Category: Camp News

We’re Mighty Glad You’re HERE…! 

You can’t open a summer camp without the people. The moment we have all been waiting for is FINALLY here…our favorite people have arrived! Dressed in their snazzy Woodland polos, the counselors were literally jumping up and down with excitement, clapping, and singing the welcome song as cars came into camp on Opening Day. Everything we’d been talking about during pre-camp training was coming to reality!

Even the less than perfect weather could not detract from the delight of the day— old camp friends reuniting, new campers being welcomed and suddenly finding themselves swept along as cabin groups began setting up their bunks. Soon groups of girls led by their counselors were exploring camp, warming up the tether balls, and getting to know each other. Lunch was a perennial favorite: mac & cheese, salad bar, and chocolate chip cookies. All hot and gooey, Dan’s homemade mac & cheese is a pasta dish (and comfort food) that always pleases the crowd. With pizza, another salad bar and rhubarb crisp for dinner, the girls got to enjoy several camp favorites on the 1st day! The natural beauty of Woodland was sparkling all day long (even with a little “dew”) and into the evening as the bus with our campers from Mexico pulled into the drive. It truly was an extraordinary day.

Dear Camp Woodland Parent,

You are about to do something brave, and terrifying, and important. In a few days, you are about to send your child/ren to summer camp in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. This child that you’ve spent every waking moment thinking about, caring for, motivating every decision you make around since before she was born. This child you know like the inside of your own mind. This child that drives you totally nuts and you love more than literally anything in the entire world. And you’re giving them to me – a young adult who you’ve never met in your entire life, to care for.

I can’t imagine how scary that might be. I can’t imagine what it’s going to feel like dropping them off at the airport or driving home without them. I can’t imagine what it will feel like to wonder how they’re doing. Are they making friends? Are they growing? Are they learning? Are they happy?

I can’t imagine what that feels like, so what I can do is tell you what I will strive to do this summer.

I will strive to never take for granted that this child is someone’s most important human being in the world.

I will strive to do everything in my power to keep her safe – emotionally and physically.

I will strive to ensure her growth and happiness are my personal goals for the summer.

I will strive to find the things that make your child special, and celebrate them, cultivate them, let her know how cool they are.

I will strive to give you a warm welcome when I meet you and to discuss any concerns you have about your child this summer.

I will strive to be a role model for her that you’d be proud of.

When she is sad or has a bad day, I will do my best to be a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear and a comforting voice.

When she has challenges to overcome, I will strive to support her as she learns how to navigate the situation productively.

I will strive to make sure she has some of the best experiences of her life here.

I will strive to help her succeed and to build her up to see her missteps and failures as opportunities, to be a strong girl who can move on from the losses and dust herself off.

When she’s homesick, I will strive to listen and seek out help from other campers and staff members. If she’s the type of kid who’s the star of the show and the center of the room, I’ll encourage her to become the best leader she can be. If she’s the type of kid who hangs back, who needs a little time, who doesn’t quite know how she shines yet – I’ll help her figure it out, and celebrate her for being who she is.

Whether this is your first time dropping her off at camp or the seventh, I will strive to be committed to her growth and happiness. I can’t wait to see her eyes light up when it’s Donut Day (Saturday morning). I can’t wait to see her be proud of herself for performing in a play. I can’t wait to see all of her work at archery pay off when she gets her first bulls-eye (or hits the target for the first time). I can’t wait to see her feel strong.

She’s going to ride a horse, or sail in a race, or make a friendship bracelet, or dive off the raft, or write a totally ridiculous song and sing it in front of the entire camp. She might not be on the winning team, argue with a friend, or be homesick. And, I will be there for all of it, and I will strive to make it my job to know exactly what the best and worst part of her day was, every day.

You’re not going to know me until you drive down the camp road – so who am I?

I’m someone who gave up other job opportunities or potential college application boosters to be here – because I care about camp and taking care of kids more, and because I think being a camp counselor gives you skills that may be even more valuable than an internship or a different job.

I want to be here.

I care about the well-being of your child more than anything else.

I think hanging out with your kid is the best job in the world.

