Prospective Families
Maccabiah was, of course, the highlight of our week! The relay races and team activities were great, and our campers were excited to be on a color team with campers of all ages.
Beyond Maccabiah, we stayed busy with sports like pickle ball, softball, and gymnastics. And in omanut (art), we headed to Eilat to learn about the sea and to think about the world that lives under the water. Then we used bubble wrap for print making and oil pastels to create our own ‘under the sea’ art. For a different kind of art, in Park Mada, we got to color special plastic sheets that were then baked to shrink and harden. In drama, we talked about what makes a hero and what each of us can do to help the world. Then, we made our own masks and put our ideas into action by acting out adventures as superheroes.
In shiur (Jewish exploration), last week we worked on building our Eretz Yisrael song which includes a reference to planting in Israel, “Ani natati etz” (I plant a tree). This week, we did the real planting of tomato seeds that we hope will grow into a plant. We also talked about how waiting for the seeds to grow requires time and patience!
Maccabiah was the highlight but each day this week was alifut in some way! Of all of the games we played today, relay races were a particular favorite of the Kochavimers. They were all such good models of friendly competition today!
Our campers’ creativity was on display this week! We headed to Eilat in omanut (art) to learn about the sea and to think about the world that lives under the water. Then we used oil pastels and bubble wrap for print making to create our own ‘under the sea’ art. In teva (nature), we made rock pets! For a different kind of art, in Park Mada, we got to color special plastic sheets that were then baked to shrink and harden.
Without the campers even knowing it, we snuck in some geometry as they had to work the angles to get the ball in the hoop in our bankshot area that has basketball hoops with all sorts of angled backboards. In drama, we talked about what makes a hero and what each of us can do to help the world. Then, we acted out adventures as superheroes doing good things in the world..
In shiur (Jewish exploration), we were heroes for the earth, talking about the appearance of dry land and plants on the third day of Creation. This week, we also got to plant something – tomato seeds. We’re hoping to see them grow into seedlings and tomato plants at home.
Maccabiah was alifut and the perfect way to wrap up our week today! Cheering as loud as possible was a particular favorite of the Shorashimers though everyone was happy to participate in the relay races, banner decorating, and games all day.
Much like last week, we had a nice mix of sun and rain this week which allowed for all of the usual fun of camp plus some extras. On Wednesday morning in the rain, we had a great time cheering on staff from all over camp as they shared their talents – from singing to standing on their heads! Once the sun shone through and we were able to get out and about, we made the most of the opportunity – basketball, ping pong, gaga, low ropes course got our bodies moving. And our creativity came through in ceramics, where some of us are working on a Shalom plaque that can be hung up and drama where we talked about superhero qualities and then made puppets to act out our adventures as superheroes helping the world. In omanut (art), we used oil pastels and bubble wrap for print making to create our own images of the Red Sea in Eilat, in southern Israel. While in Park Mada, campers got to color special plastic sheets that were then baked to shrink and harden.
In shiur (Jewish exploration), we planted tomato seeds to grow food, much as we imagine that Avraham, Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivka did when they were living in ancient Israel.
Maccabiah was alifut! And Nitzanim was ready for the friendly competition – afterall, we’d spent the week playing softball, gaga, capture the flag, tennis, ping pong, and pickle ball; dancing, aiming in archery, and climbing in migdal (high ropes). Still, our campers found energy to cheer for their teams and each other in Maccabiah. There was also a lot of cheering and fun during our tefillah (prayers) this week when two bunks competed for the loudest Ma Tovu and two others played the Bar/Bat Mitzvah tradition of Coke/Pepsi game. There was even a relay race where the winner’s prize was to lead the next tefillah!
Artistry was everywhere this week, beyond making banners for Maccabiah. In ceramics, Nitzanimers continued work on their leaf bowls, where they use real leaves to roll into the clay to imprint the veins. They will each then choose a bug to go at the bottom of the bowl before it is fired and available to be glazed. In omanut (art), we headed to Eilat to learn about the sea and to think about the world that lives under the water. Then we used bubble wrap for print making and oil pastels to create our own ‘under the sea’ art. While in Park Mada, campers got to color special plastic sheets that were then baked to shrink and harden. And in drama, we talked about heroes before making puppets and acting out our own adventures as superheroes helping the world. Even in teva (nature), we painted rocks before exploring the creek.
