Hillcrest 2014 - Week 3 Recap

July 14-July 18: Week 3 of Summer 2014

Check out the "Photos" page for pictures from Week 3!

M&Ms - Nursery/Kindergarten

Throughout the third week of camp, the M&Ms had so much excitement! On Monday, we all went to Adventureland, where we went on rides like the Little Dipper, Pirate Island, and the Crocodile. On Tuesday, we went to Pump it Up and had tons of fun in the bouncy houses! Due to the rain Wednesday, we had our hot dogs at camp, but got to go to Valley Stream later on in the dat. Thursday was our group theme day, where all the N/K campers dressed up as their mothers and fathers. Overall, it was a great week! 

Pixy Stix - 6/7 Girls

This week we did so many fun things at camp! Our week started off with some great rides at Adventureland, and on Tuesday we all loved the trip to Pump It Up, especially because many of us had never been there before! Whoever came up with the idea to create a room full of bouncy houses was a genius! On Wednesday, we had a shortened BBQ at Valley Stream, and we enjoyed some activities back at camp on Thursday and Friday.

Hershey Misses - 8/9 Girls

Our week started with the rest of the camp at Adventureland on Monday, where the 8/9 Girls enjoyed the Hurricane, Swings, and Haunted House. Despite the rainy weather at the beginning of the day, we all went to Valley Stream after Picture Day and lunch on Wednesday for some fun playing sports and at the playground. At the end of the week, the girls dressed up in pajamas for Group Theme Day and relaxed at Jones Beach Pool, where they swam their life away.

Chiclets - 10/11 Girls

This week, the 10/11 Girls started off with a trip to Adventureland. Everyone had so much fun, from playing bumper cars to going on the roller coasters. On Wednesday, we all had a blast at Valley Stream State Park. On Thursday, the Chiclets had a fabulous time enjoying the sun and water at Jones Beach Pool, and group theme day was so exciting! On Friday, everyone was super excited for Rabbi Kogan's return and our favorite lunch - Pizza Friday! This week was so much fun, and we can't wait for next week!

Swim

As we approach the halfway point of the summer, everyone seems to be getting more involved in swim than ever before. Especially with the Lower Camp, everyone is getting eager to learn and get in the water. Although it can be a little overwhelming working with so many kids, seeing them have a great time at camp makes being a lifeguard so worth it!

Jewish Culture & Cooking

In Jewish Culture this week, we learned about the Dead Sea in Israel. Groups got to play with real Israeli mud that is known for its healing properties, and then made Dead Sea Salt Scrubs. In addition, we discussed how Israel is going through hard times at the moment and how we need to keep it in our prayers. We spoke about the many wonderful things Israel has brought to the world - drip irrigation, nanotechnology, technology for our phones and computers, and more. We split up to see which team could create the most innovative product, with fun results. In Cooking, we made zebra fudge cookies, putting a twist on classic chocolate cookies by dunking them in powdered sugar and watching them expand into zebra stripes in the oven. The only thing more fun than making them was eating them!

Junior Mints - 6/7 Boys

This week at Hillcrest, the Junior Mints had a very fun time. When we went to Adventureland, we enjoyed all of the rides and got on the bus home with happy faces and prizes! On Tuesday, we went to Pump it Up and used all of our energy bouncing around. We had a lot of fun at Valley Stream on Thursday afternoon, and enjoyed our time back at camp on Thursday and Friday. This week was great for both campers and counselors!

Hot Tamales - 8/9 Boys

This week, the 8/9 Boys started out with a great trip to Adventureland where they had a fun time playing games and going on rides. On Tuesday, we stayed in camp doing crafts with Michelle and learning about the Dead Sea and applying Dead Sea mud with Daniela in Jewish Culture. On Wednesday, although it rained in the morning, we left for Valley Stream State Park in the afternoon for a great time playing soccer, basketball, and other sports. On Thursday, we went out to Long Island for a refreshing trip to the Jones Beach Pool where we swam, sunbathed, and jumped off the diving board. It was definitely a great week for the 8/9 Boys!

