Bruchim Habaim (welcome) to Kayitz (Summer) 2019!
Finally your children have arrived, and after much preparation, we were more than ready to open the gates and get them unpacked. In our opening night peulah (activity), chanichim (campers) reunited with old friends and were introduced to new ones. We had a fun facts guessing game with the madrichim (counselors), where the chanichim had to guess which fun fact belonged to with madrich. For example, a madricha in G1 modeled a scarf on Good Morning America! After getting to know the madrichim, we had two activities designed for each of the chanichim to get to know each other. The first was “find someone who…” which involved the chanichim going around the room and finding people who had various commonalities, and filling out an entire home-made bingo card of possibilities. The second activity was speed dating. We had the chanichim sit in two concentric circles, and in different pairs share stories and thoughts. By the end of the night, the ice was broken and the excitement for the rest of the summer was greater than ever.
First full day began with Mifkad (assembly) on a sunny day, and later that day we went to our first chug (elective) and kitah (class). This year, the chanichim were able to choose their own kitah out of a couple options, like “Jews in pop-culture” and “prayer through yoga” among a few. The afternoon was filled with sports and singing, and the after dinner the boys and girls separated for peulot planned by their madrichim. The banot (girls) bonded over beading and all made necklaces to wear all together, and the banim (boys) had a Shark Tank peulah which consisted of groups coming up with and presenting their inventions and companies to a panel of madrichim in exchange for rubber duckies. Both peulot were huge successes.
Today, afternoon activities consisted of a sports round-robin for the banim with soccer, basketball, tennis and frisbee, while the banot jumped on the Kangaruach (giant inflatable trampoline). All of us had free swim at the Agam (lake) and some even had the opportunity to use the Aquakef, a fun-filled water structure, one of Yavneh’s newest additions.
We can’t wait to spend Shabbat at camp with everyone together, it’s always an incredibly powerful and memorable experience and undoubtedly a favorite time at Yavneh. Beyond the weekend, we are looking ahead to our first trip as an aydah (age group) to the Highland Center. There is so much more to come, and we can’t wait to tell you all about it!
B’ahava (with love),
Nina and Adina
