end of week 1

I really don’t know where the time went over the past two weeks.

Orientation week for us went well.  I’m always concerned that we’ll have oppressive temperatures and that our staff will dread coming every day but we had nice weather – in the upper 70s to the mid 80s.  Only staff that complained were the Israelis who thought it was too cold.

In addition to How Well Do You Know Camp Milldale Jeopardy, I ran a really fun session where for about 1.5 hrs I taught games to our staff.  One of the most difficult parts of any camp day are transitions and down time.  Kids by nature like to be active and occupied and when you are waiting for the pool or walking between distant parts of camp, this empty time is where problems often occur, not to mention it’s boring!  At our camp we have a physical “bag of tricks” and a personal bag of tricks.

Our physical bag of tricks are 4 draw string tote bags with crayons, coloring books, bubbles UNO cards, sidewalk chalk, playing cards etc.  Counselors can pick up a full bag when they have Bunk Time or know they have down time.  Their personal bag of tricks is knowledge.  At the ACA TriState Conference I picked up about 100 new group games to play so I taught many of them to our staff.  It was a blast.

GREAT STAFF IDEA – For this summer, our theme is friendship and in cooking they made Muddy Buddies (no peanut butter).  It was a great idea and tie in to the theme.

OOPS – I thought I published this last week.  more coming soon…

I’m back!

2011 Shlichim pose with David Mitnick in Israel

After being off for the Passover holiday and then attending the Jewish Agency for Israel Summer Shlichim Seminar in Israel (see below), I am finally back and in full Camp Milldale mode.

This week I’ve had meetings with the head of our Day Camp Sports program to discuss a new specialty at camp –  fitness; our CIT Director/Assistant Program Director to go over some plans for the summer and Dori Zvili, Milldale’s Director has come to visit in my Park Heights office 2 times.  I’m not sure if I’m still experiencing jet-lag or if this has just been a really intense week.

Many of you have asked about the seminar I attended in Israel.  It was truly an eye-opening experience for me.  Here’s a basic rundown of the program.  The Jewish Agency for Israel recruits, places and trains almost 1,000 post-army Israeli young adults for work in Jewish Camps in North America.  I attended as a director of one such camp so that I could not only meet and bond with the 7 shlichim who will be coming to JCC Baltimore camps this summer but to also meet with other shlichim who will be traveling to similar camps in the USA.  Together we explored some similarities and differences between Israelis and Americans and we went over quite extensively what they could expect when coming to camps in the states.  In addition to my work with the shlichim, they delved into their own psyches by identifying with their own levels of commitment to Judaism, Jewish life, Israel and more and learned how to transmit their love of Israel and Israeli culture to campers.  They learned how to address “difficult” questions that may be posed to them.  They were educated about the host family experience (we are looking for host families!) and what to expect from their experience in the states.

Our shlichim are bright and funny and extremely talented and I can’t wait to see them again when they arrive in America.  Check out the YouTube video we made.

At Camp Milldale…

This is going to be my 3rd summer at Camp Milldale and just as at the JCC of Greater Baltimore, I am impressed with the extraordinary talent and commitment of the staff.

But at camp you need more than talent, you need quality.

Since 1953, Camp Milldale has been providing quality camping experiences for campers of all ages.  At Camp Milldale, campers meet new people and make lasting friendships.  At Camp Milldale, campers learn to swim.  At Camp Milldale we explore nature and art, ecology and the environment.  At Camp Milldale, campers learn to swim and make real progress.  Being a Jewish Day Camp that is open to everyone, not just Jews, we explore the Jewish Values that are so important and relevant to everyone.  We embrace tradition and even create some of our own.  Our shlichim (emissaries from Israel) imbue a sense of Israeli culture into camp.  At Camp Milldale, we grow, we play and we have fun.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore and Camp Milldale have an incredible track record of quality child care and programming.  I am proud to be a part of such an amazing organization.

