Category: Campers

You can’t change the weather at Camp Runoia

Posted on by Alex

It’s been over 90 degrees in Maine for the past few days and the same people who a couple of months ago were complaining about the cold are now saying it’s ‘too hot’! One thing we can’t control is the weather but we can chose our clothing carefully and plan activities that best suit it.  Today was perfect for a dip in the lake and yes we did have a really great ski season this past winter.

Making the best of any give situation and figuring out solutions to the problems it may expose us to is a real life skill.  We value challenges at Camp Runoia as they help us to learn and grow.   While camp is certainly utopian it isn’t perfect and we wouldn’t want it to be.  Being away from home and being allowed to make choices and decisions and having to deal with everyday events is as much a part of the camp experience as s’mores around the campfire.

Campers quickly learn how to navigate the schedule, make the most of the opportunities at any given time and speak up if their needs are not being met.  Allowing girls to occasionally be dissatisfied, to not always get their first choice and to only have one serving of desert build coping and resiliencey skills.

Runoia campers love a challenge.

Running through puddles barefoot on a rainy day, watching the power of a storm speed across the lake from the safety of the boathouse or getting a quick dip before bed on a steamy night are all experiences that add to the camp magic.  Scheduled days are filled with organized activities and also free time for spontaneous fun.

We can manage many things at camp but we can’t manage the weather or slow down time.  We make the most out of every minute, maximize our opportunities and enjoy the time with our friends.

Our morning pledge at assembly.

For those parents who just cant resist knowing what’s going on at camp with the weather, rest assured, we have plenty of tricks up our sleeve for making everyday a ‘fine Maine day.’

Sleep-away camp provides a myriad of opportunities for growth whatever the weather.

My Insatiable Thirst for all Things Adventure – Thanks Runoia

Posted on by Pam Cobb

I’m writing this blog from my holiday apartment in Tokyo, Japan. Yeah, I just said Japan. I have Runoia to thank for my insatiable thirst for all things adventure and travel. I have my 7th shack girls to thank for making me cry with laughter at the earliest hours of the morning, and making me feel at home while home is 3000 miles away in Ireland. I have my ski instructor partner, Hayden, to thank for the laughs, the life-long friendship, and rough days on the Osprey when the weather wasn’t so kind to us. Runoia means everything to me, most notably, the beautiful, kind-hearted people I get to work alongside everyday during the summer.

I often get asked why I choose to work at a summer camp with such young children, and I am told time and time again that it comes with such big responsibilities. The reason I tell them is that children and young teenagers are amongst the most engaging and most intriguing humans one can work with, or at least I think so. The children’s different backgrounds and personalities create challenges that can only be met with determination and creativity. I think it is these challenges that make working with and for children and young people incredibly rewarding. The idea of giving a child access to a new skill or hobby is the aspect that I enjoy most about working with young children and teenagers.

Working with the kids at Runoia allows me to encourage their growth and development in all areas. I feel a huge sense of pride when I see them excel in things they couldn’t do before and I feel happy when I know that I had something to do with that. Everyday is a new experience at Runoia. Four different girls hop on the Osprey for a water-skiing lesson four-five times a day and I must learn their individual needs and how best to teach them. Every girl is different and unique and they bring their own needs and expectations, which is something I love to cater for in my lessons. Their enthusiasm creates the belief that anything is possible, and that they can drop their ski or slalom start. Their creativity is encouraged and there are no limits to what can be achieved in a lesson that I teach. Each day at Runoia presents a new challenge that allows me to learn more about the environment and people that I work with. At times, the work can be frustrating, when a child doesn’t succeed in getting up on skis, not frustrating for me, but a feeling for the child, and then it is fantastically rewarding after watching a girl try all summer and finally succeed. I have to say that it is never boring.

I love doing what I do and particularly passing on my knowledge about water-skiing. The idea is to learn, work on your skills and have fun. It’s not just about what the girls can learn, but what I can also learn from them. I can’t wait to return and do what I love for Summer ‘17!

