Upper Division Day 15

Week three came and went...It was great! We baked delicious chocolate cupcakes today. Everyone had a great time cooling off in the pool. The Tie-Dye Shirts look phenomenal. We can not wait to bring them home to share with you. :) The scavenger hunt today was quite an adventure! Looking forward to next week...
Have a wonderful Shabbos,
MC
We wish the Davis Family an easy and safe journey and we will miss them much!

Day 15 Lower Division

Week Three has passed!!!! We are almost half way through camp! For those that are not aware, we extended camp through the entire July! July 27 will be our last day, all the way till Camp Seed! Make sure you let us know (register) for that 7th week. Today was a great day! We made summer collages, had an amazing Shabbos party with Ima Aviva Melmed, and Russie Troppe, and Abba Chanoch Kenzer. Shabbos songs, and davening really brought ruach to the room. Thank you Morah Jessica and Morah Shira for all your hard work this week. Looking forward to week four...
Reminder...We will be closed July 4th
Good Shabbos,
MJ

Day 14 Lower Division

Today we had a great time swimming and playing with our new staff member Shira Resnick from Israel! Circle time was wonderful, full of books and singing and davening. Swimming really cooled us down from the humidity. Then after lunch the children attempted to make their own soft serve ice cream. We decided on blueberry flavor, so our ice cream bags were blue. We shook and tossed our zip lock bags to freeze the ice cream. In the end we all enjoyed a refreshing smoothie, milk shake.
Tomorrow is our fun-filled Shabbos Party...
MJ

Upper Division Day 14

Today was a great day!!!!

We all had a fantastic time at the Art Car Museum.  Thank you to Tammy Topek, and Morah Merari for driving! (We are always in need of parent volunteer drivers for our trips and swimming)

We would like to give a special camp Fun-Key welcome to Natasha and Sara who have joined our staff from Baltimore!!!!!

We beat the rain back to camp and had a great time making TIE-DYE T-SHIRTS!!!!!  WHAT FUN!!!!  They all came out very colorful, along with our fingers and table.

Can't wait till tomorrow... baking for shabbos!

Hope everyone stayed dry on the  way home from camp.

See you all tomorrow!

MC

Upper Division Day 13

Welcome Sara and Natasha!The girls were busy with crafts and dancing today. They learned a new line dance. It was a blast learning. Today the girls began decorating their picture frames. The boys finished up theirs. We look forward to our weekly trip tomorrow which will be to the Art Car Museum. Bring extra snacks and water for the trip please. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US OR VOLUNTEER IN DRIVING ON A THURSDAY FIELD TRIP DAY PLEASE CONTACT CATHY!!!
We will be tie dying in the next few days, if you have extra white "undershirts" please send in, or white socks, as well as aprons, skirts, etc. Don't wear your best clothes in case they may get stained. ;)
MC

Day 13 Lower Division

What a fun day of crafts and color! We had a great time outside today, although it was steamy hot. Circle time and davening was exciting as always. In crafts we made our own homemade paint. The kids had a great time measuring out the flour and other ingredients. We used paint brushes and our hands to paint. It was messy but the children enjoyed the feel of the paint. After all our art was hung up to dry, we colored in our very own bookmarks. Some of our children wore them home as bracelets, yet they are bookmarks!
Looking forward to more fun in the sun tomorrow,
MJ

Upper Division Day 12

After davening the girls had a great time by the pool, while the boys popped their own popcorn and even made a melted chocolate mixture for chocolate popcorn. Yoni is quiet the cook! :) Then the boys began a special project with rolling magazines into this rolls, which will be cut and used to design a beautiful wooden frame. After lunch  the boys went out to the pool while the girls made popcorn and crafts!
It was a great busy day.
Looking forward to tomorrow!
MC

Day 12 LOWER DIVISION

We started the morning out with play dough, the davening and circle time. Then we spent extra time out by the pool! We had a great time on the slip and slide. Morah even went down the slide a couple times. The children had a blast eating ice pops to cool down. After a late lunch we had story time and coloring. There was a donation of several coloring books and crayons the children enjoyed. After cleanup it was time to go home! Another day flew by.
Hope y'all have a great evening,
MJ

Upper Division Day 11

WEEK THREE= HOT HOT HOT!!!!!  It was a very fun and hot day today at Camp Fun-Key!  Of course the day began off with our beautiful davening, followed by some Learning about Chessed and Tzedakah led by Morah Cathy!

