Author: Kim Aycock

This past Saturday, I just happened to be passing through Chicago’s O’Hare Airport a few hours after the bus left with eager campers headed to the Northwoods of Wisconsin for the start of summer 2015.  Had my flight been a little earlier, I may have joined them for the ride to one of my favorite places on Earth! Lucky for me, travel plans will bring me to Rhinelander in about 10 days.

Having a little bit of time to kill before boarding my connecting flight to Houston, I wandered through the B Concourse looking for a tasty meal.  As I meandered past travelers hustling and bustling about, I passed by a family of four playing cards.  I did a double-take.  At some point in the not too distant past, this would NOT have struck me as being unusual; however, I was taken in by their sense of togetherness and enjoyment.

I actually got a huge smile on my face as I walked by because I did not see one technological device at this amazing scene of happiness.  No phone, e-Reader, laptop, iPod, Beats headphones…nada.  I saw four people truly enjoying each other’s company, and YES, they were LAUGHING!  I could only imagine that they were having a great time together – 2 parents and their 2 teenage children.  What a cool sight to see!  How sad, though, that this has become the exception and not the norm.

I continued to traverse the concourse to find my meal of choice and told myself that I would actually say something to this exceptional family should they still be at the same table upon my return.  After grabbing some healthy fast-food (ha!) and making my way to the gate area, this family was STILL playing cards and Mom was in the process of taking pictures of Dad and kids.

I decided that this was my chance to approach them and offer to be the photographer so that Mom could also be in the picture.  I told them that they had just MADE MY DAY merely by their choice of spending REAL “FaceTime” together in the airport when most people barely even notice the person(s) sitting next to them.  Many travelers keep their thumbs busy while waiting for their flight to be called or they retreat to their “zone” while listening to music being piped in via headphones.  It was imperative that I take their family picture so that this rare occasion could be documented!  This family had actually decided to engage with each for the 2-3 hours while waiting for a delayed flight – how refreshing!

On my way back to wait for my own flight, I couldn’t help but reflect on how spending REAL “FaceTime” at camp is the NORM and not the EXCEPTION.  While it may seem unsettling at first for you and your daughter(s) to be physically and technologically separated while away at camp, it is crucial to the adjustment process.  Campers will become more fully immersed into the camp experience if they are completely “unplugged” and able to jump into the process of making new friends without the distractions from a myriad of screens.

With the help of the amazing Woodland counselors and staff, campers are forming relationships with the girls in their cabin and activities this week.  They are singing and dancing and laughing together (minus the milk coming out of their nose!).  The best thing you can do to connect with your daughter is to send an upbeat letter from home via “snail mail” or Bunknotes.  Don’t be surprised if you get a return reply saying how much fun she is having in her new summer home and community.  This is the NORM at Woodland, not the EXCEPTION!

The credit goes to Kid President for his inspiration on this blog post (taken from his You Tube video on a “A Letter To A Person On Their First Day Here”)!

Saturday, 70+ girls arrived at Camp Woodland.  Welcome! This is camp! It is a pretty cool place. There is lots to see, smell, and there are s’mores. There is so much to do: singing, dancing, and laughing. Laughing is the BEST. (Especially when milk comes out of your nose!).

Some days awesome things will happen. Some days you will get ice cream. Some days you won’t. Some days your kite will fly high. Some days it will get stuck in a tree. It’s just how it is.

There are plenty of reasons to dance – you just have to look for them. Don’t worry, though, you aren’t at camp alone. You are going to meet lots of cool people here.

Being a camper is hard sometimes. You should give each other high-5’s just for making it to breakfast. Just treat everyone like it is their birthday even if they don’t deserve it. We all mess-up sometimes. The biggest mess-up is not forgiving each other’s mess-ups. Maybe you will do sailing or horseback riding or arts and crafts . You might even get to pet one of the goats at the Zoo or try Log Rolling!

It’s so, so much. It’s a lot. Try this. Take a deep breath. It is AMAZING. You’re going to do it a lot this summer. Enjoy it. Pay attention. Take brain pictures because amazing things will happen every day. You are going to do so much, but it’s not about what you do. It’s about WHO YOU ARE and you are AWESOME!

