What a Week in Tiny Tots!

It's been an awesome, action-packed week here in the Tiny Tots classroom. On Monday, we had a blast splashing in Buhr pool. Then on Tuesday, we headed to Domino's Farm, where we saw unbelievable things, like adorable piglets and claves, even a baby lamb that was just born that morning. We had a great time feeding carrots to the sheep and goats, and getting our fingers all slimy! We went on a hayride to feed the cows and see the llamas. On Wednesday, we started off with a sweet, yummy, chocolatey batch of cookies in Creative Cooking, then decorated crowns because we're all Jewish princes and princesses. To top off a great day in style, we ran out in the heat for a dip in the pool and a splash in the sprinkler! Thursday was an awesome day too, we started off by making silly sock puppets that can talk and remind us to make good choices! Then we got to go for a real ride in an old old old car (older than our grandpas!) called a Model T. After all that we were pretty hungry, so we came inside and made some sushi, candy sushi that is, which we all enjoyed at our grand goodbye party for our counselor Kelly, who we're going to miss sooooo much.

Brachot Week!!!!

This week was the most amzaing, spectacular week Camp Gan Israel has seen yet! Starting with workshops on Monday, where we kicked our way through karate, or beaded and wove beautiful bracelets in jewelry making, made adorable fruit baskets in cooking, or had a great time learning about weather! Then we took off to the Scrapbox, where we had a blast making our own creative shakers and filling up a goodie bag with recycled craft materials! Tuesday was an action-packed day. First a magician came and shocked us with his incredible tricks, which of course are not real magic, but just look really cool. Then we got to explore the inside of a real ambulance and hear all about a day in the life of a paramedic. After lunch we trekked to Jungle Java and went crazy running sliding and climbing. On Wednesday we went back to workshops, like sports, weather and jewelry, then went off to the swimming pool...finally! Thursday was the Grand Brachos Fair, we had a great time running from booth to booth, making adorable potato creatures for Ha'adoma, and much more. Then we went... swimming, swimming in the swimming pool... We ended off a great week with a great Friday full of challah baking, sports, swimming, tie-dying challah covers, and of course an awesome Shabbat party!!

Kindness Week in Tiny Tots

Wow, we had such a busy week in the Tiny Tots room. We started off with a huge splash into Buhr Pool on Monday. We learned about being nice to everyone, the special mitzvah called ahavat yisroel. Then on Tuesday, we had a fabulous time climbing, jumping, and sliding through the jungle in Jungle Java. On Wednesday, while the rain poured down outside, we stayed nice and cozy inside, playing sports in the gym and jumping in the indoor moon bounce! We also baked our very own hot pretzels, shaping the dough and painting it with egg. Since we learned about saying thank you to our parents for all the nice things they do, we beaded beautiful neckalces to take home to our mothers. On Thursday, we learned that you don't only have to treat other people nicely, we even have to be kind to animals! We had a crazy time playing musical chairs and decorating heart necklaces beautifully. Then, of course, we got to have Music and Movement, which we all loved, clapping and waving and dancing! On Friday, we baked challah, and tie-dyed challah covers. We had a great time playing sports in the gym, and, when the sun came out, we finally got to go out to the playground and moon bounce! A great Shabbat party ended off our amazing week!

Brachot Week in Tiny Tots

We've had quite a busy, tiring week here in Tiny Tots! On Monday, we had a great time splashing in the fountains and sprinklers at Buhr pool. On Tuesday, we went to an awesome field trip to the Scrap Box, where we learned about insects, that have six legs and three body sections, and then made our own insects out of recycled materials, like foam and plastic. Then we each got a bag to fill with cool recycled stuff that we can use at home for cool recycled art projects. Afterwards we played a fun, musical game called Brachos Step On It. On Wednesday, we learned more about which foods go with which bracha, and talked about how saying a blessing is like saying thank you to Hashem for the food he gives us. We made grassheads that we will water until grass grows, to learn how food grows out of the ground. Then we got changed for some Wet n Wild fun of our own. First we played in the kiddie pools and sprinkler and on the playground. Then we got to wash the car with sponges and paint and shaving cream and buckets and buckets of water. We looked like little painted people by the end, so we ran back in the sprinkler to rinse off. Then we got an extra special treat of sliding down the huge water slide!
On Thursday, we continued learning about brachos, this time about brachos we say on things that are not food -- like lighting Shabbat candles, the blessing that parents give their children, the blessing on washing your hands, and more. Then we started our day by mixing flour, sugar, and eggs into delicious cookie batter, which we shaped with cookie cutters into the Hebrew letters of our names. Then we played Life-Size Candyland, which is just like the board game except the floor was the board and we were the pieces. Then we had a blast at Music and Movement1

International Week!