Camp has given or will give me more amazing friends, joys, memories and lessons than any other experience in life. I come back because I want to give that back to children, like my counselors gave it to me. I’m coming for the first time because I want to make a difference this summer.

I am silly, and serious, and imperfect – I play guitar and do yoga and balance spoons on my nose, or I play a sport in college and can sing my favorite camp song backwards, or I’m an aspiring doctor who sunburns really easily. Whoever I am, I’m a complex, strong person who knows what it feels like to have lots of different interests and hobbies. I want to help your child find her own, or teach her mine.

I want your child to feel loved. I want your child to succeed in doing something she never thought she’d do. I want her to push herself. I want her to feel like she belongs. I want her to try something new. I want her to make friends. I want her to learn. I want her to figure out what connects her to her friends, and also what makes her stand out from them.

I want her to read a book, listen to a loon call, eat a s’more, hit a back handspring, tie a figure-8 knot, make up a dance routine, paddle a canoe solo. I want her to have the best summer of her entire life. I want her to love this place as much as I do or will come to love.

But mostly, I want you to know that she’ll be in good hands, and that when you see her at the end of the summer, you’ll know it was all worth it.

Love, Her Woodland Counselor

Every year for as long as I can remember, Camps Woodland and Towering Pines ponder over the theme for the next summer before the current summer ends. This way cabin groups at both camps get involved and submit their ideas with the hopes of being able to hear their name called at assembly after the roar of a building drumroll. It is a big deal to be awarded the honor of being able to say they had a hand in choosing the words that will give shape to what the following summer holds for future campers and staff. Summer 2024 is no different!

The words “open new doors” hold a lot of possibility – the possibility of the unknown, of new memories, of high excitement. After five or ten summers coming up to camp, you wouldn’t naturally think that camp could hold anything you haven’t done or tried before – you’ve lived in most of the cabins, participated in just about every activity, and know which meals you look forward to the most. Yet something has us coming back year after year, and it’s exactly what this summer’s theme encapsulates – the opening of new doors and the possibility of more.

Whether you’re a Woodland girl who is just arriving for her first summer or a Woodland girl who has lived in every cabin, tried every activity, and has the meal calendar memorized, opening doors to new possibilities lives outside of camp’s routine just as much as your comfort lives within it.

For a first-year camper, new doors are in abundance; the new friends that you make, the new food you try, and the new challenges you take on. A new adventure is waiting for you at Woodland just as sure as you are waiting for your first summer at camp to start. Make sure to try every activity you can, from the ones you know all about to the things you may have never tried before. Your ability to slowly step outside of your comfort zone will only make the new doors that open at camp that much more exciting!

For a returning camper, each year is a new slate as no two summers ever are or can be the same. The unknown lies within the components of camp you feel you know so well; you know you’ll have cabin mates and counselors, but who will they be? What fun games, tasks, and challenges will your counselors have in store for you at your favorite activities? Will you win Gold Rush or make it to the end of your Spoon Tag circle? Everything from your daily routine to the biggest special events is bursting with a possibility that can’t be replicated from years before — new doors open wide around every corner!

Here are reflections on what some of our new staff (not all new to camp!) think the “Open New Doors in ‘2-4” theme means:

-Never settle for what seems the “easy path.” Let yourself be surprised with new opportunities and new horizons. Let yourself step out of your comfort zone and enjoy the ride!!

-Get out of your comfort zone and have fun!!

-To be open to try new activities, meet new people, and open a new chapter in life.

-That is going to be a summer with a lot of new opportunities and trying new things that you were afraid to try.

-That everyone is welcome and no one is left out, even if it’s your first summer at camp!

-Try something new in order to grow and see different perspectives.

-New opportunities for getting to know interesting people and new adventures and experiences.

-Learn and try things you haven’t tried before.

Get Excited!

Regardless of whether you’re arriving at Woodland for the first time or the tenth, the doors you will open at camp eagerly await you. Don’t be afraid of stepping a little further out of your comfort zone because Woodland has new opportunities to challenge you from the first day to the last and every day in between. We are so excited to see what kind of challenges, exploration, and inspiration Summer 2024 has in store for you!

