Concordia Language Camp

Swedish Camp includes reading strategies and addresses multiple learning styles

Kathy Olson and Morfar Mike taught students in the crafts class, while others were working on Tips Promenad. Photo by V. S. Arrowsmith.
Cambridge, Minnesota—The 24th annual Swedish Language and Culture Day Camp at the West Riverside Historic Site near Cambridge, Minnesota played host to enthusiastic children in mid-August. The Isanti County Historical Society sponsors the camp, which attracts participants from the Twin Cities and east central Minnesota.
Camp director Valorie Arrowsmith says, “We use many strategies to help children learn language, and we try to accommodate all learning styles. Kinesthetic activities are especially popular at the camp setting. A reading strategy called Direct Instruction Reading, used in Minnesota public schools, was also employed to teach participants how to decode in Swedish.”
Introducing new vocabulary was done through a puzzle map activity. Words became the puzzle pieces as campers tried to match the shape of the cut out word with the best space. Photo by V. S. Arrowsmith
Campers rotated through daily language and craft classes, plus they had large group activities to begin and end each day. Tips Promenad was one activity. A traditional meal with table cloth, candles and flowers was another. Craft activities featured a hand carved wooden majstång for each camper.
Swedish campers invited their parents to join them in the traditional song game “Morsgrisar är vi allihopa” at the West Riverside Historic site near Cambridge. Photo by R. Reis.
The “phrase of the day” incorporated frequently used Swedish phrases such as “Hur mår du idag?” At the end of each day den hemliga ledaren, who had been observing and listening, declared which participant had spoken the most Swedish. Everyone then walked through a receiving line, in which they exchanged firm Nordic style handshakes with camp staff and won prizes for their efforts. The person using the most Swedish earned an extra gift.
Noah Berglund demonstrated how to throw the final pin the knock down the king in the game of Kubb. Photo by R. Reis.
Family and friends attended a final program where campers showed examples of what they learned through readings, songs and games. The audience was also invited to participate in song games such as “Morsgrisar är vi allihopa.”
At the parents’ program Kaisa Brown and Allie Carlson read some of the stories they worked on in their class at camp. Photo by R. Reis.
Kathy Olson, Arrowsmith, Morfar Mike Johnson and Riana Reis were the teachers. Reis had been a participant in the past and has since attended the Concordia Language Village Swedish program for four years honing her skills in Swedish. Morfar Mike is a local Mora-based woodcarver who spends time each year creating a new hand-carved object for campers to decorate. Arrowsmith is one of two licensed K-12 Swedish language teachers in Minnesota.
A favorite song at camp dealt with donuts; big, fat donuts with holes in them. Photo by R. Reis.
For more information about Swedish language programs contact the ICHS at (763) 689-4229. Folks interested in language learning in a residential setting can visit www.concordialanguagevillages.org, where there are week-long and weekend programs for adults and families in October and April. Next year’s camp dates in Cambridge are August 11-15, 2014 at the West Riverside Historic Site, two miles west and north of Cambridge. Children ages 5-13 are invited for a five day camp, and pre-school children, ages 4-5 may join the camp for three days.

By Valorie Arrowsmith
Students shared what they learned at camp at a final program for families at the West Riverside Historic site near Cambridge, MN. the outdoor table is set for a nice Swedish meal. Photo by R. Reis.