It was a close Color War between the Blue Trolleys and White Monorails all the way until the end. Although White led all week until the Friday performances, the Blue Trolleys took home the win after their performances on Friday.

Videos and photos from Color War 2018 can be found on our Facebook page!

     It was another great week at Hillcrest for the Tea cups. We are so proud of our little campers; as they have improved so much in their swimming skills. They have learned how to blow bubbles,  put their heads under the water and float on their backs.  In Jewish Culture they  made cookies with rainbow sprinkles. They put their creative skills to work in arts and crafts and made a paper plate sun. Of course the day would not be complete without singing the Mr. Sun song as they made their creations.  In gym the children played with different size balls. We went to the Long Island Aquarium; where we saw sharks, sting rays, small fish and their favorite was the sea lion show. On Wednesday we went to Valley Stream State Park for our bbq. We played in the playground and had hot dogs for lunch.  It was color war week for the other groups at the camp and they got to see a water melon eating contest. Thursday was our last trip to Progressive gymnastics; and they were able to go in the rock wall tunnel and become experts at forward rolls. On Friday we went to bounce U where they had an awesome time going on the different inflatables. We are sad to see that camp is almost over; but we know the last week of camp will be just as fun as the others. 

Camper of the week: The camper of the week is Asher. Asher was sitting next to a camper who had fallen asleep on the bus coming back from our trip; and  helped to wake him up by calling his name and gently tapping him on his shoulder. 

   This week in art and crafts the Tea cups colored butterfly wings made out of a mesh material. It was great to see how each camper decorated their butterfly wings; they added dots, shapes, and lines. In Jewish culture we made hamantashen cookies with apricot jam. The campers loved to add the ingredients needed and shape the dough into a triangle. We took a trip to Chocolate Works where the children learned about chocolate, and made candy kabobs. They had a choice of dipping an oreo cookie, pretzel or graham cracker into chocolate and then added sprinkles or m & m's. The children really enjoyed this yummy treat. Wednesdays means bbq'a and the campers went on the swings, slides and played in the sand box.  We also played with a big parachute. Each camper stood by a color; and when their color was called they had to run underneath the parachute to the other side. For lunch we ate hot dogs and potato chips. Gymnastics is always fun; as the children are getting better on the balance beam,  trampoline and doing forward rolls. This Friday we celebrated the 60th anniversary of Hillcrest Jewish Center Day Camp. During Oneg the children were asked questions about camp and the Tea cups received a coupon for a free candy at the canteen.  

The camper of the week is Jonathan. Jonathan loves being the line leader when we are lining up to go somewhere. Asher said that he wanted to be the line leader and Jonathan told him that he could be first. 

The summer is going by so fast with week five coming to an end. We started our week with a classic trip to Luna Park in Coney Island. The kids loved going on the thrilling rides, especially because it was our first amusement park trip of the summer and our first late night trip! On Tuesday we stayed back at camp and made fairy wings in arts and crafts, played gaga, sang in music, and much more. Wednesday started out with cloudy skies, but that didn’t stop us as we went to the BBQ to play and came back to camp to enjoy hotdogs and chips. Thursday’s trip was very fun for our group because we got to play in the arcade together at @Play Amusements. We ended our day with a relaxing swim in the pool. On Friday we celebrated the 60th anniversary of camp, and went back to tradition by reciting an original prayer at oneg and having our own 8/9s counselors be the Shabbat king and queen! Overall, it was a great week.

Our camper of the week is Julia! Without being asked, she has stayed back with her counselors after activities numerous times in order to help out, including to clean up all of the Wii games and to help another camper put everything back into her bag after swim. 

The Imagineers can’t wait to see what the next week of camp brings!