ENROLL for SUMMER 2024

We have a FEW remaining spots left to enroll your camper/s for 2024 so that your daughter/s can open new doors through the Camp Woodland experience! Sign up HERE: https://cwtp.campbrainregistration.com

-Originally authored by Natalie (Woodland alum extraordinaire!) in 2018 and tweaks/additions made in 2024 by Kim (making my way to camp today for #25!)

With the start of camp around the corner, we recognize that anxiety around the unknown might be on the rise among campers and YOU (their parents and caregivers). We’d like to share few effective communication strategies of what is good to say and what to steer clear of as your campers pack their bags (physical and emotional) to get ready for the camp experience!

Questions Galore!

It is natural for the amount of questions to ramp up in the weeks leading up to camp: What will the food be like? Who will be in my cabin? Will I like my counselor? How cold is the lake? What if I can’t fall asleep at night or I get homesick? It is also normal as parents to want to be able to answer to each and every question so that your camper/s have the information they are craving to know ahead of their arrival to camp.

First off (and hopefully a huge relief), it is impossible to answer every question accurately. Secondly, when we do this, we are sending the message that new experiences can’t be done without having ALL the information (and we take away the opportunity for discovery and exploration – two of the very reasons we send kids to camp in the first place!).

**Say This, Not That**

Thanks to Lynn Lyons, LICSW, author of “The Anxiety Audit” for giving suggestions of responses to say to your camper/s when you truly don’t know the answer to their questions:

• I don’t know, and you’re going to be able to figure this out…
• I don’t know, and I have confidence in your ability to manage things as they come up…
• I don’t know, and I know this about you…

You can also refer back to other experiences when your young person was trying something new for the first time. Remember the time when you: tried out for the volleyball team, started playing the clarinet, spent the night at a friend’s house…you learned that: your coach would share information as you needed to know it, you could rely on the others in the band who joined last year, and that being away from home can be really fun!!!

Certainty vs Uncertainty

Anxiety likes certainty and comfort; however, those are promises we can’t make when it comes to camp. It can be helpful, though, to write down 2 lists with your camper – one being the things you know about camp (certainty) and the other with the things you won’t know until you get there or as the summer unfolds (uncertainty, but also exciting!).

• Known: date camp starts, how long you will be there, each cabin has its own bathroom, there is a variety of food served at each meal, there are at least 2 counselors in every cabin, laundry goes out once a week, mail is delivered 6 days a week, etc.
• Unknown: the names of the kids in your cabin, the color of shoes your counselor will be wearing on Opening Day, the exact meal served for dinner on July 14th, the winner of Gold Rush this year, the names of the Olympic teams, etc.

Camp is the perfect opportunity to practice figuring out how to do things independently, problem solve, and be resourceful. These are good things as they will give your child more opportunities to will grow and develop a sense of autonomy!

The Dreaded Letter from Camp

We advise you not to be surprised or alarmed if/when you get letter/s from home at the beginning that contain a message of “distress”. This could be any number of things, but here are some of the more common ones: “the food is terrible”, “no one likes me”, “I’m in the riding class for ‘babies'”, and of course, the “I want to go home” plea. 

Lynn Lyons reminds us that it is completely normal for your first instinct to be that this is serious and permanent. It may also propel you to jump in catastrophic problem solving mode (send food your child likes, request to change cabins/riding classes, or offer to come get your child from camp right away). 

Should you pick up the phone and call camp upon receiving this kind of letter, the person on the other end will kindly ask you what day the letter was written (good chance it was 3-5 days or more in the past) and will almost always report that the “uncomfortable thing” was resolved long before the letter reached your mailbox or inbox. It is also highly likely the letter was written when there was a period of down time, either right after lunch or right before bed when thoughts can quickly turn from positive to negative. 

