June 30 - July 3: Week 1 of Summer 2014
M&Ms - Nursery/Kindergarten  What an exciting first week the M&Ms had! On Monday, we baked cookies, and played musical instruments in drama. On Tuesday, we went to the movies and saw "How to Train Your Dragon 2." At our first BBQ, the M&Ms played in the new playground and enjoyed delicious hot dogs for lunch. We are looking forward to even more fun in the coming weeks at Hillcrest! Pixy Stix - 6/7 Girls To get to know each other on the first day, our group sat in a circle telling each other our names, ages, and favorite color. We also played hot potato and freeze dance to break the ice. During this week, the girls were tested to see how well they swim, while also having fun during free swim. We went on our first BBQ and got to play on the new playground, which was really awesome. We also went to see "How to Train Your Dragon 2," and the girls loved the movie! It was a great first week! Hershey Misses - 8/9 Girls The 8/9 Girls had an incredible first week at camp! On Monday, the girls learned each other's names, listed important rules, and danced to The Penguin Song. On Tuesday, we made puzzles in Arts & Crafts, golden "bricks" of the Kotel in Jewish Culture, cookie sandwiches in cooking, and played charades in drama. On Wednesday, we had our first BBQ, where we played soccer and volleyball and enjoyed using the new playground at Valley Stream. On Thursday, we went on our first trip to Laser Bounce and played fun arcade games and laser tag. At the end of the trip, we exchanged our tickets for cool prizes. We can't wait for next week! Chiclets - 10/11 Girls The 10/11 Girls began the camp year by collaborating to create a list entitled "Rules of Respect." Each Chiclet contributed a rule to the list, which helped establish a bond amongst the girls. At the BBQ, they played parachute with their "Mama Hen" (Alyssa, their Group Leader), laughing along as they went. The group loved Laser Bounce, especially because of all the great prizes that they were able to get with their tickets, and are looking forward to another great week of camp! Swim Since it was the first week of camp, we started out by doing our yearly swim tests. Our new lifeguard, Brandon, and Eric swam with the Upper Campers, while Aquatics Director Rob observed and determined which instructional group each camper should be placed in. Once instruction got underway, it's been a solid week of swimming! Jewish Culture & Cooking In Jewish Culture, the entire camp visited Israel. After learning about how special the land is, we talked about how holy the Western Wall is. Every camper made their own "brick" for the wall using a brown bag, crayons, glue, glitter, and newspaper. Afterwards, everyone wrote a special prayer that will actually be sent to Israel and placed in the wall. In Cooking, the Lower Camp made red, white, and blue sparkler cookies, which were delicious! the Upper Camp did a number of great activities - some made whoopie pies with fluff and frosting, while others made a triple decker fudge, using cookie dough, brownie mix, and marshmallows. | Junior Mints - 6/7 Boys We all couldn't wait for the first day of camp, so we rushed upstairs to our home base and passed around a football in a circle for an icebreaker game. After we got to know each other, we made awesome airplanes out of sticks in Arts & Crafts, and swam in the pool. Tuesday and Wednesday were our first trip days - the movies and BBQ. Our assessment of "How to Train Your Dragon 2"? We "likey!" At the BBQ, the hot dogs were delicious! We finished the week wearing red, white, and blue; eating ice pops of the same color; and even baking USA-themed cookies! We can't wait to see what fun next week brings! Hot Tamales - 8/9 Boys Even though this was the first week of camp and everyone is still getting to know one another, I can tell we are going to have a lot of fun! The 8/9 Boys have played intense BINGO games in their home base; dodgeball bowling and kickball with the 8/9 Girls; ate delicious ziti, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs, started to learn to be better swimmers, and of course attacked their counselors in the pool during free swim. I can't wait to see what the rest of the Hot Tamales' summer has in store! Nerds - 10/11 Boys The first week of camp was nothing short of amazing. Staying in camp for the first two days was a good way to get to know the campers and staff in our group. The Nerds had a lot of fun playing basketball in the gym with Greg and at the BBQ. They all had a great time at Laser Bounce, playing the arcade games, laser tag, and bouncing around on the inflatables. Even though this week was cut short by the Fourth of July, we can't wait for Week 2! Jolly Ranchers - Tweens After waiting all year, the Jolly Ranchers were thrilled to get another year at Hillcrest underway. After some icebreakers, our summer began with some fun at Jewel Avenue Playground, followed by kickball in the gym and deep water testing in the pool. On Tuesday, we made puzzles in art, whoopie pies in cooking, and Kotel bricks in Jewish Culture, and we all enjoyed the softball, volleyball, soccer, and basketball at Valley Stream. Our trip to Laser Bounce was awesome, and we loved our game of Charades in drama. Most of all, we loved the baked ziti, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs at lunch this week - our new lunch food is SO delicious! We can't wait for more of the same next week! Gym The children began the summer with a full week of events. On Monday, all the groups played kickball in the gym. Later in the week, the 8/9 Boys played half-court basketball. They played a nice game while also gaining an understanding of teamwork and sportsmanship. The Tweens also enjoyed a game of basketball while others played some handball. The Lower Camp got to do some bowling with a game of Pindown, and also played Freeze Tag and some Duck, Duck, Goose. At this week's BBQ, campers took part in softball, soccer, volleyball, and basketball activities. Art & Drama This week in Arts & Crafts, the Lower Camp made kites depicting their favorite summer activities, flower leis, and planes out of popsicle sticks. The Upper Camp designed their own puzzles and photo cubes. In Drama, the Lower Camp mastered the game Indian Chief, the Penguin Song, and Zip Zap Zop, while the Upper Camp played Charades Relay Races and "Get a Clue." |
Camper Quotes
What was your favorite part of the week?
| What was the most exciting thing you did at camp?
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What are you most looking forward to next week?
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Mensch of the Week - Sammy F (6/7 Boys)
| MENSCH (noun) \ˈmen(t)sh\ a person of integrity and honor | Sammy listens well, asks good questions, helped clean up the lunch area after we ate at Valley Stream, and is kind to his fellow campers. |
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