July 28-Aug 1: Week 5 of Summer 2014

July 28-Aug 1: Week 5 of Summer 2014

Check out the "Photos" page for pictures from Week 5!

M&Ms - Nursery/Kindergarten

On Tuesday, we went to the Bronx Zoo and saw a 4D Ice Age movie. We also went on the monorail and saw lots of animals up close! On Wednesday, we went to the BBQ and played with chalk. We loved our activities back at camp this week - like Art and Cooking, and had a great time swimming in the pool! We were so excited to sing our song to our parents for Family Day, and are even more excited for next week at camp!

Pixy Stix - 6/7 Girls

This was a great week! Monday was pretty relaxing, followed by a trip to the Bronx Zoo on Tuesday. The girls were fascinated by the bears, zebras, and gorillas! On Wednesday, we had a great time at the BBQ in the playground and we couldn't stop smiling at gymnastics on Thursday. We wrapped up the week by singing a great rendition of Let it Go about Hillcrest to our parents during Family Day.

Hershey Misses - 8/9 Girls

This week started off with Active Kidz, though many of our campers were away at the NJ Y Overnight for 3 days. Active Kidz was enjoyable for our girls, from laser tag to bouncy inflatables. The week continued with the BBQ at Valley Stream, which was fun as usual. Rye Playland was a long but fun trip for the girls, and the week wrapped up with awesome Family Day performances.

Chiclets - 10/11 Girls

This week, a lot of our campers went on the NJ Y Overnight and participated in many activities. This included swimming in the lake, riding in banana bots, making art projects, and participating in cookouts. The rest of the girls stayed at camp and went to Active Kidz and on the weekly BBQ. All the girls were back at camp on Thursday when we conquered lots of rides at Rye Playland. We ended the week with our awesome Family Day performance in Oneg. We can't wait for next week!

Swim

And so passes the first week of the second sessions. To be honest, this seemed to be one of those weeks that was full of big camper trips, making it difficult to ensure all of our instructional groups got equal treatment. Despite this, our campers continue to show improvement in their swim skills, as we hope the Lower Camp parents saw during Family Day. We will continue to build on their skills over the next few weeks before summer comes to a close. 

Jewish Culture & Cooking

In cooking this week, the groups made chocolate chip cookie brittle. They had to mix the dough and then flatten in out in a pan. We decorated the cookie brittle with homemade sugar dust. In Jewish Culture, we learned about JNF, an organization that, among other things, plants trees in Israel. Each camper got to plant a flower or vegetable in flower pots they made in Arts and Crafts. 

Junior Mints - 6/7 Boys

This week, we went to the Bronx Zoo on Tuesday. We saw gorillas, bears, polar bears, giraffes, and much more! In Gymnastics this week, we played fun games and in swim, we learned new techniques like pushing off the wall and swimming underwater and kicking. Of course, we had a great time at Valley Stream on Wednesday for the BBQ and at all of our activities in camp, especially cooking!

Hot Tamales - 8/9 Boys

On Monday, we went to Active Kidz. The campers enjoyed going on inflatables, going through a maze, and playing laser tag. On Wednesday, we went on our weekly cookout, where the campers played soccer, basketball, and volleyball. On Thursday, we spent the entire day at Rye Playland. The campers loved all the rides, some of them being the Log Flume, Dragon Coaster, and RZ 2000. We ended the week performing during Family Day, and we can't wait for the week to come.

Nerds - 10/11 Boys

On Monday, our group went to Active Kidz where we enjoyed various activities, including laser tag, bowling, and bouncy houses. On Thursday, we went to Rye Playland and enjoyed going on the different rides, like the Dragon Coaster, SuperFlight, and Playland Plunge. We loved performing on Family Day, after putting so much work into practicing our song for our families and friends.

Jolly Ranchers - Tweens

This week the Tweens who didn't go on the NJ Y Overnight had a blast at Active Kidz, playing laser tag, rock climbing, and bowling. On Tuesday, we had a fun day at camp, making duct tape wallets in Arts and Crafts. On Wednesday, we enjoyed our BBQ, partaking in different sports and playing in the playground. This week, we also went to Rye Playland, going on different rides like the Dragon Coaster, Thunderbolt, and Music Express. On Family Day, we enjoyed our first Oneg of the summer and singing for all our parents. Dave and Buster's was a great way to close out the week, and we can't wait for next week! We also want to acknowledge our counselor, Sharon, who left us on Friday as she moves to Arizona for graduate school. We wish you nothing but the best!

Gym

On Monday, the Lower Camp participated in a game of kickball. We also made some trips to the park, where they had fun with games of jump rope and hula hoops. The Upper Camp took part in a huge game of knockout involving both campers and staff. There were games of volleyball and newcomb, and even a handball tournament!

Art & Drama

In Arts and Crafts, everyone finished their patches for the camp quilt and the Upper camp made duct tape wallets. In Drama, we acted out popular stories with our bodies: each small group's poses told the parts of a story.

Camper Quotes

What was your favorite part of the week?

• The zoo and monorail were fun! -Tori, N/K
• Going to the zoo -David, 6/7 B
  
• Seeing the zebras -Julie, 6/7 G
• Going on Catch a Wave at Playland! -Lucas, 8/9 B
• Going to Rye Playland, duh. -Natalia, 8/9 G 
• Being with my friends at NJ Y Camp -Myles, 10/11 B
• The fun rides at Rye Playland -Samantha, 10/11 G 
• Going to Rye Playland -Chloe, Tweens   

What was the most exciting thing you did at camp?

• Swimming -Yaron, N/K
• Going to the Bronx Zoo store -Amit, 6/7 B
  
• Swim and Arts & Crafts -Shiloh, 6/7 G
• Guitar Lessons at the NJ Y Overnight -Yoni, 8/9 B
• Rye Playland! -Samara, 8/9 G      
• Going to NJ Y with my friends -Alex, 10/11 B
• Banana Boating on the overnight -Abigail K, 10/11 G 
• Rye Playland -Sigal, Tweens   

• What are you most looking forward to next week?

• Gymnastics -Rebecca, N/K
• Going to swim and gym -Christopher, 6/7 B
• Next Friday when we have Oneg -Brianna, 6/7 G
• Jones Beach Pool -Jacob, 8/9 B

• Going to Jones Beach Pool again -Leah K, 8/9 G
• The cookout -Kenneth, 10/11 B
• Going back to Jones Beach Pool -Arielle, 10/11 G
• Having a good time with friends -Tyler W, Tweens

Mensch of the Week - David K (8/9 B)

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

David is a camper who isn't afraid to do his own thing, speak his mind, and help others. If someone does something wrong, David tells them to stop and that what they're doing is wrong. David is also always the first to help his fellow campers when they make mistakes.