Campers Archives - Page 24 of 28

Camp Runoia and Strong Women

Posted on March 18, 2015October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

Strong Women

This has been a summer of strong women. And strong young ladies, too, growing up and into strong Runoia women to be reckoned with.

Strong Runoia women who can cross an ocean and a language barrier to sing absurd songs that wouldn’t make sense even with ten translators. To make friends with girls whom they may never see again but whose lasting impression are faces made into a camera lens or peculiar slang phrases or dance moves learned that will impress people back home.

Strong Runoia women that can chance a return to their camp home, knowing how much they’ve changed in a year or three years or seven years since being here last and still walk bravely through the Runoia gates, on time for their date with fate.

Strong Runoia women who after seemingly endless days of rain and clouds can be with each other and still manage to cast and reflect enough inner sunshine to light up their whole cabin for the… tenth day straight.

Strong Runoia women that can make magic with the most minimal of props – turning a boa into the base of a winning Miss Tacky Runoia costume, a deck of cards into a full-fledged casino, a small garden gnome into a summer’s worth of amusement.

Strong Runoia women that may complain when the shack pix are always in use and seating on the dining hall benches is snug, but can only truly rest easy when all of their cabin-mates are sleeping in rooms beside them, returned from Fairy Ring, Oak Island, Gulf Hagas and the most strenuous of “out-of-camp trip” locations… The Loft.

Strong Runoia women that can turn any moment into song and re-imagine any song for the perfect moment. Bonus points for performing said song costumed and in front of the entire camp.

Strong Runoia women that can enter the fold and begin to gather Great Pond memories and experiences while sharing their own knowledge of the Great World Outside Runoia (GWOR for short)… Bonus points for making said memories or experiences while costumed and in front of the entire camp.

Strong Runoia women who have seen enough to know all, yet can still accept that a new camp tradition can be begun at any moment because in fact, all of the most special ones we share were once new too.

Strong Runoia women that can carry forth all these very most important traditions while allowing camp to grow and change and flex with the years. Who knew that each strong women that comes through the gates is a new vessel for the continuation of those traditions while also being a catalyst for equally essential change and freshness.

This Log is dedicated to all the strong Runoia women and young women of 2009.. and of course, the men that are strong enough to them here.

Carrie Murphey, one of the new ones

Dedication to the 2009 Camp Runoia Log by Carrie Murphey

Camp is…many cultures: Sailing and Hungary!

Posted on March 10, 2015October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

A Hungarian Sailor at Camp Runoia

As a 20-years-old Hungarian girl it was quite a big deal for me last year when I decided to apply for a summer camp counselor program at Camp Leaders to work and travel in the U.S.

So on June 17^th 2014 the biggest adventure in my life had started. I was really excited when I said goodbye to my parents at the airport but surprisingly not scared at all. I was facing a 10-hour flight from Budapest to Boston and when I arrived at camp I’d been awake for almost 24 hours. Fortunately a ready-to-sleep bed was waiting for me at camp.

I had expected that I will learn thousands of new things during the summer: food, animals, games, songs, places, language, traditions, rules, different cultures and many new people. And my expectations weren’t false – I had widened my perspective in many ways.

Hungary is a really small country in Europe – only about 36,000 sq miles so as the State of Maine. Now you can imagine how unbelievably huge is the U.S. for me that I only realized first during my one month travels after camp.

I have learned Runoia terms like EP, QP, Mahadin, Lodge, Gaga, green machine, CIT etc. I had the opportunity to join flag raisings, hear loons at night, celebrate 4^th of July, sit on a yellow school bus, eat Gifford’s ice cream and dirt pudding, and sing all the Runoia songs at campfire while eating marshmallows. And of course I was able to teach my favorite activity, sailing for the kids.

I’m really grateful for that summer at Runoia where I’ve met a lot of wonderful people who I am able to see again hopefully in a few months for the summer of 2015.

Laura Meszaros, from Hungary, lived in junior end and taught sailing in 2014.

Laura Meszaros, Runoia Staff

Encourage in Four Words

Posted on March 2, 2015October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

Today’s trending topic on Twitter is #EncourageEveryoneIn4Words or in four words: Encourage in Four Words. With a definition of “Offer up a few words (four to be exact) to give your friends a little extra boost.”

We can think of a lot of ways camp gives people an extra boost but here is one of our favorites:

And a timeless award winning four word bit of happiness:

But when you think about it, if we thought of camp itself in these sound bites, what would be say:

Camp Gives Children Lifeskills

Campers Make Great People (substitute: Workers, Parents, Partners, Co-Workers, Citizens, Businesswomen, Scientists, Thinkers – the list goes on and on).

Encourage everyone in four words is a fun way to start the week. We are big fans that something so small has to do with encouragement. We also know that leads to people being clever and funny and silly and smart and taking it all to another level. We like that, too! Why not?

The bigger question we leave you with is “what four words would you use to encourage?”

Have Fun With It!

A journey to camp

Posted on February 22, 2015October 18, 2016 by Alex

Is it a torch or a flashlight?