Karen Long

 

 

 

Tag up time at Camp Runoia -independent decision making

Posted on by Alex

It is almost time for Camp Runoia on Great Pond in Belgrade Lakes, Maine to open for its 111th season.

As a camp where girls are encouraged to be themselves and grow as individuals one of the greatest legacies that our Runoia founders left us was that of camper led decision making.  From the time Camp Runoia was founded girls and young women have had choices.  Morning ‘tag up’ after breakfast has become a staple of how girls make decisions and plan their own days at camp.  With around twenty different activity choices for each period there is something that appeals to everyone.  Check out the choices!

In a world where many of our campers are in very academic school programs and spend their after school time running from one pre-scheduled activity to another ‘tagging up’ allows for freedom and individuality of choice.  As parents of toddlers we are coached on giving choices to develop independent behavior but as children get older their decision making autonomy decreases.

There are no parents involved in how girls make choices at Runoia.  The great news is that you don’t have to commit for a semester or a 10 week block and if you like something you can do more of it or if you don’t like it all that much you can choose something different next time.  Youth involved decision making is a building block for developing life skills.

When girls make their own activity choices at camp or chose what they would like to do in their free time they can focus on themselves and their own needs and wants at that given moment.  While some girls come to camp with a master plan for their choices others enjoy a more flexible schedule and choose based on their goals, their mood that day or even the weather.  For some the challenge of choosing may initially be overwhelming, for others the days are too short to fit in everything that they want to try or work on. There is no right or wrong way to ‘tag up’ it’s just your own way!

Every camper has her own individual schedule that changes daily.

However a Camp Runoia girl makes her choices she is supported by caring adults who provide encouragement.  Campers are reminded to set and aim for goals,  try new things, stick with projects that need finishing, be an independent thinker and of course maximize the opportunities that camp provides.

In our over scheduled, busy lives, ‘tag up’ provides structured freedom of decision making in a safe place.

Preparations and anticipation at Camp Runoia

Posted on by Alex

The weeks leading up to the summer camp season are always a little frantic.  May is a month full of preparation and anticipation.  A whole years’ worth of work is rapidly coming to fruition.  The result will be the June arrival of staff and campers to the shores of Great Pond for their amazing summer camp season.  What was once just a concept is rapidly becoming a reality. Preparations for the 2017 summer sleep away camp season are definitely in full swing here at Camp Runoia.

There is the sudden leap into spring here in Maine which generates plenty of outdoor work.  There are sticks that need picking up, grass that needs mowing, flowers that need planting, docks to put in, a beach that requires raking and a myriad of other tasks that need doing right now!  Cleaning up the winter detritus and getting our campus looking beautiful is a high priority.  The longer days allow for more outdoor work and are a great distraction from the office!

I think Camp Runoia probably has it’s own UPS warehouse!

 

The UPS truck is a regular visitor to the Camp Runoia office with daily drops of packages filled with the needed supplies to make the camp program run smoothly.  Soon the food service trucks will be rolling in as we get our kitchen opened up and fully stocked and let’s not forget the oil truck and maybe even the septic guy getting their jobs done before camp opens.

 

At this time of year the names on the shack and staff lists take on more personality as we learn more about our girls and counselors and their hopes and dreams for their summer.  Parents are sharing medical information, travel plans, concerns and excitement for the sleep-away experience.  Staff are making travel plans, getting certifications completed and wrapping up their home lives to free up their summer so that they can be completely present at camp.  Penpal letters will be going out soon so that new campers will feel a stronger connection to their new summer family.

The phone never seems to stop ringing, it’s either the leadership team calling to run something by each other, a parent calling to check on the status of their forms or share a concern or maybe a local young person calling about a kitchen job.  We love talking to people and sharing our excitement for the opening of camp.  New parents read here – the ACA has lot of great articles to help you mentally and physically prepare for your daughters first sleep away camp experience.

We love that our days are filled to the brim and each brings us one step closer to the moment we are looking forward to the most.  When we pass through the Runoia gate and get to be ‘home’ for the summer in the place that we all adore surrounded by a community that supports and sustains each and every member.

