camps
Summer Camp Offers a Break for
Campers and Staff Alike
Julia Melo
Camp Lee Mar
• Fun traditional summer
camp activities
• Academics
Scan Me!
• Speech and language therapy
• Daily living skills
• Teenage campers enjoy social
dancing every week with an
end-of-summer “Prom”
• Optional trips during the summer
• Exceptional facilities featuring air
conditioned bunks and buildings
• Junior Olympic heated pool
• Caring Nurturing Staff
7 e 1 as s o t n!
S July 5 - August 11, 2023
Please visit us on Facebook,
Instagram and YouTube.

And so much more!
2023 Dates: June 24 – August 7
Visit our new website
www.leemar.com Winter Office: Camp Lee Mar
Ph: 215-658-1708 Fax: 215-658-1710
Please visit us on
On YouTube you can view parents and
campers talking about their experiences at Lee Mar.

18 • Lee Mar LIFE (Living Independently
Functional Education) Program. The
unique feature of our LIFE Program
is that it incorporates everyday
living skills into a personalized
daily program. We have a fully
functional apartment specifically for
this program with a large kitchen,
washer and dryer, two bathrooms,
a living room and bedroom.

JANUARY 19, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
On YouTube you can view
parents and campers talking
about their experiences
at Camp Lee Mar.

Academic Enrichment
Field Trips
Hands-on Learning
Team Building
Interested? Secure your
spot today!
enrollment@pathwayschool.org 610.277.0660 | pathwayschool.org
ven before the pandemic began,
children (and people in general)
already spent hours a day at their desks.

This solitary lifestyle has grown
through virtual and remote learning,
streaming networks and endless video
games, even videos of other people
playing video games. But our brains
are more active when we are active
ourselves. Play, extracurricular activities and
summer have always been seen as a
“break.” In reality, these occasions can
be the most active learning times for
children. When I started working for my family’s
child-care business, Kids After Hours, I
was 16, and it seemed like a fun place
to work after school. Our tagline, “It’s
Always Time for Fun,” means we are a
very fun place not only for children but
for staff as well. It goes beyond simply
having a good time.

This notion that breaks are superflu-
ous misses the incredible mental health
benefits that come from play. When we
first opened after the pandemic forced
business closures, we could see the
dramatic impacts social interactions,
outdoor experiences and play had on
children’s confidence. Over just a few
days, we watched children go from
reserved and isolating to building friend-
ships, embracing openness and trying
new experiences.

Last year was my family’s first summer
opening up Red Barn Ranch Camp. It
was always my parents’ dream to open
their own camp location, and it has been
incredible to be a part of developing a
camp from the ground up. We want to
make the most of the summer “break”
by creating amazing experiences for the
children and staff in our program.

Through providing various activities
such as swimming, maneuvering climb-
ing walls, flying down zip lines, building
friendships through our sports programs,
riding ATVs and go-karts, as well as
creating art through multiple media, we
Photo by Julia Melo
E



can help all children fi nd something that
breaks them out of their shell and intro-
duces them to something new.

Red Barn Ranch has been a passion
project for my entire family. We have
spent hours meticulously planning our
facilities. Every detail of Red Barn Ranch
has been discussed and debated by
my family to create the perfect summer
camp location. It’s important to my family
that we create a camp that embod-
ies fun, exploration and building social
connections. Camp allows children to reconnect
with friends, themselves and nature. It
gives children the opportunity to take
what they have learned throughout the
school year, connect it to hands-on
experiences and expand on their learn-
ing in ways they can’t in a classroom
setting. As we have been develop-
ing our camp program, we have been
incredibly mindful of creating experi-
ences that can build communities
among our campers.

From building confi dence in our
high ropes course, building friendships
through our sports programs and going
beyond cookie-cutter art projects,
every aspect of camp has something
children can take with them for the rest
of their lives.

Summer camp is not a break from
learning. It is learning. It’s a chance to
have children turn off the screens of their
virtual lives, go out, have experiences
and make wonderful memories. ■
Looking for a place
where children can gain
more independence,
tolerance, teamwork
& friendship
Come join our family at
Golden Slipper
Camp Overnight camp
for children ages 7-15
Julia Melo is the accreditation and
curriculum director of Kids After
Hours, a before- and after-school care
program that operates in 26 locations
through Maryland, and the program
coordinator of Red Barn Ranch Camp.

ACA Accredited
Daily sports, arts, pool
and lake activities
Located on 300 acres in
the Pocono Mts.

Embracing Jewish values
AkimD / AdobeStock
2 Summer Sessions (3.5 weeks each)
www.goldenslippercamp.org 610-660-0520
Register Online Today
SUMMER IS ‘S’MORE’
FUN AT CAMP!
Exciting News about the Summer Camp
Scholarship and Grant Process
Save on the cost of summer camp this year!
One Happy Camper for first time overnight campers
New this year: A sibling policy
Deadline: Rolling
Need Based Camp Scholarship/Financial Aid
New this year: Simplified application process!
Apply for Jewish Federation assistance directly through desired camp.

Deadline: Varies by camp
Funds are awarded on a rolling basis. Apply early to secure
your financial support.

Learn more: jewishphilly.org/camp
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