Author: Kim Aycock

Sunrise 2016

More camper updates from the Chicago reunion!

Favorite thing about school:

Viv: more freedom in Middle School

Lauren: new teachers and some new friends

Lilli: hanging with my friends and volleyball

Irene: I LOVE lunchtime!

Izzi: Thanksgiving break!

Tamarack 2016

Favorite thing about school:

Ameilia: meeting new people and making new friends

Cayley: my classes and my teachers; I get to go to Canada in February for a field trip

Sam: meeting new people and enjoying high school

Molly: meeting all of my new friends

Kelly: meeting new friends

Paula: the friends I have made

Starshine 2016

Activities (when not in school):

Viv: swimming and English horseback riding

Lauren: crafts, trampoline, babysitting, dance, baking/cooking

Lilli: volleyball and tennis

Abbey: meeting new people at New Trier

Irene: volleyball

Izzi: poms and guitar

Emy (alum) and Viv

Activities (when not in school):

Ameilia: cross-country & track, I sing and dance

Cayley: volleyball and going to the beach to swim

Sam: soccer and playing tennis for fun

Molly: horseback riding

Kelly: swimming, soccer

Paula: swimming and running

What is something you learned at camp that you couldn’t learn anywhere else?

Viv: how to sail and how much fun it is!

Lauren: how to share a room with 8 other people

Lilli: how to sail and sing the Woodland song

Abbey: stage crew and musical theatre

Irene: riflery

Izzi: how to shoot a bow

What is something you learned at camp that you couldn’t learn anywhere else?

Ameilia: how to bond and make memories with the other girls you spend the summer with

Cayley: I learned to always try new things no matter how scared you are because you might end up liking it

Sam: leadership skills, being outgoing and making new friends

Molly: how to shoot a bow

Kelly: riflery

Paula: how to live with 8 girls in one cabin and share the same bathroom

Staff 2016

As you can see, we had a FABULOUS turn out for the annual Chicago reunion the weekend before Thanksgiving!  In a series of blogs in the upcoming weeks, we will give you an update about the Woodland girls who joined us for the afternoon to watch the 2016 camp video, flip through the new scrapbook, relive camp memories, and of course, to eat yummy treats.  Thank you to our long distance travelers for joining us from Iowa, Boston, Florida, and Mexico!  If we were not able to connect with you at this event, please feel free to share your news with us for a future post.

TREETOPS 2016

Favorite thing about school:

Ava: my teacher is super nice and fun!

Lou: my teachers and awesome, and I love my friends

Lizzy: all of my friends and just having fun all of the time

Lucy: debate team

Katie: having tons of classes and having lots of friends in all of them; I also like having different teachers for everything

Tori: participating in Snowflake (a drug-free alcohol awareness program that shows you can have fun without drugs)

Molly: being with all of my friends

Bunny: being with my friends

SILVER BIRCH 2016

Activities (when not in school):

Ava: spending time with family and friends, singing, acting, and I LOVE rock climbing!

Lou: playing guitar and sewing

Lizzy: rock climbing and swimming

Lucy: drawing and writing my own stories

Katie: playing soccer on various teams and playing the violin

Tori: horseback riding, violin

Molly: running and I would like to try field hockey

Bunny: triathlon training and volleyball

SUNNYSIDE 2016

What is something you learned at camp that you can’t learn anywhere else?

Ava: how to sleep in a tent with 7 other girls!

Lou: archery and riflery

Lizzy: how to learn and love more, how to be flexible in all ways, and much more. Thank you, Woodland!

Lucy: how to shoot (target sports)

Katie: to really be myself and people will like you – it is awesome when you learn to do that

Tori: I made friends that I wouldn’t have met outside of camp; I also learned how to shoot and kneeboard

Molly: to be myself & not care what anyone else thinks and to have fun

Bunny: sailing and singing the Woodland song

DRIFTWOOD 2016

Stay tuned for more reunion news in future blog posts!

Best Moments from Tamarack:

What is one moment at camp you will never forget?

Bianca: I will never forget our canoe trip.

Barbie: Gold Rush because all whole cabin worked as a team and cheered for each other.

Fer: Seeing my cabin mates when I arrived at camp and making new friends.

Irene: When our whole cabin went to the Aqua Tramp at TP – we had so much fun and laughed so hard!

Abbey: Lip Sync Contest

Adri: Our canoe trip because we bonded, dance parties in the cabin, and the Aqua Tramp.

Isabella: Winning 2nd place in Song Contest.

Anna: Riding Henry and Yeller…I have lots of unforgettable moments!

Lilli: Some of my cabin mates talking in their sleep.

What is something adventurous you did this summer?

Bianca: I went to the Ropes Course and had a lot of fun.

Barbie: In Riding when we started to learn how to canter and in lap swim because at first I didn’t think that I would be able to make it to Cathy’s, but I did.  Everything is possible!

Fer: Going to the Ropes Course and trying new things like kneeboarding.

