Camp Woodland Blog

Now that the holiday season is upon us (as indicated by the long lines at the post office and popular shopping spots!), many of us have plans to spend time with family and friends in the upcoming weeks. For some, this may be the one of the few times when an entire family (or close to it) is able to get together, a family reunion of sorts.  We do the same thing ourselves when Woodland/TP campers and staff come together on a Saturday in November for an afternoon with camp friends in the Chicago area.

Just like the excitement for the holidays has been building up for several weeks now in anticipation of being with family and friends, the excitement for meeting at Jeff and Jenny’s house also ramped up as campers and staff made plans to spend a few hours together at the annual reunion the weekend before Thanksgiving.  We even have a few die-hard camp friends among us who make the trip to Chicago from Wisconsin, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana.  It is also fun to see alumni come back who weren’t at camp during the most recent summer!

The video from the summer of 2018 was shown, scrapbooks containing numerous camp photos were passed around, stories from the past summer were retold, school year events were shared, and plans for next year were made to DO WHAT WE LOVE AT CAMP (and of course, all of this is accompanied by an assortment of yummy snacks!).  And, yes, this annual event was one giant family reunion!

As always, it was fun to catch up with everyone, and in case you missed it, here are the highlights!  Campers shared 1) their favorite thing about school this year, 2) what they like to do when not in school, and 3) something learned at Woodland that has been helpful at home or school:

Heidi: 1) rock-climbing, 2) cheerleading, 3) doing the fun arts & crafts at home that I learned

Lilah: 1) reading, 2) horseback riding, 3) I have learned to lead

Lou: 1) math, 2) volleyball, 3) I have learned to lead and stay focused on things

Delia: 1) meeting new people and having more classes and teachers, 2) basketball and tennis, 3) to make the most of every moment and situation and to live in the moment

Sofia B: 1) meeting and seeing my friends, 2) volleyball, 3) not to always be on my phone!

Riley: 1) Spanish & math class, hanging out with friends, 2) basketball, 3) talking and getting to know people has been really helpful

Molly S: 1) hanging out with my friends, 2) basketball, 3) I learned to talk to more people

Molly K: 1) meeting new people and making friends, 2) cross country and tennis, 3) getting out of my comfort zone to try new things

Tori: 1) orchestra, 2) orchestra and violin trio, 3) feeling confident to not always go with the crowd

Bunny: 1) meeting new friends, 2) swimming & skiing, 3) how to be independent

Lauren: 1) making new friends and joining new sports activities, 2) travel softball, ski/snowboarding club, track & field, volleyball, 3) to be a team player and make everyone feel included

Dani: 1) ceramics class, 2) mock trial and we are trying to go to state this year, 3) to be more positive

Libby: 1) meeting new people, 2) horseback riding, 3) how to be a team player

Amelia D: 1) meeting new people, 2) horseback riding, 3) communication skills and working with other people

Abbey: 1) sleeping in math class, 2) working and doing homework, 3) patience

Izzi: 1) clubs & sports, 2) field hockey, and 3) being a CIT and learning leadership skills

Irene: 1) English, 2) basket weaving, and 3) cleaning my room

Kelly: 1) new friends, 2) swimming & soccer, 3) leadership

Molly J: 1) meeting new friends, 2) horseback riding, 3) how to be a leader

Cayley: 1) anatomy & drawing class, 2) volleyball, 3) the importance of developing strong friendships and support system

Amelia K: 1) I like my classes and making new friends, 2) cross country and various clubs, 3) treat others the way you want to be treated

Jae: 1) math, 2) ice-skating and music, 3) self-discipline

Sam: 1) looking forward to camp & seeing friends from camp, 2) watch co-ed show DVD, look through camp pictures, and plan events with camp friends, 3) patience, leadership, social skills

p.s. Don’t worry if you weren’t able to join us for the Chicago reunion, starting in January, we will be visiting camp families around the US and bringing the reunion to YOU!