next post! Stay tuned! 📢 👀

Today We Traveled to Australia 🇦🇺

What an incredible day at our Russian Summer Camp! Our campers embarked on an exciting adventure to Australia, discovering the beauty, wildlife, culture, and traditions of this amazing continent.

🐨 The children were fascinated as they learned about Australia's unique animals, their habitats, and the sounds they make. One of the highlights of the day was our delightful puppet theater performance, presented by our wonderful helpers (вожатые). Through storytelling, music, and laughter, the children explored the fascinating world of Australian wildlife in a fun and engaging way.

🤩 The day was filled with dancing, singing, games, and joyful learning. Smiles and excitement could be seen everywhere!

🌼 During our nature walk to the park, campers collected sticks, flowers, leaves, grass, and other natural treasures. Back at camp, they eagerly transformed their discoveries into beautiful Australian-inspired walking sticks. Along the way, we carefully observed tiny creatures in nature, turning every moment into an opportunity for exploration and discovery.

🪼 To end our adventure, the children created adorable jumping jellyfish crafts that brought lots of laughter and creativity to the day. They were so proud of their colorful creations!
It was a wonderful day full of imagination, hands-on learning, friendship, happiness, and joy.

🗺️ 🎒 Tomorrow, our adventure continues as we travel to the Alaska Zoo! We are excited to meet amazing animals, learn about wildlife, and create even more wonderful memories together.

What an amazing day at our Russian Immersion Camp! 🤩

Our campers had lots of fun playing games, making crafts, and learning about Africa - a diverse and fascinating continent rich in cultures, traditions, and wildlife. Through exciting activities and adventures, the children practiced their Russian language skills while making new friends and lasting memories!

Our Russian Immersion Language Summer Camp is off to a great start!

This year, our campers are traveling around the world 🗺️ , learning about different countries, cultures, and traditions. So far, we've explored Europe and Asia, and we're looking forward to many more exciting adventures over the next few days! 🤩🌏☀️

Our Summer Group Camp is around the corner. Camp will be at the Eklutna Lake Campground. We are looking forward to an amazing get together at the end of the school year!

School's out for summer! ☀️ Congratulations to everyone on a fantastic year. Go enjoy every second of your break!