Shalom to Israel!

Today I had a great SKYPE video conversation with 2 of our Shlichim for the summer.

Pnina will be working in the Noah’s Ark Camps at the JCC of Greater Baltimore and Mai will be the dance specialist out at Camp Milldale.  Both of them have great energy and excitement and were jumping up and down in their seats as I described camp.  I’m starting to get excited about camp!

Shlichim are our Israeli specialists who train long and hard and imbue the camp with a wonderful Jewish and Israeli flavor.  I’ll post more about the shlichim soon.

UPDATE:  March 4, 2011 – I just SKYPED with 2 more of our Summer Shlichim – Matan who will be one of our Ropes Course Specialists and Maayan who is our Nature Specialist and she loves out-door cooking.

In my year-round job in the Marketing Department at the JCC of Greater Baltimore, I use cool technology every day but have rarely used video SKYPE to carry out important business functions.  These 15 minute FREE individual meetings are so valuable to starting off my relationship with the shlichim.  We have a few moments to get to know one another, match a face, name and voice, and learn a little about each other in a way you just can’t over the phone or via e-mail.

It’s official: Jewish camp strengthens Jewish identity

While this excellent article focuses on overnight camps like the JCC of Greater Baltimore‘s residential camp, Capital Camps, Day Camps like Milldale offer similar experiences.  Using Hebrew throughout the day, Shlichim (specially trained Israeli counselors and specialty staff), Israeli Culture, special Shabbat programs and a major focus on Jewish Values are just some of the opportunities to connect with our rich heritage.

From the JTA.  By Sue Fishkoff · March 1, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — Hundreds of thousands of Jewish camp alumni — and their parents — have long known that those halcyon weeks spent at Jewish summer camp don’t just cement lifelong friendships, they strengthen Jewish identity.

Now they have it in writing.

A new study on the long-term impact of Jewish overnight camp concludes that those who have attended camp are more Jewishly engaged as adults, according to 13 key variables, than those who did not go to camp.

read the full article here…

The Hills (of Camp Milldale) Are Alive….

… with the sound of music!

Evan leading the red team song during Color War 2010

Growing up, I went to at least four different camps.  My favorite memories revolve around singing and music.  Friday pre-shabbat ruach (spirit),  camp-fire classics, camp plays, bus rides, color war, and lunch time cheering are just some of the opportunities to sing at camp.  At one camp, I learned so many Hebrew songs, I still impress my relatives from Israel with my knowledge.   Music at camp has a way of bringing bunks together, encouraging campers to express themselves through music and dance and sometimes gives a voice to kids who may be shy individually but performing together and bonding  with a group will help many campers thrive.

It is with much excitement that I share the great news that we have an awesome new Music Specialist this summer at Camp Milldale.  The JCC of Greater Baltimore has a great article about Evan in the March 2011 edition of the Center News.

Makin’ Music at Milldale Evan Nachimson is excited to take on the role of Camp Milldale’s new Music Director/Specialist for summer 2011. Evan is a returning Milldale counselor (check out this video from Camp 2010) and has many years of experience working at other camps as well. “I’m looking forward to expanding everyone’s imagination through music and creativity!”  says Evan. “And kids can look forward to a lot of laughs no matter what we’re doing!”

Evan will take on the job of Song Leader and each bunk will have a music period each week with him. He will also be doing a mix of classic camp songs including Jewish and Israeli selections and also incorporate popular music. This additional musical presence will be great and help to enhance our Shabbat program as well. (Imagine the whole camp singing “Bim Bam, Shabbat Shalom” together!)

Evan is a singer/songwriter and a recording artist. He has released his own music on iTunes and is currently attending Berklee College of Music. Evan is also recording two different EP’s expected to be released in May and September of 2011.

Evan is a great guy with lots of energy.  He’s fun, funny, nice, talented and a huge asset to have at camp.

Auf Wiedersehen until Camp 2011!