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Home of the Flying Challah

Chots’ Shot One of my favorite activities this summer has been Diving Board Thursday. This is the time during

swim lessons when campers get to jump off the diving board. Over the course of a couple of weeks, campers move from scared and uncertain if they can make the jump to confident that nothing can stop them from landing in the water. It is a great transition to watch.

The American Camp Association’s tag line is “Camp gives kids a world of good” and Diving Board Thursday is the perfect example. This activity, and camp in general, gives children the opportunity

to push out of their comfort zones in a safe and secure environment. They have to stand out on that diving board above the deep water all alone. Although you stand alone on the diving board, your friends are on the pool deck giving encouragement, the lifeguards are standing by just in case you need extra support once you’ve hit the water, and your counselors are there to wrap you in a towel and pat you on the back for your accomplishment.

Yes, in the big picture, learning to jump off a diving board is one of many small steps that helps a child grow into a self-assured adult. Camp is the place where kids get the chance to take many of those steps on a daily basis and is key in building a strong foundation on the path to adulthood.

The ACA is right. Camp does give kids a world of good, one small step at a time. The more time you spend at camp the more you grow. Sadly, there are only three weeks left to our summer. However, that’s plenty of time to get in lots of little steps that lead to big success.

Remember, you can see more pictures of this week by going to grantbarberphotography.com and clicking on the “J Day Camp 2018” link. The password is JDayCamp2018.

Have a restful Shabbat and an enjoyable weekend. We’ll see you next week

Happy CampingChots

Quick Hits from around Camp!

Kelvin Lee Basketball CampOur kids learned what it takes to be a basketball player. We conditioned ourselves in the morning and learned the proper ways to stop and shoot, and stop, fake pass and shoot. We competed with ourselves with free-throw shooting and learned how to follow-through with our shots. To finish the days, we played 5-on-5 to get the feeling of what it’s like to play in a real game.

Essman GadolThis week was extra fun because we brought in fencing for the campers to participate in! They had so much fun and learned a lot. In art we made salt water color paintings and created pasta murals. On Wednesday, we had Essman Extravaganza where campers showed off all their talents to the rest of the camp and for Wacky Wednesday a ton of campers wore their Wild West apparel. In tag we learned about Purim and in cooking we made yummy pudding cups! For science we had a penny boat experiment which was really cool. Throughout the week campers splashed around in the pool for swim lessons and free swim. On Friday we welcomed in Shabbat with fun dancing and music as well as a slideshow of pictures displaying our fun week.

Essman KatanMonday’s Mitzvah was repairing the world (tikkun olam), which encouraged us to practice more recycling and being kind to our spaces. Wednesday, we dressed up as characters from the Wild West. There were cowboys, cowgirls, cactuses (or is it cacti?) and animals. Even the teachers got in on this dress up with their mini glitter hats! It was so much fun to see everyone participate and encourage one another as we continue to practice the Jewish values we are learning about.

On Thursday, we had a visitor from the Jewish National Fund come teach us about Israel and our mitzvahs. She did a great job talking to all of the campers and helping them see how they could practice repairing the world, starting in their own community. She also shared how Israel came to be, the environment (including salt water and desalinization) and important sites and cities in Israel.

Camp of the Arts This week in art camp the campers got messy and creative. We dabbled in water colors and origami. The campers also got to illustrate their very own comic book and we ended the week with tie-dye! It’s safe to say we’ve had a lot of fun!

Maccabi Sports CampThis week in camp we played many games of indoor soccer, scoring insane goals and making great saves. We also played Gaga and basketball. We enhanced our swimming skills at swim lessons, and by racing in the pool. We had a great week of fun games at camp and can’t wait for another week!

Hyman Multin Sports CampFor the tournament this week, our campers took part in Olympic Handball. Handball is a sport played around the world where competitors use their hands to throw a ball into opponent’s net on an indoor court. Campers worked on their passing and shooting skills before jumping into a competitive tournament for the week. Across all ages, teamwork was a focal point of the week as no one player could win an entire game since players are allowed three steps before they must pass or shoot. Crisp passes lead to strong shots contested by the other team’s goalie.

In our new game, the young athletes played a game called Whack-it. Whack-it is a game that draws inspiration from tennis and netball. The game is played by throwing the ball to teammates around a field and throwing into a hooped net on the ground, though a basket can also be substituted. A blocker for each team is given a tennis racquet in order to block passes and shots on the net in order to play defense.

GymnasticsAs we flip closer and closer to the end of summer, the campers continue working on and exceling with their gymnastics skills. This week they learned new skills such as handstand flatbacks, cartwheels, and specific skills on the beam, bars and vault just to name a few. The campers had the chance to show off what they learned this week at open gym we had Friday. At Shabbat gymnastics camp got to show their friends their cheer/dance they all have worked extremely hard with.

Staenberg Family Complex 2 Millstone Campus Drive

St. Louis, MO 63146

Marilyn Fox Building16801 Baxter Road

Chesterfield, MO 63005

314.442.3432jccstl.org

Teen CampOn Tuesday, we went to Epic 6, on Wednesday we went to Creve Coeur lake and paddle-boarded and on Thursday, we went to Castelwood State Park to do a little hiking. We had so much fun this week and can’t wait for our Chicago trip next week!

Camp Nat KoplarWe enjoyed learning a few oldie but goodie camp songs like “The Dreamer” in music class. We enjoyed painting and gluing and making Star of David wall hangings in art. Nature’s focus this week was the kinds of fossils we can find in Missouri! We focused movement classes this week around our Troll’s soundtrack. We had a special visit from the Missouri Department of Conservation, bringing a program called Turtles for Tots. That was super cool! We had the chance to see lots of different kinds of turtles found in Missouri and got to touch them too!

Camp Sidney R. BaerIn cooking, campers made seven-layer dip with some kids trying ingredients like guacamole and sour cream for the first time. Campers went on a treasure hunt of Captain Green Jeans’ silver chalice in nature. While at sports, campers played whiffle ball, Chinese soccer, four corners, gaga, floor hockey, ultimate Frisbee and sit-down hockey. Campers got wet in Israel Alive with a water splash Israeli quiz, and also learned about Noah’s Ark and played a Jewish holiday matching game. In art, campers decorated bookmarks and letters. And in team building, groups told a story by only saying one word at a time and also tried to jump rope together.