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By Madhava Smullen<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe never thought a spiritual event could be so much fun \u2013 we would love to come again!\u201d wrote one family after attending the Children\u2019s Summer Camp in New Vrindaban last year.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cWonderful event \u2013 we can\u2019t wait till next year,\u201d wrote another. \u201cOur son says he will miss New Vrindaban very badly.\u201d<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n These families are in luck. After the very well-received first New Vrindaban Children\u2019s Summer Camp drew around 25 families from up and down the East Coast, organizers Sundari Dasi and Mercy of Gopal\u2019s Garden Preschool are turning it into an annual event.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Due to popular demand this year\u2019s camp will be extended an extra day and will run from Wednesday July 26th<\/sup> to Sunday the 30th<\/sup>. Last year\u2019s attendees enjoyed themselves so much that most are expected to return. Local children in and around New Vrindaban are also invited to participate.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n The camp will welcome children ages 3 \u2013 12, separating them into groups to ensure age-appropriate activities.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n The fun will kick off on Wednesday with a bonfire, prasadam and ice-breakers. Every morning, the kids will greet the Deities and offer Srila Prabhupada flowers at Gurupuja, then learn yoga poses in New Vrindaban\u2019s brand new lakeside Yogashala.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n After breakfast, a variety of activities will steep them in the devotion and rural adventure of New Vrindaban. Children will get to care for the cows at the goshala, trek in the wild and learn about nature and how to identify different herbs. They\u2019ll visit the historic site of the original Vrindaban farm and see the building where Srila Prabhupada stayed in 1969. They\u2019ll paint terracotta pots in their own style, then learn how to transplant flowers grown in New Vrindaban into them. And they\u2019ll learn hands-on gardening and harvesting.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n The children will also do arts and crafts, where they will learn how to make jewelry and ghee whicks for the Deities. At the end of the camp, there will be competitions in freehand drawing and jewelry-making, with prizes. <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cTo this day Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra are still wearing jewelry made by last year\u2019s winner!\u201d says Sundari Dasi.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Every evening there will be exciting festivals. In Holi: Festival of Varsana, the children will spray each other with color. In Pushpa Abhisekh, they will shower small Deities of Radha-Krishna with flowers. In the Swan Boat Festival, they\u2019ll make floating ghee lamps themselves and cast them out onto the lake as Radha Krishna glide across it. And during Rathayatra, they will get to decorate their own small chariot and pull it in a kirtan procession through New Vrindaban.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Evenings will also include campfires and stories by award-winning storyteller Sankirtan Das from Krishna\u2019s pastimes and the Mahabharat. <\/p>\n The summer camp will end with the distribution of cupcakes, certificates and prizes, as well as children getting to speak about their experience. A big Sunday Feast will round off the event.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Throughout the camp, speakers like Sankirtan Das, Gaurnataraj Das and Aruddha Dasi will give seminars on parenting, homeschooling, yoga and healing to engage the parents while their kids have fun.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cThis summer camp,\u201d says Mercy, \u201cIs about sharing the best highlights of New Vrindaban life with families who live in cities, and don\u2019t usually get the chance to participate in such activities.\u201d<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a hands-on experience of fun in Krishna consciousness!\u201d Sundari adds with a grin.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Please join us for this fun Krishna conscious experience. Twenty of the twenty-five spots available for families have already been filled, so space is limited. First come, first served. Make sure to register asap! The cost is $190 per person, including lodging, meals, and activities for kids and adults. <\/i> <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Contact Gaurnatraj Das at<\/i> 304-312-6539<\/a> or<\/i> gaurnatraj@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n Or Sundari Devi Dasi at<\/i> 304-312-2069<\/a> or<\/i> sundaridevidasi@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n
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By Madhava Smullen<\/strong><\/p>\n