«Children's family tourist camping trip».

What kind of convention is this?

Spending weekends in the countryside is common in the country of exodus, but not in Israel, where the favorite theme is picnicking.  We suggest taking the next step - not just having "breakfast on the grass," but connecting children to nature and teaching them the important skills of conscious interaction with it.

How, when and where did this tradition come about?

The tradition of family gatherings was born in the tourist section of the Leningrad (later St. Petersburg) Herzen Pedagogical Institute 44 years ago and still exists today.  This initiative was taken up by children who grew up at these gatherings and now parents themselves, for whom it is very important to raise the flag of the family gathering and sing its anthem every year in the middle of May.  After repatriation, this is all the more necessary in the new homeland.

Who's doing all this?

 This is a non-profit story: enterprising parents come together and prepare a program for their children: everyone takes on what they can.  The friends and acquaintances who join in are just participants at first, but at the next event many of them become organizers, because it is very interesting to prepare tasks and stations for children.

What's going on at the rally?

The most important principle is that we don't compete, we learn and try.  Results (and winners) are revealed only for those who participate in orienteering.

The camping starts on Friday evening: children together with their parents put up tents, prepare dinner, collect wood for a common campfire, which is usually dedicated to a theme. But it can also be just songs under the guitar. In the morning the opening line of the camp with flag raising. Then children are divided by age groups: kids up to 5 years old climb, crawl, play on their playing field.  Children from 6 to 10 years old are divided into teams and pass a combined route, which is laid in the forest and has markings. Along the way, children come across stations where adults with various tasks are waiting for them. They are aimed at teaching children how to navigate in the forest or in the open countryside, recognize plants and animals, provide medical assistance, descend a steep slope, cross obstacles, read a map and navigate it without a navigator, observe the laws of ecology, show wit, and apply various social skills.  The older age group has age-appropriate tasks (rope climbing, orienteering, etc.). At the closing line, adults tell what they had at the stations and the children are given commemorative badges. Everyone sings a cheerful song about friendship, then pack up the camp and clean up the clearing.

Meeting results?

The children and parents are always very enthusiastic and look forward to the next jamboree.   The gathering is the start of new initiatives, namely, full weekend family hikes in Israel (see the "Hiking Exodus" project).

The second Israeli Pilgrims Rally was held on May 11-12, 2024. Twenty children between the ages of 1 and 11 participated. The initiative group was headed by T.V. Sheliganova.