Irene: I went to the Ropes Course and had no regrets!

Abbey: Ropes Course

Adri: Going to the Ropes Course and trying everything there – I challenged myself to keep going!

Isabella: Going on the Human Slingshot at the Ropes Course.

Anna: I tried a lot of stuff I’ve never done (sailing, canoeing, Farm Zoo, etc).

Lilli: I went tubing with Bianca.

What is an achievement for which you are most proud?

Bianca: Getting to the top of the “vertical playground” at the Ropes Course.

Barbie: Finishing my laps and getting to go to Cathy’s for ice cream!

Fer: Passing levels in archery and swimming.

Irene: Passing level 5 in swimming was a big accomplishment for me!

Abbey: getting a perfect bulls-eye.

Adri: Dropping a ski and pushing myself to get better.

Isabella: Passing out of level 4 in swimming.

Anna: Learning how to trot in riding.

Lilli: I learned how to sail.

What is the thing you learned most about yourself?

Bianca: That I am an individual and it is OK to be different from the other girls in my cabin.

Barbie: That you have to believe in yourself and see the positive things every day!

Fer: In a positive way, I can do anything.

Irene: I have to work hard and really push myself to finish or pass something.

Abbey: Winning is not quitting and losing is giving up.

Adri: To look at the positive side of things and not to expect so much – just try your best.

Isabella: I am willing to try new things even if I may be scared or not like it.

Anna: I have to start standing up for myself more.

Lilli: I learned to be more inclusive of others.

I’m sure it goes without saying that you have seen your share of political ads over the past several weeks and months. More than likely, these ads are telling you something about the choices you should make on November 8^th.  So, instead of advising you who to vote for, we would like to give you a better choice this year. We want you to CHOOSE CAMP!

Here at Camp Woodland, we actually care about the thing that most politicians only pretend to pay attention to – your kids and your family. Our goal in what we to do is to help kids get outside and explore nature, to make new friends and connect with their peers face-to-face instead of through a screen, and to try new things and gain confidence. Regardless of who you vote for, make a great choice, CHOOSE CAMP! We hope to see you this summer!

We are Camp Woodland and we approve this message.

(inspired by Camp Ocean Pines’ video)

Best Moments from Silver Birch:

What is one moment at camp you will never forget?

Lizzy: Grace when she put sweatshirt and pants on a broom and was teaching us how to speak to boys.

Maria: Ugly Counselor Contest – it was AWESOME!  Every year I laugh so hard!

Paloma: The Ugly Counselor Contest, Gold Rush, and TP Fair.

Katherine: I will never forget getting to do a group trot in riding – I was super proud of myself!

Ellie: The Ugly Counselor Contest – it was so fun to dress up our counselors!

Alex: Horseback riding, archery, riflery, and Farm Zoo.

Eva: Dropping a bucket of sand and water on one of my counselors.

Tess: Reading at night and laughing our heads off.

Valentina: My friends and all of my activities.

Anika: how much fun we had at meals, the stories we told, and the humor of seeing Grace dress up a broom to look like a boy.

Tell about something adventurous you did this summer:

Lizzy: Going away from home for 6 weeks for my first summer, being able to get on a horse and ride for the first time.

Maria: Riding the Big Banana!

Paloma: I tried riflery.

Katherine: I tried knee-boarding this summer, and I really liked it.  I also tried sailing and looked forward to it every day!

Ellie: Tubing!

Alex: Going on a trail ride.

Eva: Going on two trail rides with my favorite horse, Birdie.  I had never been on a trail ride before!

Tess: I went knee-boarding for the first time!

Valentina: I rode Western and bareback in riding.

Anika: I went on my first canoe trip, and I went to the bog which was awesome!

Describe an achievement for which you are most proud:

Lizzy: Going to camp and not being afraid to try new things that I thought I could never do.  I persevered and did them!

Maria: Passing out of level 4 in swimming lessons.

Paloma: I passed to level 5 in swimming.

Katherine: I canoed across the lake in half an hour and learned how to make a fire.

Ellie: Being a more advanced class in riding.

Alex: Passing levels in archery.

Eva: Getting a really good score in archery – I got more than one qualifier that day!

Tess: I went from never being on a horse to trotting on my own.

Valentina: I passed by black yoeman in archery.

Anika: I am proud that I passed out of swim lessons, and I progressed to shooting at 20 yards in archery.

The thing I learned most about myself:

Lizzy: That I love horses and want to ride when I get home, and it is OK to be yourself!

Maria: I can do more things than I think.

Paloma: I like riding.

Katherine: I love people and that I should just be myself and not be afraid of new challenges.

Ellie: I can unleash my crazy side!

Alex: I had a lot of fun this summer!

Eva: People can appreciate me when I am myself more than when I try to act like somebody else that I am not in order to fit in.

Tess: I can get through things on my own.

Valentina: I don’t need money for everything.

Anika: camp is more fun if you stay for 6 weeks!