The summer is just around the corner! Staff Orientation is in full swing and our staff is having a blast. We couldn’t be more excited about our new staff members…plenty of familiar faces around as well. Yesterday we went wild for Staff Chaos and we got some great photos for Laurel Today. Field night was a blast as well. Last night we had a professional square dance caller come in and we had ourselves a little Hoe Down. The weather’s been amazing — 80s and sunny almost every day. Still plenty of fun events going on the next few days. Tonight is the Orientation campfire. We can’t wait for the campers to arrive Saturday!!
Author: Camp Laurel
Pre-Camp Has Arrived…
Just about 15 days until we’re all together again on the shores of Echo Lake. We’ve been in Maine for about three weeks with 20 counselors who joined us from all over the United States who are part of our Pre Camp Crew. Along with our contractors (builders, roofers, hard court painters, electricians, landscapers, turf and field specialists, boat mechanics and others) these counselors are weed-whacking, cleaning up and getting everything ready for your arrival.
It’s a lot like regular camp now….except there are no campers yet. We get up…have breakfast…then have four hours of activity in the morning (working on the grounds, setting up all the sports equipment, moving picnic and ping pong tables, raking leaves, getting the barns ready, etc.) Then we have lunch…followed by more activity (setting up docks, putting in the slalom course, sorting staff shirts, setting new routes on the Climbing Towers) until it’s time to…eat dinner. After dinner the counselors get a good break, play volleyball, take a swim, work out in the Fitness Center and enjoy Maine.
In a few days, all the pre-season training will begin. Inner Quest from Virginia comes to certify the adventure staff; swim staff update their waterfront certifications; outdoor trippers head all over Maine and New Hampshire to scout our camping trips; equestrian staff will break-in our ponies and horses…and it will all come together.
Debbie and I love being up here at this time of year…but we can’t wait for you to get up here. Anabel and Madeline love it too…but are already asking when the campers will arrive. Baby Tess has also given Maine the thumbs-up. Tonight we have our annual Pre Camp bar-b-que at Alliquippa to thank these awesome counselors for the hard work.
Get psyched! We’ll see you in Readfield before you know it!!
As always,
Jem
Life, Unplugged
I don’t know about you, but my kids are constantly plugged into something, whether they are texting their friends (does anyone talk anymore?), bopping along to Lady Gaga’s latest, updating their Facebook status, researching a school project online and creating a multi-media presentation, or playing games on my iPhone while I desperately try to finish a conversation at the vet’s office.
Some days I can win a battle or two (no texting at dinner!) but the war is ongoing. And honestly, I’m not the best example. That iPhone I mentioned is never far from reach, and right now I’m surfing online, listening to my own brand of pop music, answering text messages as they come in and writing this blog.
Don’t you wish there was a place where we could all live life unplugged? We adults may not be so lucky; but for our kids, that place is summer camp.
Knowing that someone out there is cultivating a culture of back-to-basics, low-tech life is an irresistible draw for me as a parent. My husband and I love the outdoors and frequently take our kids on short camping trips, but these offer only a short break from the world of “screen time”. Monday morning comes and before the sleeping bags air out, we’re all rushing to see what awaits us in our email inboxes.
As a mom, I worry about the long-term effects of all of these tech ways of communicating. I’m not alone. Several studies have suggested that kids who spend too much time plugged in lose some skills for interpersonal interaction. Let’s fight back.
At camp, social interaction is done the old fashioned way – face-to-face. Campers and counselors alike leave their cell phones at home and get back to a simpler life, when there is an art to conversation. If you were a camper, think back to your best memories. All of mine involve revolve around interpersonal interactions you just can’t get through an email: telling stories around a camp fire; sharing hushed secrets late into the night; telling the worst jokes you ever heard; huddling together to decide the best capture-the-flag strategy.
Friendship doesn’t need a high-tech interface. Don’t think your kids will get with the program? Check out this Seventeen article where teen girls share their favorite summer camp memories. Not one involves a cell phone, I promise!
Thanks to Pink_Sherbert_Photography and eron_gpsfs for the photos!
Olivia
Is Your Child Ready for Summer Camp?
