Category: Dare to Explore in 1-4!

Natalie just finished her freshman year at University of Wisconsin!  We are so happy to have Natalie back at the waterfront.  Your daughters are going to have a great time learning how to sail with Natalie!  She has been sailing at Camp Woodland since she has been 8 years old.  Read Natalie’s blog about what this summer’s theme means to her….

Natalie (Middle)

No matter what grade you’re in—whether it’s fourth, or your junior year in high school—the school year is stressful. You wake up early and tirelessly absorb new material throughout the day. You make plans with friends and go to the mall on weekends and do your homework late at night to get it in on time. Of course it’s fun and exciting, but by May the process has become a little redundant, and you’re ready for the summer. And when summer comes, when it’s finally time to head back up to the north woods of Wisconsin again, you want to fall back into a pattern that’s relaxing, easy, and, most of all, familiar.

This summer’s theme—Dare to Explore in 1-4—challenges that instinct in the best way. In fact, it started doing that right from the beginning, when choosing the theme became an activity in which the whole camp could participate. This theme was chosen by the campers, for the campers, and it is already on the way to living up to its potential.

Natalie & her cabin – Sunnyside

Dare to Explore is a mantra that is there to remind you to leap outside of your comfort zone. Instead of heading up to camp with the intent to only participate in your favorite activities (and maybe a rec swim), try something different! Don’t stick to the skills you already know are your best; instead, sign up for something you’ve never done before—be it drama, or canoeing, or maybe passing up an evening activity of soccer to hone those beach volleyball techniques. Trying something new is the way you found the activities you love in the first place, after all.

Natalie teaching Sailing!

Camp is a place where you go to feel safe and welcome. It’s a place that is familiar without ever being boring. But do you truly know everything there is to know about it? Have you tried all of the evening activities, participated in every Olympic event? This summer, like every other summer, Camp Woodland is placing the new opportunities into your hands—and this is your renewed chance to take them. Jump in, get involved, and don’t just put a toe outside of your comfort zone—live outside of it. There are few other places in the world where you will get the same amazing chances that you do at camp, so take advantage of the short time you have! Sail every boat, ride every horse, pass every level physically possible. And if it doesn’t all get done this summer? That’s more than okay! You have many more summers ahead of you to try again. But Dare to Explore in the summer of 2014, because the time to start is now.

Welcome back Natalie!

We are so happy that Lindsay K. will be returning to camp this summer! This veteran has been coming to camp since she was 7 years old.  Lindsay just finished her freshman year of college in Colorado, and is excited to be taking on new challenges this summer!

Every year, we put a lot of thought into our summer theme.  We tend to think summer themes are a vehicle to get campers thinking their goals and what they want to get out of the most during their summer at camp. Enjoy Lindsay’s perspective on this  summer’s theme: Dare To Explore in 1-4!

Lindsay (Left) & Jenny (right). Jenny is back too!

 You can dare to explore by trying new things.  Camp offers a multitude of opportunities to dare.  Sure, it could be water skiing, riding, or sailing.  But don’t be fooled.  There are many skills which camp teaches that are even more meaningful. Dare to make a new friend or to try a new activity.  Camp offers a place to grow and learn new things about yourself that aren’t always possible at home or at school. Camp offers the opportunity to spend six weeks with girls from different countries, to learn about their cultures, and to create bonds.    

 Daring to try a new activity can turn out to be the best decision you can make at camp. I was always afraid to go sailing, but after I tried it, I realized how fun it is.  I went from being intimidated by sailing to considering it one of my favorite activities.  Dare to explore reminds us to always give something a chance; put yourself out there and try something new. 

 Camp is a place where you get to be you and always be accepted for it. It’s somewhere you can go for six weeks, play like a kid, and learn adult life lessons.  Oh yes, the North Woods is pretty darn awesome.  The location offers the opportunity to be in nature and see how beautiful the world can be.  Forget iPods, phones, Facebook, and tweets.  Think campfires, Sand Lake, and all the tall pine and birch trees.  Its easy to dare – the setting makes you feel so safe.

 No life vest, helmets or safety goggles required to get the most out of this summer’s theme. Dare to Explore in 1-4 is just a reminder to live the summer to the fullest, take advantage of opportunities, push yourself to try something new, and expand as a person.  

Welcome back Lindsay!!

Last week I had the pleasure of hearing Superior Court Judge J Wade Padgett speak for 2 hours on “Teenage Years 101” to the student body at a local high school.  One of the parents whose daughter and son I tutor recommended that I go, not only for the benefit of what I would learn regarding the students with whom I tutor, but she also thought that it would be a good idea because of the work that I do with summer camps.   I have to say that it was an eye-and-ear-opening experience to say the least!  Judge Padgett didn’t sugar coat anything while sharing an important lesson about the consequences of poor choices or decisions made from the minors who have come across his path in the judiciary system.

In addition to covering all of the “usual” risks (drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.) that adolescents so often take that may provide a perceived short-term “high”, Padgett also delved into the long-term consequences that may be unknown (losing the privilege to drive, getting an STD, being taking advantage of because of loss of consciousness, etc.).  He gave example after example of “good” kids who made a poor decision, got caught, and are no longer in school, no longer pursuing their dream, or are no longer with us.  In other words, the future is not looking so bright for these folks.  My stomach was in knots throughout his entire presentation, and it was one of the few times that I was part of an audience that was so engaged, you could have heard a pin drop.

Judge Padgett also went into various Social Media issues with the students (texting while driving, posting inappropriate pictures, cyber bullying, etc.).  He mentioned an app called “Yik Yak” which apparently gives the capability to send messages anonymously; I had never heard of it, but from what I now know, kids are using it to ambush one another because no one knows the author.  By having the app, it sends out messages to other users by zip code.  Several schools in my area are banning its use by their students because of the potential it has to be anything but nice.

Padgett kept coming back to the “S” that many young people (and adults, too!) wear on their chest…the “S” that says “I am invincible – that won’t happen to me – I would never do that!”.  The “S” that came to mind for me in all of this “doom and gloom” was the “S” that stands for the SOLUTION = SUMMER CAMP!!  The time that kids spend at summer camp allows them to take a break from the many temptations that are out there because the culture is different at camp.  The culture that is the “norm” for campers at Woodland/Towering Pines is to build each other up, not tear each other down; to take risks that are constructive and build confidence with appropriate supervision, skills, and support, not destructive and may cause harm to the person or to others; to get a “high” just from being with your friends in the outdoors while being “unplugged”, not sink “lower” because of poor choices or miss opportunities because of too much “screen-time” and not enough time fostering face-to-face relationships.

Summer camp is one decision that should be easy to make because of the many GOOD consequences that are a result of the experience.  If your daughter comes home this summer with an “S” on her chest, it is because she SUCCEEDED at trying something new, reached a goal she never thought was possible, became more independent, branched out and formed friendships, was a valuable part of a community, had fun being silly and spontaneous…just to name a few!  You will be AMAZED at the confidence she will come away with that will help her navigate the many decisions she will face in her life at home and school.