The children had a great time cooling off a bit in the pool today!  They also enjoyed a scavenger hunt, congratulation to our winner, Dovid Troppe!!

Tomorrow we will be swimming at the Young Israel Neighborhood pool next to the park.  If you have a key(wrist band) please send it in tomorrow.

We are very excited about our trip this Thursday if you are able to volunteer and drive please let Morah Cathy know ASAP.  More details to follow!

Can’t wait till tomorrow!!

 

MC

Day 11 Lower Division

The start of week three was awesome and hot. Monday has become our official cooking/baking day. We had an awesome circle time with an interactive story time. Davening was beautiful and well lead by Rachelli Bendkowski!!! GO RACHELLI!!!
We have three new pools out on the deck. The kids had a blast splashing around and staying cool.
After lunch we got busy with popping our own popcorn. We smelled it, saw it pop, heard it pop, and then we tasted it! We had two different flavors...one salt and pepper and one that was chocolate! It was very yummy. We had to make several batches upon request ;)
We have two new JCs that joined our team, Vivian Ohana and Juliana Leon. They were fabulous, creative and helpful with our children!
Tomorrow night I will be picking up our Baltimore girls and Israel girl! We are all very excited to have so many amazing and willing workers. The girls are full of energy, and smiles.
They are available upon request to babysit. Please contact me if you are interested and in need, I know they mentioned they are looking to make some extra spending cash!
Looking forward to an awesome week of fun and new activities,
MJ

Important announcement!!

We are very excited for another fun-filled week here at camp Fun-Key!!!

This coming week it is suppose to get EXTREMELY HOT- it is supposed to be 100 (or 100+) all week. While at camp Fun-Key we take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the children in hot weather we ask that you send the following items with your children daily:

      

     Sun screen (please apply it before camp and send an extra bottle to camp so that we may re-apply when necessary).  This is extremely important for the older division who go swimming in non-covered areas. 

   

     Older division children must bring flip flops, crocs or other appropriate shoes to wear to and from the pool.  

 

     Water.  Please pack an extra water bottle with your children.

   Thanks,

   MC & MJ

Shout out to Rachel Yurowitz...

Aquatics Courses/ Summer 2012

American Red Cross Certified Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor with over 15 years experience is offering many aquatics courses throughout the summer starting from infants all the way to adults.

Swimming Lessons for Children - Taught according to the American Red Cross Learn to Swim Levels 1-6. Taught in a comfortable and safe environment with a large emphasis on pool and water safety. Guaranteed results. Slots fill up very quickly! Book your time slot now and lock it in for the next couple weeks!   Private and group lessons available.   

Mommy and Me - Classes given twice monthly and divided by two age groups 12 -18 months, and 18- 24 months. Introduction to the basics of  water,  pool and  water comfortableness and basic safety skills. Including lots of toys and fun to enhance the experience. Come join our excited group of Mom's having as much fun as their children! Classes are 35 minutes.

Adult Crash Course in Stroke Dynamics- This new class is being offered monthly to women of all ages for improvement in stroke dynamics, breath control, and swimming endurance. Class is 1 hour.  

Serving the UOS, Meyerland, and Young Israel communities for the past 4 years.

For more information about courses, please email or call at rachelswimmingschool@gmail.com or 832 647 8628.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Rachel

DAY 10 of LOWER DIVISION

I can't believe we are done with week 2 of camp!!! Where does time go??? Today we had an awesome davening and circle time. Dani Polatsek, Daveed Masri and Mindy Pfeffer were the best daveners and listeners. They each got a chocolate chip cookie from the bagel shop. We are very proud of them. Shabbos is finally here. Everyone enjoyed delicious grape juice, challah  and  ice pops. Thank you to Yosef Helfgot for bringing in shabbos treats to share with all our friends. Mindy lit the candles and Daveed made kiddush and hamotzei. The children sang shabbos songs and enjoyed stories while finishing their ice pops. Swimming was fun as always. Then lunch and games and it was time to go before we know it. The class enjoyed several read along tapes today. Everyone listened carefully for a change. Looking forward to another awesome week.
Have a great Shabbos,
MJ
I will miss all my kiddos that are gone the rest of the  summer. xoxo to you and I look forward to having yall back in Aug.!

UPPER DIVISION END of WEEK 2

WOW!! Two weeks have really flown by and what a day today was!

