B’ruchim Haba’im from Amitzim 2014!

Hello, and welcome to the wonderful community of Amitzim 2014!  We’re already in high gear with all of our activities here at camp, and are absolutely delighted to be kicking off the summer with such excitement.  Starting with a festive Hawaiian luau-themed dinner on Tuesday night, we got into the swing of our routine with lots of extra fun thrown into the mix.  This week’s theme in Amitzim is “Land Before Time,” and we’ve been enjoying many peulot (programs) about dinosaurs.  Tuesday afternoon included games about how dinosaurs walk, talk, and eat, as well as their colors, sizes, and different “roar”s (arguably the most important part).  We also went on a scavenger hunt around camp looking for our very own dinosaurs, which are now all hanging on a poster in our moadon (edah common space)!  The scavenger hunt was a great way for our chanichim (campers) to see many places in camp where we’ll spend much of our time over the summer, so it also served as a fun tour.

In addition to these exciting thematic activities, the chanichim participated in a variety of relay-race type games as a way to become familiar with our daily schedule.  We’ve now had two full normal days at camp, and the daily routine is quickly becoming natural for our chanichim.  Our tefillot (prayers) each morning have been energetic – full of singing and dancing – and we’re loving our chugim (electives), which include basketball, ropes, clay and other art, cooking, and drama.  Yesterday we got to spend some time with our Machon Helpers – campers in another edah (entering 10th grade) who join us for sports each day – and enjoyed playing with our giant parachute.  Wednesday, while the buddies were in a separate sensitivity training session, we got to play a fantastic game of kickball with the whole edah.  It was quite sunny, so we all stayed well-hydrated and had an amazing time being active together.  We’ve also been learning about different stories from the Bible in Chinuch (Jewish education) each day, acting them out as Ayelet (our teacher) narrates.  In the afternoons we’ve enjoyed Shira & Rikud (singing and dancing), learning new songs and dances, and getting to practice ones we already know as well.  At this point, all of the chanichim have taken their swim tests in the agam (lake), and we’re feeling lucky that the weather’s been holding out for us while we swim.  Finally, we’re all excited about getting started on our Avodah (work) rotations.  Each day, our chanichim are tending to an Amitzim garden, making bags of trail mix to give out to the youngest kids in camp, and practicing new social skills.  We move through the rotation on a daily basis, so everyone has been able to try two of the three offerings so far.  This afternoon we even had two campers deliver our first batch of trail mix to the younger campers on Tzad Aleph (A Side)!

As you can see, we – the madrichim (counselors) and chanichim are all ecstatic to be embarking on our summer of fun, growth, and friendship, and we can’t wait to update you again soon.  We also hope you’re enjoying the beginning of your summer at home, and wish you a relaxing and rejuvenating shabbat shalom!