Embedded Files
Summer 2025
Summer 2025
Week Five: August 4-8
Week Five: August 4-8
The Final Week!
Our last week of camp was filled with energy, excitement, and a whole lot of heart as campers celebrated all they’ve learned and experienced this summer. From teamwork and creativity to confidence and curiosity, every moment reflected how much our campers have grown!
In Knowledge, campers crafted an acrostic poem about camp. They also continued with their independent reading journeys—reflecting on stories read, friendships formed, and the fun they’ve had along the way.
In Art, we wrapped up the summer in style with jewelry making! Campers designed and created beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and more using colorful beads—showcasing their creativity and unique sense of style.
In Outdoor Engineering, campers tackled the ultimate challenge: how long can you make a paper chain using just one sheet of paper?
In Expression, we reviewed everything we’ve learned this summer through teambuilding games that tested attention, communication, and cooperation.
In Nature, campers went on a compass-led treasure hunt! With maps in hand and curiosity as their guide, they practiced navigation skills and embraced the adventure of exploring the outdoors.
As we say goodbye to Week 5, we want to thank all our amazing campers for bringing their best selves each day. This summer has been full of laughter, growth, discovery, and joy—and we couldn’t be prouder of everything our campers have accomplished.
We also crowned a final champion in the much-anticipated Gaga Ball HOLA Cup!
Week Four: July 28–August 1
Week Four: July 28–August 1
Week 4 brought even more energy, creativity, and connection as our campers tackled new adventures with confidence and curiosity!
In Art, campers got their hands into clay to sculpt wild and wonderful monsters, blending imagination with tactile design.
Outdoor Engineering blended art and nature-They also created mixed-media ecosystems, using natural elements like leaves and sticks alongside cotton balls to capture clouds and sky.
In Expressions, campers explored the power of mindfulness. Through nature hikes, body scans, and quiet time on yoga mats, they learned to pause, breathe, and notice what’s happening inside and out.
Archery campers channeled their inner Cupids in a “Shot Through the Heart” challenge inspired by Romeo and Juliet—blending aim, focus, and a touch of Shakespearean drama.
At the beach, swimming, boating and volleyball remained camper favorites, with progress and laughter rippling across the water and sand.
In Nature, campers studied the incredible beaver and their impact on the environment and then got to work building their own miniature dams—learning firsthand how these clever creatures shape their environments.
In Knowledge, animal habitats are expanding and providing inspiration for the animal stories the campers are writing about the possible inhabitants of their structures
We’re so proud of the growth, resilience, and joy our campers show each day. With one more week to go, we’re soaking up every moment and looking forward to finishing strong!
Reminder: If your camper will be absent, arriving late, or leaving early, please email us at hola@hale.education.
Week Three: July 21–July 25
Week Three: July 21–July 25
Week Three at HOLA Was One for the Books!
In Art, campers turned old CDs into stunning sun catchers—bringing color and light to our space while exploring reuse and creativity in action.
Outdoor Engineering blended art and science—literally! Campers experimented with color, water, and coffee filters to observe how pigments travel, creating vibrant, abstract masterpieces through chromatography.
Over in Expressions, we focused on feeling all the feels. Campers practiced identifying and naming emotions, then explored ways to navigate social situations through role-playing and collaborative storytelling centered on conflict resolution.
This week, Archery took inspiration from mythology, as campers took aim at yellow balloons—an homage to the legendary Chinese archer Hou Yi. Focus and fun were flying right alongside the arrows!
At the beach, swimming and boating remained camper favorites, with splashes of progress and laughter echoing across the water.
In Nature, our camouflage scavenger hunt challenged campers to look closely and move quietly as they searched for hidden objects, learning how animals stay hidden in plain sight.
Knowledge got hands-on with multiple projects: campers designed camping budgets (real-world math in action!), created their own meadows using milk cartons and natural materials, and explored how to blend creativity with environmental awareness. In 2.0, we dove into land acknowledgements—discussing how to recognize and honor the Indigenous peoples who came before us at Hale. Campers also began designing their own maps and building boats to reflect their understanding of geography, exploration, and stewardship.