Bring it on summer of 2017 we will be ready!

Passing through the Runoia gate into the summer of a lifetime!

 

What Will You Read This Summer?!

Posted on by Pam Cobb

My childhood friend, who has been living abroad with her family for the past 24 years,  recently returned to live in Atlanta, Georgia. I recently reconnected with her and we visited a classic bookstore in St. Pete together.

Each year we add new books to our library and although we try to read them all before we shelf them, sometimes we rely on the expertise of others to determine if it’s a good book for Camp Runoia. Little did I know, I hit the JACKPOT with Ann.

I discovered she had gotten her masters in Library Science while living in Cairo and when she moved to Phnom Penh, she was a librarian in the American School. So, I picked her brain about suggestions of books with female protagonists for the Runoia library.

My to my delight, after our visit she sent me a catalogue of suggested titles with genre, summary and review by Ann. WOW!

Weeks have gone by since I’ve seen Ann and this past week, she emails me out of the blue to say she was so inspired by our night time reading aloud in cabins at bed time, our lending library and our word of the day at assembly that she has been on a mission to bring us books. She has been perusing yard sales in her neighborhood and has collected almost 100 quality books for the Runoia library! She asked if she could drop them off when she is in NE in June. A resounding YES was the answer.
At Runoia, we celebrate reading. It might sound funny that that’s a thing at camp but between Rest Hour reading, reading out loud at bed time and reading by flashlight, summer reading and reading for joy, campers and counselors read an extraordinary amount of books each summer at Runoia. Our typical count is around 7-800 books a summer. And yes, we do count!

We also have a book club each summer. Our Assistant Director, Barb St. Peter, will be selecting and announcing the book this month. Barb runs the club which meets a few times during the session to discuss the book.

Reading as a pastime, for relaxation, for knowledge, discovery or curiosity is a life skill we value at Runoia. Plus is a lot of fun! What books will you bring to camp or take on vacation this summer? If you’re a camper reading this blog, get ready for a new section in the library from my friend, Ann!

Cultural exchange – camp provides a global perspective

Posted on by Alex

Castles and conversation

We spent April vacation across the Pond with my family in the UK.  It is always a great opportunity for my kids to spend time in the places where I grew up and to experience living in a completely different culture.  Though it is only for short while we embrace the immersion learning that it provides.  While we may speak the same language all be it with different accents and sometimes even vocabulary there is something distinctly British about being in the UK.  I have spent nearly as many years living in Maine as I spent growing up in England so a reminiscent return home always reminds me of the cultural differences that a common language cannot erase.  Our trip was filled with a wide variety of experiences from brick house and  castles to heritage tours with plenty of green fields and countryside in between.

The British Isles compacts a whole load of varied cultural experiences into one very small place.    On the flight from Dublin I was challenged to understand my Irish seat mates, my cousins are Scottish and we also traveled to Wales which while only a short car ride seemed like a whole new world.  Colloquialisms and variant vocabulary use kept my kids entertained and grilling their similarly aged cousins about ‘what do you call that?’

Welsh language on every sign.

At Camp Runoia we relish the opportunity to spend a few weeks living together and sharing our days with friends from around the country and the world.  Cultural diversity provides us all with an opportunity to connect with people from places which may be very different to our own home.  At Camp Runoia we typically hire a number of counselors from European countries who are part of the J1 visa ‘cultural exchange program’ the goal being for them to experience a traditional American summer camp while sharing their language, culture and traditions.

Sharing national anthems on the 4th of July at Camp Runoia.

Our campers come from a variety of countries outside of the US including traditionally Mexico, Spain and France and in more recent years even as far away as China and Vietnam. Bringing the world to camp helps broaden our vision, embrace new friends and then often gives us the opportunity and courage to expand our own horizons.  We will be camp friends for always no matter the geographic location or language barriers.

