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One of the youngest campers at Camp Woodland signed up for riflery for the last 2 weeks of the summer. She was barely bigger than the rifle she would be holding. Her motivation for taking the class at the end of the summer? 

She said it was because her Mom took riflery when she was a camper and had passed all the levels over the course of multiple summers. She saw her Mom’s name on the wall in the lodge for successfully completing the highest level, “expert”. 

This Silver Birch camper was determined and nervous at the same time. It took her a while to get the hang of it. Getting the feel of the rifle and how to hold it steady is an exercise in patience. Learning how to look through the sight to see the target takes practice. 

Aiming the gun to hit the target is another step in the process and summons persistence. Breathing evenly and calmly to keep a smooth rhythm before, during, and after shooting takes some getting used to (along with a dose of positive self-talk). 

Putting it all together? More patience, practice, persistence, and positivity. 

By the end of the 2-week period, this Woodland camper was confident in her skills and able to consistently hit the target. She was now motivated by her own reasons to work hard. Riflery became fun and something she looked forward to every day!  

Three Things Everyone Needs to be Truly Motivated – Letting the Secret Out of the Bag!
Research shows kids (adults, too!) thrive when three basic needs are met:

• Autonomy → Having choice and ownership (“I choose to…”).
• Competence → Seeing growth and impact (not perfection, but progress).
• Relatedness → Feeling connection and belonging.

Why This Matters at Camp and to Our Friend Taking Riflery (or any activity!) for the First Time
At Woodland these needs are woven into daily life:

• Kids choose activities (autonomy). This camper from the youngest cabin made the choice to give riflery a try for the last activity sign-up of the summer.
• They see skills improve (competence)—on the lake, at the barn, in archery, or making friends. Improvement was visible by the scores she was getting after each round and being able to shoot at the riflery range consistently almost every day for 2 weeks.
• Cabin life, activities, and traditions create real belonging (relatedness). Through the encouragement and guidance from the counselor leading the class and the other girls showing their support built connectedness and fostered a sense of confidence in doing something for the first time (and with other campers who were much older than she was!). 

When these three align (choice, competency, and belonging), kids don’t need pushing. The shift from external motivation to genuine engagement explains why camp works for child development in ways that surprise even us sometimes. They’re intrinsically motivated to dive in, try new things, and take steps towards independence.

This is just ONE example of MANY from the recent summer!

The Bottom Line
This is why camp “works.” At every turn– even when taking a new activity for the last 2 weeks of the summer—campers gain autonomy, grow confidence, and build friendships. They return with skills and motivation that can be applied at home, school, and beyond. We hope your daughter/s will join us in 2026!!

Love at First Try

Imagine you are 7 years old and visiting your grandparents who have a cabin on a lake in Northern Wisconsin. You decide to put on a pair of waterskis and hold onto a rope tied behind a boat. The boat takes off and you come out of the water smiling (maybe after a few face plants), and you are hooked. The thrill, the challenge, the satisfaction of nailing a jump or getting a faster time. You love water-skiing and want to figure out how to engage in this sport as much as possible.

For Lauren Connelly, former Woodland camper and counselor (all she needs is one more summer to get her 5 yr pendant!), water-skiing is a passion that has been fueled in so many interesting ways. This school year, Lauren was awarded the Barbara Bolding Jim Grew Scholarship, USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation’s top scholarship and is President of the NCWSA (National Club Waterski Association) Club team in her area.

Sand Lake Lessons

During her time at Woodland, Lauren would sit on the dock every day during Rec Swim and patiently wait her turn for a spin around the lake. She started on two skis and eventually progressed to being able to drop a ski, then get up slalom. Lauren practiced cutting in and out of the wake, putting the rope between her legs, lifting a ski, and other skills that she mastered while as a camper. During her two years as a counselor, she taught campers how to do those same skills.

College Club Team

Lauren now competes in 3-event water-skiing which includes a slalom course, jump and trick skiing.