Perhaps the greatest adventure of my life was my first trip to the US. I had just finished my second year of college and having spent the previous summer living back at home and working retail full time had I was in search of a different opportunity. Luckily my college was a big early proponent of ‘abroad’ experiences and the being a ‘camp counselor at American summer camp’ was a popular choice for sports science majors.

I have vivid memories of the planning, packing and journey. Remember this was back in the dark ages before the internet so I had little clue what the place looked like and had honestly never heard of Maine! My entire knowledge of American culture had been absorbed from the limited US TV shows on British television. It was likely some combination of ‘Fame’ and ‘Starskey and Hutch’! This was also before the time of the super Walmart and I thought I needed to pack every item I could possibly need for the next 3 months in my human sized backpack it never dawned on me I could shop when I got there!

I was giddy with enthusiasm, met a random girl who was working at the same camp at the airport and headed out into the wide blue yonder.

What a trip it has been! While I have traveled to many countries and had many experiences that trip to the US was truly a life changer.

Now over 20 years later summer camp has become my career, the journey has taken many twists and turns and I have met so many amazing and interesting people along the way. I could never have imagined that I would have ended up living and raising my children in Maine.

Having the courage to take the first step of the journey can lead you to places you never imagined. Be daring and go for it.

Camp is….adventure and trips

Posted on February 10, 2015October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

From our Director of Trips:

Hello everyone!

I hope this post finds you all well and enjoying 2015 thus far. Let me introduce myself quickly: My name is Anna and I am returning to Runoia for my fourth summer on the shores of Great Pond, taking on my first summer as director of the wilderness trip program.

My family has a long history at Runoia (some of you may remember my mom, Connie Burton, from her time at camp) and I am excited to continue that tradition. I grew up listening to my mom’s Runoia stories. One of my favorites is one when she convinced a camper to jump into the cold lake water by telling her that the heater had been turned on just for her and that the water was actually warm! I also loved hearing about the week long canoe trips that she lead while working at camp, and it means a lot to have the opportunity to plan and lead trips in some of the same lakes that she paddled in so many years ago.

CHEERS! Great food, Great fun, great friends on trail

In between my time in California and moving to Wyoming I’ve been busy working with Pam, Alex, and Abby to get ready for this summer’s overnight trips. We’ve been chatting about program changes, working out the schedule, and researching gear. I’ll make reservations in the next few weeks and the pieces of the puzzle will continue to fall into place.

Since I will have more time in camp this upcoming season I’ve been designing some new activities for camp craft to teach skills that the girls can then transfer to their time on trail. My ideas range from bumping up the Leave No Trace lessons, to introducing various backcountry-baking techniques, Frisbee orienteering, and figuring out a way to teach astronomy during the day.

While there are lots of adventures coming up for me in the next couple weeks, I’ll continue prepping for next summer. I’m already looking forward to paddling around Great Pond and spending another summer full of fine Maine days.

Dogs at Camp!

Posted on February 5, 2015October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

Dogs Dogs Dogs

This just in! Puppy alert!! Abby B. just brought this little guy into her family:

Mitchell - Enough said! — Gulliver – Enough said!

Here’s a link to Gulliver meeting Jake in the office. Play doggies play!

Loving and playing with dogs is part of many camp directors’ lives. Most camps have a dog at camp. Some hospitals and senior homes have dogs or other pets for healing and calming purposes. Our Runoia pack of dogs do provide therapeutic peace and calm to most people (once you get over the initial doggy enthusiasm).

Campers like to walk a camp dog in their free time. Others just love to hug our very huggable eight year old black lab, Cody. You’ll find a camper sitting with Katahdin on Abby’s Cottage porch or running up to pet Jake on his afternoon walk in camp. Many of our Runoia alumnae grew up with Coco at camp in the 1970s. Years ago, one camper, got over her fear of dogs by slowly warming up to our old pooch, Lily. She eventually was walking Lily on a leash and petting Lily and looking for Lily in her free time. To this day she says her exposure to the Runoia dogs was a big part of her healing her phobia. So dog-therapy sure does happen, albeit inadvertently, at summer camp.

Alex’s family fosters dogs whenever they can. Alex is wise enough not to foster dogs in the summer when she knows she is too busy at camp to give the dog the time the dog deserves.

Kyleigh and Chris’ two dogs will join us this summer, Juno and Ricky. Can you find Ricky in this picture?

Today I read an alumnae connection blog about loving his dog. Read Micheal’s blog here: http://www.woodswalkeronline.com/ As you know, dogs are a huge part of family culture not only in the United States but around the globe.

Adopting or rescuing a dog is a great gift to canine world. Maybe you will consider an adoption or foster care for a dog in the new year? https://www.petfinder.com/animal-shelters-and-rescues/fostering-dogs/best-dog-foster-care/ We encourage you to take the time to figure out if you can fit a dog into your daily/weekly routine, if you can afford the cost of a dog and get your family on board with sharing the responsibility of caring for a dog.

Here’s to enjoying your dog, someone else’s dog, to camp dogs and to helping the dogs around the world have a great start to the new year!

