Om Hindu Community Center Summer Day Camp 2026

Om Hindu Community Center successfully completed its first Summer Day Camp for children. The camp was held from August 3 to 7, 2026.

The Camp was organized by a dedicated team of volunteers; some of whom took the entire week off work just to be with the children and help run the camp. Three high school students, Stasha, Aditya and Prassana, also gave their time as counselors to mentor the children. A lot of thought and planning went into designing the course, which addressed all the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of the children.

Children started arriving on Monday Aug 3 at 8:30 AM. By 9 AM all children were present, and the camp started.

Children ranged in age from 11 years to the youngest who was only 4 years old. By sheer coincidence, the children were equally divided between boys and girls, making it even more fun for the kids. They immediately formed teams and delighted in teasing each other. When they complained to the adults, they were told to, “work it out among themselves.” They learned valuable lessons in conflict resolution, by resolving their differences on their own.

Every morning, the day started with opening prayers and shlokas. Though some children had never chanted shlokas, they learned very fast. By the second day they picked up the rhythm, and by the end of the week had memorized all four shlokas which were recited daily.

The dance classes were a lot of fun. At first the boys were very tentative about learning how to dance, but they soon shed their inhibitions and swayed to the music of “Choti choti gaiya chote chote gwaal.” By the end of the week, they were all pros at the dance.

The arts and crafts classes allowed the children to express their creativity and wowed the instructors by their skill. They made a small temple and a Shivling, after which they made refrigerator magnets, buttons, and enjoyed coloring and drawing freehand. Of course, paper airplanes flew around when the children got even a few nano-seconds free time.

Yoga was another favorite. The children learned to relax and unwind and learned the importance of concentration. They were even able to meditate for short periods of time.

Education classes allowed the children to show off their understanding of difficult concepts. The topic of the week was “Yama.” The children learned about Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya and Aparigraha. Though they were skeptical at first, they were able to discuss these topics and give their own opinions and interpretations. By the end of the week, they were talking about these subjects as though they were little philosophers.

The theater classes helped the children understand how to portray emotions, learn the ABC’s of acting, and they even produced a skit by the end of the week.

Their favorite class was cooking class. The children learned the basics of cooking. They learned safety in the kitchen, how to use a knife safely, and washing techniques in which they washed different vegetables. They learned to identify 10 common spices in a fun game and learned about their medicinal properties. They ground their own garam masala, which they took home. They made lemonade and lassi, which was consumed in one minute. Yummy naan pizza and muffins were so exciting to make, and the children shared them with their teachers and other volunteers present.

But by far the most exciting time for the children was the snack breaks and lunch times. It didn’t matter what was served, they enjoyed everything, even foods that their parents said they never ate at home. Some of the younger kids were quick to say, “I don’t like the food,” “I don’t eat much”, etc. But when it came to actually eating, they outdid each other and cleaned their plate, asking for seconds and even thirds sometimes. By far the biggest favorite was ice cream. They competed to eat more and finish what was on their plate. Then they helped clean up.

In between classes, when they got even a few minutes of free time, their favorite activity was running around and playing tag and hide and seek. They made balls out of scrap paper and played dodge ball and other games with it.

The day ended with writing in their journals about what their day was like, after which they spent the rest of the time playing games. When their parents came to pick them up, they were loath to leave, wanting to continue the fun.

The older children all agreed that this was the shortest week of the year, that the week flew by. They were sad to think that they would not meet next week.

Registration for next year’s camp will start in early 2027. Please look out for notices about the camp, and register early, as space will be limited.