Category: Campers

And We’re Off!

Posted on by Pam Cobb

The Second Session of camp comes quickly and before we have time to lament the departure of our First Session #runoiagals, we are off and running again. This group always comes in with an eager pep in their step ready for camp. Some girls have been traveling or with family on summer vacationbut most have been counting down the days till camp. Before we share the news of this session, we’ll look back on the news from the end of First Session.

 We had lots of competition, final activities and personal bests. Blue White swim races, soccer, softball and kickball were all played. The Katahdin trip returned as did the Mooselookmeguntic canoeing trip. Ocho had lots of stories to share about the summit of Maine’s highest mountain (also the end of the Appalachian Trail) and canoeing in the wilderness of Maine. Sailors circumnavigated Oak Island a few times over the week and our endurance swimmers swam to Oak Island and back two mornings before the end of camp. A group of equestrians competed at Forest Acres and another was invited to Camp Vega for a Swim Meet.

Evenings were a time to reflect and celebrate this last week of camp. The classic “Ms. Tacky” Evening Program took place, our talent show showcasing many original acts and part two of “Mark Tank”, guitar, flute piano and ukes accompanied by songs, a few amazing dances and gymnastics routines and SV’s “It’s a Hard Knock Life” dance routine. Our Log night captured many events from the session and elected Log Staff read their shack-mates statistics. Our final camp fire was combined with our awards ceremony. Girls received their award packets and stood up in front of all of camp to share something they were proud of, an achievement or what they would tag up for the rest of their life. It was incredible to hear how much campers accomplished. We hope the stories are still coming your way! We enjoyed a full moon the last night of camp.

Although it’s just our second day of camp, we have a lot happening. This morning at Assembly, campers were able to “meet” all the staff through staff introductions. Campers are enjoying program on this Friday afternoon from riding lessons to tubing fun with archery and tennis in between.

Harmony Land Camp hiked in the Belgrade conservation area called “The Mountain”.

Coming up this Saturday is the Library 5K Fund Raiser for the town of Belgrade. We have about 20 girls competing. Good luck and here’s to reading and access to books! Speaking of which, we have a great lending library at camp. We read aloud at night and many girls make reading part of their night routine.

On Monday our JMGs are off to Testing Camp. More on their story next week!

Bring on the heat, summer fun and activities… and we’re off!

Love, Aionur

July 4th Celebration and Friendly Competition

Posted on by Alex

Good Morning Runoia Families and Friends! We are in the middle of a string of beautiful Fine Maine Days. The sun and birds wake us up early, and the breeze on our backs gives us a much needed cooling off, as if the Earth knows that we need it. 

Last Thursday we celebrated the Fourth of July— and a true celebration it was. Decked out from head to toe in red white and blue gear, our Rock Star Staff awoke their campers with excited commotion. As the girls rubbed their eyes and made their way to their cabin porches, they were greeted by our equestrian staff on horses cantering by their cabins yelling “The British are Coming!”, per Runoia tradition. Later at Assembly, we honored each country represented with us here at Runoia this summer, including Argentina, Canada, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Australia, Nigeria, Mexico, England, and Poland. 

Runoia Gals celebrating the 4th of July in style.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activities between our “British” and “American” teams,  from Water Balloon Catch and Spaghetti-Marshmallow-Tower-Building, to an entire camp-wide relay race in the afternoon. The day ended with a reflective Campfire at the Waterfront, where we bonded with songs and skits surrounding the theme of “Unity”. The entirety of the day, planned and executed by our amazing CIT’s, was incredible. 

Harmony Land Campers enjoying some time at the Waterfront.

The rest of the week has been a solid stream of daytime and evening programming- with our campers growing and learning and being excited to try new things. We also welcomed our Harmony Land Campers this week, and they are all settling nicely into their cabin and daily routine.

Later on in the week we hosted a Horse Show here at Runoia, in which we had some visitors from Camp Matoaka and Camp Mataponi come for a friendly riding competition. Our girls were stellar in performance as well as in sportsmanship, making all of us staff members beam with pride. In addition to the horse show, some of our girls travelled to Camp Caribou, where they competed in a riflery competition and represented Camp Runoia fantastically. 

Runoia Horse Show competitors after a terrific day of riding.

