On October 7th, a theatrical masterclass took place in our children’s club. It was conducted by the actress and director Olga Markina.

This event had been eagerly awaited, which is why there was quite a crowd. Children started arriving well before the event began, which was a delight to see.

Before the start of the masterclass, it had become a tradition for the little visitors of the Russian House to pick up chalk. Their first interaction with each other happened through drawings on the pavement.

At the appointed time, Olga invited all the kids into the hall. There was no need to ask twice. And that’s when it all began…

The children were stomping and clapping, laughing and shouting, and no one scolded them for it. Today, everything was allowed, and not just allowed but even encouraged.

It all started with introductions. Despite the fact that some, as mentioned above, had already met, and others were regular members of our club, the introductions took place, and it was a lot of fun. Remember Oster’s story about how Monkey, Python, Parrot, and Baby Elephant decided to get to know each other again? Well, our little participants didn’t deny themselves that pleasure.

Everyone formed a circle, and one by one, they stated their names and what they liked most. The next participant stated their name, preference, and the name and preference of their neighbor. The third had to remember not only their neighbor but also the name and preference of the first participant. And so on in a circle. You’ll agree that such introductions are much more fun than the usual ones.

To keep their tongues from being lazy, it was also decided to put them to use. The adults didn’t scold, but on the contrary, they smiled when the children stuck out their tongues at each other. The little tongues looked in different directions, hid behind teeth, peeked out, and teased.

The masterclass concluded with a Russian folk game called ‘Rucheek’ (Stream). Do you remember how to play it? All the children pair up and stand one behind the other, holding hands and raising their hands high to create a tunnel. If someone is left without a partner, they become the leader. Their task is to walk through the long ‘living’ corridor and choose a partner. The new pair goes to the end of the ‘stream.’ The one whose friend was taken by someone else then finds a replacement, and it’s now their turn to choose a partner.

And, of course, they played the counting game: ‘On the golden porch they sat…’ What comes next, do you remember?