Summer Fun is Here!
Our first two STEAM Arabic Immersion summer camps "GOOOAAAL: World Cup and Food Spreads" and "Paper and Silk" have started! Kalimah Explorers are enjoying dozens of fun, educational activities packed with learning and social opportunities. Campers 4-12 years old from Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and even families from other states are taking part in our unique, play-based Arabic learning. Activities include art and science projects, songs and dabke, cooking and soccer tournaments, historical and geographic explorations, field trips and Skype interviews, and much more!
Meet our camp staff and counselors this year:
Layali Eshqaidef
Layali has been teaching Arabic at colleges and kids’ programs for more than six years. She is the Founder and President of Kalimah Programs for Arabic Language, Culture, and Arts Education. Kalimah offers Arabic immersion after school, weekend, and summer programs for elementary age children in Maryland and Washington, DC. Through her work and research, she is exploring the power of art, music, and play in language acquisition. She strives to bring the world into the classroom so students can take the classroom out into the world.
Halema Albadawi
Halema is a mother of four active, bilingual kids. She has five years of experience teaching at, and coordinating, weekend children’s programs and community events for kids. She likes using effective, learner-centered teaching strategies. She teaches and assists teachers at weekend and summer programs as a volunteer. Halema has been part of Kalimah Programs from the very beginning and has contributed immensely to its success.
Sara Hamawi Nachar
Sara graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Lebanese University in 2013. She began her teaching career in Al-Fajr elementary school in Lebanon. She taught Arabic language, computer science, and math for three years before moving to the United States. In 2015, she helped establish a new co-op preschool in Silver Spring where she also gained more teaching experience. Ms. Sara loves teaching children and feels fortunate to help them grow and develop their inquiring minds.
Layali Jaraba
Layali is a bi-lingual professional journalist with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Political Sciences from Berziet University. She works as a writer and has published many articles in Arabic newspapers and magazines. She is also a private Arabic tutor. She enjoys working with kids and people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Heba Almostafa
Heba is an Arabic Teacher from Syria. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Arabic Literature from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Al Furat University in Syria. She has worked as an Arabic language teacher at various schools and programs in Syria and USA. She has completed many professional development training courses in effective teaching techniques, foundations of early education, and more. Currently she works at Alef,B Multicultural Center for Children in Virginia.
Nimah Nayel
Nimah is a rising senior in the IB programme at Richard Montgomery HS. She’s originally Sudanese and is multilingual. She has 3 younger siblings and many younger cousins, who foster her love for working with children. She is a Karate instructor and has many artistic hobbies and interests. She’s loved volunteering for Kalimah Programs in the past, and is looking forward to all the adventures this summer!
We also have several wonderful volunteers who are middle school and high school students in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Follow us on one of our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter) to stay up to date on all the daily fun Kalimah campers have while immersed in the Arabic language and culture.