You’ve collected the brochures, visited the web sites, maybe you’ve visited a camp or two. You may have even have marked off a few weeks in July on your calendar. But you did it in pencil, because you just can’t get rid of that nagging question – is my child, my baby (sniff) ready for overnight camp?
There is no magic formula or age for camp, and every child is unique; but there are some tried and true signs of readiness. So before you pack the tennis racquets and the swimsuits, start by answering these five questions:
1. Is your child interested in and asking about camp?
Spring has just sprung – if your child is already asking about going away to camp, take that as a good sign. Children who are self-motivated and interested in attending camp have a greater chance of being successful once they arrive. Point your child to this: It’s My Life, a PBS web site for tweens, which has advice specifically for kids headed to camp. The site even encourages kids to talk to their families first. What mom doesn’t love that tidbit?
2. Can your child manage personal care needs and the tasks of daily living without mom around? On their own?
Overnight camp involves independent living. Does your child get dressed for school without your help? Can he/she fix themselves a snack? Take a shower? Remember to brush their teeth? If they still need help or daily reminders, you don’t have to keep them home (remember, your child will have great camp counselors to care for them), but you may want to encourage more self-reliance, a good quality to have at home, too.
3. How long has your child been away overnight without you? Was it a positive experience?
If your child loves sleepovers and slumber parties (at other people’s houses) transitioning to sleep-away camp may be a breeze. A week at grandma’s isn’t the same as three or four weeks at summer-camp; but if an overnight without you has never worked, do some trial runs before registering your child for camp. My own personal role model, Supernanny, has some great tips for making sleepovers a breeze.
4. Does your child have a healthy respect for adults and listen to instructions?
Life will be much easier for everyone if your child is good at following instructions and is willing to go along with camp rules. Just keep in mind that our kids often reserve their worst behavior for us, their parents, bless them. If your child is well-behaved in school, with coaches and other adults in positions of authority, they should do fine at camp.
5. Is your child willing to try new things?
Life comes at you fast, Ferris Bueller said, and the same is true for summer camp. Each day is filled with new people to meet, new surroundings, and new activities to try. For kids willing to give it a go, there’s no better place to spread their wings than summer camp.
The Bottom Line
No one knows your child like you do – even after you’ve completed all the quizzes and checklists and asked all your friends about their kids’ experiences, the best thing to do is trust your instincts. If you feel it in your gut that your child can handle overnight camp, you’re probably right. Get ready… summer is on its way!
Thanks to stevedepolo and peterblanchard for their pictures!
Olivia, Guest Blogger
Camp is … just around the corner!
We’re so excited to begin the May countdown to camp. The staff is hired…the fields are green…the new Hockey Arena is just about finished….and we are ready to start moving beds and cubbies getting everything set for arrival day. Believe it or not, our first group of “Pre Camp Staff” heads to Maine this week to work on opening preparations.
Claire has been busy in the Westport office communicating with the 250 plus counselors and staff members who begin their journey soon from all over the country…and the world…to Readfield. We have counselors coming from more than 50 colleges throughout the United States. In early June, the Campus Leaders come to work with myself, Debbie, Peter and Claire for a 6 day “Campus Leader Workshop.” They are followed by the entire Adventure Staff (those are the folks who lead our outdoor tripping, ropes, climbing and mountain biking programs) for their orientation program with Inner Quest and SOLO Wilderness Expeditions (these are two groups from Virginia and New Hampshire which have been leading our adventure Orientation programs for 15 years!). Next to arrive is the smallcrafts staff (sailing and windsurfing) who will jump right into their training with Warren, Holly and Geoff….and then the Department Heads come on June 14 before all counselors hit the scene on June 17.
We’ll check in from time to time to keep you updated with news from camp.
Back in Connecticut, we’re so thrilled to announce the arrival and new addition to our family — Tess Alexandra Sollinger. Tess will, of course, be with us at camp this summer. Tess was born on April 22nd and she and Debbie are doing GREAT! She can’t wait to meet everyone (camper and counselors). Needless to say, Anabel and Madeline are thrilled to have another Sollinger girl in the family and can’t wait to show her Camp Laurel in action come June.
As always, Debbie joins me in sending her warmest and best regards.
Jem