Shabbat Shalom!

Shabbat Shalom! 

The chanichim (campers) have had busy past few days! They’ve spent the last two nights at themed messibot (parties) run by their very own Bogrim and Madatzim. Luckily, we have a relaxing Shabbat today so we can rest up and be ready for our last hoorah tomorrow- final mesibah (party).

Today started off very well, with our classic Friday breakfast- muffins! It was all smiles during the muffin meal because every muffin had chocolate chips- even the blueberry ones! We then transitioned into extended avodah (work), and extended nikayon tzrif (cabin cleaning). The kids are starting the hard task of packing to go home. Many campers are starting to realize that this is their last Shabbat of summer 2015, but their mood was brought right back up when they went to Madatz Puela (activities run by Madatz). 

Many schavot (age groups) did concluding activities. The Amelim played the yarn game which is where a ball of yarn gets passed around and with each pass, a favorite memory is shared. That creates a web of string that holds all of the campers greatest memories of the summer. Then, they each get a piece of the yarn to wear as a bracelet- and use as a reminder of their time here at machaneh. The Chotrim learned about the Ken, which is the name for camp activities that happen throughout the school year. They discussed of incorporating Habonim values in their lives and ways to stay in touch with friends, even while they’re not physically at machaneh (camp). The Sayarim finger painted their happiest moment of this past session- however there was a twist! They used each other’s arms and legs as canvases! The Tzofim opened notes that they had written to themselves on the first day of second session. The notes included their expectations and goals for the summer. Today they spent time reflecting on the past few weeks. The Bonim had Cafe Bonim, which is where the madatzim set up a little Cafe and served them some snacks and refreshments. They also shared “warm and fuzzies”, which is a short anecdote or moment that is supposed to make their friend/kvutsah feel “warm and fuzzy”. The Bogrim don’t have Madatz, but their madrichim (counselors) took them down to the creek.

After their peulot (activities) they got dressed up in crazy costumes for our weekly Shabbat Shira (singing). Today they learned some some hebrew songs that we sing after dinner on Friday nights.  Next they had delicious pizza, while the madatzim braided challah for tonight’s dinner. Like every Friday, we have something called Hyde Park after lunch. It is an opportunity with all of the chanichim and madatzim, where chanichim can voice their feedback (both negative and positive) about anything pertaining to machaneh or our community. Their requests, complaints, or compliments are written down and handed over to the mazkirut, and more often than not, a change is made!

During chofesh (free time), the Madatz prepared for their Kabbalat Shabbat (a song and dance that is performed by a different age group every week) and the Bogrim rehearsed for their oneg (a comical skit that is written and acted out by a different age group every week)!  Many of the younger chanichim continued packing, playing, and resting up for Shabbat. Tonight the chanichim look forward to homemade challah and matzah ball soup, lot’s rikud (israeli dancing), and bedtime stories from their Madatzim!

Revo: Bears!

Hello Galil friends, family, and other blog visitors. Today was Revo, a day where the madatzim (counselors-in-training) plan and run a special day for the chanichim (campers). This day is filled with fun activities, delicious food, and loads of excitement. The theme this session was Bears. Now bear with me as I relate to you the events!

            Last night, the chanichim were li-bear-ated from the counselors. When they woke up the next morning, they had a full day of bear-themed celebration to look forward to. First, they went to a breakfast that started off with cold and disgusting porridge, but after some complaints from Goldilocks, plates and plates of pancakes and delicious toppings were brought out! During breakfast, kids could draw on the paper-covered tables and watch the Berenstein Bears. They, then, made their own bear masks to partake in an epic game of dodgeball. This led into a bear carnival with stations such as bear hugs and the ever-popular corn-dog wrestling.

            Next, Yogi Bear “stole” some picnic baskets from local RVs for a tasty outdoor lunch. After the kids enjoyed kabobs, tater tots, and watermelon, Smokey the Bear made a surprise appearance due to the fire started by yogi bear’s reckless cooking! The kids “put out fire” by having a water fight, which led right into a pool party that helped them cool off from the un-bear-able heat. Next came a Winnie the Pooh themed scavenger hunt, an obstacle course, and a little break in Winnie the Pooh’s hand-crafted cave (made of trashbags!).

