“It’s hard to believe that camp is almost over.” The chatter among our campers is starting to pick up, and they’re right. The time has really flown by.
At summer camp, we offer so many outlets for creativity, enjoyment, community building, and friendship—opportunities presented in ways that can’t be replicated anywhere else.
Last week, our campers and staff competed in a highly-anticipated camp favorite: Maccabiah, our team color competition. During this event, we broke down our typical groups to bring the whole camp together in new ways. Campers with siblings were placed on the same team, creating unique family bonding opportunities. Campers also mixed with campers from other cabins and villages, widening their range of connections in our Capital Camps community. This new perspective encouraged a deeper understanding of team building and collaboration. Several activities occurred over the two-day period. In their themed teams, campers and staff created team cheers, participated in our iconic Maccapeel (relay race around camp), and competed in classic camp activities like sports, aquatics, and arts and crafts. All of these in our team format gave campers different opportunities to take on new leadership roles and create lasting experiences.
Beyond grand events like Maccabiah, so much of the magic at camp happens in the everyday moments of our activities. We get creative with our art projects. We laugh and play in the pool. We work as teams in sports. We adapt our minds to overcome obstacles at the ropes course. We also offer camper-selected programming through a daily chug (elective) block. These chugim activities range from extensions of daily camp activities—rikkud, tennis and pickleball, archery, arts and crafts—to more unique programs catered specifically to our campers’ interests and each chug, like Israel Adventure Week led by our Head of Israel Education, Experience Mexico led by our Mexican counselors, gymnastics, Zumba, diving, tea time at the farm, the camp show, creek walking, and so much more. Needless to say, we are filling our campers’ time at Capital Camps with a diverse range of activities, from typical days with their cabins to programs that allow them to branch out into unique personal interests and creative abilities.
It’s inspiring to see campers dive into new experiences, whether it’s mastering skills on the sports field, unleashing creativity in arts and crafts, or discovering a hidden talent during a specialty block. These aren’t just fun ways to pass the time at camp; they are opportunities for campers to learn new skills, build confidence, and experience things they might never encounter at school or at home. What makes these moments even more profound is the way campers engage with one another—sharing laughs, collaborating on projects, cheering each other on, and navigating challenges side by side. This naturally fosters incredible bonds and friendships that we know will last long after the summer ends. Witnessing these connections form is a powerful reminder of the deep, meaningful impact camp has on each child.
I can’t wait to watch as these moments wind down what has been an inspiring, meaningful session.
Best,
Sam Belkowitz, Program and Staff Engagement Coordinator