Camp Guide

maplurst

Great Outdoors from page 56

Since 1955 family
owned and operated.
Located on
Lake Maplehurst
and Torch Lake.
Co-ed ages 7 - 15

www.comprnapiehurst.com

248-647-2646

The best summer cam
for your child.„,GURRIM

fiery few spaces remain available for Summer 2006,
don't delay...your deposit 5 fees are always refundable!

www.woodenacres.com

fOR MfORMflT100, CORTIICT:
1111Dfl I HflRUEY HORELBERG flT (248) 543-3299 1 08.50

58

February 23 2006

Ilan Elrom, 5, of West Bloomfield

working mothers are employed part-
time and have the flexibility to mesh
their schedules to camp hours.
Staffing for any children's program
is the most important element. "It's the
love, the warmth, the expertise
[brought by the staff] that makes the
child happy every day," Weintraub
said. "You couldn't have a successful
program without them."
Weintraub and her counterpart at
Shaarey Zedek Southfield, Rena
Cohen, are blessed with veteran staff.
In West Bloomfield, the teacher with
the lowest seniority has been working
for Weintraub for three years. Most
have been with her 10 or more years.
The school and day camp stress a
1:6 ratio of teachers to students. In the
summer, the camps utilize extra
helpers — teen camp aides who are
receiving cLedit for religious school or
bar/bat mitzvah projects. "They are
mostly volunteers, and they are our
bonus:' Weintraub said, "but they are
never considered in our staff-to-stu-
dent ratio. It's important to have the
adults there, but we can also use the
extra eyes and help."
Last summer, six aides helped with
the 70 campers in West Bloomfield.
Two helped with the 35 campers in
Southfield.
Judaism plays an important part in
the experience. The 4-year-olds at
Shaarey Zedek are participating in a

Dor L'Dor (generation to generation)
program this year. Parents fill out a
brief form and send pictures to school
of the people the children are named
for. The form asks the parents why the
name was chosen and what qualities
the person had that they would like
their child to possess.
The Dor L'Dor forms and photos are
proudly displayed in the school hallway.

Seniors spend up to
90 minutes with the
kids. "The children
and seniors love it."

Weintraub and her teachers make
Shabbat special each week. And this
year they've paired with the Brown
Center at the Applebaum Jewish
Community Campus to bring seniors
each week to the children's Shabbat
program.
"Last week, we had six seniors:'
Weintraub said. "We call it our Grand
Friends Program because they are the
ages of grandparents. The children
and the seniors love it." The seniors
spend 75-90 minutes with the chil-
dren. ❑