Camp is….about family

Posted on February 3, 2015October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

Runoia Blog

Hi, my name is Phoebe. I’m eleven, and I was in second shack last year. I think that one of the reasons that Runoia is such a great place to be, is because everyone there is like family. Everybody is so nice no matter what. Currently, my cousin, Erin, is a counselor and it was just my sister’s last year as a camper. I also had a cousin, Megan who went to camp too. Although I have some real family there, I also have all of my friends who seem just like sisters to me.

Another great thing about camp is that it doesn’t matter if you are way older than your best friend or way younger than her either. Camp is like a whole other world where everybody is super nice.

Now last but not least, the counselors at camp make everything super fun. All of the activities would not be the same without them. In the shack, they are always there to comfort you if you get homesick, and out of the shack, they are always willing to help you try new things and achieve your goals.

To sum it everything at camp comes down to being a great community. It is pretty much just one big happy family

Got snow?

Posted on January 28, 2015October 18, 2016 by Alex

If you live in Maine or really anywhere in the north east you have to develop your relationship with the weather, particularly with snow. The cold is manageable; you can wrap up in layers, crank up the heat and stay indoors pretending you are living in the Caribbean. Snow is a whole other ball game (speaking of which there is a big game this weekend that we assume 90% of our camp community will be watching!). You think that you are ready for it get your snow tires on, pack a blanket and shovel in the car and clear your decks of anything likely to get buried but then it still catches you by surprise.

As we dig out from this 2 foot monster blizzard I am reminded of a couple of things:

The terrifying sound of plows waking you from your slumbers in the middle of the night actually means there is some hope you can get out of your driveway in the morning! Awful driving conditions result in bonus days off school and work to have fun family time. Shoveling is an endless task, children may appear to be good shovelers but are easily distracted by large piles of snow to be jumped in. Chickens hate snow!

Once the shoveling is done and multiple hot cocoa’s drunk there is time to enjoy the quiet beauty, a ski or snowshoe across the field checking out animal prints or time to reflect by the fire with a good book.

Life in Maine – it’s a good one!

Snow limerick

A blizzard in Maine is so fun!

It piles up fast by the ton.

With drifts up the door,

Your back will be sore

By the time all the shoveling is done!

The bus!

Posted on January 22, 2015October 18, 2016 by Alex

Reflections on the not so magic school bus

My kids stopped riding the school bus this year. We live in a small, rural community only about 4 minutes on the same road from their school. It dawned on me that while riding the bus is the norm and was certainly convenient it did not have any benefits and perhaps was actually having a detrimental impact on all of us. A change in routine with me driving them has significantly reduced stress in our lives and has strengthened not only our relationships as a family but also our connections within our community.

The bonuses are many: I get to build social relations with the other parents picking up ‘walkers’ at school, I see some of the teachers in the halls and can stop to catch up for a minute or two, if it’s good weather we hang out playing outside school with friends, my kids talk to me and each other on the ride there and back so I find out way more than I did when they were on the bus, we also have more time for fun and stress free homework before heading off to activities.

While driving I have paused to noticed the number of parents on our route that sit in their cars for sometimes 20 minutes or more waiting for the bus when they could drive up to school and get their kids. It is interesting that we become so conditioned to do something a particular way that we never look at it from a different perspective or question the ‘why’.

I know there are many reasons why riding the bus is a good thing for kids and I am not arguing the for or against but more the concept that sometimes taking a step back, questioning or doing simple everyday things differently can have unexpected results.

There are many things that we do in life with little thought or intentionality. Mix it up, try doing something differently or at least pausing for a moment of thought about why you are doing it the way that you are!

Nervous about camp?

Posted on January 14, 2015October 18, 2016 by Alex

Normal Nervousness About Going Away to Camp

This time of year we hear from families – mostly new families but some returning families as well – about their daughter being nervous about going away to camp this summer.

We have some ideas to help you out and so do the experts. This article gives you some ideas on supporting your nervous camper: How to handle summer camp anxiety

While validating her concerns is a good idea, it’s also okay to acknowledge her concerns and redirect her from focusing too much on summer camp right now. It is a long ways till summer and your daughter will have a lot of life experiences in the next 6 months. She will mature and grow helping her with the idea of being away. In the spring some of the tips suggested in the above article will help.

Here’s one of our favorite camp psychologist, Dr. Christopher Thurber’s ideas of how to help your child adjust to the idea of camp: Click Here

Or, for a quick look right now, here are some of our ideas:

Get your daughter involved in the packing process and buying a few new things for camp will engage her
Share that it is okay to be nervous and it is a normal feeling, tell her about times you’ve been nervous to do something and how you coped
Let her know you want to help her and together you will come up with a plan
Practice with sleepovers and weekends at grandparents’ home helps
Address specific questions she has will help reduce her uncertainty,
Look at our video and interacting with the camp map will get her involved
View our YouTube videos and if you use Facebook, checking out our posts and pictures are good ways to see the fun parts of camp.

Are you feeling a little anxious too? Check out Dr. Michael Thompson’s book, Homesick and Happy – How Time Away From Parents Can Help a Child Grow.

We look forward to a super 2015 season with your daughter. Let us know if you need a little extra support, we would be happy to help!