The camper of the week is Christopher because he gave Lavi's book bag to him when we were getting ready to go home

Wow it's already the end of the first session; we don't want the summer to end. In art we made lava lamps. At Jewish culture we listened to a book called "The Tower of Babel" and then tried to make our own tower using different materials. In gym we played tag, and duck duck goose.  On Tuesday we went to build a bear. The children picked out the type of bear they wanted, it was stuffed, and sewn up. Afterwards they had a chance to pretend to give the bear a bath. Each child named their bear and was eager to take them back to camp so they can have nap time with them. Wednesday we went to the bbq and played different games with the parachute, and had great hamburgers. Thursday the whole camp went to Adventureland; where the children went on many rides. They also climbed, jumped and slide their way all over Pirate Island. 
It was nice to see all the families at family day; and the children did a great job with their song. Only four more weeks of camp left; but we know there is much more excitement and adventures to come at Hillcrest Day Camp. 

Week four was a blast for the girls!

On Monday, we went to Laser Bounce. Our original plan was to head to the Country Fair, however, the weather prevented us from doing so. Thus, Susanne did some magic and we ended up at Laser Bounce. The kids had so much fun playing the arcade games, winning tickets, picking out their prizes, and playing laser tag.

On Tuesday, we stayed at camp. we went to Jewish Culture, swam in the pool and made slime with Angela at Arts and Crafts!

On Wednesday, the whole camp went on a BBQ at Valley Stream Park. We had hamburgers and some girls played volleyball while most girls had fun in the playground

On Thursday, we all went to Adventure Land! The girls were split into two teams with two counselors on each. The girls rode on the Pirate Ship, the Lady Bug ride, the Turbulence, the Haunted House and Bumper Cars! The girls got the chance to buy candy and ice cream at the end of the day

Lastly, Friday was Family Day! The girls' family members stayed and got to watch the girls perform our own version of Im the One by DJ Khaled. The lyrics were rewritten by our counselor, Melissa. After the family left, the girls went to hip hop and swam in the pool

Our camper of the week is Ella. She comes to camp with such enthusiasm that is spread throughout all the girls. She follows every instruction and respects her peers and counselors.

The camper of the week is Lavi because he pushed the button on the water fountain to help his friends get water.

     Another great week at Hillcrest Day Camp. On Tuesday we went to Laser Bounce, where the children played games at the arcade and received prizes. We also went into the Ballocity Arena and climbed though mazes, went down slides and played with the soft foam balls. In arts and crafts we made lions. At Jewish Culture, the children learned about Shabbat and the items related it it; such as the challah bread, wine, and the candles. The children had a chance to explore with the play items. The Rabbi then hid the items and the children went on a scavenger hunt to find them and pretended to have a Shabbat dinner. We love going to the pool but we also had a great time going under the sprinklers in our backyard playground. At the bbq we did parachute with the 6/7 boys and girls, and ate hotdogs for lunch. Thursday we went back to our favorite gymnastics place, Progressive Gymnastics, where we did more tumbles, walked on the balance beam, and bounced on the trampoline. Afterwards, each child got a ballon and threw it up in the air; they tried to see how long they could keep it in the air without it touching the floor. The summer is flying by but there is more fun to come during the coming weeks.

We all wish that our third week at camp could last longer! On Monday, the Pretty Pretty Princesses enjoyed bubble gum-flavored ice cream for snack at the park! We then racked up lots of tickets and prizes and jumped around on Tuesday at Laser Bounce, and made sure to stay hydrated while powering through Wednesday's heat at the weekly barbecue. On Thursday, the Princesses brushed up on their skills with some more tumbles and teeters at gymnastics! Finally, we all stirred up some nice chicken soup on Friday as we warmly welcomed Rabbi Kogan to his first Oneg Shabbat Service of the summer. We had a blast this week, and can't wait for the fun that Week 4 has in store!

Our Camper of the Week is Ilana - she overcame her fear of entering the pool and, as a result, has shown determination to improve her skills during Instructional Swim!

