"Tabir Ptashat" brings tykes to Soyuzivka

by Yarema A. Bachynsky

KERHONKSON, N.Y. - The sights and sounds of pre-schoolers singing Ukrainian songs, learning about nature and their heritage, filled Soyuzivka the first two weeks of July, as the "Tabir Ptashat" day camp brought children, parents, grandparents and counselors together and reaffirmed the bonds they share.

First organized by Neonila Sochan of the Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization sorority "Pershi Stezhi," the "Ptashata" camp has entered its eighth consecutive season of operation. This year the camp was divided into two one-week-sessions. More than 50 tykes as well as numerous parents and elders took part in each session.

"Tabir Ptashat" takes children age 4-6 with an understanding and basic ability to speak Ukrainian. A parent must accompany the child during his or her stay at Soyuzivka. Parents often double as counselors. The children board, eat and go swimming with their parents, but the rest of the day is spent in a structured program of song, nature walks, arts and crafts, and games with counselors, who tend to be campers' mothers, although the occasional father is evident. As with most Plast camps, the campers' morning program includes a communal prayer; the same is repeated at dusk.

Both sessions of the pre-schoolers' camp ended with a "vohnyk" (bonfire) at the Veselka pavilion. Due to the participant's young age a flashlight and wood mock-up substituted for an actual fire, however this did not take anything away from the significance of the closing ceremony and award of completion certificates to the little campers. One could hear the distinct sound of kids singing in Ukrainian from well outside Veselka.

Parents of campers generally were of the thought that the week (or two) spent with their children and friends (frequently, from past or current Plast days) had reaffirmed their common Ukrainian bond and helped pass along this bond to the youngest generation which is, after all, our future.

The head counselors at "Tabir Ptashat" 1996 were Marusia Borkowsky and Motria Boyko-Waters.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 21, 1996, No. 29, Vol. LXIV

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