Yesterday the San Francisco Giants made a trade with the Chicago Cubs, trading away a minor league outfielder for a utility infielder named Mike Fontenot. Funny thing is, the Giants and Cubs were in the middle of a four game series against one another in San Francisco. So Mike Fontenot was at the ball park getting ready for a game when he was told to go over to the other side of the hallway, throw on a new uniform, and watch his new team play against his old one. Must have been pretty weird.
Sometimes at camp we joke around about trading counselors from one program to another. Trade two Junior Counselors and a CIT for a Rosh. Maybe swap Senior Counselors. Of course, if you all of a sudden got traded from Habonim to Mapilim, you wouldn’t have to worry about playing against your former team; we’re all on the same side here at Kee Tov.
Next thing you know they’ll be negotiating for multi-year deals with a signing bonus, no-trade clause, and performance incentives. An extra $10 for making a good cooler of punch?
Today all of our teams showed how well they’ve gelled:
- Rishonim helped Ash find his lost Pikachu Pokemon. Don’t worry, we have no idea what that means either.
- Habonim Edah Bet had Survivor Day! Edah Gimmel had Messy Day! Jeopardy Slip ‘n’ slide was a new twist on an old favorite.
- Giborim Edah Hey returned from a successful two-night outing in Tilden. They joined Daled for some swimming at the pool.
- Mapilim had an awesome winter olympic themed morning (we think that’s what it was – all we know is that the dog-sledding was super cool). Then they went ice skating!
- Chalutzim returned from Lake Natoma after a phenomenal overnight!
- Gesher learned what it takes to be a counselor and planned out the days they’ll lead with Hab and Gib tomorrow.
Tomorrow we’ll surely hit another homerun as all our programs will be having Jewish themed programming for Shabbat at the best summer day camp in the Bay Area. Gesher will become junior CITs in Hab and Gib, and Rish and Chal will buddy up once again.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Roll with the punches. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Every cloud has a silver lining.
This is what makes Camp Kee Tov so fantastic. Forgot to bring enough pots to cook pasta dinner? Switch to burrito night and grill quesadillas for the kids. Tired? Push through and counsel like a champion. Didn’t get the right supplies for an activity? Improvise, reprogram on the spot, and the kids will never be the wiser. Sure this is a fun job, but it can get tough, and now’s the time when our counselors really start to shine. When things are in danger of falling apart they always pull through and the kids never know the difference. That’s what Kee Tov is all about. We do like to think we’re the best Jewish day camp in the San Francisco Bay Area, after all!
- Rishonim had another stellar group day. Rish 1 rescued the cereal from the cereal monster! Rish 2 explored the rain forest. Rish 3 traveled waaaaayyyy back in time to the 1990’s.
- Habonim Edah Gimmel had an amazing overnight after a trip to the Jungle! They played an owl messenger game, and sang with Eric Schoen’s “twin brother” Adam Schoen. Funny, Adam looks a little bit like Alex Mog. Today all of Habonim went to the pool and relaxed at the park.
- Giborim Edah Daled went to Sky High! They bounced, they played, they jumped around. They also dominated a dodge-ball game. Edah Hey continued their awesome (albeit a little chilly) overnight!
- Mapilim returned from an awesome two-night overnight where they became super heroes! They also had a sweet casino night, played the SPI game, and spent time in their specialties.
- Chalutzim continued their two-night overnight. Our reports indicate they’re having a spectacular time.
- Gesher escaped the fog to go rafting on the American River!
Tomorrow promises more fun at the best Berkeley day camp than you can imagine:
Rishonim is having Pokemon Day; Hab Edah Bet is having Survivor Day and Gimmel is having MESSY DAY!; Gib Hey is returning from their overnight and joining Daled at the pool; Map is going ICE SKATING!; Chal is returning from their overnight; and Gesh is learning to be counselors!
The foam noodle was recently voted as the “most versatile supply” in a poll of the Kee Tov staff. The noodle edged out other versatile supplies such as the milk crate, the Sharpie, and the pipe cleaner. Yes, it seems strange, a noodle being the most versatile. We’ve decided to show you a few of the myriad of activities that a noodle can play a part in, thanks to the creativity of our staff:
Limbo!
Finish line for a race!
Elephant Costume!
Noodle Tag!
Tightrope!
Jump Rope!
Hurdle!
The disappointed runners-up
So there you have it! Some of the crazy things that can be done with a foam noodle. Ironically enough, the lifeguards at the pool don’t let us use the noodles for their intended purpose of being a pool toy.
Have a fantastic Tuesday! Enjoy the peaceful nights of having your kids out on overnights!
Today is August Ninth, Twenty-ten. Or August 9th, 2010. Or 8/9/2010. Which in short hand would be 8/9/10. How cool is that?!?!? It’s one of those awesome counting days. Like January 2nd, 2003. Or April 5th, 2006.
