Category: Dare to Explore in 1-4!

Tamarack: Alien Invasion

You Know You Love Camp When:

• You smile and laugh with your friends.
• Everybody knows all the names of campers and staff.
• You make lasting memories.
• We are in our activities.
• You cry when it is over.

Tamarack: Banquet Night

You Know You Love Camp When:

• You can’t stop laughing.
• Everyone huddles up and cries together when camp is over.
• You think about all of the memories and smiles.
• Counselors are always helping us.
• You are still coming back to camp 10 years later.

Tamarack: Silly Sunday

You Know You Love Camp When:

• You wait all year for camp to start again.
• You call your camp friends, sisters.
• You make new friends.
• You come back and it feels like you never left.
• You learn new skills like getting up on the wakeboard.

Tamarack: Gold Rush Day

Treetops showing their Woodland Spirit at Assembly

You Know You Love Camp When:

• It is a sunny day.
• It is cabin night and you are having fun with all of the people in your cabin.
• You are excited to see your camp friends at the reunion.
• You miss swimming on Sand Lake.

Treetops on Banquet Night

You Know You Love Camp When:

• You miss the smell of campfire.
• You don’t want to leave.
• You wait all year for camp to start again.
• You are with your camp friends.

Treetops posing in the Rec Hall

Dear JoAnne,

Ever since my daughter returned home from camp, she refuses to wear anything else but a Woodland t-shirt and her new soccer socks.  All she talks about is the fun she had at camp, stories about her cabin mates, and how many days there are until camp next summer.  She claims that she hears a bell ringing periodically throughout the day.  She won’t stop singing camp songs or looking at the online photos on the Woodland website.  She even makes her bed every morning and asks if she can “hop” during dinner.  She insists that I ask you for Dan’s lasagna recipe.  Help!  Can you please explain to me what is going on with my daughter?

 A Concerned Parent

Dear Woodland Parent,

Thanks for your letter; I can assure you that what your daughter is experiencing right now sounds like a typical case of  “campsickness”.  Not to worry…YOU ARE NOT ALONE!  I receive calls and emails from parents every year at this time wondering what is happening to their camper(s).  Trust me, campsickness is not necessarily a bad thing; it just means that your daughter(s) had an AMAZING summer, and they are sad to leave their camp friends.  It is normal to miss the nonstop activity and fun that camp offers at every turn.  Coming home to an empty room can be a bit of a shock after the excitement of constant interaction with a community of girls.

I have every confidence that she will adjust to being at home again; it just takes a little time.  You can let her know that we will be corresponding with her (and you!) over the course of the winter via mail, email, and various social media.  There are all kinds of ways she can stay connected to our camp family, and before you know it, we will be headed to Woodland for another fantastic summer!

Woodland Love,

JoAnne

Starshine hiking to the Moss Garden

You Know You Love Camp When:

• You make references to it in the middle of the year and your friends have no idea what you are talking about.
• You start counting down days to camp the day camp ends.
• You find yourself looking at camp photos on the website for hours.
• You have your Mom cook meals from camp at home.
• You find yourself singing random camp songs in the middle of the year.

Starshine on Gold Rush Day

Starshine hanging out on the Deck

Jenna, Sarah, and Lorenza from Driftwood Cabin

It is unfortunate that part of my duties yesterday included driving the Driftwood girls and their counselors to Cathy’s Ice Cream (they really had to twist my arm!) during cabin night as a reward for being “Clean Freaks” for a second week this summer.   After everyone agonized over their choice of ice cream flavor (Rainbow Sherbet, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Caramel Collision, Pirate’s Booty, and Superman made the final cut), we all ended up sitting outside at one of the tables on the deck.  I noticed that Lorenza was particularly “bubbly” and happy, and she announced to the group that this was the BEST DAY EVER!  It didn’t seem right to leave it at that, so I asked her to share what it was that made it such a great day.  She proceeded to recap her day with:

Breakfast: was AMAZING because we had donuts!

1^st period: We got to do a “show” in swimming, and I love doing shows…and the water was SO warm!

2^nd period: I finished my project in Arts and Crafts (a jewelry box), and it turned out to be AWESOME.

3^rd period: I challenged another camper in tennis, and I lost, but it was so much FUN!  And, Jenny, my instructor told me how much I have improved over the summer, and that made me feel really good.

Lunch: We taught Sarah H. how to eat tacos (with the appropriate tilt of the head) so that you “bring the taco to your mouth and not your mouth to the taco.”

Lorenza, Sofia, and Ana Marta on Driftwood’s Canoe Trip

4^th period: I had a blast during Rec Swim because I helped the CIT’s learn our Song Contest entry since they will be performing it at Co-Ed Show later this week.  And, it was fun just being able to hang out with my friends at the beach.

5^th Period: Sailing was cool because I made my first mooring (kind of like “parking” the boat”) and we got to play Sponge Tag.

6^th period: I enjoyed laughing and singing a funny song during Multi-Media while working on our project.  I wrote, “If I could change one thing about camp, it would be to have camp last 8 weeks instead of 6!” for my journal entry.

Dinner: Was really AWESOME because we had grilled cheese sandwiches, and I LOVE grilled cheese!

Evening Activity: Cabin night is one of my favorite evening programs, and it is so GREAT that we are all enjoying ice cream and hanging out together at Cathy’s.  IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!

After Lorenza shared an hour-by-hour account of her day, each of the other Driftwood girls followed suit and told what made their day FANTASTIC as well.

Driftwood Cabin at Cathy’s

As I sat back to take in what each girl was sharing in her report of a most awesome day, it occurred to me that this is what I LOVE about the last week of camp.  It is now pay-off time for all of the hard work the girls have put in during the first five weeks.  This last week is really FUN because the girls have been doing their activities daily for over a month now, and they can see the results of the skill progression that occurs when you work at something for an extended period of time.  That feeling of SUCCESS is what makes camp EXTRA SPECIAL in the days we have left.  Campers are fully aware of the short amount of time that remains for this summer, and they want to make the most of EVERY MINUTE they have together!