Norwegian Summer School

Norgesskolen runs as a two-week Norwegian summer school in Telemark, where language learning sits at the centre of the day and everything else grows out of it. Mornings and classroom time are given to Norwegian language instruction and cultural education, pitched at the level each young participant arrives with, while the rest of the programme moves outdoors into sports, hiking trips, outdoor adventures and excursions that put the new vocabulary straight to use. The idea running through the whole fortnight is that learning extends beyond the classroom, so a child practises Norwegian on a trail or a playing field as much as at a desk. Participants come from around the globe, most with Norwegian family roots, and the shared aim is as much about strengthening a sense of Norwegian identity and forming lasting friendships as it is about grammar. The school is run as a non-profit funded solely by school fees, and it typically fills months in advance.