Everything was good! I want to live there! I love the Teva staff!
Retreats
When you register kids for any of the retreats listed below, they are automatically enrolled in Camp Teva! All-inclusive kids’ rates include Camp Teva programming.
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Activities
Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center is set on 400 acres of farm, forest, lakes, and streams. We spend the majority of our time together outside rain or shine. All of our activities during Shabbat and Chaggim (Holidays) are in accordance with the conventional Orthodox laws of Shabbat and the Holiday.Activities include:
Hiking- We have an extensive trail system from an easy lakeside path to strenuous uphill hikes. Camp Teva kids will have the opportunity to explore them all!
- Along the way, we play forest games which allow kids to explore the forest in a deeper way
- Learn about the history of the landscape
- Discover wild edible plants
- Explore the relationships between humans, plants, and animals in our ecosystem
- Learn how chickens help us compost and improve the soil
- Pet the goats and make cheese from their milk
- Make your own Havdallah spice bundles from herbs on the farm
- Enter into a food forest and taste the fruits
- Learn how we can cultivate a deeper connection to the land and ourselves through organic farming
- Stretch up to Shamaim in our kid-centered Jewish yoga classes
- We create art inspired by the retreat we are on
- Acorn top menorahs and gourd dreidels for Hanukkah
- Paint a mural on the kids’ sukkah
- Weave your own challah cover
- Make your own beeswax Shabbat and Chag Candles
- Families are welcome and encouraged to participate in our Friday night and Saturday morning kids’ tefilah (prayer) services
- Prayer through song and movement
- Interpretive Torah service where kids have the opportunity to act out the Torah portion
Sample Schedule
The following schedule is from the Hazon Food Conference. Schedules will vary according to retreat.Thursday
| 2:30 - 4:30 pm | Kids’ Zone at the JOFEE Fair We will be doing a lot of cooking during the Kids’ Food Conference. Come to the Kids’ Zone to paint your own apron with vegetable stamps! |
| 4:45 - 5:00 pm | Kids’ Food Conference Orientation (Mandatory for Parents/ Guardians) Responsible adults of children ages 5-12 must attend this brief orientation of the Kids’ Food Conference. We will discuss the program schedule, participation, safety, and answer any questions you may have. |
| 5:00 - 6:00 pm | We Are What We Eat Building strong bodies and minds starts with what we feed them. Learn how to make those choices in a dynamic, fun-filled nutrition fair. We will taste the rainbow, read the labels, and get into the Kids’ Food Conference flow! |
Friday
| 9:00 - 10:00 am | GOURDgeous Dreidels and Nutty Menorahs Miriam and Mark from Full Circle Farm Let's use natural found objects to create our Jewish ritual items. Farms don’t only grow food for us to eat. All sorts of useful objects come from the fields, like DREIDELS! We will go out into the forest to collect acorn tops and branches for our menorahs. |
| 10:00 - 11:00 am | Lively Latke Learnings Nancy Wolfson-Moche Learn about the history of latkes in the Hanukkah story and how to get creative in your latke recipes. This workshop will prepare you for The Great Latke Challenge and give you a leading edge against your competitors. We will be making latkes and eating them too! |
| 11:00 am - 12:00 pm | Food Photography Elsie Moche Hone your photography skills and dig deeper into the Food Conference. There are plenty of sessions to photograph and write about for the blog. |
| 1:00 - 2:00 pm | The Great Latke Challenge Have you ever wanted to be on the Iron Chef? Can you create the most unique, silliest, biggest, or smallest latke? Show off your skills at the Great Latke Challenge! |
| 2:00 - 3:30 pm | Sun, Soil, Water, Air. Everything We Eat and Everything We Wear! We will adventure to the farm to see what is growing in December, meet the chickens, and collect compost for seed balls that you can take home and plant in the spring. |
| 4:45 - 6:30 pm | Welcoming Shabbat Shoshana Leis Shoshana Leis from Romemu will lead a fun-filled Kabbalat Shabbat service of song and prayer. |
| 8:30 - 9:45 PM | Night Hike Experience a winter night as the owls do. Leave your flashlights at home and walk with an experienced guide around the lake trail. |
| 8:30 - 9:45 PM | Games Games Galore Come hang out with us for an evening of fun-filled games. Charades, Apples to Apples, Jenga, Settlers of Catan. We’ve got it all! |
Saturday
| 9:00 - 10:00 am | Shabbat Shalom Shoshana Leis Creative Shabbat morning prayers. |
| 10:00 - 11:30 am | Good Morning Sunshine! Stretch out and dance! Kid-led yoga and dance. |
| 10:00 - 11:30am | Cave Exploration Hike up to the mountain caves and explore the forest. |
| 11:30 am - 12:00 pm | Kiddush We will join our families and friends in the Great Hall to make Kiddush. |
| 12:00 - 1:15 pm | Theater 101 Laura Evonne It's time to bring our veggie pillows to life! Whether you like to write, act, direct, sing, narrate, or anything in between, there is room for you in our play. |
| 3:00 - 4:00 pm | Hike to the Overlook We will hike up the Red Trail to the famous Overlook. Learn about the forest and play forest games on the way. |
| 3:00 - 4:00 pm | Goats and Games Meet our goats, feed them some hay, and then let’s play indoor games in Arts and Crafts. |
| 4:00 - 5:00 pm | Play with Your Food Create beauty using food. We will make vegetable critters and mandalas and then eat our creations. |
| 5:00 - 5:45 pm | Pickle Jam! Visit the Cultural Center where we make our ferments, jams, and store the Adamah veggies. You will get the chance to taste our many treats. |
Sunday
| 9:00 - 10:30 am | Cooking For a Blessing Nancy Wolfson-Moche Food not only nourishes our bodies, it also nourishes our hearts. We will bake delicious treats to share with seniors living at Geer Village Senior Center, just down the road in Canaan, CT. |
| 10:30 - 11:30 am | Create a Cookbook Laura Evonne We will put all of the recipes and learning we have done throughout the conference into a hand-bound book. You design the cover and binding! |
| 11:30 am - 12:00 pm | Cleanup and Closing Circle Thank you for joining us at the Kids’ Food Conference! |
Testimonials
Camp Teva offered our two children the opportunity to enjoy their own programming with attentive and warm staff and a variety of games and activities, appealing to all five senses. Parents were always welcome, and we were confident knowing they were in good hands at all times, and our kids would return eager to share details of their day.
Camp Teva opened my 8 year old daughter's world to the wonderment of the outdoors. We are avid hikers, yet the Camp Teva counselors are intuitive to the talents and curiosities of each individual child. Tailoring their daily experiences as a group, and exploring the natural world with music, silliness, crafts, and and outdoor adventure. Every day my daughter came to me at meals telling me how amazing her day had been so far. It gave me great comfort so that I could focus on my journey at Isabella Freedman knowing Camp Teva had my daughter wrapped in fun!
I loved hiking and visiting the farm animals. I met new friends I'm still in touch with. My camp counselors were so much fun. I can't wait to come back!
My children learn so much, absorb so much love, and have the time of their lives.