Nerds - 10/11 Boys

On Monday, we entire camp went to Adventureland. We all loved the exhilarating rides, especially the Hurricane and the Frisbee! Another great trip this week was Jones Beach Pool, where we enjoyed an entire day of free swim, jumping from the diving board, and french fries! Of course, back at camp we also got to take part in fun activities in Art, Drama, Jewish Culture, and at the playground!

Jolly Ranchers - Tweens

On Monday, we went to Adventureland where we went on the Hurricane roller coaster for the last time before it is switched out for a new roller coaster next year. On Tuesday, we had a quiet day back at camp, until the girls went to Gymnastics and the boys took part in fitness competitions at CrossFit. Although it rained on Wednesday, we still managed to spend some time at Valley Stream playing sports and hanging out, and luckily, Thursday was the perfect day for Jones Beach Pool. On Friday, we had a great time exploring Madame Tussauds and taking selfies with the wax figures, as well as exploring Times Square after the museum! We all have so many pictures to remember our trip, and some of us even had our own hands molded into a wax souvenir!

Gym

This past week the Lower Camp enjoyed many activities. They played a nice game of kickball. The children also competed in relay races of all types. Mixed in was a game of freeze tag. Upper Camp played their own game of kickball in the gym. They too competed in relay races. Everyone gave a great effort. Also added in were some fun trips to the park where basketball and handball were played.

Art & Drama

This week in Drama, the Upper Camp played "Press Conference" and showed their deductive reasoning skills. The Lower Camp played "Four Corners" and enjoyed running around for a change. In Arts & Crafts, the Lower Camp made rock bugs and flower leis, while the Upper Camp decorated flower pots which they will plant with in Jewish Culture next week.

Camper Quotes

What was your favorite part of the week?

• The Pool -Noah, N/K
• I liked swimming in the pool -Avery, 6/7 B
  
• All the rides at Adventureland! -Abby, 6/7 G
• Riding the bumper cars. -David K, 8/9 B
• Going on the rides at Adventureland -Samara, 8/9 G 
• Riding the Hurricane one last time -Myles, 10/11 B
• The fun and exciting rides at Adventureland -Arielle, 10/11 G 
• Jones Beach Pool! -Tyler R, Tweens   

What was the most exciting thing you did at camp?

• Pump It Up -Ella, N/K
• Putting on mud in Jewish Culture -Amit, 6/7 B
  
• The activities at Adventureland! -Nicole S, 6/7 G
• Playing volleyball at the BBQ -Andrew O, 8/9 B
• Going to hip-hop and gymnastics -Ariella, 8/9 G      
• Jones Beach Pool! -Samuel M, 10/11 B
• Spending time with my friends and having fun in the pool at Jones Beach! -Alexia, 10/11 G 
• Going on the Hurricane -Reuben, Tweens   

What are you most looking forward to next week?

• Build-a-Bear Workshop -Lindsay, N/K
• Build-a-Bear because I want to make another dog!     -Danny, 6/7 B
• All the great things like swimming! -Amina, 6/7 G
• The Batting Cages on Thursday! -Jacob K, 8/9 B

• My first time at Splish Splash! -Eve, 8/9 G
• Splish Splash-last year was great! -Jeremy, 10/11 B
• Splish Splash - it's so much fun! -Sivana, 10/11 G
• Splish Splash - duh! -Nicole, Tweens

Mensch of the Week - Osher L (8/9 B)

MENSCH (noun) \ˈmen(t)sh\
a person of integrity and honor

"Osher is one of the most mature campers in our group. Whenever we ask for quiet, Osher is always one of the first to sit down and listen to what we have to say. He makes sure to always include other campers. When a fellow camper was nervous about a ride at Adventureland, Osher encouraged him to go on the ride without fear, and both campers had a great time on the ride together!"