Havin’ a Blast

Adi Strigl has some educated advice for parents who are weighing summer-camp options for their children: “Listen to what your kids want to do, and match their activities with their interests. … At the same time, it’s important to find a balance between overscheduling and not, because summer energy requires some downtime, too.” As a mother of three, Strigl speaks from experience. She keeps her children’s prior summers in mind when shaping the summer programming offered through The Yoga Gnome, the Doylestown-based yoga studio for children she founded approximately four years ago. The Yoga Gnome’s summer lineup includes three weeks of full-day camps (second grade through sixth grade) and a weeklong half-day camp (kindergarten through second grade), as well as a “Little Gnomies” camp for ages three to five. Strigl says community interest has been high since January, when she opened summer-camp registration. “It’s a yoga camp, but it’s not just yoga,” she says. “The camp involves activities like art projects, cooking, and a field trip to a park nearby, so it’s a combination of yoga and other things. We have a lot of messages about self-care, confidence, and empowering kids to be the best versions of themselves—food for thought and food for the body.” Yoga has been a central part of Strigl’s life since she was a teenager growing up in Israel. She worked as an adult yoga teacher for many years prior to founding The Yoga Gnome as a response to seeing children struggle in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We teach yoga, mindfulness, and breathing, and all of that is so crucial for development, cognitive function, and mental health,” she says. “It’s a very playful journey; you’re not going to come to The Yoga Gnome and see kids being quiet or being serious. Kids learn through play and being silly, and they have the opportunity to do that with music and a lot of interaction and games. We fit yoga to a child’s mindset.” While The Yoga Gnome focuses on children, Strigl envisions the studio being “for kids of all ages.” Adults often participate in classes with their kids, and the studio offers some adult classes, too. “No matter how old you are, play can be such a driving force and inspire you to stay connected to your playful energy,” she adds. “It can make life so much more interesting and remind you of who you are. … Our culture is so go-go-go, but it’s OK to take a breath and give ourselves permission to rest. When you are finding moments of stillness, it’s easier to connect with what you want to do and what’s most important in your life.” Whether families decide to have children spend part of the summer learning something new, like yoga, or honing their skills in more familiar interests, Strigl offers another bit of advice: Don’t wait too long to line up plans. Although the current temperature feels far removed from the hot and sticky months of summer, camps have limited availability; many will reach capacity before the snow and ice make way for the first flowers of spring. ACADEMICS + Academy of Notre Dame de Namur Villanova ndapa.org/campus-life/summer-camps Archmere Academy Claymont, Delaware archmereacademy.com Friends’ Central School Wynnewood fcsprograms.org Friends School Haverford Haverford friendshaverford.org Germantown Academy Fort Washington germantownacademy.net/summer The Meadowbrook School – Camp Meadowbrook Meadowbrook themeadowbrookschool.org Notre Dame High School Lawrenceville, New Jersey ndnj.org/summer-experience Perkiomen School Pennsburg perkiomen.org Salesianum School Wilmington, Delaware salesianum.org St. Joseph’s Preparatory School Philadelphia sjprep.org Tatnall School Wilmington, Delaware atatnallsummer.org Ursuline Academy Wilmington, Delaware ursuline.org/discovery-cove Villa Joseph Marie High School Holland vjmhs.org/summer Villa Victoria Academy Ewing, New Jersey villavictoria.org LEARNING DIFFERENCES AIM Academy Conshohocken aimpa.org Benchmark School Media benchmarkschool.org Center School Abington centerschoolpa.org Delaware Valley Friends School Paoli dvfs.org Woodlynde School Strafford woodlynde.org ATHLETICS CAL Sports Academy Hatfield calsportsacademy.com Game Breaker Lacrosse Camps Multiple locations laxcamps.com The Gymnastics & Cheerleading Academy Cherry Hill, New Jersey thegcacademy.com Hatfield Ice Hatfield hatfieldice.com/youth-hockey/summer-camps High Performance Tennis Academy Haverford College, the Cynwyd Club, Radnor Valley Country Club hpta-riverside.com Phillies Baseball Academy Multiple locations philliesacademy.com Philadelphia NFL Alumni Youth Football Camps Multiple locations prosportsexperience.com School’s Out Day Camp and Sports-Specialty Camps Hatfield xlhatfield.com/camps CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS Burn Brae Day Camp of Creative Arts Dresher burnbraedaycamp.com HomeCooked Kids Cooking & Baking Camp Paoli homecooked.net Main Line Art Center Haverford mainlineart.org Michener Art Museum Doylestown michenerartmuseum.org Rockdale Art Center Aston rockdaleartcenter.com Rockdale Music & Studios Aston and Media rockdalemusic.com School of Rock Multiple locations schoolofrock.com/locations DISCOVERY, SCIENCE, AND TECH Awbury Adventures Camp at Awbury Arboretum Philadelphia awbury.org/summer-camp Briar Bush Nature Center Abington briarbush.org Bucks County Audubon Society Summer at Honey Hollow New Hope bcas.org/education/camps/summer-camp-2025 Bucks County Community College – Kids on Campus at Bucks Newtown bucks.edu/kidsoncampus Churchville Nature Center Churchville churchvillenaturecenter.org Delaware County Community College Media dccc.edu Delaware Valley University Kids U! and Inspire U! Doylestown delval.edu/programs Elmwood Park Zoo Norristown elmwoodparkzoo.org Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania Chestnut Hill morrisarboretum.org Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy Summer Science Academy Schwenksville perkiomenwatershed.org Riverbend Environmental Education Center Gladwyne riverbendeec.org Science Explorers Multiple locations scienceexplorers.com The Yoga Gnome Doylestown theyogagnome.com SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Briarwood Day Camp Furlong briarwooddaycamp.com Camp America Chalfont camp-america.com Camp Curiosity Doylestown campcuriosity.com Camp Kweebec Schwenksville kweebec.com Camp Sequoia Pennsburg camp-sequoia.com Future Stars Day Camps Multiple locations futurestarscamps.com Habonim Dror Camp Galil Ottsville campgalil.org Hideaway Day Camp Collegeville hideawaydaycamp.org Independent Lake Camp Thompson (Susquehanna County) independentlake.com Liberty Lake Day Camp Mansfield Township, New Jersey libertylakedaycamp.com Malvern Day Camp Glen Mills malverndaycamp.com Perkiomen Pines Day Camp Schwenksville perkiomenpines.com Pinemere Camp Stroudsburg pinemere.com Rainbow Academy Summer Camp Ivyland rainbowacademypreschool.com The School in Rose Valley Summer Camp Rose Valley srvcamp.org Photo courtesy of The Yoga Gnome Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, February 2025.