Tonight everyone gathered around the fire pit to watch a beautiful bonfire!  We ate hot dogs with buns and made delicious s’mores.  Everyone got to have as many s’mores as they wanted, and they were even able to take them back to their bunks.  We sang and enjoyed each other’s company while we ate.  The singing was so beautiful, especially as the sun set over the baseball field around us.

Happy July Fourth, everybody!

Dinner was definitely not typical tonight.  Tonight was a royal ball, the Cinderella Ball, in the Simcha Ballroom.  Everyone came dressed in the fanciest attire: beige, gold, and pastel-colored ballgowns embellished with diamonds and stones.  Everyone’s hair and makeup was done, too, in honor of the special occasion.

The ball started at 6 o’clock sharp.  Hors d’oeuvres were served before the main course, and a three-piece band was playing enjoyable music while everyone was getting seated.  The real dancing took place after dessert, on the main dance floor in the center of the room.

Thank you for joining us at our Victorian Cinderella Ball.  We had a lovely time! Good night, all.

Camp Simcha is truly an unreal camp!

Just now, we were greeted in front of camp by a man in a top hat riding a gorgeous white wrought iron buggy, leading two, even more beautiful, white horses!  The carriage was beautifully decorated with roses and tulips that were wrapping around the walls.  The campers took turns riding in it and took pictures inside.

What a great surprise!

Ribbons and Bows: the place where dull becomes exciting!  In this workshop, campers use ribbons, bows, and other embellishments to jazz up accessories like headbands, clips, and pony holders to make them stylish and unique.  They work hard on designing their own accessories by deciding which colors to use, and then cutting and gluing everything together.  The best part is that the campers get to wear them and bring them home!

Chaya Nechama P. made a headband today, and she decorated it with a rainbow pattern and an ice cream on the side.

Rebecca A. also made a headband, and she loves it!

Happy 4th of July to all my readers!

Green, blue, and pink were swarming Camp Simcha!  Each team headed to a different place to prepare their team song and dance. After dinner, CSS gathered in the social hall to perform!

“B-L-U-E, all the way to victory!”

“It’s always a GREEN time, whoaaaaa whoa whoa-oa-oa!”

“Go, pink! Go, pink! Yeah, yeah, go pink!”

Everyone was cheering excitedly for their team as we got ready to go on stage and perform.

. . . And we have a winner!! Although we wanted so badly that everyone could win, we needed to narrow it down to one.

Congratulations to the GREEN team!

It must have been this incredible rap they came up with!  Props to Dalia O. and the whole green team for their ideas!

Green Team Rap 2013

We’re green, yeah green

We’re the green team of 2013

We’re green, yeah green

We’re the coolest team you’ve ever seen

Avocadoes, kiwis, and lime

Lettuce, celery, pickles in brine

Some apples, and honeydew

Don’t forget your broccoli, too!

Kermit the frog, and Oscar the grouch

The Simcha library comfy couch

Baby bop from our show Barney

And the Lady statue of Liberty

The wicked witch from the west

Green eggs and ham are the best

Would you like some moldy cheese?

How about a wreath or a tall pine tree?

Wrapper of a Nature Valley Bar,

Starbucks is the best by far

Unripe bananas and Poland Spring,

Watermelon peels and onion rings!

We’re green, yeah green

We’re a pretty rockin’ color war team

We’re green, yeah green

We’re the coolest team you’ve ever seen

We’re green, yeah green

We’re the green team of 2013

We’re green, yeah green

We’re the coolest team you’ve ever seen

Grasshoppers, mint, and brand new leaves,

Bushes, grass, and sticky seaweed

Asparagus, pears, grapes, and peas

People who are green with envy!

Peter Pan and Esther’s skin

That’s quite some olive complexion,

Leprechauns and the scary Hulk

Sprite and Mountain Dew bought in bulk

Chalkboards and Heineken

Iguanas, lizards, and dragons

You turn green if you feel ill

Brussels sprouts and fat free milk!

Our Simcha watch and brand new tees

The lovely color of money

The Green Bay Packers and the Jets,

Recycling is the best!

We’re green, yeah green

We’re a pretty rockin’ color war team

We’re green, yeah green

We’re the coolest team you’ve ever seen

We’re green, yeah green

We’re the green team of 2013

We’re green, yeah green

We’re the coolest team you’ve ever seen!

Today was a very exciting day!! After workshops and a delicious lunch, everyone headed to the gym, while they were accompanied by the division heads who passed the torch to each other as an inauguration of Olympics Day.

In the gym, there were relay races and puzzle making, where the divisions competed against each other.  Different teams won different relays. Then, as a conclusion to all the games and relays, we had a very special surprise!

COLOR WAR IS HERE, COLOR WAR IS HERE! Color war was broken out with tutus and shiny wigs, and everyone sang, and danced!

Afterward, all the campers and staff headed to the tennis court to have an uber exciting paint fight!  Everyone got bottles of powder paint and sprayed each other!  Poof! In a matter of minutes, the entire tennis court was covered in bright pink, yellow, green, and blue! And if you got any water on you, the powder stuck on as paint!  Thank goodness it was washable!

Now everyone is heading to their bunkhouses to change into their respective team colors!

We can’t wait for a fun Color War!

Off to the side of Camp Simcha, there’s a small workshop room called the wood working room where the campers make all sorts of wooden works of art.  Nearing the wood working room, you can hear the sound of hammering and sawing, and you know that the campers are hard at work.  But the campers like to put on some fun music to make it more exciting!

Today, Jackie G. make a small shed using sticks of wood.  She hammered, sanded, and glued the pieces together.  “It’s going to go in my bunkhouse; I can’t wait!”

Dani S. had a lot of fun making a gumball machine.  “I sanded and glued, and next time we’re going to paint it!”

Today’s theme is the Greco-Roman times.  The dining room is decorated with old remains – columns, pillars, and domes.  Old vines are scattered across them to create an old effect; much has grown over the remains, yet it still stands tall.  There are even live props: three girls dressed as statues, wearing togas, wreaths, and white paint on their faces.  Despite all the campers trying to tickle them and make them move and/or laugh, they do not even flinch!  We are beginning to think that maybe they are statues after all!

The campers and staff members are dressed in togas (or should we say tablecloths – we get very creative in Camp Simcha) and plastic wreaths.  Pope Abbecas (Abby) is dressed in a long beige robe with gold buttons and red shoes.

After breakfast, we all gathered around the Greco-Roman remains, and Rabbi Scholar came to light the torch to start our own Olympics in Camp Simcha, just like the real Olympics that began in Greece!