            For snack, the kids went to Build-a-Bear and decorated their own bear cakes with a li-bear-al amount of icing and toppings. Then, they went on a nature walk and interacted with different types of bears in their natural habitats – including the gummy bear.

            The chanichim later watched Kung Fu Panda while eating Chinese food. Delicious treats included dumplings, fried rice, a noodle soup, and fortune cookies. They were then all invited to a party hosted by the Coca Cola polar bears. Bear-fore they knew it, they were in the company of various cele-bear-ities ranging from Justin Biebear to Bearack Obama. Activities included bear roar contests, a hibernation relaxation station, whack-a-bear, and face painting!

            Revo was bear-els of fun! It was a great opportunity for the madatzim to gain experience running camp and a magic-filled day for the chanichim. As always, health and safety were priority, but the kids still had an amazing day. I can bear-ly believe that camp will be over on Sunday, and I feel as if Revo Bears was a good ending to an amazing session.

Bocoup!

Lailah tov (good evening), Galil families! I’m Ross Weisman, and I’m one of the madrichim (counselors) for the Bogrim shikvah (age group)! Today was a very exciting one where my chanichim (campers) “kicked out” the madrichim (counselors) and Madatzim (counselors-in-training). While tzevet (staff) did stay on site during their takeover and even helped out where we could, we allowed the Bogrim to make an entire half of the day their own and really step into our shoes. Bocoup started with a special lunch of pigs in a blanket and sliders! But enough from me! Here’s one of the Bogrim with her recap of this special time.

Hello, parents! My name is Kayla B-W. and I was the communication specialist for “Bocoup”. This is when the oldest chanichim, the Bogrim, plan and run special programming from lunch until lailah (night). This year’s theme was “End of the World”. All of the chanichim had fun exploring exaggerated versions of natural disasters, from a water balloon “avalanche” to a “flash flood” pool party, and ending with a messibah (party) to celebrate our survival! The avalanche was a water fight on the basketball court. Each chanich received their own balloons and a good soaking. It was buckets of fun! The mudslide brought all the chanichim to a slip ‘n’ slide down the hill. Afterwards, a flash flood led us to a pool party! With music playing and the sun shining, our pool excursion was a nice break before being caught in a “sandstorm” of powdered colors. After drying off, the kids all went to the chadar ochel (dining hall) for a special kibud (snack) of dirt cups! No, not a handful of earth but crushed up Oreos and pudding! We then had everyone come to the kikar (field) where we had a carnival of bucket list items. Everything from lip syncing with their favorite celebrities to getting tattoos (don’t sweat, parents; they’re temporary). 

After crossing some items off, the chanichim shook some foundation and survived an earthquake aka a blindfolded obstacle course! For the last disaster of the day, chanichim stopped a volcano from erupting by sorting multi-colored balloons against the clock. After a much-needed dinner of enchiladas and asparagus, the day winded down with a survival celebration! All in all, the day was a nice change of pace for everyone. The chanichim got to engage in totally different activities and we, the Bogrim, understood more of what it means to be leaders.

Wish Day!

As promised, I will open with a description of last night's incredibly creative tochnit erev. We broke the story line at dinner:a wizard came to machaneh with some minions, and told all the kids that they had to prove their worth to the Salmon King! In the beginning of the activity, the wizard orchestrated a "kidnapping" of one chanich from every kvutzah(who had their own special tochnit erev), and the rest of the night was devoted to stations revolving around the recovery of the kidnapped chanichim. The pinnacle of the night was the maze, which went through the beit tzevet, which is something that has never occurred since the building was created. But don't worry, we covered the entire maze and turned off the lights so the inside is still a secret.

Last night was also Madatz Nofesh. The Matdatz went out for dinner with their madrichim to a local diner and then had ice cream at Owowcow!

Today was a rainy day at Galil. We woke up to damp grass and mist, and ended the day with some drizzle, and very pretty post rainstorm clouds. However, it didn't really rain for too long. Today, both the Amelim and Chotrim learned about the Ethiopian Aliyah, building on Aliyah Bet two nights ago. The Sayarim had a peula about ablelism, using the extended physical metaphor of trying to accomplish daily tasks with other random objects taped to their hands. The Tzophim had a peula about body image, where they explored the media's influence on their body's. 

