* The first posting is for families who may want to host a French-Caribbean student who is in the area over the 2009 summer as part of a cultural exchange program.

Host Families Needed for French-Caribbean Students from Guadeloupe, French West Indies Coming to Washington, DC to Study English Language and American Culture July 16 - August 1, 2009 Host Families Provide Lodging and Some Meals Exchange Students Take English Language and Culture Classes From 9 – 4, Monday – Friday Host Families, Exchange Students and Group Leaders Participate in Social Gatherings and Festivities *Stipend Provided to Host Families For more information, call Chantal at: 301-775-8877, or send and e-mail to linkeducation971@yahoo.com. Visit our website at: www.linkeducationusa.org.

**The following comes from a post on the HOPE listserve. Click here for that email.

Every year when it's bitter cold and we're finally just starting to recover from the winter holiday insanity, we turn our attention to the next completely logical thing to become obsessed and overwhelmed
with:...................summer camp! There's nothing I dread more than having to book summer camps when it's 17 degrees outside. Check out this wonderful list and add to it or make comments. *URL's are included but note that it is early for many camps so if they have info online its often
LAST YEAR's stuff -- most of them don't yet have the 2008 info or reg forms online just yet.

**Rob Nicholson's Combo Camp is a hit with ages 11-18. It's rock and roll/jazz camp and runs for three weeks in July. Any and all instruments welcome. Call Rob at 240-476-5223 for info.


* Joe's Movement Emporium summer camp
http://www.joesmovement.org/summercamp/index.html

* *Greenwood Arts Camp -*- they have eight different one-week camps, each with a different creative theme like puppetry, cooking, creative movement, etc. plus there's also the greenwood summer camp (basically daycare camp) for the younger -- more on that below. http://www.greenwoodschoolmd.org/

* *Gymkana at UMD*. big thumbs up. kids 5 and up
http://www.gymkana.org/summercamp/

* *Bug Camp at UMD.* Harper loves bugs and this is great for buglovin
kids. She's done it the past 3 summers I think? Ages 7 and up.
http://www.insectcamp.umd.edu/summer_camp.html

* *Creative Kids Camp at Greenbelt Recreation Center *(this is one that
Mr. Fominaya and Miss Teresa from UPES both help run, and is really great).
They also have a kindercamp for the younger kids (3-5 year old) at
Greenbelt. You have to be 6 to do CKC.
http://www.greenbeltmd.gov/camps/index.php

* *Mad Science Camp* -- various locations on various weeks.... the one we
happened to do was in silver spring (it was an oddball week I needed
coverage for in August), but they have it at UPES on at least one week.
http://www.madscience.org/locations/dc

* *UMD Arts & Learning Camp http://www.union.umd.edu/artcenter/summerArtCamp.shtml

* *Mt Rainier's Peace Camp * -Dirt cheap and it's a week in midaugust when almost no one does camps. If you happen to need a camp for both your kids in midaugust (they take ages 4 and
up), and are in to the whole crunchy peacenik vibe, then I'd look into it.
http://www.lffp.org/summercamp.html

* Music camp at *Ottley Music School* which was really really good for her music-wise.
http://ottleymusic.org/

* *Silver Stars Gymnastics camp*: Not worth doing for us unless youcan carpool
with another parent, because it's 30 minutes each way and who wants to drive
2 hours each day?
http://www.gosilverstars.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=camp

** Center for Young Children* Summer Camp:CYC is the acclaimed preschool on the campus
of UMD, but the summer program is also for school aged kids. It's a six week session and a great camp, if pricey. http://www.education.umd.edu/CYC/summer.htm *:

* *Kindercamp at Greenbelt Recreaction Center*
http://www.greenbeltmd.gov/camps/index.php

* terpquest: for kids entering 1st grade through 6th grade. I think it's like gymkana but with other sports instead of just tumbling.
http://www.terpquest.umd.edu/.

* Summer Fun Camp: This is in laurel, so too far for us.
http://www.thegardensicehouse.com/summer_fun_camp.asp.

* Knights of Columbus Swim Camp (Cherry Hill). Ive heard this is a great swim camp. And it's very cheap
http://kofccamp.blogspot.com/

* All of those summer camps offered by PG County! Only because the ones that we are interested always seem to be booked up, or too far away, or on a week or weeks that we have other camps we'd rather do. But these camps are VERY cheap and some of them sound really cool.
http://www.pgparks.com/things/camps.html

* Corcoran Camp Creativity: if it weren't located in Georgetown and wicked expensive, I'd love to send harper to this.
http://www.corcoran.edu/campcreativity/index.asp

* School of Rock Summer Camp.: this sounds awesome! It's in silver spring.
http://www.schoolofrock.com/washington/summercamp_school.php

* Even More Camps This has info on a bunch of camps and is from 2007, but is helpful.
http://www.education.umd.edu/SUCP/Summer_Programs.html

* And More Camps Still From the Our-Kids website
http://www.our-kids.com/public/t/?f=5&s=119&t=&expand=true

* Pony Pal Camp (5-7 year olds) at Woodland Horse Center in Silver Spring. It was the priciest of Lina's camps, but it was also the absolute highlight of her summer. They do a terrific job teaching the kids not only how to ride horses, but how to care for them and relate to them. For example, they ride the horses facing backwards without holding on to learn about balance (with someone right there just in case). http://www.woodlandhorse.com/Pony_Pals_Camp.html

* University of Maryland's Confucius Institute Chinese Culture Camp Daughter's all time favorite. Two 1 week sessions, and the groups were small - about 9 - 12 kids. They made a clay Chinese dish garden, had simple classes in paper cutting & Chinese history, cooked noodles and dumplings, learned a few Chinese greetings & phrases, & dressed up in Chinese clothes. And they played in the fountain in the center of campus - so you need to send a change of clothes!
http://www.international.umd.edu/cim.

Sports and Computer Camp at UMD. Jen from Riverdale Park highly recommends this camp for ages 5-13 (coed), run by Dr. Betty Brown. "My son (11 yrs) has been going there since he was 5. The camp is laid back and F-U-N. It is family oriented, they keep the same staff each year, so the kids are comfortable and familiar with them. There are 3 one week sessions, you can do morning only or all day. They do sports things in the morning (anything from racquetball to kick the can to volleyball, etc), go to the pool on campus, then lunch/movie, in the afternoon, they work on computers (age appropriate things and they are monitored) and at the very end of the day usually another activity. They take an annual trip to the Dairy on campus that the kids love."
http://www.education.umd.edu/SUCP/Summer_Programs.html