As always, we’re so proud of your campers’ growth, resilience, and joy. With only two more weeks to go, we’re soaking it all in and looking forward to finishing strong!
Reminder: If your camper will be absent, arriving late, or leaving early, please email us at hola@hale.education.
Week Two: July 14–July 18
Week Two: July 14–July 18
Week Two at HOLA is a Wrap!
With clear skies and excitement, our campers dove headfirst into new adventures this week.
In Art, the week was bursting with color as campers created their own tie-dye t-shirts—each one as unique as its artist. Outdoor Engineering got hands-on and scientific as campers designed and tested their own water filters, using sand, rocks, sticks, and charcoal to clean pond water and observe the transformation.
In Expressions, the focus was on improv. Campers learned to trust their instincts, think creatively, and go with the flow as they built scenes and stories together.
Archery brought the excitement with the William Tell Challenge, where campers tested their aim by trying to shoot “apples” off dummy targets—always with safety first and lots of cheers from their peers!
At the beach, swimming, playing, and boating continued to be camper favorites, with progress and splashes happening in equal measure.
In Nature, campers slowed down and tuned in with a 5 Senses Hike, noticing the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even tastes of the outdoors as they explored the trails more mindfully than ever before.
During Knowledge, campers created “storytelling sticks” to inspire their own original tales, then brought their stories to life through acting and performance. We also put our survival skills to the test with Chipmunk & Squirrel Shelter Building—an upgrade from last week’s forts, featuring stronger structures and better designs.
HOLA 2.0 Keep an eye out—your camper’s summer reading is coming home on Monday!
We’re so proud of how our campers continue to grow, collaborate, and shine. Bring on Week 3—we’re ready for more fun, friendship, and discovery!
Reminder: If your camper will be absent, arriving late, or leaving early, please email us at hola@hale.education.
Week One: July 7–July 11
Week One: July 7–July 11
Week One at HOLA is in the Books!
What an incredible start to the summer. We kicked off the week with heat and humidity, powered through a midweek downpour, and wrapped things up under dry skies and big smiles. Through it all, our campers—whether returning campers or first-timers—embraced the adventure with energy and enthusiasm.
In Art, campers designed and decorated their own sketchbooks. Outdoor Engineering had us experimenting with colorful vinegar and baking soda to learn about reactants, resulting in some epic eruptions! During Nature, we explored the outdoors through short hikes and garden tours. In Expressions, students looked inward to create powerful spoken-word poems about themselves.
At Archery, we focused on range safety and practiced our aim. While over at the beach, swimming lessons were in full swing, and water play was a must in the summer heat. Meanwhile, during our Knowledge blocks, campers began learning about the rich history of the Indigenous Peoples who lived on this land long before it was called Hale.
We’re just getting started, and we can’t wait to see what week two brings!
Reminder: If your camper will be absent, arriving late, or leaving early, please email us at hola@hale.education.
Summer 2024
Summer 2024
Week Five: August 5–9
Week Five: August 5–9
In what feels like the blink of an eye, HOLA 2024 has come to an end. This has been an incredible and unforgettable summer! We wrapped up our last week with some fun projects and activities. During Archery, our campers got to shoot their arrows at pinatas. Each camper happily left their archery block with some candy in hand! Nature was all about learning fire safety and making s'mores in our fire pit. Campers used a variety of different beads and metals during Art to make jewelry, including bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, and more!
Our rising 6th and 7th graders took part in HOLA's second annual overnight on Thursday. Once the camp day ended, our overnight campers set up their tents and then made their way to the beach to swim, play games, and have dinner. The rain prevented us from cooking s'mores, but we still enjoyed some deconstructed s'mores! The campers then got ready for bed and slept in their tents. They were troopers to stick it out in the rain and everyone had a blast!
