Monthly Archives:December 2018
Happy Belated Llama Day from Sunnyside!
Happy Belated Llama Day from Sunnyside! Llamas aren’t just adorable, majestic creatures. They’re also a big help to people all over the world. National Llama Day is the perfect day to appreciate one of the fuzziest farm animals around. Did you know they’re also smart, social and produce very soft wool? Some live as long as 30 years! Whether you were cuddling up with your favorite llama or Sunnyside camper, December 9 was your day to celebrate!
If you notice in the photo above, Sunnyside cabin wore matching “No Drama Llama” t-shirts for the annual Woodland Song Contest this past summer. If you are up on your llama facts, you may notice a peculiar similarity between the bouncy teenagers of this cabin and these furry friends.
1. They make great guard animals
Llamas charge at dogs or coyotes and have been known to make high-pitched screams when intruders approach.
Sunnyside campers charge at the lodge every Saturday morning and have been known to make high-pitched screams on the race for Donut Day!
2. They are loyal and cuddly
Llamas will come running to the sound of their owner’s voice, and they’ll gladly cozy up for a nice hug.
Sunnyside campers will come running to the sound of their counselor’s voice, and they have been known to give the BEST hugs! Some campers in this age group have been loyal campers for 5 or more years, and many of them will be first-year CIT’s in 2019 and develop their leadership skills!
3. They come in a variety of patterns
Similar to dogs, llamas can have a variety of special markings; however, their close relatives, alpacas, are usually solid in color.
Similar to llamas, Sunnyside campers can have a variety of special attributes; they like to play tetherball, shave at the spigot, and are really into all-camp activities!
4. They’re more common in the U.S. than you might think
There are currently over 150,000 llamas in the country.
There were 11 total campers in Sunnyside, one of the largest Woodland cabin groups in 2018!
Reference: https://nationaltoday.com/national-llama-day/
Here is more about the adventures had by the girls in Sunnyside:
Lily C: thought the canoe trip was fun and a chance to get closer with the cabin, she now likes lasagna, and became less ‘shyish.’
Lauren: passed intermediate water-skiing and was in a TP exchange for archery (and won!), she likes archery A LOT and made new friendships
Rachel: enjoyed going to the ropes course and having bonding time with the cabin while doing teambuilding skills, tried a new activity (drama) and had a great time even though she was scared to do it, and became closer with the cabin than in any other year – it is great to live with all of my best friends!
Amelia: stepped out of her comfort zone and had fun on the ropes course and canoe trip, learned how to water-ski, and is more aware of how her actions affect others
Ximena: liked the cabin canoe trip, got to know herself better, and noticed being more positive and less stressed
Bunny: was a fan of the night swim on the canoe trip, realized that she was not horrible at archery, and is better working in groups than before
Libby: gave drama a try this summer, realized there are a lot more people that are supportive of her than she originally thought, and learned how to work as a team with her cabin mates
Isabella: enjoyed meeting so many awesome new people, playing CIT games, trying tennis and everything about camp!; she knows herself better and how positive she can be in a place with such positive attitudes; a change she recognized was not depending on her phone
Lilli M: loved taking a cabin canoe trip, learned that her attitude could affect her outlook on life, and decided to be more positive in swimming class and passed her level the next week
Valentina: learned that it is important to enjoy the little things because nothing is forever; she became more loving and most important, a better person
Dani: came to camp for the first time this summer and was ALL IN for 6 weeks; she learned to be more positive and is now part of the Woodland family!
Holidays and Family Reunions
Now that the holiday season is upon us (as indicated by the long lines at the post office and popular shopping spots!), many of us have plans to spend time with family and friends in the upcoming weeks. For some, this may be the one of the few times when an entire family (or close to it) is able to get together, a family reunion of sorts. We do the same thing ourselves when Woodland/TP campers and staff come together on a Saturday in November for an afternoon with camp friends in the Chicago area.
Just like the excitement for the holidays has been building up for several weeks now in anticipation of being with family and friends, the excitement for meeting at Jeff and Jenny’s house also ramped up as campers and staff made plans to spend a few hours together at the annual reunion the weekend before Thanksgiving. We even have a few die-hard camp friends among us who make the trip to Chicago from Wisconsin, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. It is also fun to see alumni come back who weren’t at camp during the most recent summer!
The video from the summer of 2018 was shown, scrapbooks containing numerous camp photos were passed around, stories from the past summer were retold, school year events were shared, and plans for next year were made to DO WHAT WE LOVE AT CAMP (and of course, all of this is accompanied by an assortment of yummy snacks!). And, yes, this annual event was one giant family reunion!
As always, it was fun to catch up with everyone, and in case you missed it, here are the highlights! Campers shared 1) their favorite thing about school this year, 2) what they like to do when not in school, and 3) something learned at Woodland that has been helpful at home or school:
Heidi: 1) rock-climbing, 2) cheerleading, 3) doing the fun arts & crafts at home that I learned
Lilah: 1) reading, 2) horseback riding, 3) I have learned to lead
Lou: 1) math, 2) volleyball, 3) I have learned to lead and stay focused on things
Delia: 1) meeting new people and having more classes and teachers, 2) basketball and tennis, 3) to make the most of every moment and situation and to live in the moment
Sofia B: 1) meeting and seeing my friends, 2) volleyball, 3) not to always be on my phone!
Riley: 1) Spanish & math class, hanging out with friends, 2) basketball, 3) talking and getting to know people has been really helpful
Molly S: 1) hanging out with my friends, 2) basketball, 3) I learned to talk to more people
Molly K: 1) meeting new people and making friends, 2) cross country and tennis, 3) getting out of my comfort zone to try new things
Tori: 1) orchestra, 2) orchestra and violin trio, 3) feeling confident to not always go with the crowd
Bunny: 1) meeting new friends, 2) swimming & skiing, 3) how to be independent
Lauren: 1) making new friends and joining new sports activities, 2) travel softball, ski/snowboarding club, track & field, volleyball, 3) to be a team player and make everyone feel included
Dani: 1) ceramics class, 2) mock trial and we are trying to go to state this year, 3) to be more positive
Libby: 1) meeting new people, 2) horseback riding, 3) how to be a team player
Amelia D: 1) meeting new people, 2) horseback riding, 3) communication skills and working with other people
Abbey: 1) sleeping in math class, 2) working and doing homework, 3) patience
Izzi: 1) clubs & sports, 2) field hockey, and 3) being a CIT and learning leadership skills
Irene: 1) English, 2) basket weaving, and 3) cleaning my room
Kelly: 1) new friends, 2) swimming & soccer, 3) leadership
Molly J: 1) meeting new friends, 2) horseback riding, 3) how to be a leader
Cayley: 1) anatomy & drawing class, 2) volleyball, 3) the importance of developing strong friendships and support system
Amelia K: 1) I like my classes and making new friends, 2) cross country and various clubs, 3) treat others the way you want to be treated
Jae: 1) math, 2) ice-skating and music, 3) self-discipline
Sam: 1) looking forward to camp & seeing friends from camp, 2) watch co-ed show DVD, look through camp pictures, and plan events with camp friends, 3) patience, leadership, social skills
p.s. Don’t worry if you weren’t able to join us for the Chicago reunion, starting in January, we will be visiting camp families around the US and bringing the reunion to YOU!