Non Jewish camp? | Imamother

Mon, Jun 20 2016, 2:00 pm

Do you mean a day camp? Sleepaway camps are usually out in the countryside. This doesn't exactly answer your question, but we have used secular day camps with no problem. However, it wasn't because of lack of a Jewish camp, but by choice.

If the community in question has no camp because it is extremely small, has few families with young children and is experiencing no growth, I would look more closely before making a commitment if you are looking for a community with an established infrastructure.

You can learn more about the community by asking other questions. Is there a viable Jewish school? What do the kids usually do in the summer (they may go to sleep away camp, or to bungalows, or to school programs, so the community doesn't need a camp). What problems may have interfered with organizing a camp in the past (lack of leadership, staff or knowledge)?

DrMom

Mon, Jun 20 2016, 2:02 pm

Secular camps: If there is no alternative, then it depends on the camp (how accommodating they are about food, what do they do about swimming, etc.). It helps if your child has a frum friend who is also attending, and if you can discuss concerns with the camp director beforehand to anticipate and have solutions ready for any issues that may crop up. I assume we are talking about daycamps here and not sleepaway camps.

Can you send your kids out of town for sleepaway Jewish camp?

How old are they?

tichellady

Mon, Jun 20 2016, 2:22 pm

I went to non Jewish and non orthodox Jewish camps. I found the non orthodox Jewish camps to be a better fit ( the one I went to provided kosher food although many campers brought non Kosher snacks that I knew not to trade) . Having frum friends with me really helped and I enjoyed camp a lot.

amother

Forestgreen

Mon, Jun 20 2016, 4:42 pm

I grew up in a place with one Jewish day camp and I hated the Jewish day camp. So, we did a few different things:
1) Backyard camp - run by some of the local religious teenagers for early elemenatary school age kids. I don't remember it being great, but I don't have any negative memories at all. The teenagers made nice money, so they were motivated to run it.
2) I went to a non-jewish county music & arts camp. This is different than regular day camp, because there was no swimming and no formal lunch (everyone brings there own). The camp is set up like highschool (it was actually in a school building too), where you go from class to class and you can pic k your classes. I did everything there from learning to play the drums to painting to baton twirling to comedy to movie directing to tye-dying to acting in a play to set design to band. It was fantastic. I didn't even miss the pool. And I had a few orthodox friends who were also there (though often in different classes) and that was important too. But I was very friendly with the other kids there (non-Jewish) - there was such a diversity of people there, that my being Jewish was just another diverse thing. And everyone brought there own food so who cared that mine was kosher? And the kids who went were generally kids who had a wide variety of interests and hibbies and the classes kept us busy - I don't ever remember being exposed to anything inappropriate from the other kids. Of course, this was before cell phones. . .

Find out what other people in the community do. Good luck!

amother

Burlywood

Mon, Jun 20 2016, 5:14 pm

Did the same as ForestGreen. Sent my kids there too (hey lurker kid!)
No inappropriate cell phone videos were shared.
The "worst" thing was that the teacher often had secular music playing in the background during the art classes, even during the 3 weeks/ 9 days. I explained to the kids that it is not like they chose to listen to the music.
The kids did not go in on 9 Av.
The kids were exposed to all of the arts and crafts/music that is lacking even in mo day schools.

amother

Salmon

Mon, Jun 20 2016, 5:28 pm

My kids have all gone to the local secular day camps and loved it. These days so many kids have special diets and food allergies they didn't feel left out because of the food issue.

I ask ahead of time if the kids will get a special treat - usually ice cream or Popsicles. I will send my kids with their own version. When the kids are older, they can also check the hekscher themselves. Often the single serve treats are ou Popsicles. On the BBQ day I send my kids with their own hot dogs in the bun and chips, etc.

We have done mostly sports and arts camps. Soccer, tennis, painting, general crafts, some coding camp, Lego camp.

We live in a small OOT community and my kids like getting a break from the regular group of kids that they go to school with.

amother

Royalblue

Mon, Jun 20 2016, 5:29 pm

I went to several secular daycamps/summer programs as a kid, and we did have Gan Israel in my area.

The ones I remember were nature camp (mostly outdoors, I got poison ivy but it was fun and I met my first non-Orthodox Jews, so it was a learning experience in more ways than one. One of the life-long lessons I learned was "leaves of three, let it be".) and a sewing class I took one summer in middle or early high school.

leah233

Tue, Jun 21 2016, 1:42 pm

There is no way I would ever consider a non-Jewish sleep away camp.Period.

But if your child isn't the only frum child attending there are ways I would consider a non -Jewish day camp if there was no other alternative.

Over thirty years ago the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens had a free program of gardening/growing fruits and vegetables etc instead of day camp. My husband and a bunch of very Yeshivshe kids attended.

IF there was a group of frum children attending we would probably allow our sons to attend such a thing today assuming we had no other alternative.

I would not allow my child to be the only frum child in his day camp bunk.Even with no other alternative.

BrachaBatya

Tue, Jun 21 2016, 1:58 pm

My kids have not gone to secular camps but have been to a variety of Jewish camps. The Jewish camps ranged in denomination - Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. The Jewish camps all had t'fillot and lots of Yiddishkeit, though with different "personalities." I was happy as long as my kids were in a Jewish community. I am not picky about the "kind" of Jewish community. I am probably in the minority here but I believe that exposure to different types of Jewish life is a good thing for our kids and I like them being with and learning from different kinds of Jewish people in different Jewish environments.

amother

Crimson

Tue, Jun 21 2016, 2:08 pm

I personally wouldn't send my child to a secular camp and I'm pretty modern. In secular camps they skip praying and Jewish subjects and no kosher food in most. I went thru the public school system and let me tell you, from the bullying to the drugs to the secular ideas it was awful. So I personally care too much to send my kids to a secular camp but maybe other mothers don't care as much and it's not so important to them.

amother

Taupe

Tue, Jun 21 2016, 2:16 pm

amother wrote:

Sounds like sports and arts in Teaneck.

amother

Burlywood

Tue, Jun 21 2016, 2:27 pm

The kids who were in the non-Jewish arts camp were very posh. Of course, the camp was located in a school in the one of the best school districts in the area. No drugs, the teachers were all vetted public school teachers. Also, this was not a free camp. I paid as much for 4 hours per day there as I would a full day at the local jewish camp. The kids who went were very nice and friendly. The best story was one little girl who thought my daughter was Amish because of her below-the-knee skirts.
Those 4 hours per day consisted of oil painting, specialized art classes, sewing, robotics and so many fun activities that I am glad that my kids experienced.
I consider myself right wing YU.