New Places, New Programs for Kids in Rockland County - May 2010

Check out these new additions to Rockland County, NY, that cater to children and families.

A New Kind of Arts Camp

   Rockland Country Day School will offer a four-week summer arts program called Summer Studio this July.  The new day camp, developed by RCDS and The Nature Place, will offer "arts through nature" for children ages 5-12, says Daniel Bieber, the camp's director.

   Each week of the program will focus on a different theme: visual arts, music, drama, and the culinary arts, respectively, all of which will be presented through the lens of the natural world. "It's an arts camp, but kids aren't just going to come home covered in glue and construction paper-they'll come home covered in dirt and leaves as well," says Bieber, who adds that the program is very hands-on. "The goal is to get children to cast a different eye on the world they see around them all the time."

   On June 5, RCDS will host an open house for families to get a taste of the Summer Studio program. There will be a sample arts activity for kids from 10:30am-12pm, followed by a guided tour of the campus and facilities in the early afternoon. To make a reservation, contact Lorraine Greenwell at 845-268-6802 x 201, or [email protected].

   Rockland Country Day School is located at 34 Kings Highway in Congers. 845-268-6802. www.rocklandcds.org.

For Learners of Every Level

   APOGEE^TM, a learning enhancement training system based in Tappan, recently launched a new tutoring program called APOGEE^TM Achievers.

   APOGEE^TM Achievers is an empowerment program, says Rose Marie Racciopi, the program's director. The new program is available to students, starting in first grade, as well as professionals. "They can come for help in school or if they just want to enhance and become aware," Racciopi says. "It's not just helping [students] become more successful in math, but teaching them the basic principles for success that they can apply to all areas."