Starting the day was of course our wonderful davening. We are so proud of how nicely everyone davens!  Today we all enjoyed a wonderful pre-Shabbos D’var Torah by Yoni Cohen!  Thanks for the Torah Yoni, you’re the BEST!

We were able to fight off some of the heat today with swimming.  We had a wonderful time cooling off there for a few hours.

Today was cash in tickets day... The children have been given tickets for competitions, davening, behavior etc…and today we had prizes for sale that they were able to purchase with their tickets.  Everyone had a great time picking out prizes.

We hope you all enjoy the yummy homemade Challah that we baked once again L’Kavod Shabbos Kodesh!

Have a gret Shabbos and can’t wait to see everyone back for week 3 of Camp Fun-Key!

MC

Upper Division Day 9

After an energetic davening, lead by Michal Soloman on the girls side!!! Go Michali!!! While the girls went swimming today, it was a pleasure to see the more experienced swimmers giving swimming "lessons" to those in need. The girls enjoyed decorating their art deco boxes with pictures, tissue paper, glitter, jewels and ribbons. The boys had a fun filled day of sports. After finally coming to an agreement on which sport goes first and in which order they will be played they all had a great time! The pool was a great place for them to cool down! The day flew by!
Have a great evening,
MC

PLEASE SEND IN...

If your child has a food in need of cutlery PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send it in!!!! I try and wash and reuse, but we are still short!
Thank you
MJ

Day 9 Lower Division

Another awesome day at camp! No rain today but lots of sprinkler, slip and slide, and pool fun. The children all had a blast after davening and circle time. We splashed around in the water, and enjoyed the slip and slide. After the pool everyone dried off out out in the Texas heat. Then we all enjoyed lunch time followed by play dough, story time, and freeze dance. The children are so creative with their playdough, and they all share the playdough toys so nicely. Everyone had a great day, and we look forward to our Shabbos Party tomorrow!
Have a great day,
MJ

UPPER DIVISION DAY 8....

The numbers are in...Drum Roll.....

and the WINNER FOR THE 2012 CAMP FUN-KEY COLOR WAR IS

………..GREEN!!!!!

Today was another great day filled with sports competitions and of course swimming!!

We would like to thank Hannah Tucker for the time she has spent with us and wish her much fun and luck as she leaves us tomorrow for sleep away camp!  Bye Hannah we will miss you much!!!!

See y'all tomorrow,

MC

LOST AND FOUND

There are two bluish colored towels, and some other various items such as socks, tzitzit, and shorts that are unclaimed.
SOMEONE IS MISSING A FULL BATHING SUIT- BOYS TWO PIECE...BLACK SHIRT WITH MATCHING SWIM SHORTS.
ALSO MISSING A PAIR OF GREEN BOY CROCS
Please email me if you are missing anything, or if your child was sent home with the wrong items.
THANK YOU

DAY 8 Lower Division

Another rainy day in the neighborhood! The children enjoyed swimming and dancing in the rain. We sang "If all the rain drops were lemon drops and gum drops" and attempted catching the rain on our tongue. Circle time was great. We read "There is no such thing as monsters", "I am your bus", and "Chugginton". The children love story time, and sometimes even the same stories daily. After swimming and outdoor play, where the children put all the outdoor playscapes to construct a "castle", everyone enjoyed lunch followed by building with blocks. Our craft activity today was getting all messy with shaving cream. The table was covered in it, as well as our little hands and arms. I called out various shapes, letters, and animals while the children had to make it in the cream. It smelled so clean in the room ;). We then read some stories and got ready to go home. Day number 8 was fantastic.
Please remember to send in two snacks, a  healthy main, as well as drinks, and maybe a fruit or vegetable.
Also please make sure we have a clean change of clothes for your child in case of mess or wetness.
Have a great one,
MJ