Jen’s Update on the Runoia Horses

Posted on by Pam Cobb

The Runoia horses heard that the chickens and guinea pigs were featured on the blog, and of course, they insisted on being highlighted as well. While most camps rent a herd of unknown horses each summer, at Runoia we own many of our horses, supplemented by a few leases from Dream Acres Equestrian Center, who return year after year.

After camp, most of our horses head back to college! Coco, who celebrated his 10th summer at camp last year, and Verano, who earned his 5 year blanket last summer, were at the University of New Hampshire this winter. Did you know you can take riding as a PE class in college? Coco & Verano, not only work in PE classes, but also show in Intercollegiate (IHSA) competitions with the UNH equestrian team. Additionally, UNH runs a therapeutic riding program for the community and both Coco & Verano are valued assets in that program. They will both participate in the New Hampshire special olympics on June 2nd before they head back to camp. We are proud to have such calm and safe horses in our program and to be able to share them with the kids in the special olympics program.

Johnson & Wales University Equine Center in Rehoboth, MA is the winter home to four of our Runoia horses. At JWU, our horses work in both hunter/jumper lessons with the IHSA team as well as dressage (IDA). Pablo will be back for his 5th summer in 2017. Avatar & Coastal, who were new to Runoia in 2016, will return as well this summer. We are also welcoming a new horse from JWU/Dream Acres, Vale, this summer. Vale is replacing Toby, who is taking it easy this summer. We hear great things about Vale and we are excited to welcome him to our herd.

Ditto and Rory got a reprieve from the New England snow and got to spend their winter in Virginia at the Liberty University Equestrian Center working in the IHSA lesson program. Ditto, back for his 4th summer, and Rory, on summer three, are both gentle giants who take great care with even the tiniest of riders. Dulce, who stables at the Runoia summer barn, has spent the winter in Florida at Fox Lea Farm and won Circuit Champion in the .75 meter Jumpers at the Venice Equestrian Tour.

Prince, who also returns for his 4th summer at Runoia, spent the fall with Jen in Indiana working in a lesson program. He is a favorite in the Interscholastic Equestrian (IEA) circuit known for his great manners and easy going nature. Joining the royal Runoia family is Duke. Natalie (Jen’s daughter) has been busy getting to know her new horse and he will join Jen and Natalie at Runoia this summer.

Flower, who was a wonderful pony in our program last summer, is retiring this spring. But don’t worry, we are leasing two new wonderful ponies, named Cricket & Dazzle. Both of these ponies come to us from Dream Acres and have been in lesson and show programs for years, so we know they will be wonderful ponies.

We hope our returning campers look forward to seeing their favorite horse back at Camp Runoia and we can’t wait to introduce our new campers to our wonderful horses and ponies. Just like you, our horses have been in school all winter long and they are excited for summer. They are well trained, safe, and ready to make 2017 the best summer ever!

Coco, Verano, Pablo, Avatar, Coastal, Vale, Ditto, Rory, Prince, Cricket, Dazzle, Duke and Dulce look forward to seeing you soon!

Maine hunts for spring

Posted on by Alex

Patience is apparently a virtue of which Mainers require an excessive amount.  Spring while allegedly here on the calendar has yet to truly arrive in person.

I write on a day when once again snowflakes are falling from the sky and the ground is still covered in a good amount of the white stuff.  The lakes are still frozen and while there are signs that spring is on the way it still seems like weeks until the grass will be green and the leaves are on the tress.

March came in and went out like a lion this year and it will be April snow showers that hopefully bring May or perhaps they will be June flowers.

 

While it would be easy to complain the general feeling is one of anticipation and even excitement.  There are pussy willows to be spotted along the sides of the roads.  Those days when the temperature’s get over 40 seem balmy and call for picnics on the porch and even shorts!  The days are longer and there are many more birds singing in the trees and geese flying back overhead this time on their way north.  Many a bet is being placed on when the ice will be out on local lakes and generally people are upbeat and hopeful for the new season ahead.

Ice on Great Pond, Belgrade Lakes ME

Every day at our house there is talk of camp.  How many weeks to go? Will the lake warm up quickly? When can we open up our camp house?  Who needs new uniform ordering? Is school almost over?

