White Sea Expeditions, an Outdoor Programme for Kids

During the White Sea Expeditions programme, children will:

• learn about the nature and history of the Russian North;
• take a closer look at the animals living in the White Sea, those living along the shore and those inhabiting the sea depths;
• learn how to row and operate a motorboat efficiently and safely;
• hike to a pegmatite canyon, an upland bog, and a visit to distant rocky islands;
• listen to stories about the inhabitants of the Russian North, such as bears, wolves, seals, beluga whales, and various birds and insects;
• make their own aquarium, work with a microscope, and meet reindeer and sledge dogs;
• play volleyball, fish, hit the sauna, play various games, learn to use a compass, jump and climb in a rope park, and do many other fun and entertaining activities!

For the duration of the programme, kids will be accommodated in log cabins on the grounds of the Polyarny Krug tourism centre. Every day we will walk or ride a speed motorboat to interesting and beautiful locations around the White Sea and back.

The programme also includes a three-day trip in rowboats in the southern waters of the Kandalaksha Gulf. We will sleep in tents with a breath-taking view of the shore.

Each day is separated into three educational blocks.

1. General classes: basic outdoorsmanship and water safety training, excursions and hikes, and the basics of biology.
2. Extra specialised classes in smaller groups. Each participant will be able to choose the speciality of their liking when booking a place in the programme. The Natural Science speciality offers extra classes in biology and other natural sciences; the Tourism and Climbing Training includes classes in climbing, orienteering, making camp, and lighting a campfire.
3. Block three offers a range of elective courses such as sports, an art workshop, fishing, and many others.

During the programme, kids will learn to communicate, explore the world, make friends, and help each other through play and hands-on activities. We do everything for children to feel like true explorers, travellers, and sailors while learning more about the world around them and how to appreciate it!

Our teachers and youth leaders are all enthusiastic and creative people. All teachers have a degree in their field, and youth leaders have a degree in teaching or are studying in the leading universities of the country.

The tourism centre Polyarny Krug has been offering kids' programmes since 2005. Our mission is to create and support an atmosphere of friendship, trust, curiosity, enthusiasm, and kindness.

Kids are the best proof that we are doing the right thing: most of them come back to us again and again, stay for successive sessions, and remember us for years after their first trip.