WE’RE REALLY GLAD YOU ARE HERE!  We need to say that a lot. Camp gets busy and you are important and you are going to do a lot and you’re going to smell great. But, don’t get too busy. Remember to let everyone know that you are glad they are here. You don’t have to remember this all right now. You are going to need a pep talk sometimes (that is what your counselors are for). That’s OK. For now, you’re here, you’re awesome, and you’re going to have a GREAT summer!!

Driftwood Can’t Wait for Summer!!

Driftwood 2014 Favorite Things

Sofia G: I love being in a cabin that is your age, the awesome counselors we have (Jenny and Tori), aqua tramp, activities, canoe trip, Gold Rush, Alien Invasion, Fairs, TP/Woodland exchanges

Ana Marta: food (grilled cheese, lasagna, pizza), activities (sailing, tennis, water-skiing), cabin mates, camp songs, counselors, lake, sun, friends, EVERYTHING!

Sarah: my bunk, crazy dance parties at night, the woods, canoeing in the middle of the lake and having the deepest conversations, sprinting up to the cabin, failing at tennis, riding, GiGi outlawing saying that camp is over, the waterfront, they way the sand feels on my feet, Gold Rush, midnight dreams

Jenna: having Jenny and Tori as my counselors, the coziness of Driftwood, talking to cabin mates about challenges, riding Cat Dancer on trail rides, canoeing with Claire when the water is calm, sleeping in one tent on our canoe trip, writing letters, hearing the bell in the morning, getting ready for the 4^th of July campfire, TP & Woodland Fairs with the cabin!

Gigi: taco bar, riding, my cabin mates, sunny weather, the smell of pine, my cabin counselors, my activities, Camp Woodland!!

Lorenza: friends, cabin, tennis, arts & crafts, food (everything), Big Banana and tubing, movie night, cabin night, campfire, sailing, canteen, counselors (Jenny and Tori), canoe trip, aqua tramp, ropes course, Song Contest, Lip Sync, Ugliest Counselor Contest, Gold Rush, Spoon Assassins

Tamarack 2014 Makes a Splash!

Hilltop 2014 Favorite Things

Barbie: Olympics because you cheer other team but you also play and fight for 1^st place, 4^th of July because I enjoy watching the fireworks at TP, my cabin because of the trust I have with all of my cabin mates, the food, the nurse because she takes care of you when you are sick, counselors because they help you with whatever you need, activities because you get to have fun while doing sports, friends because they trust in you and you have a true friendship, Fair Day because it is fun, Spoon Assassins because it is a fun game, Canoe Trip because you go across the lake and get to sleep in a tent, and Aqua Tramp at TP

Valentina: my favorite things about camp are Olympics because I have a lot of fun cheering for my team and playing all of the games, Sunday’s because we get to sleep in and have breakfast in our PJ’s, movie Night because the movies are the best and we get candy, and Spoon Assassins because it is so much fun

Adri: Olympics because you get to do something different and cheer for your team, the food is good, my cabin because I feel comfortable with them and I have fun (I LOVE my cabin!), activities because I like how you can do different things and have fun, all of my friends, and Spoon Assassins because it is a fun game. Bascially, I LOVE EVERYTHING!

Hilltop 2014

Kelly: excelling in activities and meeting new people

Abbey: Spoon Assassins, Olympics, and EVERYTHING (except leaving!)

Irene: peaches, Gold Rush, Spoon Assassins, and riflery

Cayley: because this year everyone had really good sportsmanship, the food because everything was extra good this year and we are the best eaters at camp, my cabin because we got along and everyone is soooo nice, camp activities because I can participate in different things that I can’t do at home, my counselors because they are so understanding, and I know that I can talk to them about everything and I can trust them

Taylor: my favorite things about camp is the variety in the activities and how everyone is different. I like how event if you are different, you are accepted. I also enjoy Sunday’s!

Georgia: my favorite things about camp are the food, Fairs, Spoon Assassins, Gold Rush, activities, and friends.

by Jenny de la Fuente

There is something very mystical that I still don’t quite understand about my summers at Camp Woodland for Girls. Even though every summer appears to be very similar to previous summers, every year I learn something completely new about myself.