We cannot wait to see all of our Camp Runoia family and reconnect and embrace the new people that will be joining us.  One of the great things about spring in Maine is how quickly it turns into summer; we just have to make it through mud season first!

See you in June!

To the Runoia Gals: An Open from Your Teary-Eyed Counselor

Posted on by Pam Cobb

You Wonderful and Spectacular Ladies,

I never imagined how beautiful a shooting star could be when you’re sitting next to someone who has never seen one. I never knew how wonderfully exhausting a game of Gaga with a group of 8-year-olds could be (or how often they would beat me!). I never realized that it was possible to sing so much and so loudly that it would take eight weeks for my voice to return to normal, or laugh so hard that my stomach would ache for hours. When I packed my bags for my first summer at camp, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

When I came to you for that first summer, I considered myself pretty well cooked. I had it in mind that I, as the adult, was there to provide a life-altering, fun, and unforgettable experience for you. While that was and has always remained my primary goal, I now see that you amazing young ladies, with whom I was lucky enough to spend three unforgettable summers, have had a far greater impact on me than I could ever have imagined.

When you become a camp counselor you hear all about how much your campers will learn from you, for better or for worse. But what you don’t hear as often is how much you will learn from you.

You’ve taught me many things in my three summers at Runoia, more than I could count and definitely more than I could ever share with you. But I would like to try to share some. You taught me about the curative nature of a hug from four children at once. You showed me how important it is to laugh and have fun every time the opportunity presents itself. You taught me how to “whip and nay nay,” wobble, dougie, and do all sorts of things that would make me hip and with it! You helped me realize how rewarding it can be to share my love of the water, which I discovered as a child, with others. You showed me every day that we are all at our most beautiful when we are being ourselves and when we are happy. I saw, first hand, the transformative power of a summer with friends in an environment that encourages growth and fosters an undeniable feeling of complete and utter happiness.

The past three summers have been the most indescribably amazing part of my life. I cannot thank you girls enough for all that you have shared with me, or your parents for helping you become the unbelievable and inspiring young women that you are. Runoia gals, I will carry the lessons you have taught me throughout my entire life, and will remember you always.

Thank you for helping me become who I am today and I hope that somewhere along the way, I may have helped you.

With love,

Your Teary-Eyed Counselor

 

 

Runoia guinea pigs life after camp

Posted on by Alex

Cream Puff and Mount Skittlemore the Camp Runoia guinea pigs were feeling a little jealous that the chickens had their 15 seconds of fame on the Runoia blog so here is their moment of stardom.

Life outside of Camp Runoia is fairly entertaining for everyone’s favorite ‘farm’ pets.  They have a large cage in the living room (‘but mum it’s too cold in the mudroom’!) at the Bolduc-Jacksons so are generally the center of attention.  Most of their day is spent eating  – who knew that 2 such small creatures could eat so much!?  Breakfast is lettuce and leafy greens often with some strawberry tops thrown in, lunch is a delightful blend of guinea pig pellets and all day long the hay buffet is open.  There are always plenty of treats too, their favorites are fresh fruits and veggies but they will happily eat the commercial snacks.

A  change from the summer is that their winter bedding is made of fleece and old towels rather than sawdust and shavings.  It seems to keep them warmer and drier but still needs changing every couple of days.  It helps with waste reduction too as it can just be throw into the wash.

Did you know that we have an entire Runoia Pinterest board dedicated to interesting articles about guinea pig care.  There are even guinea pig birthday cake ideas for those dedicated cavy lovers.

The farm and garden program at Camp Runoia provides campers with the opportunity to experience animal care, grow organic food and learn about farm to table principles.  Many girls enjoy the responsibilities of growing things and taking care of the pets.  We hope that Camp Runoia campers will maximize all of the opportunities that activities at camp have to offer.  Getting to snuggle a guinea pig is certainly a perk.

Cream Puff and Mount Skittlemore look forward to seeing you all back at camp and getting lots of snuggles and snacks from the Runoia vegetable garden.