Monthly Archives:June 2017
Woodland Spotlight on the Arts
“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once they grow up.”
-Pablo Picasso
This week we would like to put the spotlight on the Arts program at Woodland. Many campers choose Arts & Crafts, Dance, or Drama as activity choices throughout the summer. If we go “behind the scenes” of these activities, there are many skills learned that will propel them forward and help them be successful in life!
In the Woodland Arts program, campers will have the opportunity to practice and develop:
Creativity: initiating new ideas, expressing ideas in unique ways with diverse perspectives, seeking ways to make their piece different from others, using something in a new way or for a different purpose
Learning new moves in Dance
Confidence: volunteering opinions and ideas, learning from mistakes made in rehearsals, practicing how to step out of their comfort zone to perform in front of an audience
Problem Solving: approaching problems as exciting challenges, analyzing by asking questions, making complex choices by weighing possible solutions, trying multiple ideas until a solution is found
“The artist is not a different kind of person, but every person is a different kind of artist.”
-Eric Gill
Perseverance: seeing mistakes as opportunities to learn, not giving up on something they want to learn, believing goals are achievable even though challenging, asking for help when needed
Focus: being observant of others, finding balance between listening and contributing, thinking about how their role contributes to the big picture
Reference: 10 Skills Children Learn From the Arts
“Sound of Music” production is underway!
Camp Woodland’s 48th Season is Underway
Woodland welcomes new campers!
The moment we have all been waiting for is FINALLY here! Camp Woodland’s 48th season is officially underway, and we couldn’t be more excited! We also know that there are a lot of mixed emotions from campers and parents alike on Opening Weekend. Shedding tears and feeling your heartstrings pull tight after giving one last hug is NORMAL. We know that you love your daughters very much and that you will miss them while they are with us! Thank you for giving them the gift of camp!
CIT’s are “all in”!
The first weekend is packed full of action and fun, but there is nothing like the first day of activities to help campers feel like they are settling into the flow of camp. By mid-week your daughters will be pros with the routines of the camp day. They will anticipate the ring of the Woodland bell to signal moving from one exciting activity to another. They will know all about “hopping” and the “job wheel” and will have had enjoyed getting “canteen” in the afternoons at the end of Rec Swim or Sailing. They will have joined in signing the “Ship Titanic” and the “Woodland Song” after dinner.
Older campers are great role models!
Monday after dinner is designated as Cabin Night and is all about continuing the process of cabin unity and bonding. Fun choices that vary each week including cabin canoe trips and trying out the Aqua Tramp at Towering Pines are typically scheduled for Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday evening activities. Dinner on Wednesday is a cookout at the picnic tables by Treetops followed by Campfire at the beach where your camper will be working with her cabin to prepare a song or skit (and write her first “official” letter to update you on all that has been happening since she arrived!). Camp will feel more like home with each passing day and the week will FLY BY in no time!
Starshine is EXCITED for Summer 2017!
You packed, prepared and did everything you could to get your camper(s) ready for an AMAZING summer! WE THANK YOU! Now it is our turn to do what we do best – Woodland has been in the business of youth development for 48 summers. We are very much looking forward to helping your daughter CREATE HER OWN SCENE in ’17! Stay tuned…
Welcome Home!
There’s a very distinct feeling that you get when you arrive home after a busy day or a vacation, and it can be described as being in that uniquely comfortable and all too familiar atmosphere. I was struck with this feeling two times over the past month. First, when I moved back home from my dorm after finishing up my freshman year of college, and then again when I turned onto the Woodland Road just three days ago. Last summer, I made the choice to take a pass on coming to Woodland after five consecutive years to instead travel England for a month. I justified that hard decision by telling myself that traveling would broaden my horizon with new experiences and culture, but not a day went by that Camp Woodland did not cross my mind. By the time September rolled around and I was heading off to start college, I found myself regretting my summer plans, and I am here to tell you just how important summers at Woodland are.
Being at Camp Woodland is extremely healthy, both physically and emotionally. There are a very limited amount of places that can provide such a perfect blend of an active lifestyle, friends as close as family, and the beautiful North Woods. Spending six weeks in such an encouraging atmosphere every summer has never failed to refresh me from the amount of technology that is relied on now a day to begin the next school year with a clear head, a positive outlook, and a strong foundation with nature.
Missing camp last summer made me realize just how much I need to be appreciating Camp Woodland and all of its many qualities, as they mean more to us than we could ever imagine. Without camp, the year feels incomplete. I was always told that you never really know what you’ve got until it’s gone, and as cliché as it is, it is so important to value every opportunity there is. At Woodland, we learn to be better versions of ourselves, and we have every aspect of our experiences to thank for that.
I have only been at pre-camp for a few days now, but it seems as though I had never left. From the second I turned onto the Woodland Road on Sunday morning; my chest was pounding with excitement, my smile was stretched ear to ear, and my lungs were breathing in as much of the familiar air as they possibly could. I knew that I had come home again.
