Blog

When Learning is Fun… Just because the school year is done, it doesn’t mean that kids stop learning. Sometimes creativity is needed to sneak learning into summer vacation fun. One of our Camp Haverim families shared what happened when they mixed math with ice cream: “Each summer, we ponder how to connect learning with 10 weeks of summer fun. Last summer we came up with an idea: find Orange County’s very best ice cream! What could be more fun than that? We’d ...

For kids summer time is about fun and adventure. As the weeks seem to go on and on, parents wrack their brains for ways to engage our kids in creative and meaningful ways. Below are 18 everyday ways to have fun with your kids while exploring Jewish traditions and values. Cook challah together, add kid-friendly elements like chocolate chips, sprinkles or cinnamon sugar. Draw an Israeli Chutes & Ladders game board with a map of Israel and adding chutes and ladders and explore Israel. Finger ...

“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement… look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible” – Abraham Joshua Heschel When Jewish camp matters Our contemporary lives are busy. Our kids are surrounded by American culture. A Jewish camp experience immerses our kids in Jewish experiences and friends. While our kids are running, playing, swimming, traveling, busy with arts and science and all the ...

The other day my boss asked me if I had recently spoken to one of our members. I confidently replied “Yes, I just texted her.” When did we accept that texting and high-tech gadgets replace actual conversations, and frankly, that it is o.k.? We see it everyday, kids juggling IPads, I-phones, DSL, and computers. While parents moan about this obsession with electronics, do we actually recognize what is happening with our younger generations? The number of hours kids are ...

As I am writing this article, it’s cold and blustery outside. It seems odd to be thinking about camp. Nonetheless, it’s time to plan for your kids’ summer. Here at the Merage JCC we’ve been coordinating summer camp since last year’s camp ended. Sure, this article is going to sell our camps. We believe in camp – we believe it is an important component of Jewish life. Statistics show that camp experiences are one of the top three indicators that our kids will ...