Day camp for younger kids
For the first time this year, young kids ages 2-6 can enrol in a summer camp at Orchard House, a Montessori-based centre for early childhood development in N.D.G. “There aren’t a lot of camps for younger children and parents were enquiring about having one at our centre,” said Director Jessica Behna. 

Two-year-olds will be grouped together as will those ages 3-4 and 5-6. “Younger kids sometimes find being with older ones overwhelming so we’ve organized age-specific activities.” There will be two educators for 10 children and organic lunches will be provided.
Kid will take part in indoor and outdoor activities including: arts & crafts, nature walks, drama, yoga, soccer, gardening, and music. Orchard House also has a splash pool on the grounds. 
The weekly costs for half-days, which run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., is $179 and the full-days, which go from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is $238. For more information, call (514) 483-6556 or go to www.orchard-house.ca.

Teens Travel to Florida
The YM-YWHA is offering a new camp for 30 Jewish teenagers this summer. Teens between the ages of 12 and 16 will have the opportunity to travel to Florida for 12 days. Teen services coordinator Viki Zerdok says they’ll spend three days at Disney World, five days at Club Med Sandpiper and the rest of the time going to the beach, having fun at water parks and white water rafting. There will be two meetings prior to the departure date so the teens can get acquainted. 

Zerdok has coordinated her itinerary with day campers from the Jewish Community Centre in Orlando, which may host teen travel camps from two other American Jewish communities at the same time. 

“We want to give all the participants the chance to bond with teens living in other regions,” Zerdok says. “We want them to have a great time.”

The Florida teen travel camp runs from July 28 until August 8 and costs $2,250 plus air fare 
from Montreal to Orlando. To register, go to www.ymywha.com or call (514) 624-6750 ext. 23.

Annexe opens its doors to camp
The Annexe is a building downtown on Cote des Neiges that is almost solely used by students from private schools. The building houses a big double gymnasium, six multi-purpose rooms, a dance studio, and a 25-metre indoor swimming pool. There are also tennis courts, a soccer field and a small wooded area. For the first time, from June 16 to August 29, the facility will be home to 84 children between the ages of 5 and 15, who will take part in a bilingual, co-ed day camp. 

Activities in the mornings will include: sports, swimming lessons, tennis, squash, etc. Campers can choose how they spend the afternoons; some of the options are learning a language such as French, Spanish, English or Mandarin, performing arts, science and technology, environmental discovery, media art, and photography. Meanwhile, 13- to 15-year-olds will take leadership training. Fridays will be reserved for special events or outings such as a visit to the Biodome, Science Centre or Beach Club. 

The Annexe Camp, hosted by The Study and St. Georges’s, costs $225 a week. For more information, call (514) 303-9138 or go to www.theannexe.ca.

Parent and Child Photography Camp 
Dawson College’s weeklong digital photography camps for teens have been growing in popularity since they began three years ago. Now, the school is expanding to include adults and younger children. The f/start Photo Camp runs August 11 to 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and costs $620 for the two participants ($310 each).

The new course was introduced because parents asked teachers to consider something for them and their children, says Centre for Training and Development head Nadia Bissada. “Everyone has a digital camera these days, so it’s nice to know what their camera’s capacity is,” says Bissada. “At Dawson, we are very sophisticated with our photography courses so we have a lot of resources and we pride ourselves on our skills.”

Each parent and child (ages 8-11) needs a digital camera to participate, but neither needs prior photography knowledge. Students begin the week making pinhole cameras and end it with a slideshow to prove proficient use of their cameras. For more information, call (514) 933-0047.

Jewish day camp in Laval
The growing Jewish community in Laval will be able to send their children, aged 5 to 12, to the Torah Academy Day Camp this summer. 

The camp is located at the Young Israel of Chomedey Synagogue but is open to any Jewish child, regardless of background or affiliation. “We started the camp so that we could provide the Jewish children of Laval with an opportunity to get together,” says Aida Stiefel. “Our aim is that it’s fun, with a Jewish twist.”

Each group of 10 campers spends their week busy with typical day camp activities such as karate, ceramics, drama, art and swimming lessons. The camp’s special touch comes from Jewish-themed activities and counsellors who will “inspire them to continue to learn more about their Jewish heritage,” says Rabbi Zalmen Stiefel.

The Torah Academy Camp runs from June 23 to August 1 at a cost of $125 per week. For more information call (450) 682-8213 or (514) 758-7700, or go to www.torahacademycamp.org.

American-Idol style camp 
After a two-year hiatus, McGill music graduate Michelle Hugill is once again offering a musical theatre camp for girls aged 8 to 15 at St. Thomas Church in N.D.G. 

This year, campers will create a 45-minute remake of the American Idol series. Up to 30 participants will be divided into groups of eight. Each group works with an instructor to write scenes from a script and to practice performing. There will be other activities such as swimming, outdoor play and picnic lunches. At the end of the week, the campers perform for their parents.

The Trillium Musical Theatre Day Camp runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from June 30 to July 11 and costs $425. For more information, call (514) 489-9728 or go to www.trillium-music.com.