The best word to describe week 4 would be rainy. Everyone on Monday arrived to camp excited to go to Adventure Land. Unfortunately do to the inclement rain weather we were unable to go. However do to some quick and efficient rescheduling our trip that day was to the movies. We saw Incredibles 2, and somehow managed to get a theater with enough space to accommodate the entirety of upper camp. As good as the movie was, since most of the kids enjoyed it the highlight of the trip seemed to be the concessions stand for nearly every kid who chose to wait on line for popcorn. The next day was another in camp day with all the usual activities. On Wednesday for the second time this week, plans had to change do to the rain. Instead of going to Valley Stream State Park like all Wednesdays, we ended up spending the day in camp. There are definitely worse places to have to stay at, such as those without a pool, gym, lounge, and other activities. To everyone’s relief, we still got to eat hamburgers. The next day, we finally got to go outside. Our trip was the Bronx Zoo, which is so much better than the Central Park Zoo. There really isn’t really any need for an explanation as to what we did at the Bronx Zoo, but it was a lot of fun. On Friday was Family Day. A bunch of parents of the campers came to watch their kids perform a song that their group leaders had made for them and practiced with them. Our song was a parody of the 2018 version of John Denver’s Take, me Home Country Roads. After many days of practicing until the boys had gotten it perfect, it was finally time to show everyone what they learned. I can honestly say that they did not do nearly as good as they did during practice. A lot of the boys got stage fright, but they were all so relieved after it was over. Then it was as if nothing had even happened and they all went to their regularly scheduled activities.
The 10/11 boys camper of the week is Luis. Luis is normally very polite and kind to everyone else including both staff and campers. He is very shy, but never a burden on anyone else. Luis has shown that he has an incredible memory. During a game of song quiz at music, he remembered the name of every song that was played, as well as the person or band who played the song.

Week four proceeded smoothly in camp. The 8/9 Boys enjoyed such activities as double swim, gym, music, arts and crafts, and Jewish culture. Pizza was served for lunch, along with salad and sandwiches, leaving us satisfied. 

Wednesday was barbecue day once again - only this time it was rained out! Fortunately, all the time we would have had to spend traveling to Valley Stream and back was used for exciting in-camp activities. We swam, played sports in the gym, and practiced our Family Day song. At lunch, we partook of hamburgers, veggie burgers, chips, corn, and watermelon. All in all the rainy day turned out to be a fun twist on the traditional Wednesday outdoor barbecue! 

On Thursday, we traveled to the Bronx Zoo. We packed bagged lunches consisting of items like bagels, sandwiches, and apple juice. We split into small groups upon arrival, a staff member or two accompanying a group of approximately five campers. This allowed each group to move quickly and efficiently through each attraction, while simultaneously learning as much as possible about animals and wildlife conservation. Campers’ favorites included tigers, giraffes, and elephants. The most popular part of the zoo seemed to be the monorail, where we could sit back, relax, and view and learn about animals from above. Arlo S enjoyed the butterfly home, while Josh S was intrigued by the lions. Back at camp, the campers concluded a long day first in the Wii room, and then at dismissal with fruit and ices. 

Friday was the long-awaited Family Day! After spending part of the morning at our final rehearsal, each group, from the nursery-kindergarteners up to the Tweens, filed into the sanctuary. The CITs MC’d the event, wherein each group went up one-by-one to perform their group’s song for their families out in the audience. As soon as the 8/9 Boys were called, our campers, unable to contain their excitement, headed swiftly toward the stage and began to perform our group’s unique rendition of All Star by Smash Mouth. The performance was met with applause! Beaming with pride, we listened respectfully to the remaining performances. Afterwards, we headed to lunch. After participating in the weekly Sabbath blessings led by Rachel, our Jewish culture specialist, we partook of a delicious chicken nugget lunch, along with French fries, challah bread, salad, sandwiches, etc. After lunch, we practiced self defense drills with our Krav Maga instructor, Patrick, who helped us understand how best to avoid dangerous situations and how to best defend ourselves when necessary. We also practiced different stretches to warm up and improve our flexibility. Then, we headed down to double swim to cool off. The week concluded in the Moreida where our campers partook of ice pops and fresh fruit. We all looked forward to Monday’s trip to Luna Park.

Monday did not arrive quickly enough for our campers - it was our late night trip to Luna Park at Coney Island at last. We started the day slowly with swim, Wii room games, and a pizza lunch, but the day picked up when we boarded the buses and arrived at Coney Island. Upon arrival, we split up into small groups of about five campers according to the types of rides the campers were comfortable experiencing. Five hours later, we gathered at the front. Our campers were happy they got to go on all the rides they felt comfortable with - such rides as the pirate’s ship, the swings, and the Tickler. Back at camp, we refueled after a very long, fun day with spaghetti and meatballs, along with salad. We cannot wait for what the rest of the week has in store! 

Our campers of the week is Daniel B. Like one of our previous campers of the week, Daniel maintains a strong, infectious smile that helps him - and others - stay positive even in moments of frustration. While a relatively quiet kid, he’s not afraid to speak up if he needs help. Daniel can be most commonly found quietly laughing with a group of friends at nearly all times of the day!