Dear Blogger,

I sent my son to Tawonga Sports, that great session where kids get to learn and play a variety of different sports, while still getting the complete Tawonga experience. He was so excited to get on the bus. But now, I am worried. Will my sporty son overheat? Will he get exhausted with all those runs around the baseball diamond? What ever shall I do?

Yours,
Dad of Sporty Son

Dear Dad of Sporty Son,

While your son is getting an amazing experience and learning sports and teamwork skills, he also has a well rounded Camp T schedule. Each morning, Tawonga Sports’ campers participate in two blocks dedicated to a specific sport. But in the afternoon, all the camp is theirs. If you don’t believe me, check out these great photos of them making pots at Arts and Crafts.

Yours,

The Blogger

One part reality TV show + two parts team flags + one part lily pad bag = whole lots of fun.

G-3 spent the afternoon on the lake, participating in Tawonga Survivor. Based on the hit reality TV show, the kids formed “tribes” and challenged themselves to work as a team on the lake (and cleared out a whole bunch of lily pads in the process). With the team flag, and a special chant, both tribes were motivated to be the best on the lake.

In the end, every one had fun, and as of yet, no one had to leave the island…

G-3 learns the rules of the game.

The campers prepare for the boats.

Every time a baby laughs, or a flower opens on a warm spring morning, a fairy is born! So keep your eyes and imagination open, look for sparkling fairy dust in the river, and remember that fairies are drawn in by the sounds of children’s laughter!

Today the girls of G-Gimmel dressed up as fairies (so they wouldn’t scare any they might have come across), gave themselves and each other fairy names, and went in search of the magic creatures of the forest! Songs were sung, stories were told, fairy homes were found and built and smiles were shared by all!

G-Gimmel worked as a team to make giant fairy braids to attract the fairies to Lady Bug Cove.

As part of the Noar L’Nor program, 36 Session 4 campers have traveled from Israel to become a part of our Camp T community. Over the first days of camp, the campers of Haifa and Chalutzim have worked hard to get to know each other as well as their similarity and differences. Today the girls of G-8 participated in group bonding games that allowed them to learn about each other, communicate, and most importantly to laugh. Check out these great pictures of them untying their “Human knot.”

More from our parent question box:

Dear Shabblogger,

It is my camper's first year at camp. How will they ever know what activities are offered so they can help to design their bunk’s schedule?

Yours,

Scheduling Slueth

Dear Scheduling Slueth,

Here at camp we think it is SO important for campers to help design their own bunk’s schedule. If they have special interests or games they enjoy, it is important they tell their counselors so that it can be included in the group’s experience. One way they can learn about all of the things the different departments of camp have to offer is by participating in “rotations” the first day of each session. Counselors and campers take a tour of camp during which they see presentations by various departments: Jewish and Israeli programmers, the lifeguards, Arts and Crafts, and musicians. Later in the day they attend cabin floats when they are given time to try these various activities and play games.

So, Mr. Slueth, by the end of the day today your child will be a master of the different exciting activities offered here at Camp Tawonga.

Yours,

The Shabblogger

Song leader Gal teaches the campers of Galil the hand motions to a chant during the music station of rotations.

Carmel campers learn what the pool has to offer during the waterfront rotation.

And now to our parent question box:

Dear Shablogger,

It is impossible to get my kids to do chores at home. They hate to take out the garbage, walk the dog, but more than anything, I can never get them to clear the table. How do you get the kids to clear so many tables, so fast?

Yours,

Dirty Dining Room

Dear Dirty Dining Room,

We do a little thing here at camp called stacking and scraping. Every table piles all of their food waste onto one plate (once a day we weigh this plate, to see as a camp how much we are wasting and work to improve it). Then the “hoppers” carry all of the dishes to the front of the room, where they are separated and given to the kitchen staff. Just ask any Camp T camper, and they will be able to tell you, “Leftovers on the left, metal in the middle and everything else… right over here!”

So in conclusion, by making it fun and encouraging kids to work as a group, cleaning can get done with no hassle at all.

Yours,

The Shablogger

After just one day the girls of G-Gimmil are already old pros at the stack and scrape method.

Wednesday night was the all camp play. At Tawonga, putting together a play is tough, and our actors sacrificed rest hours and freeswims in order to get the play together. This Session, our Theater specialist Lili directed the campers in Arabian Nights!

As you can see what Makom Shalom (where we usually do our Torah service) was transformed into an amazing set! There was singing...


And dancing...


The performers did an amazing job! Take a bow!

Today as part our Israel Day celebration, campers took a tour of Israel. Throughout the morning each unit visited a different station that represented a different city or area in Whether it was visiting a Bedouin tent in the Negev, or sipping on tea in a cafe on the streets of Tel Aviv, campers got a taste of life in Israel and an opportunity to discuss the different cultures, ways of life and opinions of Israel’s varied population.

The campers of Hafia learn about different settlers of the Negev: the Bedouin, and the Kibbutzniks.

Carmel campers visit a café in Tel Aviv where they hear a radio broadcast from a Macabia Tel Aviv championship game and watch a video clip of a protest in the city.

