Dear CW Families and Friends,

While it feels like our second session campers have only been in camp for a minute, so much has happened since they arrived on Wednesday! With beautiful, summery weather on our side we’ve spent our days playing under the Chardon sun and our evenings building kehilah (community) around the glow of village campfires. On Friday, campers started their chuggim (choice activities) for the first half of the session and then just as we started our transition into Shabbat, we welcomed campers from the Columbus JCC Day Camp. We are thrilled to invite them into our community and to share the magic of Camp Wise with these campers, many of whom will be staying through the week!

As we joined for Shabbat on Friday evening and Saturday, Noar shared with us their thoughts on the parsha (Torah portion). This past weekend we read the last portion in Bemidbar, the Book of Numbers. In this portion we learn that after 40 years of wandering from campsite to campsite, from springs to date palms, from wilderness to desert and back again, the Israelites who went forth from Egypt are about to reach their destination. The forty-two journeys and encampments of the Israelites are listed, from the exodus from Egypt to their encampment on the plains of Moav across the river from the land of Canaan. The boundaries of Israel are given, and cities of refuge are designated as safe-havens.

To help prepare for their role in leading Shabbat, Noar played a game in their cabin groups where they had to start with one person saying their name along with a movement (clapping, slapping their legs, rolling their head, etc.). The next person had to say the name and do the movement of the person who went before them and then say their own name and do their own movement. Each person that went had to repeat the name and movements of everyone who went before them until they went all the way around the circle. Imagine if the Israelites had to do that as they were taking their counts and tallies!

In this game, we learn about remembering and taking to heart everything that happened before us. If we didn’t have to remember what everyone else was doing, we probably wouldn’t pay close attention at all to any of the movements people were doing before us. Since Noar did not only have to repeat what everyone else was doing, but also make sure they didn’t copy a movement that was already done, the campers had to pay very close attention to everyone since it affected them directly. So too with the history of the Israelites. Everything that has happened in the past is the reason we are where we are today. Additionally, we learn from our history in order to know what has worked, what has not, and what the best way to move forward from those mistakes and successes from our past. Our past makes us who we are in the present, and it’s up to us how we form that into the future. We are reminded of this every time we enter camp and we read the phrase on our entryway, “Our Past Paves the Way to Our Future”.

In this first short week of camp, we have truly focused on building community. Saturday evening, campers and cabins participated in our Talent Show. Campers who are veterans to the stage shared and supported those who were a little nervous performing in front of all camp. Together we joined as one community to cheer on and celebrate campers’ talents. Kehilah, our core value for this week, is so important in life, and it is one of the things that makes camp so special. Our shared experiences, our willingness to support each other, our encouraging of each person to be exactly who they are want to be, this is the ruach (spirit) of the Camp Wise kehilah and this is why we return each summer. This is what marks Camp Wise as the Home of Happiness.

PS – We hope you’ve enjoyed the hundreds of pictures posted and the individual cabin photos available through CampIn Touch. Also, we hope you’ll follow Camp Wise through social media on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campwise or Instagram: @campwise13164.

I look forward to sharing more highlights next week. Thank you for allowing us to spend part of our summer with your amazing campers!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rachel

C1

C1 had a VERY busy first couple of days!! We started off with low ropes and Israeli culture where the boys learned about what things Israel invented and then they came up with their own inventions! They were really creative! The boys also went to archery and then today we had horseback riding! The boys and a great time and loved going around camp on the horses! It’s been a crazy couple of days, but we’ve all been having a blast and we cant wait to see what the next 2.5 weeks bring!

C2

C2 had a great start to camp!! The first few days have been full of fun activities and some exciting surprises! We spent the morning of our first day down at the lake getting rides on the super speedy jet ski and tube. After that, we made our way to low ropes where we got to know each other better and bonded as a cabin group! We also had a great time eating cake and celebrating the two birthdays in our cabin. We can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store because we know they will be just as amazing as these first few days have been!

C3

C3 are off to a super start, they shared some snacks, and spoke about all the things they are excited to do this summer during bunk night! Plus they joined their counsellor and song leader Ryan around the Camp fire to sing the Chalutzim 2018 session 2 song, set to the tune of ‘All the small things’! They’re super excited for all the camp fires and fun activities to come over the next few weeks!

 

 

O1

O1 way road has hit the cement running over these first few days! Between getting new secret names like goose rocketship, a cabin dog named groot, and endless games of roofball, this cabin has been nothing but nonstop fun and excitement. Although for some weird reason there’s been these doughnut stickers popping up all around the cabin. I wonder what those could be about? I’m sure we’ll find out soon!