Counting days make us think of counting. You know how people often count down to something they’re excited for or how many days are left in something they want to be over? Like when your kids count down how many days of school are left until summer vacation. What if instead of counting down you counted up? You count all the awesome perfect amazing days you’ve had. Like, this is the 25th day of Kee Tov 2010. And tomorrow will be the 26th! Let’s not think about how few are left, let’s think about how many we’ve had at the best summer camp in the Bay Area.
Today was certainly worth counting:
- Rish had a spectacular group day! Rish 1 traveled to medieval times and were knighted, Rish 2 traveled the world, and Rish 3 helped their counselor Ada choose a career!
- Habonim had kumzits and singing with Rish this morning, then went to the pool. After that they had an awesome time playing on the structure at King Park.
- Giborim spent the day in their groups at Laurel. Their days included Red Ball Day, Secret Agent Day, Kumzits Day, and Nature Day.
- Mapilim really got the ball rolling in their specialties before a sunny afternoon at the pool. After some chill time they headed out for their two-night overnight!
- Chalutzim had a 70’s themed party at the roller-rink!
- Gesher did it up 80’s style at Sky-High, where they trampolined to their hearts’ content.
Tomorrow the count-up continues:
Rish is having Olympics Day; Hab Bet is having the messiest Messy Day ever, and Gimmel is going on an overnight adventure before their one-nighter; Gib is having Chugim and swimming, then Edah Hey heads out to their two-night overnight; Map is continuing their overnight, Chal is heading out on their two-night overnight, and Gesh is having Pirate vs. Ninja day!
Did you see the Channel 5 news at 6 last night? We were on TV! Check it out right here! That’s only one of the many amazing things that happened this week at Kee Tov; we do like to think of ourselves as the best summer camp in Berkeley after all! And Session 2 is just getting started. We can’t wait to see what the next three weeks bring. Here’s what happened today:
Next week promises to be even better including Hab, Gib, Map, and Chal overnights. Have an amazing weekend everybody! Shabbat Shalom!
We here at Camp Kee Tov think pretty highly of ourselves. We think we’re pretty great. We think we’re the best Jewish day camp in the East Bay. We think we’d be a good news story. Well apparently Channel 5 thinks so also. No, they didn’t come to Beth El today to do a story about how great Kee Tov is. But if you watch the 6 o’clock news, you will see some of our Mapilim campers and counselors. So set the DVR people. (oh and it will be on their website at 7:15). Today we become (more) famous.
Other newsworthy goings-on of the day:
- Rishonim followed Alice down the rabbit hole into Wonderland! They traveled around looking for Alice so they could bring her back to Kee Tov.
- Habonim Edah Bet had Pirate Day! They made flying parrots and found hidden treasure. Edah Gimmel rocked Music Festival Day including an awesome drum circle.
- Giborim had their first day of Chugim! They wrote in their nature journals, played spoons, and made a Jackson Pollack inspired mural. Then they took a dip at the pool, and had a rocking’ song session.
- Mapilim learned how Berkeley they can be at the Berkeley Marina today. They sampled Kambucha, pretended to be tree sitters, and got ON THE NEWS! Make sure you watch!
- Chal went to Serra Bowl for an amazing day of Karaoke! We hear the Salt ‘n’ Pepa break dancing competition made all the traffic home well worth it. Sorry for holding up the buses!
Chalutzim showing off their pipes at Berkeley's best day camp!
- Gesher returned from Gesh Fest 2010 – Ruach on the Rocks (their overnight at Salt Point on the Sonoma coast). They went tidepooling, carved lanterns out of squashes, made a goddess dome, saw a professional juggler, and had a lot of jam sessions.
Tomorrow we’ll probably be on CNN:
Rish and Chal are teaming up for a wedding themed buddy day! Then they’re heading to the pool; Hab is traveling to the Holy Land (hope they have their passports ready); Gib is having Exodus day; Map is having Community and Spirituality Day; and Gesh is becoming the Gesh Traveling Circus!
Sometimes in life we have to make hard decisions. Like today for instance we really had a hard time deciding what to have for lunch here in the office- Gregoire, Barney’s, or Intermezzo. There are just too many good choices in Berkeley, the home of the best Jewish summer camp.
Luckily, we’re making one decision in your life that much easier: Where to send your kids to camp. Kee Tov was so awesome today, it’s pretty much a no-brainer:
- Rishonim spent the day at Beth El enjoying a group day. Rish 1 went on Safari. Rish 2 met Trader Joe himself and helped him out – they even had a lemonade stand! Rish 3 found golden tickets and got to visit Willy Wonka in the chocolate factory.
- Habonim played counselor bingo to find out more about the staff, leap-frogged, rocked out with Eric Schoen, and then went to the pool!
