Camp Woodland Blog
Camp Woodland Blog is Back!
Hello Parents, Staff, Campers, and Alumni!
I know all of you have been wondering, “when are we going to get another post about camp”? Wait no longer, because we are in full blog mode! This winter we are going to send you updates about:
- Cool things your camper’s friends are doing
- Returning counselor announcements and what they are up to these days
- Updates from our favorite directors
- When the Jordan Family will be in your neighborhood!
- New camp stuff 2013!
- And much, much more!
Don’t forget to remind your daughter about the “Where in the World” Contest. Send in a creative picture of your daughter in her favorite Camp Woodland wear, and she could win ipod speakers. We have extended the deadline to January 2, 2013 and winners will be announced shortly after. Good luck!
Please email all entries to: campwoodlandtp@gmail.com
Check it out , a few entries have already been posted on our new Camp Woodland Pinterest site!
We would love to hear what your family has been doing this winter. Please email us an update with photo at campwoodlandtp@gmail.com
Camp Woodland Closing Banquet
Last night we had our very special closing banquet at Camp Woodland. The girls take banquet very seriously. They dress up in their best dress, comb their hair, and wear the cutest accessories. They want to take pictures with everyone looking and feeling their best.
Once they have finished their photo shoot they are greeted with beautifully set tables, evening programs, and a wonderful meal of fresh fruit cups, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and green peas. To top off the amazing meal presented by our amazing Chef Dan is Ice cream sundaes with chocolate syrup, whip cream, and a cherry on top.
Then the real presentation begins……AWARDS presentation!! The girls find out about all the levels they passed in each activity and any special awards they earned due to being a leader, outgoing, or perserverance they showed during the summer. The campers also toast the counselors for all of their hard work as well…….
This is where I have to cut this blog entry short. The closing banquet is very special to the campers, counselors, and staff and I am sworn to keep the rest of the secrets of banquet. You will have to ask your campers all about their amazing night. Take a moment to look at their memory folders displaying al of their summer achievements and awards.
Ode to the Counselor – in – Training
You may hear of them often during the summer. They are not entirely a camper but not yet a counselor. Yes, we are talking about the wonderful, dutiful, Counselors-in-training otherwise known as the CITS. The CITs have a very important job: learning what is to be a counselor and still have fun being a camper. The girls took their job very seriously this summer. The got to assist a class during the day, help out in the office, help little girls water ski, hand out canteen at the beach, and write about the day’s events in the Officer of the day log. Check out Alex’s very creative log entry – She raps about her day:
The CITS also get to be the stars of the much anticipated Co-ed show!!! The Co-ed show is a mix between a musical and variety show describing the funny events of the summer at both Woodland and Towering Pines. The boy and girl CITs get together over a course of 2.5 weeks during the evenings to practice singing, dance moves, and their lines. This year’s Co-ed show theme was “That Camp Show.” Opening was Thursday night and the CITs were hamming it up as usual. The Co-Ed show started out with the theme song from “That 70’s show” called Hello, Wisconsin! The rest of the show was funny, witty, with a lot of great songs that tied the whole show together. At the end of the show we had a slide show of all the best pictures of the summer at both camps. The kids love seeing themselves in their glory and it also signifies an end to another wonderful summer in the Northwoods.
Parents, this show should not be missed. The next Co-Ed show performance will this Saturday night at 7:30pm at the Towering Pines Rec. Hall.
Birthdays at Camp Woodland Are Really Special!
As the last week of camp winds downs, I start thinking about all the magical memories during camp. I have to admit my favorite camp memory this summer was all the summer birthdays we got to celebrate. There were over 9 birthdays and each one of them was so very special. I have to believe that a returning camper only hopes they will have a cabin mate with a summer birthday (If they don’t have a birthday themselves).
What makes camp birthdays so special is by all the attention they receive on their special day. The camper’s birthday is announced at morning assembly, and the whole camp sings Happy Birthday while the birthday girl runs around the circle. Depending on the summer, the birthday girl may get a birthday badge to wear or a funny birthday hat with candles on top. This summer we had a birthday cake statue that we put on the birthday girl’s table. When the girls sit at the table, the motion sensor goes off and the birthday song starts playing. The girls find it hysterical!
After evening activity, the birthday girl and her entire cabin enjoy a birthday party. At Camp Woodland we make them a traditional angel food cake with a sparkler for a candle! It is probably one of the most traditional things I love about camp!
This summer was very special for my daughter, Maddie. Maddie got to celebrate her very first birthday at camp! Looking back I never dreamed that I would have a daughter at camp during her first year of life! JoAnne kept asking me if Maddie’s birthday was special and my response was, Maddie thinks everyday at camp is special. She is adored by all, learning new things every day, and feeling so loved! If I get my way, Maddie will get to celebrate her birthday every summer at camp!
The Wonders of Nature
(posted by Kim Wenzl Aycock)
While sitting at Inspiration Hour a few weeks ago on a Sunday morning, JoAnne had the campers look up from their cozy spot on Vesper Hill to glance at the clear blue sky, the sun peeking through the trees, and the fluttering of leaves at the tips of the branches reaching up as far as one could see. I was so glad that she stopped us for a moment to view the unbelievable beauty that abounds all around at Camp Woodland and that most of us often take for granted.
Below is a picture of a HUGE mushroom that is growing from a tree right in front of Silver Birch cabin. Had Chet, Woodland’s handyman extraordinaire, not pointed it out to me, it most likely would have gone unnoticed, even though I walked right by it on a daily basis. This picture was taken over a week ago, so I wonder how big it is now?! (You will have to take a look for yourself when you pick up your daughter(s) this coming weekend!)
You will also want to listen for the loons calling to one another on the lake; they can be heard every night and have been known to make appearances at other times during the day as well. Hopefully, you will get to see the pair of eagles who like to soar right above camp and fish for their dinner in our very own Sand Lake! You might even catch a glimpse of a deer or two as you drive down the Woodland Road.
Nature was the theme for evening activities during the 4th and 5th weeks of camp, and the girls had the opportunity to rotate through four stations including fishing, visiting the bog, taking a hike through the Climax Forest, and walking into the Moss Garden at Towering Pines. Each rotation was an experience unto itself, but the novelty of the Moss Garden was a highlight. Campers walked about 20 minutes and then came upon what they described as “blankets and sheets” of moss. They were actually able to lie down on this “bed” and were pleasantly surprised that it was more comfortable than being in their own bed at home!
Nature was the theme for evening activities during the 4th and 5th weeks of camp, and the girls had the opportunity to rotate through four stations including fishing, visiting the bog, taking a hike through the Climax Forest, and walking into the Moss Garden at Towering Pines. Each rotation was an experience unto itself, but the novelty of the Moss Garden was a highlight. Campers walked about 20 minutes and then came upon what they described as “blankets and sheets” of moss. They were actually able to lie down on this “bed” and were pleasantly surprised that it was more comfortable than being in their own bed at home!
As campers return home and go back to the hustle and bustle of the urban environment, camp is only a memory away…all it takes is a moment to stop and look…and find one of nature’s many wonderful gifts and a reminder of Woodland!