• Slalom, is where skiers run passes of a course made of 6 turns. There are 3 turns to either side of the boat with an entry and exit gate. Boat speed is increased, or the rope length shortened after each successfully completed pass. Skiers continue until they miss one of the turn buoys.
• Jump is where skiers have 3 attempts to go as far as possible, their longest jump counts for scoring, and the furthest distance wins (Lauren’s average is 50 ft, and her best is 55 ft).
• The Trick event has 2 passes of 20 seconds, where the skier must perform as many tricks as possible to accumulate points (Lauren is currently working on her back flip).

Beyond Skiing: Boat Driver and Maintenance Upkeep

Lauren tries to practice skiing every day and often gets up early to get time on the water. She is also a certified boat driver and as Club President finds herself frequently driving so that her teammates get in their practice time, too. Lauren knows how to change the oil and replace the steering cables on a boat in addition to taking care of some other maintenance needs to keep the boat in tip-top shape.

West Coast and Tennessee Adventures

Last fall (2024), Lauren spent a semester at Cal Poly (CA) in the National Student Exchange program, an in-country exchange. The decision to head to the west coast was an easy one. Lauren wanted to go somewhere different from the midwest so she could go to the beach to surf and enjoy mountain views. Joining the Club Ski Team there was an easy way to make friends; she even spent 2 weeks in CA this summer visiting people and seeing more of CA (LA, San Diego, and San Francisco). This past summer, Lauren worked in Hillsboro, TN (outside of Nashville) where she drove a boat for clients and coached skiing lessons for Swerve Watersports. 

Going All In 

Lauren is all about putting yourself out there and putting in everything you have into whatever you do. She goes all in. Even when she was young, Lauren was seeking opportunities. At some point, she decided that she wanted to give camp a try, and she went for it. She found Woodland online, sent an email, and was a camper for 2 summers. She believes she can figure it out when she gets to any new place. Camp was a good place for Lauren to flex her confidence and independence muscles!

Lauren is a firm believer that each year is different and that by putting effort into something new, you can inspire and encourage others. Your attitude (positive or negative) definitely plays a huge part in the attitudes of those around you. Lauren lived in a cabin with older girls during her 2 years as a counselor and was keenly aware of this on a daily basis!

What’s Next?: Two Passions, One Journey

Lauren is a senior at Iowa State University pursuing a mechanical engineering degree and is set to graduate in the fall of 2026. She plans to do one more semester at Cal Poly with their exchange program to see if California is somewhere she would like to live long term. Lauren loves the problem solving aspect of mechanical engineering; her dream job would be to combine her passion/hobby with her career and work for a company like Mastercraft Ski Boats or to pursue something related to marine technology. The ski boats used to pull skiers on slalom and jump courses used in the events Lauren trains for and competes in are quite sophisticated. How cool would that be if Lauren could actually be part of a team that keeps improving the design of those watercraft!

From Camp to Career: come join us! If you are or know an emerging leader who is wanting to explore personal and professional skill development, we invite you to let us know HERE (first time staff members) or RETURN staff (have been on staff at least one previous summer).

Someone shared an article in Outside Magazine a few weeks ago: “Can a Campfire Improve Your Mental Health? Many Therapists Say Yes.” To summarize the piece, therapists and nonprofits are using campfires to help a variety of folks (teens included) open up about their struggles. And the science backs it up. A 2014 study found that sitting around a fire decreases blood pressure, fosters relaxation, and improves social connection.

There was no surprise here, of course, because we’ve been seeing this exact thing at Woodland and Towering Pines for decades. With the one difference being, we don’t call it “therapy”.

For us, it’s just part of the natural cadence of the day.

Things start to wind down after an exciting day, the wood goes into the circle, a staff member lights a match, songs get sung, and skits are performed. Then, when the fire dies down and the embers are glowing, a story is read, voices get quieter, conversations go deeper, and the stars are starting to make their appearance.

All of that science from above is happening in the standard order of things here.

What Else Counts as “Therapy”?

If we’re going to start calling campfires “therapy,” what else at camp deserves this newly expanded label? Don’t get us wrong…we are a huge supporter of high-quality therapy. It changes lives every day.

When we walk around Woodland or TP on any given day, we see dozens of moments that could probably justify their own research studies and fancy therapeutic labels.

Moments that look completely ordinary. Kids being kids. Counselors being counselors. Summer unfolding as it always does.

