CAMPS TO THE RESCUE; WINTER PROGRAMS BOON TO KIDS, PARENTS.Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Staff Writer What do you do if you're a working parent and your kids are out of school for three weeks on winter break? If you're Laurie Lipton, a Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon can refer to several things:
adv. Informal Without delay; quickly. [Spanish, from Latin pr  mptus; see prompt. .
``I'm a working mother, and I'm a single mother. What are you going to do during the week when you need structured activities?'' lamented Lipton, whose two youngest boys, ages 8 and 11, are enrolled in the winter day camp while on a three-week holiday from their elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. . One of several winter camps in the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. area, Sports Plus offers bowling, ice-skating and miniature golf for $34 a day as well as day trips to ski resorts and amusement parks This page contains a list of amusement parks by
For working parents facing extended school breaks, winter day camps have become an integral part of the child-care quilt families sew together Verb 1. sew together - fasten by sewing; do needlework sew, stitch, run up hem - fold over and sew together to provide with a hem; "hem my skirt" resew - sew again; "The cuff of the coat had been resewn" to meet their needs. ``It's a lifesaver for a lot of parents when they can't get time off from work, and it's easy child care for them and fun for the kids,'' said Shannon Hawley-Omessi, recreation program supervisor A Program Supervisor is the chief administrator of a school program, such as the high school, elementary school, middle school or pre-school. A Program Supervisor is comparable to a Principal (school), with the responsibility of enrolling students, hiring new teachers, placing for Glendale's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Division, which offers a two-week winter day camp for children ages 5 to 15. This winter, students in the LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) are out of class anywhere from one to three weeks, depending on the school they attend. In Burbank and Glendale, students are out of school for two weeks as are private school students. The long vacation Long Vacation is a Japanese television drama from Fuji Television, first shown in Japan from 15 April to 24 June 1996. Takuya Kimura played the male lead. The show enjoyed high ratings and would be the first in a series of big hits starring Kimura. breaks - especially those lasting three weeks - are driving up demand for local winter day camps, organizers said. ``We have a few spots left next week, but very few,'' said Mickey DePalo, recreation program coordinator at Burbank's Park and Recreation Department which operates a two-week winter day camp for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. ``Even though the holiday vacation is for kids, parents have to work,'' said DePalo whose program offers sports activities, crafts, board games This is a list of board games. This page classifies board games according to the concerns which might be uppermost for someone organizing a gaming event or party. See the article on game classification for other alternatives, or see for a list of board game articles. and day trips to places such as Knots Berry Farm for $80 a child per week. Extended care is available for an extra $20 a week. At Gymnastics Olympica USA in Van Nuys, program director Bernadine Michielsen said the phone has been ringing off the hook from parents desperate for day care for their little darlings. ``The holidays are creeping up so quickly, then they realize they have to do shopping and they've been calling like crazy,'' said Michielsen, whose winter camp offers gymnastics, basketball and other physical activities as well as arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. for children ages 3 to 13. ``It's booked up in the last week,'' said Michielsen who serves about 30 children a day. A one-week session costs $120 and includes a snack. Extended care also is available for an extra $5 a day. About 83 children were enrolled in the first week of Glendale's winter day camp, which offers arts and crafts, sports activities and trips to amusement parks such as Disneyland - all for $85 per child a week. And if parents live or work within the limits of the Glendale Unified School District The Glendale Unified School District is a school district based in Glendale, California, United States. The school district serves the city of Glendale, portions of the city of La Cañada and the unincorporated communities of Montrose and La Crescenta. their children are eligible for a $5 weekly discount. Brandon Aumont, 8, of Glendale said he enjoys the camp's arts and crafts activities. ``Here, you get to do more things,'' said Brandon, a second-grader at Ivanhoe Elementary in Glendale, who says he would bicker bick·er intr.v. bick·ered, bick·er·ing, bick·ers 1. To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel; squabble. See Synonyms at argue. 2. with his 4-year-old brother if he wasn't at camp. ``It's funner than just sitting around and having him bother you.'' Darrow Feldstein, a fourth-grader at Riverside Drive Elementary in Sherman Oaks, said attending the Sports Plus Day Camp gives him a chance to burn off excess energy. ``I get to get out much more and I'm much more physical rather than if I stayed indoors and pushed buttons,'' said Darrow, 9, an avid video game player. Parents said they appreciate the convenience, flexible hours and affordable activities the camps offer. ``It's very handy,'' said Sandra Herman, a Burbank mother whose two youngest daughters, ages 6 and 9, attend the city of Burbank's winter day camp. ``I don't have to worry about finding sitters for them. They keep busy and they're not bored twiddling their fingers.'' For Lipton, the Laurel Canyon mother whose two youngest sons attend Sports Plus Day Camp, such programs are the only way to survive the long holiday season. ``As long as there are good activities and there are nice kids to be around, it's good,'' Lipton said. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Andrew Parker, 6, above, gets a bowling tip from Sports Plus camp counselor Mike Cardoza, 15, at a bowling alley in Studio City. Below, Hannah Zippermann, 5, lets her ball fly. Sports Plus is one of a number of winter camps in the Valley. David Sprague/Staff Photographer |
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