Day 7 Lower Division

Today was rainy yet it was another busy, fun packed day. After toy playing, and our big circle time with everyone together the children listened to stories about rain and thunder. We spoke about how it is nothing to be afraid of and that the rain is good for the grass and trees. After snack time we had a great time splashing in the pools. The children made me lots of "coffee" with their pool toys. Boy do they know their morah well ;). After pool and lunch we enjoyed quiet book time. The children imitated their morah and held their books out while reading to each other. The our favorite time of day...CRAFTS. We made our very own bath soaps. The children made a pink mixture, followed by a blue one. I kept them over night to harden, they should be ready to go home tomorrow. The different shapes included dolphins, ducks, hearts, and rectangles. I hope they will be useable in the bath.
Kindergarten enjoyed making their own clay today that smells like delicious cinnamon. They cut out shapes and left it to dry overnight. Once it is dry they will be able to paint it and decorate it. Then bring it home. We look forward to swapping projects tomorrow, and on Thursday we will make our own finger paint and collages.
Please send in spoons with the necessary foods for lunch. And make sure your child has enough food... snacks, drinks, and a main.
Have a great evening and looking forward to day 8!
MJ

Upper Division Day 7

COLOR WAR DAY! GO GREEN GO RED!!! WHO IS GOING TO WIN THIS COLOR WAR???
What an AWESOME day of color war!!!!!

Both teams did great... the final score has not yet been announced. 

Color war activities and competitions were enjoyed by everyone throughout the day. 
Some highlights:
The green team winning balloon toss
The red team winning kickball
Way to go both teams!!!!

Baruch Hashem we were able to work around the rain schedule today. Not only did we enjoy swimming, we enjoyed picnic lunches by the pool side.  What FUN!!!!

Looking forward to another excellent day tomorrow!!!!!!

MC

WEEK 2, Day 6 Lower Division

Welcome back to camp! Hope everyone enjoyed Father's Day and the beautiful weather we had yesterday. I sure did! The weekend was relaxing and re-energizing. We came back to camp with many smiles for week 2 at Camp Fun-Key. Swimming and circle time were a blast. Davening was beautiful, Mindy Pfeffer and Daveed Masri did a beautiful job singing and following along. Everyone sat very quietly through our story time today. After reading three books it was time for swimming! The children had a blast in the water, especially with the slides. After lunch and some toy playing we made our very own chocolate chocolate chip cookies! Oh boy did the entire building smell good enough to eat for a change ;) Before we knew it, it was clean up time and time to go home.
We are looking forward to a great week.
MJ

Upper division day 6

I hope everyone had a great Shabbos!

The week got off to a great start today.  Following davening we began the day with our trip to Palace Lanes!!  All the children had a wonderful time!

When we returned to camp it was crafts time….The girls enjoyed jewelry making and designing beautiful berets, while the boys enjoyed making and decorating wooden airplanes and cars.

This afternoon we had a color war Break out!!!!!!!!!!  Morah Cathy “acted” angry at everyone to trick the children into thinking she was really upset, and boy were they excited when they found out it was color war breakout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The colors are green and red for this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can’t wait for all the color war activities to begin!
We would like welcome Yoni Cohen and his friends Akiva and Reuven who have joined our staff!!!!!!!! This will be a great week of sports, action, swimming and crafts.
MC

DAY FIVE SHABBOS!

Week one has ended. It was fantastic and full of action. Today we had a Shabbos Party with kindergarten, toddlers and nursery. We first davened together...then the best davener, Esther Friedman, was selected as Ima, and Nesanel Weisman and Reuven Bergida were both Abbas. They were fabulous daveners. We lit candles, made hagefen, as well as hamotzei. Our Shabbos party was deliciously sweetened with ice pops! I hope everyone enjoyed. We reiterated the idea of "you get what you get and you don't get upset". After Shabbos party the children enjoyed an hour outside with the pools and hose. Everyone dried off on the playgound riding cars and playing ball. After changing into dry clothes, and eating lunch we made our very own bouncy balls. After a few hours the mixture is suppose to become bouncy. Yet it was challenging having all the children keep the dough in ball shape. they definitely enjoyed watching the "goo" harden. Of course the day flew by once again.
We had the best week yet, and I am truly looking forward to another fun-filled week at Camp Fun-Key :)

Have a great Shabbos,
MJ

UPPER DIVISION END OF WEEK 1...

What a fantastic week we had!!!! I cannot believe one week of camp has flown by already. Today we started out the day with our lovely and lively davening.  We are so proud of how the kids are davening so beautifully EVERY morning.  What a great way to start out the day!!!

The girls spent time weaving with loops, while the boys had a MASSIVE water fight.  They managed to stay fairly dry, while drenching their counselors.

Please enjoy the fresh baked Challah that we baked today in camp special L’Kavod Shabbos, hope some made home.

Reminder next week we will be going bowling... please DO NOT forget to sign your children up at  www.kidsbowlfree.com/palacelanes and send the pass in along with your child(ren's) shoe size(s).