The past two weeks have been very meaningful for our CITs! During the second week of camp, we explored the topic of Communication, and how to communicate with both campers and staff effectively - focusing on skills like active listening. We had a fun time when we weren't "CIT'ing" at the Central Park Zoo on Monday, and had an amazing Times Square Scavenger Hunt late-night trip last Thursday. After a delicious dinner out at Trio, we hopped on the subway to Times Square, and broke into teams to run around for 2 hours taking photos, gathering items, and interacting with others enjoying the sites. Last Friday, we enjoyed our time at the Freedom Tower, even with the low visibility due to the weather.

This week, we focused in on bullying, and ways to prevent and respond to bullying that we might encounter as camp counselors. We also worked on the responsibilities of counselors during trips, because we'll be shadowing counselors next week at the whole camp trip to Adventureland. This week, we also enjoyed trips to Roller Skating, the Jones Beach Pool, and Madison Square Garden.

This week's CITs of the week are Arielle, Abby Ka., Abby Ko., Myles, Noah, and Matthew O, who went above and beyond at Valley Stream on Wednesday to set up for all of the Upper Campers! All of our CITs work hard, but these six really went far beyond expectations! 

This week we had many fun and different activities and trips. Last Thursday we went to Monster Mini Golf and the kids had a fun time in the glow in the dark arcade, playing games, getting tickets, prizes and golfing. On Monday we went roller skating and the children had a blast skating around the rink and even teaching and helping each other learn while music was coursing through the speakers. On Tuesday the kids went to arts and crafts and crafted a picture of the ocean with Angela. On Wednesday we had a barbecue at the park that included hotdogs and later on the kids went to play in the playground or a sport of their choice. On Thursday we had an amazing time at Jones Beach Pool where the kids splashed around and swam with each other. Our camper of the week is Brianna A who was a great sport during activities and listened to directions when told. Her favorite thing to do at camp is swim.

Week three has been a blast so far! For some context, last Thursday, we went to Monster Mini Golf. Our group enjoyed so much that some kids were unable to limit themselves to just hole! Friday consisted of activities like swim, arts and crafts, and Krav Maga. After an inspiring Oneg Shabbat service led by our esteemed Rabbi Romano, campers were dismissed. Chicken nuggets and French fries with the usual side options (like salad) were served for lunch. Howie began his weekly game show, Lost and Found, in which campers were invited up to reclaim their lost items. Both "How Many Socks are in the Box?" and "How Many Underwear are There?" produced a positive response from the crowd. The week ended with ice pops, as campers prepped for third week fun.

This week commenced with roller skating. The arcade existed for those unwilling to test their skating abilities. Most struggled in the beginning, but soon nearly everyone skated with speed and finesse. The fastest skaters were those who discovered the key to speed - spreading one's feet farther apart than normal. Tuesday was spent in camp, save the period spent at the playground. We took advantage of the time before Krav Maga to rehearse our family day song, a parody of a radio classic. Most campers would agree that the highlight of in-camp activities was Krav Maga, in which our campers refined their self-defense skills with a seasoned instructor. A camp favorite, Benny's Pizza was served for lunch with the typical side options. Wednesday began with swim, followed by the weekly barbecue. Activities included basketball, volleyball, playground, and newly-added softball and kickball. Sweat was the order of the day, so we returned to camp to chill in the air-conditioned teen lounge. Last period being recreational swim, campers released the energy that remained from the barbecue. With ice pops served, campers headed home relaxed and satisfied.

Our camper of the week is Andrew O. He comes to camp with a smile on his face, ready to take advantage of all that our beloved camp has to offer. Andrew respects his fellow campers and counselors, is quick to follow directions, and exudes an overall aura of positivity and calmness. HJC Day Camp applauds you, Andrew!

The camper of the week is Lauren because she helps clean up toys; even if she was not playing with them. 

This week at camp the Candy land group went to the movies and saw Despicable Me 3. The children laughed a  lot at the minions. At the bbq we were all smiles when we took our group picture; and it wouldn't be a bbq without playing at the park. They love playing on the swings and making sand castles in the sand box. The bbq's are great because it gives them a chance to get to know other children in the 67's group; as they play with them as well. 