So let’s take a look at some other forms of therapy that we apparently offer.

Walking-Across-Camp-With-A-Friend Therapy.

Watch any path between activities. Two kids, maybe three, just walking and talking. No destination pressure. No agenda. Just the simple act of moving together, conversations flowing as naturally as their footsteps.

Where else does this happen anymore without someone checking a phone? It involves being present. Physically close. Eye contact. Connection.

Your-Age-Doesn’t-Matter Therapy

Our oldest campers hanging out with our youngest campers. Teaching them archery strategies. Showing them the best spot to catch a fish. Sharing their camp memories and lighting a fire of excitement that burns all summer for our newest campers.

Where else in their lives do kids get this? Maybe from a particularly loving older sibling or cousin, but teenagers can be inward-gazing.

Older campers live for these interactions. They can’t wait to take on these roles. Just older kids who genuinely want to share what they know with the next generation.

Canoeing-To-Nowhere Therapy

A counselor and a couple of campers in a canoe. Not racing. Not trying to reach the other shore. Just paddling, floating, talking.

The point isn’t Point A to Point B. The point is doing something together. Being on the water with time to think, talk about whatever, and laugh together.

Family-Style-Meal Therapy

Three times a day. All summer long. Kids and counselors passing platters, pouring drinks for each other, negotiating who gets the last piece of garlic bread.

As parents with impossible family schedules, we struggle to manage this once or twice a week with all that’s happening. At camp, we do it for every single meal. No screens. Just faces across the table.

Looking-At-Moon/Stars Therapy

This might be our favorite. Kids stop and look up to see the Milky Way splashed across the sky. Or they may see the moon blazing a trail across Nokomis or Sand Lake.

Feeling small and part of something so much bigger in the best possible ways.

The Real Point

These aren’t programs we’ve developed or initiatives we’ve launched. They’re just…camp at Woodland and Towering Pines.

No marketing committee designed “Walking-With-A-Friend Therapy.”

No consultant suggested we optimize our canoeing program for therapeutic outcomes.

These moments happen at Woodland and TP because this is how humans naturally connect when given time, space, and freedom from the usual pressures. Just kids and counselors at camp.

You can’t improve on a campfire.

There’s no technological upgrade for looking at the stars.

What looks like a normal day at camp is actually something increasingly rare: time for real human connection. And yes, it’s deeply restorative. The scientists are just catching up to what we’ve always known.

Thank you for choosing this path for your children for this summer and summers to come.

For understanding that 6 weeks of “just camp” might be exactly what they need.

Your kids are getting the gift of a million moments that truly build them up and help them to grow as human beings, all disguised as the best summer ever.

They don’t know that walking with friends or sharing family meals is good for their mental health.

They just know they’re happy.

With gratitude for all of our campfires and the girls and staff that make them so special! We hope your daughter/s will join us in 2026 for sitting by the campfire, walking with friends of all ages, eating family style, gazing at the stars, and SO. MUCH. MORE.

Reference: KE newsletter/blog

Like your daughter/s, we are still thinking about our favorite memories from the six weeks at Woodland and Towering Pines. While you may hear about the fun they had with their cabinmates and counselors, going to archery, sailing on the lake, or making a project in arts and crafts, you might only see these activities for what they are. It may just sound like shooting arrows, hanging out with friends on the water, or gluing yarn to a popsicle stick.

The memories we hold onto at the end every summer are the ones that pull the curtain back a little farther, and perhaps go deeper below the surface than what meets the eye. When we think of archery, patience, persistence, and confidence come to mind. Leadership, teamwork, and adaptability are the anchors in sailing. Arts & Crafts brings out creativity, imagination, and self-expression. We could go through each activity, one by one, and come up with quite an impressive list!

We encourage campers to reflect on their experiences by including thoughtful prompts in the letters they write home. These prompts might ask about moments when they showed bravery, qualities they value in a friend, or something they noticed and appreciated in nature. This approach helps campers develop self-awareness and recognize personal growth during their time at camp.

We are sending out one last letter to give you a chance to talk with your camper(s) about their summer experience, now that they’ve had some time to think about it. The responses they gave were collected during the final week of camp, a busy and emotional time, so their answers may reflect the whirlwind of those last days rather than the full scope of their summer. This is a great time to put on your curiosity hat and ask follow-up questions!

