Creativity is Key!

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by Leah Sherin, Tiferet Rosh Eidah (Unit Head)

After a few weeks, Tiferet Bet is in full swing! In our first week, Tiferet chanichim (campers) jumped right in to studios and began creating art, experienced lots of camp activities like swimming, sports, and chugim (electives), and began building a strong Tiferet community. Each studio is already working on all kinds of projects related to our limud (Jewish learning) theme, Psalms, and the chanichim are receiving instruction on their given area of art. And although this session so far has included lots of time to receive intensive instruction in their art studio, the first week of Tiferet Bet was really all about creativity.

We began the session with an “Egg Drop” tochnit erev (evening program). In groups, campers built contraptions that they hoped would keep an egg intact as it was thrown down off of Etgar (our climbing tower). From an assortment of random materials, they were able to build all sorts of creative devices that were very successful in saving the eggs. Although this activity was not a part of our instructional arts curriculum, it was an exercise in creativity and a start to the many ways in which we hoped our chanichim could be creative throughout the session. The week has continued with other silly activities that allowed Tiferet to use their creativity. A “do it yourself” crafts night allowed for chanichim to build cardboard post cards, make their own stationary, and make snowman stuffed animals or sock puppets! Since the craft night, many of these stuffed animals and sock puppets have come to life with names, characters, and funny voices!

After a full week of being immersed in Tiferet’s schedule, we took a break from our regular programming and continued our artistic adventures at the Milwaukee Art Museum! The museum has been a part of Tiferet Bet for many years, because it always provides much inspiration for artwork moving forward in the session. At the museum, our visual arts specialists gave all of us a tour of the museum, pointing out many famous and interesting works and giving us their input on them. The chanichim then broke out into studios and used the museum as inspiration for their given studio. Visual arts, drama, and music were all able to draw from the visual art to inform their own artistic expression. Being at the museum allowed the chanichim to get creative in a new way and was another step in building our community of creative artists and individuals. As we head into our second Shabbat together, I’m excited to see this artistic creativity and momentum build!

 

Leah Sherin is so excited to be spending her 11th year at OSRUI as Tiferet Rosh Eidah! She just returned from a semester in Israel with The Nachshon Project, and will be returning to Brandeis University in the fall for her senior year.