How much time each day do the campers spend learning? Every day, no matter what we are doing, we always start with learning. We typically learn for about an hour each day.
Are there different groups for learning? Yes. They are split up into a whole bunch of groups based mostly on grade level.
Who teaches the learning groups? Besides the very responsible counselors who lead small groups, we also have extra Rabbeim who come into camp exclusively to teach learning groups.
What do they typically learn? We realize that this is not school and therefore we try to learn things that are a little less "heavy" than during the year. Some things that might be learned are a whole mesechta of mishnayos, applicable halachos from seforim like Kitzur or Mishna Berura, interesting Hashkafa topics or even a geshmaka sugya in Gemorah.
What time does camp start and end? This might vary depending on what we are doing that day but we almost always start with learning at 9:30. Ending time, however, will change quite often. Officially we end at 4:30 but more often than not we end later than this and very often much later than this. On average, we end between 5:30 and 6:00.
Do campers and parents know the daily schedule in advance? We try to give an overview at the beginning of each week of any days that have any type of altered schedule. So, if there is a day that we know we will be ending very late or if we will be having a night activity or if there is a day that we will be going somewhere that campers need to bring extra items, we will let everyone know beforehand. However, the usual policy of camp is that if they don't need to know beforehand, they won't.
Do you ever accept boys going into 5th or 10th grade also? The official grades we accept are boys going into 6th through 9th. However, we do many times accept boys in other grades as well but it would depend on a couple of things. Please don't hesitate to ask if interested.
How often are sports played? Although most of our days are filled with going on trips, we do play sports also. The difference between us and other camps is that sports is not the main focus of our days...trips are. We play sports about 2 times a week and usually for around an hour at a time. When we do play we have very exciting games that are always a lot of fun.
How often is there swimming? We try to go swimming or at least to some sort of water activity once or twice a week and there is always a lifeguard there.
What if a camper does not want to swim or participate in an activity? In order to give everyone as much fun as possible, if there are enough boys who do not want to swim, we might arrange for a group to go play sports or something else during that time. We never force anyone to go swimming or for that matter any other activity. We might encourage boys to participate or try something new but we never force them.
How are the campers transported every day? We travel in luxury every day on a bus. It is considerably more comfortable than a car or van and it greatly minimizes any chance of campers getting car sickness.
Is there transportation available to and from camp? Yes. In the morning there is optional pick up for a nominal fee for those who need it and drop off is included for everyone.
Where do campers get dropped off? Unfortunately, because of the size of the bus and the amount of campers, we do not drop off door to door anymore but all campers are dropped off on the main streets as close to their houses as possible. Last year almost nobody had more than a 5 minute walk to their house.
Do you have overnight camping trips and night activities too? You bet! It varies depending on the weather and other factors but we always try to get in at least one overnight camping trip per session and hopefully a few night activities.
Can you give me a small example of some trips you typically take? Sure! Remember though that this is only a small example and nothing written here is written in stone. There aren't any trips that we could guarantee we will do. Here goes: Horseback riding, tubing, Ifly, Knoebels, Adventure park, gokarting, bowling, ice skating, baseball game, paintball, laser tag, Guppy Gulch, Skyzone. Hope that gives you an idea but the truth is this list would only fill about 2 weeks worth of camp.
How do your prices compare to other camps in Baltimore? First of all, our prices should be at least triple what other camps in Baltimore are based on the caliber of our daily schedule. Any camp that does even half the things we do will be much much more expensive. Let's compare to a random typical day camp in Baltimore. For one session which will last 3 weeks and 1 day (16 day) it will cost $949. Our price for one session that will last 4 weeks (19 days) is $1295. This means we are really only about one hundred dollars more for the session. This other camp will make it mandatory to tip the staff which could run another $100. We don't have mandatory tipping. This means that both of our camps charge the exact same.
Can I register for camp for one day? Unfortunately, no. The least amount of time one could register is for one week.
Are there any scholarships available? Under certain circumstances we do provide scholarships for those who need them. If money is an issue, please contact us and we'll see what we can do. Our goal here is to give every boy an awesome summer and we will do what we can to make sure this can happen regardless of financial ability.
Will you provide your federal ID number so I could use a flexible spending account and deduct camp on my taxes? Definitely! If your son is under 13 you could use camp as a deduction on your taxes next year. Contact us when you are ready to prepare your taxes and we will provide you with whatever you need including an official receipt or our TIN number.
What is the policy regarding electronics? Good question! There's nothing more important to us than the safety of every camper in gashmius and ruchnius. Therefore, all devices that have or could have any type of access to the internet, whether they are blocked or not, will not be allowed in camp. Any device that can download anything including music, videos, apps, or anything will not be allowed. This would include but is not limited to ALL smart phones, ipods, tablets, kindles, game consoles, Apple watches, MP4's etc. We do allow kosher flip phones but otherwise all types of phones are not allowed. Although it is not encouraged, certain gaming devices like the old ones that have no ability to play anything but what is programmed on the device can also be allowed as long as the games are appropriate for a Ben Torah. This is a very serious issue and any camper caught violating these rules will either be suspended or terminated from camp.
Is camp peanut free? Not usually but if someone is highly allergic we would definitely consider making it peanut free. Just let us know.
Are there any former parents of campers I could use as a reference? Definitely! You can literally ask anybody that has been here before in the last 16 years and they can tell you all about it. At the end of each video is a list of campers from that year. You can ask any one of them.