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AL-BUSTAN
CAMP 2003 was the second and highly successful year of our camp.
During the three week program, a team of wonderfully talented
teachers and counselors kept the diverse group of campers thoroughly
engaged and having a lot of fun, while learning Arabic and experiencing
many aspects of the Arab culture. For most it was an opportunity
to connect with and affirm their Arab cultural identity, while
for others it was an opportunity to learn a new language and appreciate
a culture which they otherwise would have little occasion to be
formally exposed to.
Please scroll through our photo gallery, projects and essays pages
to learn more about the fun things our campers did. . . .
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2003 Summer Camp Photos / Big Archive (limited access)
Arabic Language Instruction
| Arabic is the primary focus of the Camp. During daily
language instruction the children spent time speaking,
singing, reading, listening and writing Arabic in a fun and
engaging way. |
Nature Study
| The campers spent time outdoors, exploring the lush
landscape of the Arboretum and learning about its woodlands
and wetlands. They also worked on a community
vegetable/flower/herb garden that the Camp started planting
in the spring, located across from the entry gate of the
Arboretum along Northwestern Avenue. |
Art & Architecture
| The campers were engaged in various art projects. They had a
fun and creative hands-on time while making mosaics cast in
plaster, collectively painting a folktale character
portrait, creating an Arabic eco-systems model, and building
stage set designs. |
Music & Dance
| The musicians Joe and Adeeb introduced the tablah and oud to
the campers, providing them opportunities to appreciate
Arabic music and the different quarter-tones and rhythms.
The campers learned to play the tablah, interspersed with
various musical games and exercises. Michele, the dance
instructor, introduced the children to the debkeh, a
traditional folklore dance, to the accompaniment of both
live and recorded music. |
Storytelling & Drama
| During the first week of their storytelling and drama
activities, the children listened to and acted out several
folktales from "Kalila wa Dimna", a book of animal fables.
The following week and a half they learned about various
Juha jokes and stories and performed a skit called "The
Story of Juha, his Son and Donkey: Pleasing Everyone is an
Impossible Task." |
Fun
| . . . some fun and playful times at camp. . . . |
Penn Charter Exchange
| The children visited the nearby William Penn Charter School
Day Camp on four mornings during the three weeks of camp.
They had an opportunity to get to know other similar aged
children, with whom they played various games and sports,
along with engaging in several cross-cultural activities
related to art, music and dance. |
End of Camp Performance
| The three weeks of camp ended joyfully with a scrumptious
potluck dinner for all the campers, teachers, parents and
Arboretum staff. This was followed by a children's
performance that including singing, dancing, drumming and
acting. At the end everyone was treated to an Arabic
musical concert by Joe on the tablah, Roger on the oud, and
Yasmine on the flute. |
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