In gym we played catch  with different kinds of balls, and listened to the story of Noah and the Ark in Jewish culture. We had music; where we played with different instruments, played freeze dance and musical chairs. On Thursday we went to gymnastics. First we did some stretching exercises to warm up. Afterwards the children did an obstacle course; where they had to bounce on the trampoline, walk on the balance beam, and did tumbles. The children had so much fun they did not want to leave; but don't worry we will be back there next week.   We are having a lot of fun at camp; making lots of friends and enjoying spending time with each other. 

The second week of camp was a great week for the 8/9 boys. We had so much fun starting off at the Central Park Zoo, where we saw many different, unique animals. We saw the red panda which all the boys were in awe and adored it. That was the animal they were all looking for. In addition to that, we saw penguins, sea lions, and bears. It was especially enjoyable seeing the sea lions swim around the pool that they had.

On Tuesday we stayed at camp and had various activities to do. The boys went to the park and ran around, went on slides, and climbed the ladders. After sweating and running, the boys jumped into the pool to cool off with the counselors. We created portraits of ourselves in arts and crafts.

The next day, we went to BBQ with the whole camp and had a pleasant time playing basketball and nukem, especially when a camper got a counselor out. We are the delicious and succulent hamburgers that staff cooked up. The 8/9 boys ate them with pleasure. We came back to camp to play knockdown pins with Greg in the gym and later jumped into the nice cool pool.

On Thursday, we went to Monster Mini Golf where we had a BLAST! Everyone was golfing and dancing along to the music. The place was glowing and the theme of the place was great. Later the campers had a good time playing the arcade games and even got some free prizes given out to them like the monster finger with the red nails.

The final week of the camp, we stayed in camp with great activities like Krav Maga where the boys ran around and the counselors participated too. We had our Oneg Shabbat services and went to eat chicken nuggets with fries for lunch. We also enjoyed instructional and free swim as well as gym with Greg. At the end of the day, we said our good byes and couldn't wait for Monday to come around again.

The third week of camp started and it's been a blast we went to roller skating. Everyone went and the campers were having a good time. Some did fall but we all learned how to ride around and as soon as we got the hang of it, it was starting to get better. We have the rest of the week to come and can't wait to see how it's going to go.
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The camper of the week is Sam R. He was a great listener and overall person. He played with everyone and would clean up after he finished his eating, even if it wasn't his plate or cup. He always smiled and participated in every activity. Congrats Sam and keep being a good camper.

The second week of camp was off to a wild start, spending the day at the Central Park Zoo visiting penguins, lemurs, grizzly bears and more. It was a hot day but the Tweens found time to cool off in the Ice Age 4D movie at the zoo! 

The Tweens stayed in camp Tuesday and enjoyed many in-camp activities. We enjoyed the air conditioning of the Teen Lounge, played Wii games and had fun in the gym. The boys also worked up a sweat at Krav Maga and the girls honed their dancing skills at Hip Hop. We ended the hot, active day with a nice swim in the pool.

Wednesday was our weekly planned barbecue and the Tweens filled up on some yummy burgers! The campers participated in a number of activities including basketball, Nukem and other playground games. 

Thursday was a spooky day for the Tweens as they went to Monster Mini Golf! Tweens played mini golf under a black-light and had to play through a number of obstacles including a giant clown. We also played in the arcade and won many prizes! Thursday was also theme day and the Tweens came dressed in crazy hats and sunglasses.

The group ended their week in Manhattan at the Freedom Tower, visiting the One World Observatory. We shot up in the elevator to the 102nd floor of the new building. Although it was a cloudy day and the windows were fogged up by the clouds, the day turned out to be pretty sweet when we visited IT'SUGAR! The Tweens took a trip to South Street Seaport and visited the big candy store and stocked up on sweets. 

Our camper of the week goes to Maya. Maya shows up every day with a smile on her face and gives everyone a warm welcome! She is polite, sweet and caring and comes into camp, ready to have fun. You rock, Maya