Friday was a day of celebration, starting with a talent show performed by staff for the campers. We had an ice cream truck and a bounce house water slide set up on the field. It was a fantastic way to end a wonderful summer. We want to thank you for sharing your campers with us this summer, it was such a wonderful group of kids and a summer we won't soon forget!
Week Four: July 29–August 2
Week Four: July 29–August 2
Week four started out in a big way. The HOLA office received a new phone line! If you need to contact us about absences or anything else, please email hola@hale.education or call us at (781) 326-1260.
This week in Art, our campers created nature-themed collages. In Nature, we learned about Orienteering, including how to read a compass. We then put that knowledge to the test by having the campers lead the navigation from point A to point B. Outdoor Engineering was great fun once again; this week the kids used a variety of materials to create their own catapult designs. We also started a favorite unit in Knowledge, shelter building! The kids are using all materials found in nature (with the exception of tarps and string) to build their own shelters. We can't believe that there's only one week of HOLA left, but we're sure this last week will be another phenomenal one!
Don't forget to check out our HOLA Facebook page!
**Please remember to email hola@hale.education or call (781) 326-1260 if your camper is going to be late, absent, or picked up early!
**Please remember to also send your camper with a water bottle every day!
Week Three: July 22–26
Week Three: July 22–26
Week three of HOLA brought yet another week of fun and adventure! Our campers showed off their creativity by making Model Magic "Monsters" in art. Our Outdoor Engineering project was lava lamps. The campers combined water, oil, vinegar, and food coloring in water bottles, then directed a flashlight into the bottle to see the magic happen! Instead of aiming at the typical targets in archery, this week we added balloons filled with paint for the campers to try and pop with their arrows. During knowledge blocks we learned about Native American structures such as Totem Poles and Tepees and their significance. Our older unit made dream catchers out of sticks, leaves, string, and beads. We've also been challenging ourselves to step outside our comfort zones at the ropes course, as well as relaxing out on the water while boating. It's hard to believe that we're more than halfway through our summer at HOLA, but we still have two more weeks of fun!
Don't forget to check out our HOLA Facebook page!
**Please remember to email hola@hale.education if your camper is going to be late, absent, or picked up early!
**Please remember to also send your camper with a water bottle every day!
Week Two: July 15–19
Week Two: July 15–19
We had a second warm week of camp, so we played plenty of water games and spent time in the shade to stay cool. We also spent some extra time at the beach during Outdoor Engineering where we worked on building boats out of different materials to see what would float. This week was tie-dye week in art, and our campers loved tie-dying their own HOLA t-shirts! In Archery, we worked on our aim by trying to hit apples with our arrows. We also enjoyed a friendly competition of gaga ball with friends and counselors. During our Knowledge blocks last week, we began independent reading groups, which we continued this week and will continue throughout the summer. We also began learning how to read compasses and maps, and some of our groups even drew their own maps of HOLA. We've already been having so much fun this summer and we eagerly await what fun is coming in week three!
**Please remember to email hola@hale.education if your camper is going to be late, absent, or picked up early!
**Please remember to also send your camper with a water bottle every day!
Week One: July 8–12
Week One: July 8–12
Week one of HOLA started out with some very hot and humid weather. However, that was not enough to stop our campers from fully embracing either being back at HOLA or being here for the first time! In art this week, we painted our own personality pots that we will later plant seeds in at the garden. We've been building structures during Outdoor Engineering to test our ability to keep an egg protected when dropped. In Nature class, we have been going on short hikes to learn about, and sample, some of our wild and edible plants. In Archery, we spent our first week learning about the safety expectations of shooting arrows at the range. Swim lessons are underway at the beach, where we are also keeping cool and splashing around. In our Knowledge blocks this week, we began learning about the Indigenous Peoples that thrived on the land before Hale even existed. We can't wait to continue our adventures and see what week two brings!
**Please remember to email hola@hale.education if your camper is going to be late, absent, or picked up early!
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