Summer Forever

Hanging at the Huffington Post

This summer will present me and my wife with our first taste of empty nesting. From the end of July to the middle of August, my 9-year-old son will go to sleepaway camp for the first time—the same Berkshires oasis that his camp-crazy 13-year-old sister attends. My wife and I joke that we’ll be very tempted to use the time to do more work. But I suspect we’ll also use it to sleep later, exercise more, worry less, and put the finishing touches on our plans for a family trip to Montreal and Quebec City.

I’m going to want August to linger forever, though I know that September, with its call to routine and responsibility, will be here before we know it. Meanwhile, I have a great end-of-summer issue to share.

On the fun front, we have an adventurous bucket list of local must-dos for families, a well-researched list of favorite picnic spots around the city, and a guide to great lakes within a day’s drive. And then there are the issue’s showstoppers:

When I originally read about how Arianna Huffington and Mika Brzezinski are trying to galvanize a “third women’s revolution” to redefine success and put a higher premium on personal wellness, my first thought was: “I need this.” And my second was: “Pitch them a cover interview.” Thankfully, they agreed.

You’ve probably heard that New York City will be electing a new mayor come November. We asked the leading candidates to discuss their key plans for improving family life in the city—and to our surprise we received some really good answers.

Originally, I had assembled a roundtable of admissions experts to discuss the nuts and bolts of applying to nursery and private school. But what they really wanted to talk about was the value of education, because they know that tuition costs are propelling many parents to question whether it’s all worth it. Is it? Find out here.

Have A Happy August,

Eric Messinger
Editor

[email protected]

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The Park Slope Day Camp - Traditional Camp

<p dir="ltr">Since ‘92, Park Slope Day Camp has provided an environment and staff that empowers Brooklyn kids to be social, active, and engaged! Campers will make friends and have kick-butt-fun! Sign-up for an info session and learn about what makes Park Slope Day Camp so special. From camp activities to swimming and trips, PSDC delivers a one-of-a-kind experience. Flexible schedules, extended hours, and transportation from most Brooklyn neighborhoods. Options to mix and match with Take the Stage and Sports Academy available for most ages.</p> <p dir="ltr">For campers ages 3.5 - 14. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Register while discounts are at their highest. </strong></p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c27e63bd-7fff-3517-e734-4313bbb65766"></span></p>

Purchase College Youth and Precollege Programs

<p>Welcome to the Summer 2024 Youth and Precollege Programs in the Arts!</p> <p>For more than 40 years, these programs have been much more than camps. Summer students from grades 7-12 learn new skills in a rich environment full of exciting beginnings, new friends and achievements, growth and independence.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Summer 2024 Youth and Precollege Programs in the Arts. Serious Foundation. Serious Fun.</strong></p> <p>Ignite your passion for performing arts, creative writing, filmmaking, songwriting and music production, journalism, voice, auditioning, photography and photo editing, or visual art in these intensive enrichment experiences, led by experienced educators and teaching artists. Students in grades 7 – 12 engage in 1-, 2- and 4-week, full day programs designed to foster growth and independence while gaining new skills and meeting new friends with similar interests!</p> <p>Join the instructors you know and love in daily sessions that teach new skills and provide social interaction. We have kept the same low staff-to-student ratio and quality instruction that you have come to expect. They are immersed in a variety of exciting and enriching learning opportunities, such as songwriting, acting, visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, digital arts, voice, and musical theatre. We hope that you choose Purchase College for your child’s summer experience. It is sure to create many treasured memories for your entire family.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Programs:</strong></p> <p>- Programs meet 9:30 am – 3:30 pm, Monday–Friday, with early drop-off and extended</p> <p>day options also available.</p> <p>- There are no programs Thursday and Friday, July 4 & 5.</p> <p>- 10% discount for early registration and Purchase College faculty/staff discount</p> <p>- Session I: July 1 – July 12 Session II: July 15 – 26 Session III: July 29 – August 9</p> <p> </p> <p>Each program concludes with a performance, exhibit, reading, film screening, or other culminating event for families and friends to showcase the skills that they have learned.</p> <p> </p>

Bonjour Language Camps!

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bonjour Language Camps in French, Mandarin & Spanish</span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our focus is on immersive experiences – building confidence, friendship, and foreign language skills through engaging themes and activities. Each week your child will learn new words and phrases, and gain fluency in the language you choose. </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Campers have 2–3 *additional* practice sessions per day in small groups to increase spoken fluency. Campers also delve into fun new themes, as well as makeovers of some tried-and-true favorites!</span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All campers ages 3.5–11 are immersed in French, Mandarin, or Spanish, content-rich experiences, lots of outdoor time, and trips all over the city. We also offer add-on 1:1 language instruction and STEM lessons to combat summer slide. All language levels are welcome – our campers range from bilingual to beginner!</span></p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-12c5fef9-7fff-3b7c-4c11-bf7aa0550b78"></span></p>