**Say This, Not That**

Again, Lynn Lyons offers some great suggestions on what to say when you are stuck holding a letter that tears at your heartstrings when you pick up a pen and respond to the “cry for help”. You could say something along the lines of, “It sounds like your adjustment to camp has been a bit tricky, and I am confident that you can work through this…”

She also recommends that you ask questions or give prompts in your return correspondence:

• I wonder what it was like to go water-skiing?
• Tell me 3 new things you have done since you arrived at camp…
• Tell me about your cabin counselors…

Camp Cheerleaders

We also recognize that some of you went to camp yourselves and LOVED it! It is natural to share excitement and nostalgia for your camp experience. You are going to “LOVE camp”, the food is fabulous, everyone is so nice, the activities are great, no one gets homesick, etc.” Lynn Lyons calls this “global reassurance.” Those kinds of “cheerleader comments” may actually not help your camper because they don’t want to disappoint you if they don’t have the same affinity for camp as you do. They could also feel “tricked” when they experience the very likely scenario of not enjoying every meal that is served, having someone in their cabin who is annoying, or not being a fan of archery.

**Say This, Not That**

Because it is unrealistic to think that everything will be perfect 100% of the time while at camp, it is best to set expectations so that your camper/s are prepared for things not always going as planned or to their liking. Lyons uses the “buffet” or “smorgasbord” metaphor to explain this idea to kids. When you go to fill your plate at a buffet/smorgasbord, there will be certain items that you like a lot and may even want to take a 2nd helping, other items that you take one bite first before eating an entire serving, while there will be some that you would rather avoid altogether (like vegetables but you eat them anyway because y0u know they are good for you).

Variety is the Spice of Life!

The problem with telling kids that everything is going to be fabulous sets them up for disappointment and possibly resentment. It is better to talk to them about how camp is a variety of experiences…some will be exciting, others will be so-so, or even boring. Being at camp is an opportunity to practice the skills of being flexible and adaptable vs being rigid or stuck in the idea that everything goes smoothly and the way you want it to be all of the time. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said over 2500 yrs ago, “the only constant in life is change.” This summer is a great time for your camper/s to develop the ability to manage uncertainty (and build resilience!). Something tells me that this won’t be the only opportunity they will have in life to put that skill to good use!

ENROLL for SUMMER 2024

Now is a GREAT time to enroll your camper/s for 2024 (we have a few remaining spots left) so that your daughter/s have the opportunity to develop the skill of managing uncertainty and building resilience through the Camp Woodland experience! Sign up HERE: https://cwtp.campbrainregistration.com

When I look back on my teenage years, the last people I wanted advice from were my parents (sorry, Mom & Dad!). I can remember gravitating to a particular aunt and uncle throughout high school and college and having conversations that I struggled to have with two people I lived with. In fact, these non-parent mentors are actually a large part of the reason why I ended up at Camp Woodland several decades ago. When I decided I wanted to work at a camp for my summer job between my sophomore and junior years of college, I only reached out to programs in Wisconsin (via a typed letter in the pre-internet era!) because I knew the relatives who were instrumental in my life lived in the same state.

For the same reason finding a tutor for your child is usually a wise decision and brings peace to the entire family (instead of sitting at the kitchen table in a yelling match when your daughter/son is struggling in math or some other subject), having a non-parent mentor has its benefits as well. Please know that I am NOT suggesting that parents are incapable of being a mentor to their own children; however, there is value a mentor relationship outside of the immediate household can bring to the development of youth in a variety of positive ways.

Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD, shares research from a study used in her book, Tomorrow’s Change Makers: Reclaiming the Power of Citizenship for a New Generation, and in an article found in Psychology Today showing that adult mentoring during the teenage years:

• Models positive social skills and facilitates interpersonal connections beyond family.
• Helps young people interpret and manage life challenges, including relationships with peers and parents.
• Facilitates meaningful conversations that boost cognitive skills and provides perspective.
• Strengthens self-regulation, one’s ability to manage emotions and impulses—to think before acting.
• Promotes identity development, a key task of adolescence, through modeling core qualities that contribute to human thriving, like empathy, curiosity, resourcefulness, and resilience.
• Opens doors to new ways of thinking, resources, and opportunities.
• Fosters self-efficacy—a belief in oneself.

That is a pretty impressive list! We often think of mentors as teachers, coaches, grandparents, church leaders, and other adults in the lives of youth. Another obvious mentor (and possibly overlooked!) in the lives of teens are the counselors, staff and leaders who are instrumental to the growth and development of the entire camp community. This is yet another reason why the Woodland camp experience is a vital part of the overall growth and development for youth of all ages – especially for teens!