Next to the campfire in bishul bachutz (outdoor cooking), we enjoyed freshly made pita with chocolate. In shiur (Jewish learning), we had conversations about what the People of Israel needed when they traveled through the desert and that they would have had to depend on water springs and plants. So we also planted this week – tomato seedlings that we hope will grow into food to sustain us.
Camp was covered in the spirit of alifut even more than usual for Maccabiah today! We loved making banners, cheering, relay races, and all of the friendly competition and games throughout the day. All of the things we have been doing this week helped prepare us for the Maccabiah competitions – from softball to ceramics and migdal (high ropes course) to gymnastics.
In our more artistic moments, those of us in ceramics continued work on our hamentaschen shaped groggers. In omanut (art), we talked about the Israeli city of Eilat and then used polymer clay to sculpt creatures that we imagine live in under the sea there. We got to use the Tinkercad program in Park Mada to design 3D Ramah mascots.
Some of us were fortunate to visit the creek in teva (nature) just after the rain earlier this week where we watched the water flow and find new places to go. We talked about how our own paths flow and change course.
Maccabiah was, undoubtedly, the highlight of our week! Our royal blue edah was split into the four colors of the competition, and everyone found some way to help their team – in relay races, in making banners, in cheers and good deeds.
Active seemed to be the theme of this week. Even in the rain, we played trivia where some bunks got every question right, and we had a few playful rounds of human pinball. In the sun, we enjoyed archery, softball, and capture the flag. We also started learning our dance for Festivale (a camper-only dance performance in the last week of camp). For a well-deserved break, we made and ate banana donuts in bishul bachutz (outdoor cooking).
In omanut (art), we “visited” Eilat in southern Israel and talked about fish and all of the life under the sea. Then, the campers used polymer clay to shape their own underwater creatures. For a different type of art and design, campers used the Tinkercad program in Park Mada to design 3D Ramah mascots.
Mah! Macabbi! Macabbiahhh-ahh-ahh-ahh! Don’t be surprised if your camper sings that all weekend as the tune rang out through camp all day long today! It was the background to cheers, banner-making, relay races in and out of the pool, and games throughout camp. Everyone found a way to help their color team!
Maccabiah was the highlight of our week but certainly not all that we did! Basketball, archery, tennis, ping pong, and pickle ball kept us busy, as did bishul (cooking), migdal (high ropes course) and omanut (art). In omanut, we “visited” Eilat in southern Israel and talked about fish and all of the life under the sea. Then, the campers used polymer clay to shape their own underwater creatures. At Park Mada, they used computers to steer Sphero robots in bowling games.
Maccabiah was the highlight of our week but each day was alifut in some way! Of all of the competitions held and games we played today, relay races in the pool were a particular favorite of these older campers. However, we kept busy all week on the fields, courts, and mats at tennis, gaga, pickle ball, gymnastics, rikkud (dance), basketball, and migdal (high ropes). When it was time for a break, bishul bachutz (outdoor cooking) warmed up some pita by the campfire and ma’ayan (beading) let us get creative with colors and beads.
Creativity continued in etz (woodworking) and omanut (art). In omanut, we had time to work on team banners for Maccabiah as well as make clay figures of creatures they imagine that can be found in the sea by Eilat in southern Israel.
Sha’ar
We had another amazing shavua (week) in Sha’ar, and we can’t believe it is already the end of week 6!
The true highlight this week was, of course, Maccabiah! Sha’ar campers got to use their tzva’im (colors) vocabulary for the arba kvutzot (four teams): adom (red), kachol (blue), yarok (green), and tzahov (yellow). Each team represented an Israeli symbol, the Kalanit (red anemone flower), the Degel (flag), the Anfei Zeitim (olive branch) (green), and the Semel (emblem). Sha’ar campers loved participating in the tacharuyot (competitions) at the brecha (pool), at bishul (cooking), on the migrash, and all over camp. They felt so much pride seeing their madrichim selected to be captanim (captains) of the different teams and had hamon kef (so much fun) playing all of the different mischakim (games) throughout the day!
This week, different edot enjoyed many camp peulot (activities) where they made: dagim (fish) and boo’oht (bubbles) in omanut (art); handmade kearot (bowls), made molds from ah-leem (leaves), oznei Haman (hamentashen) or shlatim (signs) in keramica (ceramics); and machzik mapiot/sefarim (holders for napkins or bentchers) in etz (woodworking). In Park Mada, our Solelim chanichim used a 3D printer to make hadpasat chamsot (Hamsa project).
