Rings, Swings And Things

The last day of summer camp at Congregation Shaarey Zedek is topped off with joy and learning.

PHOTOS BY GLENN TRIES T

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

Above:
Amanda Kuppe takes a breather from
the activity.

Right:
Rebecca Tarockoff and Sarah Peninah
Bitton watch as counselor Jennifer
Maiseloff works on wood sculptures.

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ost of the time, the last day 5-year-olds group, squealed
of camp is greeted with more as she did a back flip on the
sadness than anything else. rings of the bus that was
At Congregation Shaarey brought in for the day and
Zedek Beth Hayeled's sum- parked near the school en-
mer camp, it was embraced trance. As she carefully tra-
with great whoops of joy.
versed the balance beam, her
The feeling came from the accom- concentration broke, giving
plishment of finishing a lesson titled way to a big smild.
"Ready, Set, Grow." The self-esteem build-
"Ta-da," she shouted to her
ing focused on the joy of doing things in- fellow campers.
dependently.
"The rings and the monkey
Thus, the last day of the eight-week bars were fun," she said. "I al-
camp featured a wood sculpture class ways do exercises, but usual-
where the children assembled their own ly I just jump on the couch."
works of art from wood scraps and glue
Terri Myers, director of the
and a trip through a mobile gym where Fraser, Mich.-based roving
the children turned flips on rings and gym company, said all of the
swung from monkey bars.
kids had fun.
One major part of the day was spent in
"A couple of the little ones
the Tumblebus, a colorful former school didn't want to get on the bus
bus that had been stripped of its seats and but they were running
furnished with gym equipment, includ- around, playing by the end of
ing a foam horse and balance beam. In- their session," Ms. Myers said.
side the mobile fun center, the children, "They didn't want to leave."
grouped according to their age and abil-
The morning of fun was capped off
ity, took turns swinging from the bars and with a lesson on Shabbat. Rena Wein-
jumping on the, horse.
‘.traub, the director of the nursery school
Catcha Frenlwl, a,member of the 4- and camp, said the final portions of learning

Sarah Peninah
Bitton, Mia Gordon
and Eliana Gershon
play in the final
moments of
summer camp.

taught a way to feel good about being
Jewish.
"We want the kids to know that 'I can
have fun and be Jewish,'" she said. ❑

