Summer Camp 2012

Session 1 (MD): June 25th (Mon) - June 29th (Fri)

     @Carderock Picnic Pavilion (Mon-Thu)
(It is located in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Regional Park, along Potomac River)

         Area Map - here

  Thursday night Sleepover & Friday Dismissal

      @Rockwood Manor Park Dormitories

          (11001 MacArthur Blvd. Potomac, MD 20854)

Session 2 (VA): August 20th (Mon) - August 24th(Fri)

     @ Lake Fairfax

        (1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston, VA 20190)

   Thursday night Sleepover  Lake Fairfax
   Friday Dismissal Lake Fairfax Field 7

*You can attend either or both sessions

regardless where you live.

Monday - Wednesday: 9:30am - 3:00pm
Thursday drop off: 9:30am
Thursday pick up (for non sleepover campers): 3:00pm
Friday pick up: MD 12:30pm   VA 1:00pm

Fee

Package (5 days + sleepover)        $240

Monday - Friday (5 days without sleepover)  $230

＊Just like last year, $20 of your camp fee will be automatically sent to Miyagi-ken (宮城県災害対策本部 MIYAGIKEN SAIGAITAISAKUHONBU) . Also some portion will be allocated to support bringing students from Tohoku, Japan.

We strongly recommend to register for the entire session.  However if you cannot participate all 5 days, we do accept day-to-day registration. 

**There is no sibling discount.

Daily Activities
We will spend our days outdoor! During camp, campers will enjoy cooking, crafts, games, songs and playing with counselors in Japanese. It is a great opportunity for them to build friendships and community sense with peers. Campers will also enjoy water play, suika-wari, hiking, Japanese summer festival games, and dancing in the total immersion environment.

In the afternoon, campers will be able to select some special interest activities such as brush painting and calligraphy, bamboo crafts, origami, karate etc (depending upon the camp location and availability)

Sleepover Camp

*VA Camp allows campers 7 years old and up to stay for sleepover - no 6 and under.
Campers will experience being away from home and to challenge some evening outdoor activities as well as to appreciate the friendship they have built by spending a night together.
This is mainly for those who participate the entire session to spend the night together before the last day of camp.
Sleepover campers will remain at the campsite with more afternoon activities.  We will cook dinner, will have campfire, evening activities and group projects.  On Friday, we will enjoy early morning exercise and special activities such as "suika wari" or "Undokai" (Field-day), presentation of each group project/performance, and spend the last day with friends till noon.

*Sleepover camp is still an option for any campers, not mandatory (though most campers tend to stay for the sleepover)

Session 1(MD):  We will sleep in the dormitory. This is a Montgomery County facility with bunk beds, showers, and AC. Because we use an indoor facility, we can accommodate any campers for sleepover regardless of their age.

Session 2 (VA):  Just like last year, we all are going to sleep in tent.  For our safety reason and also considering camper`s social & emotional development stages, we would like to limit this sleepover camp to children who are 7 years old and older. 

Homestay/Host Family Option
We would like to accept participants from other areas.  For those who participate from other than Washington DC metropolitan area will stay at one of the local campers home.  We will help finding the best match of the host family.  In other words, those who are in local will have an opportunity to accept a child staying at your home during the camp week.

Requirements
There is NO requirement.  Anyone who is interested in Japanese language and culture can participate.  Children do not have to be able to speak Japanese.  We welcome both native and non-native Japanese participants.  HOWEVER, we strongly recommend that the child has a strong emotional and social skills as well as good self-esteem if he/she does not have any Japanese skills at all.  We will create the total immersion environment.  All the staff will be speaking Japanese.  It is very important that the child knows that it is okay that he/she does not understand or cannot speak Japanese but it is the opportunity for him/her to challenge himself/herself.  All our staff is trained to support each child no matter if the child understands Japanese or not, to meet his/her own needs.  And most of our staff can speak English so they are always available to give individual support in English.  We just want parents and the child to know that all the activities will be done in Japanese but we are willing to support.  Please make sure that your child is ready to be challenged, to take a risk to be in the total immersion environment and has strong motivation with trust and confident.

We suggest that a camper is at least 5 years old. We also welcome older children.  We will separate campers into two groups (up to 8 years old; older than 8 years old) in Session 2.

Those who are 12 and 13 years old have a choice of participating as a camper or a Jr. counselor.  It depends on child's personality, maturity, and Japanese skills. Please contact before you register.