The

SPorts

/vClub

of West Bloomfield

ALL SPORTS CAMP

1997 EDITION

The "Camp of SUNG 1996" is back.
Give your child a chance to experience phis
fasf-paced, fun-filled, sport's extravaganza!

TENNIS
BASKETBALL
SOCCER
SWIMMING
TAEKWONDO

for kids ages 6-10
9:00am to 3:00pm (Precare and Posfcare available)

THE APPLETREE

Camp Weekly Sessions begin June 161h
Limited space available

Call Today

810-626-9880

M

y favorite time
of day is night.
Each evening
at about 8 p.m.,
Yitzhak and Adina crawl into
their little beds. Holding my
baby Talya, I sit beside them.
I sit in a white rocking chair
that during the day is home to
two stuffed-animal mice, a boy
and a girl. Resting on the top is
a pink-and-white, hand-cro-
cheted blanket, a gift for Talya
from a colleague at work. (It's
wonderfully amazing when ac-
quaintances and friends at
work, not just family and close
friends, share in your joy as a
baby is born).
We talk about the day, about
what was especially nice or dif
ficult or interesting. Some-
times, I will sing to Yitz and
Adina. I never know what re-
sponse this will elicit.
When my daughter, Adina,
was about 3 1/2 I sang her a
song called "Wings," in which
a mother wishes wings for her
child, to fly among the clouds
and rainbows and be safe for-
ever. But soon, she says, her lit-
tle offspring will grow her own
wings and be big enough to fly
all alone.
When my daughter heard
this she turned to me. "But I
don't want to fly away from
Mommy and Daddy!" she said,
tears coming to her eyes.
Yitzhak, now 3 1/2, is a
very different childt,The other
day I was singing "Wings" to
him. It was, for me, a poignant
moment as I imagmed my dear
little boy growing up and leav-
ing home. I felt a wave of such
tender sadness.
" Wings?" Yitzhak suddenly
called out in the middle of my
singing. And then, in a tone

that suggested I surely had lost
my mind, he said, "What
would you give me wings for?"
In the last minutes of my
children's day I read to them.
We are about to take up The
Secret Garden Pippi Long-
stocking has been a favorite, as
is anything by Dick King-
Smith. Yitz and Adina love his
Sophie's Snailso much they
practically have it memorized.
I am convinced that reading
to children is one of the most
valuable and rewarding expe-
riences in the world. It in-
creases their vocabulary and
develops their imagination. As
I read to my children, I en-
courage them to draw mental
pictures of what things look
like. Sometimes, I stop and
ask what they see. Often, I
will read until they fall asleep,
wrapped amid bright and hap-
py visions of princesses and
talking farm animals, rain-
bows and adventurous boys
that will carry them safely
through the night.
In this month's AppleTree,
local celebrities provide us with
a list of their favorite children's
reading. If you're not already
familiar with these books, I en-
courage you to take a look.
Across the board, they're a
great collection.
Meanwhile, Pesach is be-
hind us and Shavuot is just
around the corner; you can
read all about this important
holiday on the Celtabrate
page.

Until next month,

Elizabeth Applebaum
Editor