Leap Frog!
- Giborim Edah Daled went to SPACE! They tested out various rocket fuels and then blasted off! Edah Hey traveled back to prehistorical times. They played Capture the Egg and went on an archaeological dig. They also were sad to learn about the Triceratops.
- Mapilim had their first spectacular day of specialties. Look out, only three weeks until the Mapilim Show! Nature/science made gigantic marshmallow structures, and arts and crafts made beautiful papier mache. After lunch they joined Hab for some swimming.
- Chalutzim had Amazing Race Day in San Francisco. They bought a cactus and went to the pirate store.
- Gesher continued their overnight. We can only imagine how amazing it must be.
No decision needed about whether or not to come to camp tomorrow:
Rish is having Alice in Wonderland Day; Hab Bet is having Pirate Day, arrrrr, and Gimmel is experiencing a Caribbean music festival; Gib is back to hanging with their Chugim and then swimming; Map is having How Berkeley Can You Be Day; Chal is having Future Day (make sure to dress up); and Gesh will return triumphantly from two nights out!
Our minds were literally blown today when we found out that the triceratops might not have actually ever existed! But don’t worry, it’s not really that bad. It’s not that they never existed – it’s that they might not have been their own species, but the juvenile form of another dinosaur! When we saw this article, we felt like we did the first time we ever came to Kee Tov. Like we just couldn’t believe what we just found out about. The difference is that when we learned about the Triceratops we were devastated, when we found out about Kee Tov – ELATED. Here’s what happened today at the best day camp in the San Francisco Bay Area:
- Rishonim had the force with them on Star Wars day. Look out evil empire, we’ve got 42 Kindergarteners! They became Jedi knights and beat Darth Vader with their ruach!
- Habonim had a bunch of super awesome group days. We heard amazing things about panning for gold, painting with water colors, and becoming cave men.
- Giborim chose their Chugim! Look out for wilderness/nature, cards, dance, sports, and street art! Then they made our first second session trek to the pool!
Giborim performs Kumzits
- Mapilim learned about and chose their specialties. They got to see some sweet diet soda and Mentos explosions. They also played a great game of human soccer and had some boys vs. girls competitions.
Don't question it. It's science.
- Chalutzim went to Quarry Lakes in Fremont – we think it’s just the second time Kee Tov has ever been there! They had a spectacular time swimming, BBQing, and eating baked beans!
- Gesher took off for their two-night overnight! They had sweet sounding plans for a Festival theme!
Tomorrow will be more exciting than discovering a new species:
Rish is having three terrific group days; Hab is having a chill morning and then heading to the pool; Gib Daled is having Space Day and Edah Hey is having Prehistoric Day; Map is having their first day of specialties and then joining Hab at the pool; Chal is going for a mission in the Mission (bring your walking shoes!); and Gesh is continuing their overnight!
Camp Kee Tov, the best summer camp in the East Bay, began session 2 today and boy was it amazing. It was like there was something in the air. Something awesome. Something undefineable. But it was there. And we loved every minute of it. Can you feel it too?
- Rishonim started things off with a group day; they made group names (like “Sparkly Rainbow Aliens” and “Cloud Rockets”), toured the temple, and started to learn some awesome Kee Tov games.
- Habonim got their first taste of the Padre site, where they also had a group day. Some highlights were a decoding scavenger hunt, spud, parachute games, and singing with Eric Schoen.
- Giborim went to Laurel for a group day including God’s Eyes, meditation, impulse, and learning about poison oak.
- Mapilim spent the day at Arlington Park and had an amazing time, including a dance party and an epic game of capture the flag.
- Chalutzim spent the morning singing and getting to know each other before hitting the lanes for some bowling in the afternoon. High scorer: None other than the program director himself, Sam “Earl Anthony” Alcabes.
- Gesher went all the way to San Francisco where they had a scavenger hunt, visited the Tea Garden, meditated, and died pretend exaggerated samurai deaths.
Tomorrow the fun REALLY gets rolling at the premier day camp in the San Francisco Bay Area:
Rish is having Star Wars day; Hab is having another group day including Jumanji day, Cave Man day, Secret Spy day, and Gold Rush day; Gib is learning about the chugim they can choose from and then making our first session 2 trip to the pool; Map is having their specialty sell and choosing their specialties; Chal is going to a lake for a BBQ and swimming (make sure you bring something to BBQ and a swimsuit and towel); Gesh is already heading out on an overnight!
Here’s a sampling of some pictures that have come in recently!
Hab sings with Eric
Mario!
More from Map's visit to Sky High
Gib gets in on the singing
Chal warms up for the day with a little "Knockout"
Hab at the Jungle
Gib performs Kumzits
Elana leads an activity during All-Camp
Some chill time in Mapilim
The Gib staff works on their plaster masks
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