A specialty Camp for many Specialties
Whatever interests your child, he or she can find it at Camp Twelve Trails, the Shames JCC day camp in Rockland County for kids, kindergarten through grade 10. Combining the traditional day camp, which may have Easy family camping meals, with a specialty camp, Twelve Trails lets kids pick their own “neighborhood” where they can participate in a variety of skill-building activities. Kids
In the Play Neighborhood, there’s every sport from the traditional to ultimate frisbee, flag football, flag rugby, martial arts, Yoga or Gaga. In the Create Neighborhood, there’s art, theatre, music, dance, photography, and film making. If your child wants to Explore or Grow, these Neighborhoods offer archery, high ropes, rafting, orienteering and more, as well as farm to table activities such as cooking, gardening, animal exploration and nature art. The Discover Neighborhood focuses on science and technology and includes rocketry, robotics, dark-room photography, astronomy, even Lego engineering.
Campers can change their neighborhoods each week, or stay with them for longer periods. In addition, there are the traditional camp activities: swimming, sing-a-longs, Shabbat and lasting friendships.
Camp Twelve Trails is located on beautiful, expanded campgrounds in Pearl River, 11 miles from the Shames Campus. Staffed bus transportation is offered to and from the Shames JCC each day.
For teens in grades 7-10, their camping experience goes to the next level with overnight trips to out-of-the-way destinations and day trips like White Water rafting. They can go off site to work with local farmers or stay on campgrounds and learn how to succeed from mentors in sports or theatre.
For older teens who want to be counselors in training, Twelve Trails offers specialized CIT programs focusing on leadership development. Teens receive training through workshops and first-hand experience under the guidance and support of professional camp staff.
One of the J’s most successful camping experiences is the Twelve Trails Inclusion Program for campers on the autism spectrum or who have developmental challenges. Grouped by age and staffed by special education professionals, the program provides campers with a caring, safe and engaging environment.