O2

O2 discovered that life is indeed a highway. We hopped on Route 66 as a cabin and got to know each other over some pretzels and frosting alongside some Oreos. The boys shared their hopes for the amazing session ahead as they enjoyed conquering the low ropes course, riding around camp on mountain bikes, and playing a spirited game of basketball!

O3

The first few days of camp with O3 have been jam packed with fun! Our cabin has already had plenty of bonding experiences as we spotted each other on the low ropes course and learned to make our hands into spoons and not forks. We also got to make a cabin plaque that will hang on our wall for everyone to see. We can’t wait to see what other experiences are in store for the rest of the session.

O5

ATTENTION: ROAD WORK AHEAD!!!! O-5 has been having a grand ole time around camp for the past two days. From teva (nature), to basketball, to low ropes, we’ve had so much fun bonding as a cabin and we even adopted an inflatable dog named Ferda. Just like our British tea party bunk night, we look forward to making many new memories over the next three weeks!

O6

O6 started the session off with lots of cheering, dancing and birthday cake! We had a blast celebrating a birthday on our first night by dressing up and eating a fancy dinner with invitations and place mats included. The party continued with bunk night where we bonded over yummy treats such as spooey, Oreos and lollipops.

O7

Although we have only had a few short days with O7, we have already started new traditions we hope to keep throughout the summer such as standing on our benches when eating dessert. No matter what the delicious treat is we will be up on our feet together because in O7 “we like it, we love it, we want more of it!”

O8

O8 has only been at camp for a few days now but that hasn’t stopped us from trying crazy new things and having such a great time together! We had such an awesome time climbing the tower. We even tried the hard wall! Everyone is so excited for Shabbat tonight and we can’t wait for the rest of camp!

O9

In the short time we’ve been at camp, O9 has shown many different talents. We shared a silly and funny side at our drama activity where animal noises were heard throughout the Chadar. Later, a sporty side was revealed when nearly every girl scored a goal in soccer! O9 is so excited to continue sharing new talents throughout this session!

O10

O-10 has fallen in love with camp just like their theme: O-10 Caution: Falling Cows!! The first 48 hours were packed with yoga, instructional swim, team building at low ropes, and coming out of our shells at improv. We have created unique cheers, screamed our heads off in the chadar, and told tons of stories to get to know each other and bond. O-10 is super excited for the week to come.

N1

The N1 “Chihuahuas with Crocs eating Crisp Rice” has had a fun filled first few days here at camp.  They bonded at bunk night and conquered the low ropes course.  Also, the ninth grade boys got a chance to bond during their joint jet-ski activity.

N2

The N2 “Ridgebacks with Guettas eating Crispy Hexagons” had a blast yesterday on the jet-skis, driven by lake specialist and their counselor Danny!  They have also been bonding at night time by all sharing stories with each other.

N3

The “Sphynxes with Fezzes eating Coco Nuggets” of N3 conquered the wall as a team, and enjoyed some cabin bonding time and story sharing after their inaugural bunk night.

N4

The boys of N4 conquered the low ropes course this week, and showed their teamwork on the team wall.  They also had a great time riding horses during their horseback riding cabin activity!

N5

N5 have planned a deep talk with all the ninth grade girls for later this week, which will be sweetened with a campfire and s’mores!  They also spent bunk night in competition with each other to see who could keep an Oreo on their forehead the longest- our supervisor Julia ended up winning!

N6

The “Papipoos in Periwinkle Clogs eating Puffed Rice” have already been having a blast since popping up at camp on Wednesday!  They SNAPPED, CRACKLED and POPPED into pottery and built some monsters out of clay, and conquered “what-TEVA” in Teva (nature)!

N7

The N7 girls established themselves as the “Tuxedo Cats in Top Hats” as soon as they stepped off the bus, and have had a fabulous time ever since!  Don’t tell them, but the counselors have a special milk and cookies night planned for them soon to celebrate their arrival at camp!

N8

N8 is off to a great start, from creating our own radio shows in the Podcast cabin activity, to performing a mini flash mob around camp during Dance!  We can’t wait to see what the rest of the session has in store.

Solel

Solel has kicked of 2nd season to a great start! These past couple of days have been spent getting to know each other and growing closer as a group. Some activities we have participated in this week include tie dye, plaque, horseback riding, live wise, and song session. We have not gone on a trip yet, but we can’t wait to see where we will be going first. Solel has truly shown their spirit throughout camp this week and made it apparent in the chadar during meals! It’s only been a couple of days but it feels like we have been here forever with the amount of fun we are having!