If we go back to the list from above, it isn’t hard to connect the dots to how this organically happens with the support of caring adults in the Woodland ecosystem. Adult mentoring in our camp community: 

Models positive social skills and facilitates interpersonal connections beyond family.

At Woodland, we practice how to engage with people never previously met and to apply the “be curious, not judgmental” mindset as we interact with those from different cultures and experiences. Many of the staff themselves are from a variety of geographic locations and backgrounds and help facilitate these connections.

Helps young people interpret and manage life challenges, including relationships with peers and parents.

Relationships can be challenging and messy at times. Woodland offers the opportunity to be open to and embrace the differences others bring to the community, navigate conflict that is normal with group living, and have empathy towards one another through the guidance of the staff.

Facilitates meaningful conversations that boost cognitive skills and provides perspective.

At Woodland we spend on average 16 hours a day having meaningful conversations (all the hours we are awake!). Meal times, especially, offer a unique opportunity for conversation because we spend them together with our cabin group. By the end of the full 6-week experience, approximately 126 hours around the table is spent with the same group of people sharing triumphs, growth opportunities, dreams, and ideas. This unequaled time anywhere else offers a unique opportunity to see the world through the eyes of others and to gain a perspective that might not be seen otherwise. The counselors in each cabin become masters at facilitating these meaningful conversations!

Strengthens self-regulation, one’s ability to manage emotions and impulses—to think before acting.

This is easier said than done! At Woodland we recognize the impact we have on others because we are sharing a living space with 8 or more people. While it would be tempting to yell at someone for borrowing something without asking, at camp (and with the support of the staff) being clear and kind with our requests is practiced should we want a different outcome next time.  

Promotes identity development, a key task of adolescence, through modeling core qualities that contribute to human thriving, like empathy, curiosity, resourcefulness, and resilience.

At Woodland we are pretty good at all of the above! Parents tell us that their campers return home in many ways better than they came because they have spent 6 weeks with unbelievable support and caring from the adult mentors in our community. I’ve already mentioned empathy and curiosity, and resourcefulness can be seen from coming up with new ways to use the limited items we brought with us to create a costume or prop for Lip Sync Contest or any number of special events. Resiliency is the outcome of learning to try again and not get defeated when something doesn’t quite go the way we would like it to. We celebrate the journey and not just the final result!

Opens doors to new ways of thinking, resources, and opportunities.

There is a reason our theme for the upcoming summer is “Open New Doors in ‘24”. Being immersed in the Woodland community and surrounded by amazing adult mentors naturally opens our minds to thinking differently, repurposing what we have to come up with out-of-the-box uses for a hairbrush, pair of sunglasses, or a colored t-shirt, and opportunities never imagined. Every holiday season we are flooded with photos from “impromptu” camp reunions in Mexico and elsewhere. The opportunity to travel internationally or long distances to see the awesome friends made at camp often becomes reality!

Fosters self-efficacy—a belief in oneself.

Unfortunately, we often see youth lacking a true sense of self, especially during their teen years. It often stems from the need to be a “fake” version of yourself so that others will like you or to fit in. At Woodland, we work really hard to create a sense of belonging for all campers. This often brings a sense of relief, especially to our teens, who may find themselves living in a brutal world of comparison at school or on social media. After 6 weeks of spending quality time with the adult mentors at Woodland, the older campers are feeling more like their “true selves” again. Don’t believe me?! Join us for the Co-Ed Show put on by the CIT’s during the Final Weekend of camp come August. Confidence from each individual and the group as a whole is in abundance and is pretty cool to see!

The BEST Opportunity for Adult Mentorship?!

So, while the often tumultuous relationship with parents/caregivers during the teen years comes with the territory, the good news is that there are really awesome mentors who are able to build relationships with this age group and impact them in so many positive ways. And, even better news is that you don’t have to look any further…these people are waiting for your (teen) daugther/s at Camp Woodland. We are SO excited to meet her/them!

ENROLL for SUMMER 2024

Now is a GREAT time to enroll your camper/s (especially TEENS!) for 2024 and reserve your spot/s so that your daughter/s have the opportunity to be supported by non-parent/caregiver mentors through the Camp Woodland experience! Sign up HERE: https://cwtp.campbrainregistration.com