I have decided to create an Arab Cultural Camp for children in Washington.

After spending years working at various children’s camps around the Puget Sound, starting with StarTalk in Seattle and recently at Girl Scout Rainbow Camp on the Eastside, I wanted to create a camp that would specifically focus on the culture and heritage of the Arab world.

I have used the resources from A Crafty Arab, combined with my eleven year’s experience as an art docent at my daughters’ school, to create eight, fun, educational, camp stations. These art lesson stations include themes about Arab hospitality, Arab countries, Arab literature, Arab traditional instruments, Arab spices, etc.

It will be held August 6-10 in my artist studio in Redmond and August 20-24 at Salaam Cultural Museum in Seattle.

Since this is our inaugural year, the camp will be limited to 15 participants on a first come, first served basis. I will be taking children enterting grades K-6 from 8:30am to 3:30pm Monday through Friday, with a special outing and gallery show planned for our final day. Camp will be $200 a week to cover materials and visiting artists fees. There will be an open house for interested parents, to check out the studio and experience a sample art stations, on July 28th.

Arab Cultural Camp Sample Day

Our Arab Cultural Camp day will start with a Arabic story time/ song/ reading activity. My studio library includes hundreds of crafts and Arab children books. The children will be able to check out any of the books at the end of the day for enjoyment at home with siblings or other family members.

The children will then be separated for age appropriate stations. These included painting, cooking, calligraphy, dabke, etc before a break for lunch.

The children will enjoy a lunch from home, or a nutritious option can be provided for an additional fee paid that morning, before beginning a second set of stations.

Our day will finish with another story time / song / reading activity before the children are picked up. If daycare hours are needed, please let me know.

We will have one day when a local Arab musician will come to teach the children how to play the darbuka for an all camp singalong, I am still working the details on which day. Our Friday will also be a little different as it will include an art outing, followed by a gallery show of all the children’s artwork.

Yalla, let’s do this, I’m in!

If you are interested in learning more about the Arab Cultural Camp, either contact me or fill out an Arab Cultural Camp Application.

If this year’s Arab Cultural Camp is a success, I have also submitted a City of Seattle Youth Arts grant to offer it for free to refugee children next year. If you would like to be involved in that endeavor, please let me know as I hope to make it a much larger scale project and will be grateful for a few helping hands.