Day camp can be fun, too: A sleepaway experience for the stay at home camper

Special section: Can't wait for summer camping

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of Jan. 30, 2009 / 5 Shevat 5769

While many children eagerly count down the days until they depart for sleepaway camp, not everyone is so keen on leaving the comfort of home to live in a crowded bunkhouse for an extended period of time. Several local traveling camps offer an alternative for those want a unique summer experience but are not inclined to stray far from home.

For the last several years, HAFTR’s Hillel Day Camp has run a Teen Travel Camp for kids finishing grades five through eight. Directed by Asher Ross, the eight week program takes campers on trips for three days each week, alternating between one-day excursions and overnight trips.

“All ages travel together and the kids are close to one another,” said Rabbi Steven Moskowitz, the head of Hillel Day Camp and a teacher at HAFTR High School. “One of the nice things about the program is that the seventh and eighth graders kind of adopt the younger kids and look to each other as brothers and sisters.”

Local trips include baseball games and Broadway shows, while overnights often have farther destinations such as Ohio and Canada. In the past, campers have enjoyed water parks, white water rafting, amusement parks and comedy shows, all while traveling on comfortable coach busses.

When not traveling, campers participate in activities including sports, chinuch (Jewish education), nature, and arts and crafts, all based at HAFTR’s lower school on Washington Avenue in Lawrence.

The travel camp –– with 50 to 60 percent of the kids coming from HAFTR –– has grown in popularity over the last few years and has begun to attract campers from Great Neck and elsewhere beyond the Five Towns, Rabbi Moskowitz observed.

“Last year, we were completely filled up; we had 45 kids on every trip, with waiting lists for every single week,” he said. “It’s more expensive if you come by the week, but you can do that if you don’t want to register for the whole summer.”

One bus is already filled for the coming summer, and there is also a waiting list, both for campers and for young adults who want to serve as counselors.

“We give precedence to our former campers, who get first crack at the seats,” Rabbi Moskowitz explained. “We are considering opening up a second bus but only if it will be full.”

A similar program, which is now entering its seventh summer, is Al Haderech Travel Camp, based in Kew Gardens Hills. Al Haderech, literally translated as “on the road,” holds one session for boys in grades three through eight and a second session for girls in grades four through eight.

“It’s the sleepaway feeling for the stay at home camper,” explained Rabbi Michael Merrill, the camp’s director and co-founder. “We have lots of amenities of sleepaway camp and the campers get to go home almost every night...What also makes our camp special is that no one day is the same. There is something unique every single day.”

Al Haderech campers go on a trip every single day of the summer, to a wide variety of places incorporating many activities including rock climbing, paintball, laser tag, kayaking, fencing and bowling. Campers also travel on two overnight excursions. In past summers, they have visited Dorney Park, Niagara Falls, the Police Museum, Lake Placid and Lake George. This year’s itinerary will include trips to Ohio, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, to enjoy hiking, amusement parks and rafting.

In addition to the trips, campers play sports every day, and can enjoy swimming and other water activities several times each week. Transportation is provided from Long Island and Queens.

The boys contingent of Al Haderech is comprised of close to 70 campers, while the girl’s section is smaller, with about 45 campers. Most hail from the Five Towns, Queens and West Hempstead.

“The camp has grown over the last few years, but we like to keep it nice and cozy,” Rabbi Merrill added. “The staff knows every camper, which gives it a very warm feeling.”

Rabbi Merrill has accompanied his campers on every trip and overnight since the camp’s inception. During the year, he is a rebbe at Hebrew Academy of Nassau County, where he is also the coordinator of student programs. His wife, Malkie Merrill, works alongside him as Al Haderech’s co-director. She focuses on programming to enhance the daily activities and also heads the aquatics program.

The Friedberg JCC in Oceanside also has two versions of a traveling camp. The Explorers Camp is for children entering grades five and six; the Voyagers Camp is for those entering grades seven through 10.

The Explorers program divides its time between regular activities on the JCC campgrounds and day trips to sporting events, museums, amusement parks and more. Explorers also go on three overnight trips to different places, which in the past have included Boston, Philadelphia and Busch Gardens.

The Voyagers take day trips and several extended overnight trips. Some of the local day trips have included Broadway shows, the Splish Splash water park, sporting events and sailing. Overnights have been taken to Canada, Ohio and Virginia.

What distinguishes the JCC travel camps from others is that participants can attend for four, six or eight weeks, while other programs are not as flexible and may only run for one session.