ParentSpace Blog

The pottery room is one of the most beloved in camp. There are two types of pottery-making. The first is hand-building: each camper gets a slab of clay which they fashion into the shape of their choice. After they form their clay, they smooth it out with cards or small rolling pins. They use stamps or stencils and indent ridges to design their clay. The other type of pottery is wheel-throwing. This works by smoothing out clay on the wheel to make it into a cylindrical shape, like a bowl, a cup, or a round dish. Zlatie is making a washing cup on the wheel. She says that pottery is one of the reasons she comes back to camp, but the real reason is because she loves Camp Simcha! Many campers are making pottery dishes for the kitchen. Elana is making a big platter which she plans to give to her mother as a present; Blimie is making a spoon-rest; others are making bowls and plates and trays. After the clay is shaped and designed, it’s baked so it becomes hard. Everyone is excited to return to pottery for the next part of the workshop. They’ll paint the pottery and gloss it to make it smooth and shiny. When they’re all done, they’ll have a unique piece of pottery to take home!

There was only one man on stage tonight, but it really sounded like there were more! Jonathan the ventriloquist calls what he does “speaking from the stomach.” He is able to “throw” his voice and even change it so it seems like someone else is speaking! Jonathan brought out his puppets and we heard from Shmendrik, Chippy, Aunt Sarah, and Ezra. Shmendrik was the first of Jonathan’s puppet friends that we met. Renee and Leanor were called up to stage and they helped teach Shmendrik the right way to say “ventriloquist.” He thought he could throw his voice, and when he tried, we saw that he could; he started speaking in Jonathan’s voice, and Jonathan suddenly had Shmedrik’s accent! Chippy the puppet was a shy monkey, but he sang a song for us. He was even able to say a really long word, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” Aunt Sarah was an old woman puppet who loved to speak in Yiddish, but didn’t like Jonathan’s knock-knock jokes. Ezra was the last puppet, a little boy who sang songs with Jonathan. By the end of the show, Jonathan made it sound like he and Ezra were singing at the same time! Everyone really enjoyed the show; Jonathan provided hilarious entertainment with his witty remarks, and the audience roared with laughter!

A mega-carnival is going on in the baseball field. Alumni and returning staff have come up to camp to celebrate with the Tour De Simcha riders, and some are helping run the carnival. At ring toss, throw-the-sponge-at-the-face, and other arcade games, campers can win tickets and then get prizes. Simi won a really cool mood ring with her tickets! Girls are going bungee jumping and flying in the air! Counselors are tied up in knots in the staff Twister game, and they have an audience of campers watching them. Of course, there is popcorn and cotton candy at the carnival, too. Everyone is having a great time!

In photo creations, campers are making projects to display their favorite photos. Everyone gets a wooden shadow box which they decorate with splatter paint, sponge paint, tissue paper, and ribbons. One girl even used plastic letters to write her name on her frame. Campers choose a picture to put in their frame and make pop-outs of it to make it look 3D. Then they put a glass cover on the box and they end up with a one-of-a-kind shadow box! The younger divisions are decorating pillowcases with paint, ribbons, and rhinestones. Everyone gets a pillowcase which has a plastic insert to put a picture in and they choose their favorite picture to display. Everyone has fun making projects which will allow them to keep their camp memories forever!

Night activity last night was a fantastic show by Brent from “Comedy that Works.” A mix of a comedy and magic show, it featured balancing acts, juggling acts, optical illusions, and various forms of comic relief. In one great act, Brent balanced a measuring tape on his forehead. Little did he know that staff member Michal could do just as much! Brent did a cool optical illusion: the audience stared at a black and white revolving circle for ten seconds and when he took it off his face it looked like he was getting smaller. The next time it looked like he was getting bigger! Brent showed us some tricks with a Chinese yo-yo, over the shoulder, under the knees, behind the back, and of course, freestyle version. He juggled sharp knives and safety cones. Danielle, Hindy, and Tila were called up to toss rings to Brent, and he caught them all, on his arms or even with his head! Sol was also a great volunteer on stage – Brent threw balls to her and she caught them all in Brent’s hardhat. For his grand finale, he stood on a board balanced on a huge ball. Brent called on Dr. Vann and Dr. Rosen to help him balance the ball while he got on. We all enjoyed watching our favorite doctors up on stage!

Watch that angry bird! In our real-life version of an Angry Birds game, there were Angry Bird stuffed animals flying across the gym. Each team had to build a fortress of boxes around its division head. The object of the game was to knock down the boxes to get to the DH, the “pig” of Angry Birds. The counselors stood in front of the fortress, ready to catch the Angry Bird stuffed animal balls so it wouldn’t get to the boxes. In the first tournament, the Wacko Rackos won against the Chumee Checkers. In the second tournament, the Hungry Hippos won against the Poker Jokers. Finally, in the championship game between the Wacko Rackos and the Hungry Hippos, the Hungry Hippos won! Everyone had a great time!

Its a good thing we’re not afraid of the dark because exciting things are happening in the darkroom. The workshop begins outside the actual darkroom, where, using foam pieces, campers can write their name or make a cool design on a piece of plain white paper. They’re taught the whole process of developing photos out of paper, including all the many special machines and chemicals. First, they switch on the dial, which puts the light on, and creates the shadow, which ultimately makes their photo. Then they put their project through the stopper, the fixer, and the water, and then through heat. All through the process, the paper looks blank, but when it comes out, it is a masterpiece!

Meanwhile, heads of the darkroom workshop take pictures of the campers and counselors. They get the proofs and the next time the campers have the workshop, they can choose which picture they like and and get the developed photo!

Who’s that whizzing by on a motorcycle? Its a CSS camper! A special activity this morning is motorcycle rides with Chai-riders. Waiting patiently for their turn, campers are given helmets, and they make sure to hold on tight to the rider’s back! Campers in wheelchairs are able to ride in a special seat alongside the motorcycle and still have a blast! Everyone enjoys the cooling breeze they feel when riding on the motorcycle. Chayala, Mottie, and Sol are speeding through Camp Simcha grounds, having tons of fun!

Delicious cookies are being professionally decorated in the Sweete Shoppe bakery today! Campers are designing them as farms since today’s game is Farmville! With cookie cutters, they are able to shape really cute animals, and they are even making other things like trees by hand. Using colorful fondant, a play-dough-like edible icing, they are making roosters, ducks, and bunny rabbits to put on their farms! The cookies look and surely taste great! Bon appetite!

Today is Farmville / Hello Kitty day so it makes sense that there is a world of animals out on the baseball field! Campers are riding around on ponies and wallabies. Chaya Liba had so much fun riding the pony and touching its soft mane. Blimie is holding a rattle-snake and shaking it in front of her friends, trying to scare them! There’s a really cute monkey that everyone is petting. Plus, a live Hello Kitty is walking around camp taking pictures with everyone!