Wow, what a week it's been, flying around to visit so many different countries for International Week. On Monday, we found ourselves in China. We had amazing workshops, like the extremely cool liquid nitrogen experiment in science and learning a really fun dance together with the counselors in dance workshop. Then we headed off to make a hole-in-one at Putters, golfing, playing arcade games, and collecting some awesome prizes. Thankfully, the rain waited just until we got on the bus! When we got back to camp, we watched Lauren and Noah compete to drink a bowl of water through a straw, but wait! There's a catch here, isn't there??!
On Tuesday we each got a lei and a "aloha to Hawaii!" The Hawaiian tropical rains prevented us from going on an outdoor trip, so instead we got an exclusive visit with Fireman Dan at the fire station and got to see a real fire truck and pole up close! Then we went to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum, where we had a blast in the ambulance, the tornado exhibit, the miniature house, and all the other cool things that they have to learn and see. When we finally made our way back to camp, who should we find but a very strange looking visitor with huge glasses and colorful hair who called herself Mrs Smoothie, and her little friend Bluey!! I don't know who the mystery visitor was, but somehow I couldn't find Mrs. Goldstein all afternoon. Strange. Mrs. Smoothie whipped up a storm full of bananas, pineapples, ice, orange juice, and each of us got our very own delicious authentically Hawaiian smoothie!
What a wacky, wonderful, Wet n Wild Wednesday we had! In the morning we had workshops like making beautiful lava bottles in science and crafts, chess, and sports! Then after lunch, we got into our bathing suits for a smashing time outside. First we warmed up blowing giant bubbles at the big bubble pool. Then the real action started, with water balloons flying in every direction, and buckets of water everywhere. We had a great time 'washing' the counselor's car, though most of the paint and shaving cream ended up on our friends instead of the car! Then came the highlight of the whole day -- a terrifying ride down the enormous water slide, with jets of water streaming down on me and a huge splash in the pool on the bottom! It was a blast, I kept running to the back of the line to go again!
Shalom yeladim! when we walked into camp on Thursday, the lunchroom was gone and instead, we had to find our seats on a huge airplane. Destination: Israel! When we touched down in the Holy Land, we each got a handy map so we won't get lost, and to make sure we visit all the important places. On our action-packed itinerary was: creating a unique piece of artistic expression in the artist's colony of Tzfat, making our own fish-shaped photo frames in sunny Eilat, making sand art in the dry, sandy Negev desert, and of course, writing a personal letter to Hashem to stick between the cracks of the Kotel in Jerusalem. Of course, what would an Israeli vacation be without the food, so we stopped in Haifa to squeeze oranges into fresh, delicious orange juice, and in Tel Aviv for a yummy bite of felafel! After lunch, we went to our local Petco for an awesome tour, where we saw cool and weird animals. Lehitraot l'kulam! Goodbye, everyone!

Tiny Tots -- Shabbat Shalom!

As I said, a huge mazal tov goes to Shternie, Zalman, Mendel, Rivkie, Chanie, and Yisrolik on their brand-new little sister! Today was spectacular! We got to shape and bake our very own challah dough into cats and triangles. Then we went out to sharpen our soccer and basketball skills in sports. We made beautiful colorful Kiddush cups for the Shabbat bags, which are really starting to fill up! Then we changed and headed out for a great time swimming, "sprinklering", swinging, and "sand-boxing"!! Shabbat Shalom, tiny tots!!!

Shabbat Shalom!

First of all, I would like to wish a very special mazal tov to Shternie and the whole Zweibel family for their newest addition! It's a girl!!! Today was yet another great day of CGI. We learned about recycling and played a great recycling game called Clean Up My Backyard. We had sports outside in the beautiful sunshine, and baked our very own challahs! Mmmm, the whole camp smelled so yummy while they baked. We got to do the third art project of our Shabbat Bag -- a colorful Kiddush cup! We had a Shabbat party with songs and treats and a special Shabbat Ima and Abba. Everyone got to sign a huge poster we hung up to congratulate Shternie. Then we rushed off to the pool for free swim and lessons, and then, all too soon, week 3 of the greatest camp in the universe came to a close. Bonjour everyone! Shabbat Shalom! See you next week!