Shabbat is a very special time at camp in which campers celebrate Judaism through songs, dinner, conversation, dancing, and a beautiful Saturday Torah service. Shabbat begins on Friday at about 5pm when song-leaders and staff stroll to all of the cabins and pick up excited campers who join in their singing and strolling.

Campers clean up and get dressed in their favorite finery. My, everyone looks so nice!

After a delicious Shabbat Dinner with fresh camper-prepared challah, campers participate in freylach (dancing), campfire discussions and then head back to their cabins to rest. On Saturday morning campers eat breakfast and go to Makom Shalom, our beautiful natural amphitheater for Torah Service, Tawonga-style.

A Camp T experience would be incomplete without a trip to the challenge course. During the morning, campers learn to work as a team in order to complete the many group challenges. In the afternoon harnesses and helmets go on and campers go up… the trees that is! Campers are invited to challenge themselves and their fears on our high elements. Check out G-5 and G-6’s challenge course experiences.

Nothing but support for the campers on the challenges

G-6 campers: Hanging Tough

Campers and counselors hold on to the rope as part of the team belay!

Shabbat is a special day at Camp Tawonga. The whole community showers and dresses in their Friday night finest to welcome in the Sabbath. This Shabbat makeover is not just limited to the campers. In preparation for Shabbat, campers participated in an all camp clean-up. Check out the amazing job the campers of B-5 and B-6 did at cleaning the Ga-Ga Pit and Moadone area.

An important part of every campers experience is our Tikkun Tawonga program. Campers participate in a number of different work projects that teach how all types of work are important in creating a community and that we all can play an active role in making our community and world a better place.

Today B-10A had a chance to participate in our Forestry Tikkun. The bunk began by learning about the impact humans have had on the forest in this area, and then discussed the responsibility we have in maintaining balance in the ecosystem. Campers then broke into 4 work groups and with the guidance of our Forest Stewards began to cut trees, thinning the forest as a natural fire would.

Through their hard work the campers helped to create a safer forest.

It was all about rainbows here today, as G-1 celebrated Rainbow Day. Freshly body painted to the tune of ROY G. BIV, the girls wrote their own “Rainbow Anthem,” and serenaded all those around. They then headed down to the river for some more COLORFUL fun.

Session 3 is already in full swing!

The campers were greeted and serenaded by the 2008 Tawonga Staff as they got off the busses. Once all of the campers had divided by gender, they were split into bunks.

Counselors played a name game, put away their things, and immediately started work on a bunk cheer for the opening campfire.

Old friends were excited to be at camp with each other again.

At the opening campfire, each child has a chance to introduce themselves during a bunk cheer.

The staff is already up to the task of entertaining the campers. A rubber chicken is always funny. Always.

Each bunk’s schedule was created for the first week. Campers can look forward to all of their old favorites: Arts and Crafts, Ga-ga, Pool Activities,

Getting Gnarly, Archery, Drama, Basketball, River Trips, Tawonga Ball,

Stage Combat, Israeli Dancing and and more.

Song Sessions filled with singing and dancing.

At Camp Tawonga we are very thankful for the food that we eat. The unit of Haifa was so thankful in fact, that they threw a massive parade for the Sysco truck as it rolled into camp.

After two hours of preparing signs, costumes, cheers, and even a red carpet, Tawongans march along side the Sysco truck as it enters camp.



Here's our new friend Gennaro being given the "Royal Treatment." We dubbed him King Sysco and gave him a crown and scepter.



It turned out that this was Gennaro's first day on the job. What a welcome he got to camp! When Haifa's Unit Head, Noah, thanked him for being such a good sport he said, "No, thank you. I was having a rough day and this really cheered me up."

Yesterday the campers of Camp Tawonga took a moment out of their busy schedule to write thank you postcards to the fire fighters who have been helping fight the North Fire. Campers wrote heartfelt postcards to the men and women who have taken time away from their family to help save the surrounding forest and keep our community safe. Later during Green Floats, campers made and signed a giant thank you card from the entire camp.





Here a few of the post cards they wrote:

Dear firefighter,
Thank you for protecting Camp Tawonga from the fires in beautiful Yosemite. Thank you for fighting the fire to keep Yosemite beautiful and protected. I think you’re very brave to fight the fires. I am amazed that you would come away from your families and protect Tawonga and Yosemite.

Your biggest fan,
Roz



Dear Firefighters,
We at Camp Tawonga really, really appreciate your work to help save the forest and fight the fire. I really appreciate you taking time out of you daily lives to help protect us from the fire and fight it. I am so happy you are doing all that work to protect us and the forest.
Love,
Julia

At camp Tawonga we like to get dressed up for Shabbat wearing the nicest clothes that we have. On other days, we take a different approach to getting dressed up.

Here's the bunk of G-10 dressed up for a Pool Fashion Show.
There's no running at the pool! That's why this G-10er is engaged in a walk off!

G-3 celebrate after defeating the dragon of Gnarliness!

G-10 has a Gnarly day as well!

But it's hot out here, and no matter how we dress up, we all know how to cool down!