Jenny Celebrates 10 yrs

I have been going to Camp Woodland for ten consecutive summers since I was 13 years old. Woodland keeps old traditions alive from year to year; we sing Princess Pat after dinner and go on nature walks in the Climax Forest. We get excited about Song Contest and hope that our song will get picked for Co-ed Show. We work hard to get that flip right for the gymnastics shows or to play in the TP/Woodland Tennis exchange. It seems like summers blend together making separate memories become a single journey. How can a place where campers return summer after summer allow you to learn so much about yourself?

Cousins

Camp is a place that permits you to learn about yourself in so many different ways. My first summer I learned that it is okay not to be fluent in English because at camp everyone understood that it is not my first language, and they encouraged me to keep practicing. Camp is place where you challenge yourself everyday by going outside of your comfort zone. It is actually very gratifying to know you have the courage to explore new things. Camp Woodland is the place where I have met the most amazing people and where I’ve made friendships that will last my entire life.

Final Banquet Tennis Awards

Camp Woodland is the place where you let go of the stress and pressures of daily life. The only things that you actually have to worry about are having fun, being yourself, and doing cabin clean up every morning. At camp you get the chance to connect with nature and leave technology behind. It is a great feeling to be with the people you are supposed to be with and do the things you are supposed to be doing at any given moment. Something that I personally find so hard to do these days!

My days at camp have been the happiest of my life so far, and I can’t wait to go back and create some new memories for myself and live new experiences that will allow me to grow as a person.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Hilltop 2014!

During the month of March, I often think of Kermit the Frog and the song, “It’s Not Easy Being Green”.  While Kermit is referring to the color green in his song, I am reminded of a state of being.  When you are “green” at something, it often means that you are new.  There are many times in life that we are put in a new situation, whether it be changing schools, joining a sports team or club, moving to a different location, starting a new job, switching careers, etc.

Coming to camp for the first time may bring about feelings of being green.  Being new can seem scary or challenging at first.   You may be wondering if you will fit in, if the other campers will like you, if the food tastes like what you eat at home, if your bed will be comfortable, and a long list of other thoughts that may be crossing your mind in the days and months leading up to your first sleep-away camp experience.

First of all, you should know that at Camp Woodland, we LOVE having new campers join us each summer!  It is fun to welcome girls from new places that will contribute to the diverse culture of geographic locations that are represented each year.  This will add to a growing list of connections that you will make by having friends from all around the world.  New campers bring a fresh perspective and energy that is important to the life of camp – we THRIVE because you are a VITAL part of our camp family!

To help you feel comfortable in your new summer home, we have several things in place to make it easy for you to get in the groove of camp.  First off, your counselors will greet you with a BIG smile and lend a hand with moving in and settling into your cabin.  They will explain the routines of a typical day and will be ready to answer any questions you may have.  After that, you will get to play a ton of FUN games that will assist you with learning the names of the other girls in your cabin and around camp.  Because we are a smaller camp, it is truly a place “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” in a very short amount of time!

Before selecting your activities for the first session, you will have the opportunity to take a tour and see where each takes place, meet the staff, and find out all of the cool stuff you will get to do.  Evenings will offer an opportunity to do a cabin activity, be part of our weekly campfire, or choose a different activity based on a weekly theme.  You will be a pro in no time!  Dan will serve some awesome meals that will provide comfort as you spend your first few days at camp.  Don’t be surprised if you ask your Mom when you return home to cook a recipe that is something new you tried at camp!

New can also be exciting!  You will be embarking on an adventure that may be different from what your friends may choose to do this summer.  Even veteran campers experience a taste of “being green” each summer.  They may be in a different cabin with a new mix of campers from the year before or they may decide to try a new activity or challenge themselves in an old one.  The great thing is that we are there to support each camper every step of the way.  So, maybe it really IS easy being green after all at Camp Woodland!  Come see for yourself and join us for summer 2015…we can’t wait to meet you!

We would like to invite you to learn more about the Camp Woodland Advantage at our Spring Sing Around the “Campfire” Night:

When?

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Drop in anytime from 4-7 pm

Where?

The Buzz Café

905 S. Lombard Ave

Oak Park, IL

Please RSVP to: jstarcamp@aol.com

 (cookout style dinner: burgers, hot dogs, fruit, chips, and a yummy s’mores dessert!)