Welcome Home to All of Our Campers!
P.s. Thank you to our Alumni, Sara D, for writing 🙂
Please Don’t Pack My Phone When I Leave For Camp!
Dear Mom,
I know you have mixed feelings about me not bringing my cell phone to camp. You are used to communicating with me multiple times a day and getting messages that I forgot my lunch, soccer practice is running late, or that I have a math test tomorrow. I’m sure it will feel strange not texting or calling while I am away.
Here are a few reasons why it is good for me to “unplug” while I am camp even though I am in constant contact with you when I am home:
1) It is hard to be 2 places at once! If I am checking in with you all of the time, then I am not getting to fully enjoy camp. I will miss out on making friends, settling into my cabin, and all of the exciting activities the counselors have planned for me!
2) It is important for me to learn to trust other caring adults. This emerging independence is one of the greatest benefits of camp! There are great people whom I can reach out to, whether it is my cabin counselor, one of my activity instructors, the camp nurse, or the camp director. They are good at what they do, and I trust that they will help me adjust to camp life!
3) While I’m at camp I don’t want to be second guessing myself by having the ability to ask you to decide things for me. I can do this!!! It is important for me to grow and learn, little by little, to solve some of my own challenges. This is how I will develop greater resilience. I’m sure the counselors will remind me to put on my bug spray and sunscreen, brush my teeth and change my underwear ;-). Don’t worry, they will contact you should an emergency arise.
4) I want to go all in! I’m going to start the summer on the right foot by being honest with my counselors and myself. Some campers wind up with a phone anyway even though they aren’t supposed to have one. It is really embarrassing for them when the counselor finds out. I heard some older campers bring two phones so they can turn one in; the “real” is hidden inside a stuffed animal, a book, or even a box of Kleenex. Can you believe it?!
So, when you get the packing list and cell phones are on the list of things NOT to bring to camp, please don’t pack mine. It will be hard for both of us at first to disconnect in this way, but I will tell you all about my experience when I get home and meanwhile, you can count on camp to post photos to show you what we are doing. I promise to write letters/Bunk Notes to keep you updated on all of the fun I am having at camp!
Thank you in advance for helping me “unplug” this summer!
Love,
A Very Excited Woodland Camper
Treetops is ready for camp!
This is the last of the “Best Moments” from 2016 – thanks, Treetops, for reminding us to pack our sunscreen, bug spray, water bottle, sunglasses, and Crazy Creek so that we are ready for camp to begin in a few short weeks! We are VERY excited to see what new memories, achievements, and growth “Create Your Own Scene in ’17” will bring!
What is one moment at camp you will never forget:
Eleanora: When I met my new friends.
Ava: When I met so many people my age and older and when I did new things.
Lilah: My cabin friends!
Lizzy: Song Contest is a moment I will never forget because we worked so hard on it with the props, the dance, and the song.
Brooke: Doing the activities (gymnastics, riding, swimming, archery, dance, rec swim)
Lou: I will never forget the day I passed out of level 4 swimming.
Dani: Winning Song Contest!
Maya: When my riding class trotted – the counselors said it was awesome!
What is something adventurous you did this summer:
Eleanora: I went on a canoe trip.
Ava: I went camping in the wilderness for the first time. I tried many new things, including the Big Banana.
Lilah: I rode a horse bareback.
Lizzy: Trying something new and going out of my comfort zone.
Brooke: Going on trail rides.
Lou: I went to the bog for nature week.
Dani: Going on our cabin canoe trip and sleeping in a tent in the forest.
Maya: I trotted by myself. I was scared at first, but then it was fun.
What is an achievement for which you are most proud:
Eleanora: I passed Promarksman in riflery.
Ava: Passing level 4 in swimming, trotting in riding, passing Promarksman in riflery, shooting 20 yards in archery, and getting my back handspring!
Lilah: I learned how to do a kneeling dive.
Lizzy: Competing in an individual event in the Olympics.
Brooke: Doing a front and back walkover in gymnastics.
Lou: Passing my Black Archer and trying gymnastics.
Dani: Being in Level 4 in swimming, and being pretty good at tennis, gymnastics, riding, and riflery.
Maya: I tried 5 new things this summer: dance, drama, canoeing, art, and archery.
What is something you learned about yourself:
Eleanora: That camp is not scary!
Ava: I am a leader and a hard worker. I also have a sense of fun and adventure.
Lilah: I really like archery!
Lizzy: I learned that if I put my mind to something, I can do anything!
Brooke: I am really quiet every day.
Lou: I learned that I am really funny! I love myself, and I can do anything if I try my best!
Dani: Don’t say “I Can’t” and never give up.
Maya: I am beautiful inside and out, and I should not judge myself.
