Camp Dates/Hours
Celebrating its 10th summer, AL-BUSTAN CAMP holds its program at Springside School July 11 – 29, 2011 for elementary/middle school students in grades 2 to 8, and for high school students in grades 9 to 12. 
Monday – Friday. Drop-off is 8:45 to 9:00am and pick-up is 4:00 to 4:15pm.
Before-care (8-9am) and afer-care (4-5pm) is available for additional fee through Springside School.
Children rising to the Elementary School (Grades 2 to 5) and Middle School (Grades 6 to 8 ) in fall 2011 can sign up for one to three weeks, although three weeks allows for a richer language and cultural experience.
High School teens in Grades 9 to 12 must sign up for all three weeks of the Teen Program.
11th graders and older have several additional options. They can apply to be full/part-time volunteer counselors who mentor campers and assist lead teachers. Youth 16 and 17 years who apply to be part-time volunteer counselors may participate part-time at no fee in either the video program (offered in the afternoon) or the music/drama/Arabic program (offered in the morning).
All counselors must attend July 5-8 for training and camp preparations. Additionally, they must be available Saturday, July 30 to help clean up the Camp classrooms. If interested, please complete the Counselor Application: Download Counselor Application 2012.
JULY 28, 2011, 6-8pm: End-of-Camp Performance & Exhibit at Springside School Auditorium — open to the public.
Location
Returning to Springside for the sixth summer, AL-BUSTAN CAMP uses the lower school facilities, including indoor classrooms, gym, auditorium, outdoor patio, playgrounds, and athletic fields, with access to the adjacent Wissahickon Creek Valley in Fairmount Park. To view the camp site and neighborhood map, click on image or here.
For directions to Springside School, please visit their website at www.springside.org
Schedule and Curriculum
The typical day for our young campers includes instruction in Arabic, Art, Singing, Percussion, Dance, and Drama or Poetry or Science. The teen campers have a different schedule which includes a focus on video-making for half the day, with the other half of the day including Arabic, Art, and Percussion or Poetry. Feel free to contact us if your family would like a copy of the camp’s daily schedule.
This summer’s theme explores the Arts, Culture, and Environment of Lebanon, with a focus on the works of author Nadine Touma and her publishing house Dar Onboz (“House of Hemp Seeds”).
The motivation for Dar Onboz is a passion for books, art, music, animations, films, a love of the Arabic language, a continuous quest to unravel the mysteries of childhood and a firm conviction in wanting to make a difference in the quality of life of the young and old through art and culture. Established on May 1, 2006, in Beirut, Lebanon, Dar Onboz caters to toddlers, children, adolescents, and adults. The Onboz family, through the young reader’s books, wants to see children and youth enjoying and loving the Arabic language, parents reading Arabic books to their children, and teachers developing new methodologies for teaching Arabic.