The Bonim, because of our special day tomorrow, signed up to lead activities with the Bogrim (tomorrow is Bocoup!). They also made very nice signs for the mitbach tzevet and hung them around the chadar ochel. The Bogrim had a peula about their future in the movement. As all the chanichim get older, more movement experiences become open to them, such as MBI, Winter Seminar, Veida, and East Coast Mifgash. Today, the mitbach made two delicious meals, chicken pot pie for lunch, and lasagna for dinner! 

The tochnit erev tonight was Wish Night! At the beginning of the session, we had all the kids write down wishes and tonight we granted each and every one of them! We had a range of wishes, from panda shaped cookie cake, to a chanich being the winner of the Hunger Games. 

Aliyah Bet and Yom Ragil!

     Chanichim (campers) had a busy night last night! The Bonim (post 8th graders) planned and organized an annual activity called Aliyah Bet, which simulates immigration to Israel. This year the theme of the tochnit (activity) was the Ethiopian Aliyah. After many days of learning and grasping the idea, intent, and result of the Ethiopian Aliyah, they were able to teach the rest of the chanichim a little bit about it. The Bonim and Bogrim (post 9th graders) woke up the kids at 11:45pm and told them that they had to put on closed-toed shoes, a hat, and long pants in preparation for an asepha (meeting) and long journey to Israel! They encountered “aggressive soldiers”, training stations, and lots of mud through the hike, but finally got picked up by the Israelis. Warm brownies and root beer floats awaited them in the Promise Land! Aliyah Bet is designed to introduce some leadership skills to the Bonim chanichim. They elected, amongst themselves, a rosh (head) of the event and had to come to decisions as a kvutsa (group). With each year of growth, the trust invested into our chanichim increase.

       

     There was a camp-wide sleep-in until 9:30 today so that everyone could fully recover from last night’s rewarding events! Breakfast featured our usual yet beloved homemade granola, and delicious fruits including cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries, and bananas. After breakfast, chanichim got back to their Yom Ragil (normal day) schedule. Since 2nd Session is so full of various special days, the chanichim have grown to really appreciate the few normal days that they have. Today and tomorrow will be the last ‘normal’ days of summer 2015- we have some exciting days at the end of this week.

     For Pish Alef (age group activity #1), the Amelim (post 3rd and 4th graders) had instructional swim. The Chotrim (post 5th graders) learned about different jobs in society and why it is important to value all different types of occupations. The Sayarim (post 6th graders) talked about methods of social change. They’ve spent a lot of time brainstorming potential differences they’d like to see in the world, and today it was time to learn how to actualize their ideas! The Tzofim (post 7th graders) talked about feedback and how to give constructive criticism. Their activity included some skits to show examples of positive and intentional feedback to their kvutsa-mates. The bonim had an extra relaxing morning to kickstart Yom Bonim (bonim day)!

      

     Their madrichim (counselors) brought breakfast to their tzrifim (cabins) and they had feedback time to reflect on Aliyah Bet. Reflection time opens their eyes to the dynamic of their kvutza during big collaborations as well as prepare them for the bigger activities that they’ll get to plan next year! Speaking of bigger activities- the Bogrim spent pish alef finishing up Bocoup planning. Bocoup is when the oldest chanichim (campers) “kick out” the Madatzim and Tzevet and run camp for a few hours. They have to plan everything- including; themes, meals, activities, and the mesibah (party). Stay tuned for another blog update about Bocoup in a few days.

     During sports, the chanichim had the option to help out at the Gan (garden), which, with the help of our gan specialist, Hanna Vaughn, is expanding! The chanichim grabbed a one of our very own and pesticide-free veggies as a reward for their hard work!

     For lunch we had some delicious chili and freshly baked bread, which is a machaneh favorite! The rest of the day will include the usual chugim (interest groups), zman meyuchad (time with specialists), shira (singing), avodah (work), and aruchat erev (dinner). Tonight, the Madatz are going on their nofesh (night off), and there is a very special tochnit erev (night activity). Check back tomorrow for more details on how everything turns out tonight!