If you are available to drive to and from bowling on Monday please let Morah Cathy know ASAP!

Good Shabbos to all!  Can't wait for another great week!!

MC

PICTURES

Pictures are UPPPPPPP!!!!! Check out snapfish! That is where they will now be posted, that is if they are viewable by all :)

UPPER DIVISION WEEK ONE UPDATE

The first day of camp was amazing, with everyone getting to know each other from first to sixth grade. Swimming was so much fun (thank you so much to the Nuzsens for allowing the campers to use their pool)! Girls went swimming in the morning followed by arts and crafts (cast bowls created with real casting materials) in the afternoon, while the boys played kickball and capture the flag before heading to the pool after lunch.  Our team leader was Zack Serotta.

The second day was full of water sports and play.   Akiva Quinn hit a grand slam on the playground at baseball - way to go, Akiva!  The boys had a huge spontaneous, fully clothed water fight that the kids have not stopped talking about, that's what the Texas heat does here ;)

Wednesday was another fun filled day. The girls made friendship bracelets as well as "gak" and a fully clothed Morah Cathy somehow found herself in the pool!  We are very happy with how the campers are getting into a routine, with davening in the morning and all of the activities throughout the day. 

Next week we hope to go on some exciting trips...  Details to follow!

 Please sign up your kids online for free bowling at Palace lanes in Bellaire and send in your pass next week. 

 www.kidsbowlfree.com/palacelanes

Have a wonderful Shabbos, and looking forward to another great week of camp!

Morah Cathy

Day Four

It is almost the end of the week and I am pumped up for the weeks to come. This week went amazingly smooth! The weather was great. Our pool is in the shade and in a covered patio so we are enjoying it immensely.  The children all tell me that swimming is their favorite part of the day! I don't blame them in this Texas heat;) On Thursday we all got slimy and messy making our own "goo, gak, silly putty" as some may call it. It is made of water, glue, borax and food coloring. Our gak was blue, and kindergarten went with green this time. The kids enjoyed rolling snakes and baking challah with it. I hope it wasn't problematic once it made it home.
Apparently my uploads and sharing of our picasa albums haven't been too successful. I am uploading to snapfish at the moment. Those should work and be ready to go very soon. I apologize for the many emails, yet I am very eager to share with you our fun filled summer days!
Have a wonderful day,
MJ

Day Three

Today was packed with davening, circle time, discussing the mitzva of tzedaka-along with a story about the very best place for a penny, snack, pool time and sprinklers in the grass. Then before lunch we played basketball and rode bikes to dry off. We were all starving for lunch after an action packed morning. After lunch we made fruit loop jewelry!  The kids did amazing stringing the cereal onto the ribbon. Once they were finished they went off to help their friends. We had a superb day, and looking forward to day four. Routine is picking up, the children are grasping the schedule and we are just having so much fun.
Have a great day tomorrow!
MJ

Day Two

Day Two was great! The children enjoyed davening with Morah Julie, circle time with songs and games, and a favorite book called "A bad case of stripes". We had so much fun outdoors by the pools and sprinklers, and we even made a water slide. Then everyone dried off outside on the playground before lunch. Lunch was followed by library time and stories. Then we all gathered around the table and took turns putting in the ingredients for our own homemade play dough. The vote was for orange, so that is the color of the week. Pizza making and cookie creating was followed by clean up and pick up! Time flew once again at Camp Fun-key. 
Thank you parents for a great day! Cant wait to see the smiles tomorrow...
MJ

Day One

Dear Parents,
 We had a blast first day of camp. Everything ran smoothly and we all had so much fun! We played many games, we had snacks, we had circle time and davening ALL together! Then we had so much fun splashing in the sprinklers and pools. After lunch we enjoyed quiet story time as well as a baking cup cakes, decorating them and singing happy birthday to the Morah. The day flew by... as they say, "time flies when you are having fun" I am excited about a great summer.
Thank you,
Julie Quinn

Reminder: Please send in everything labeled as well as lunches, snacks, swimsuits, and extra clothes. Coming in a swimsuit is helpful in terms of time of changing into it and out of it. IF your child wears a diaper please send along a swim diaper. Don't forget sunscreen and a smile.

Welcome to the Camp Fun-Key Blog! We hope to update you with posts and pictures daily!

Welcome to our camp blog!