When you hear a story from your camper about something that was really, really fun, we hope that you, like us, know that it is much more than that. Over time, they will start to connect the dots and be able to see beyond the activity or event described. It’s part of their development process! The guide below may help you “decode” the fun into what else was happening.

• • Cabin living = independence, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills
  • Activity choices = decision-making, self-exploration, trying again (and again)
  • Evening programs/Special events = social confidence, community building
  • Overnight canoe trips = problem solving, teamwork, and negotiation
  • Camp traditions = leadership development and belonging

While camp is packed with fun and adventure, it’s also a place where your child builds a crazy amount of lifelong skills. Everything we do intentionally helps campers grow in ways that go far beyond what you see and hear in their stories. We hope that you continue to hear snippets of the “enjoy the ride” summer of 2025 in the months ahead!

We are already enrolling campers for 2026 and spots fill up fast! To be part of the FUN (and MORE!) register HERE!

Dear JoAnne, 

Ever since my daughter returned home from camp, she refuses to wear anything that isn’t Woodland blue or tie-dyed and Crocs with an assortment of Jibbitz. All she talks about is the fun she had, stories about her cabin mates, and how many days there are until camp next summer. She claims that she isn’t sure what to do next without the bell ringing throughout the day to mark time. She won’t stop singing camp songs or looking at the online photos on the Woodland website and Instagram. She even makes her bed every morning and asks if she can “hop” during dinner. She insists that I ask you for Brittnie’s Asian bowl recipe and is now putting ketchup on potato chips. 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.” Yes, it’s a thing (see below). It means camp worked its magic and is proof of an unforgettable summer.

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 had an AMAZING summer and is sad to leave her 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 (Imagine This in ’26) for another fantastic summer!

Definition: Campsick (adjective)
\’kamp-,sik\ – The opposite of homesick. (Don’t worry, it’s not a real illness.)

Meaning: An intense longing to be back at camp.

Example: Your camper doesn’t want to go to her favorite restaurant or even the pool…she is too campsick to enjoy “normal” life at home.

Symptoms may include:
Melancholy + daydreaming
Nonstop storytelling + “one time at camp…”
Using camp lingo the rest of the family doesn’t understand
Attempts to recreate camp routines, chants, and inside jokes at home

Here are a few things you can do to replicate her Woodland experience during the transition from camp to home:

Limit Screen Time – Yes, she will want her iPhone or iPad back – and that’s okay. But remember, she went 4-6 weeks without screens, and survived (maybe even thrived!). Try to keep some of that screen-free magic alive.

(Gently) Remind Her to Make Her Bed – She did it every day at camp – no complaints. She’s actually good at it! (And hey, maybe she’ll even make yours … just kidding. Probably not happening.)

Let Her Sing At The Table – There is nothing that beats the energy of the lodge after dinner – the cheers, the songs, the banging on tables. It’s pure fun. Don’t be surprised if she brings a little of that spirit to your dining room table (and maybe teach you a few songs in the process!).

Print Out Photos From Camp So That Her “Bunk” Looks Familiar – You sent her to camp with pictures of home. Now flip the script – print out camp photos for her room so it feels like her bunk. All those photos you’ve been scrolling all summer? Time to bring them to life!

Keep the Camp Mail Coming – Best cure for campsickness? Mail from a camp friend. Encourage your camper to keep up the tradition of letter writing with their bunk besties (a friendship list of addresses was included in her memory folder).

Tie Dye Extravaganza – Nothing says camp like tie dye!  Let her rock what she made at camp. Or better yet, set up a craft session at home and have her make something for you!

A Little Canteen Goes A Long Way – S’mores, some candy, or a sweet frozen treat every once in awhile is a little nod to camp that will be appreciated those first few weeks of being home.

Give Her S P A C E – It’s not you … it’s her. She just had a taste of independence and now she’s back under your roof. Adjustment takes time (for both of you!). Let the stories, emotions, and memories come out at their own pace.

Sign Up for Next Summer – Don’t miss Woodland’s early enrollment discount when signing up for 6 weeks by August 31st!