As of today we only have seven days left of First Session, which seems unreal, but it’s definitely true that time flies when we’re having fun. This week we will be encouraging the girls to really soak in and enjoy this last week of camp before we must say goodbye. We as staff members get a front row seat to the joy, the learning, the growing, the silliness, and the abounding laughter from our Runoia Gals every day, and we, too, are becoming better people for it. 

The coming week holds in store our Talent Show, Log Night, Awards, and Graduation. We are incredibly excited to savor every happy moment with our campers this week— making memories that will surely last a lifetime. 

Until Next Week! 

 

By Nina Budeiri

Into The Swing of Programming at Camp Runoia

Posted on by Alex

Greetings from Camp Runoia!

Camp is in full swing now, with our second block schedule keeping us all busy this week. We have had two full block sessions now, three days each, giving the girls plenty of time to learn new skills, make new friends and become SUGs (Stand Up Gals).

At Camp Runoia we teach the girls how to be the best they can be, and part of that is looking out for each other, or being a Stand Up Gals, aka SUGs. From helping a friend find their way to a new class, or picking up trash when they pass by it, we hope all our gals will look out for one another and build lifelong skills doing it.

Runoia Gals enjoying a Fine Maine Day on Great Pond

On Sunday we had our first all camp Sunday Fun Day, where we don’t have regular lessons, we get to sleep in and even go to breakfast in our pajamas! We got into small teams in the morning and played sports all over camp but then the rain hit, and we moved indoors for more fun. The Junior and Senior Ends played two rousing game of Scatagories.

Every night our camp gets together to be involved in Evening Program (EP). One night we had Country Creation; shack groups came up with a country name, designed a flag, made up a dance or song, what their country was best known for and more. The creativity and out-of-the-box thinking were amazing! Another night was Counselor Hunt where we had all the counselors hide around camp and the campers had to find them–  The more creative the spot, the more points the counselors were worth.

This Thursday is the 4th of July, a big celebration here at camp. Our hard-working CIT’s (Counselors in Training) oversee planning and implementing all the amazing activities. We can’t wait! It’s a big part of the CIT’s summer and we are all very excited to see what the day will bring! Tune in next week to find out all about the 4th of July festivities and more in our next blog!

 

By: Tess May

Ready, set, go: It’s camp time!

Posted on by Alex

Camp is already humming with activity as we prepare for the arrival of our campers in just two weeks.  Staff have started to arrive, the horses have arrived back from their winter homes, the grass seems to need cutting on a daily basis and buildings are shedding their winter dust.  Even with a lengthy to do list every day, the excitement is palpable as each day brings us closer to our Camp Runoia girls arriving.   We are sure that everything will be ready by opening day.

Many of our campers are finishing off their final days of school, saying goodbye to friends for the summer and starting to pack their camp trunks.  Our inboxes are filled with questions from new parents and forms and information as families tie up all the paperwork loose ends before sending their daughter off to Great Pond.

The horses made fast work of the grass in the pasture.

The barn has been bustling with activity getting all of the horses settled in and used to the camp routines.  Many of our horses spend their winters working in college programs so they are fit and ready for their camper riders.  Our bunny King Louis is already in residence and the chickens just joined the barn yard fun.

 

The waterfront is ready to roll with a new addition to the dock system, boats are sitting on their moorings waiting to be sailed and the floats are ready for the first enthusiastic jumpers and divers.  A few more ‘fine Maine days’ and the water will be warmed right up.

Our hard working team of pre-camp workers have been making sure the grounds are in tip top shape, grass mowed, porches painted, paths mulched, gardens trimmed, flower boxes planted, there may even be a surprise or two in store.

Kate the great!

We truly are counting down the minutes until the rest of the staff arrive for training this weekend and then it will be time to open the gates to our campers.

Bring on the Camp Runoia 113th season; we are so ready so let’s go!

You’ve got ‘real’ mail!

Posted on by Alex

Over the past couple of weeks our new Camp Runoia campers should have found a letter or two in their mailbox from a camp ‘penpal’.  The tradition of welcoming new girls to camp and being available to answer any questions has been going on for many, many years.  It  encourages campers to make connections even before their arrivals to camp in June or July.  Returning campers may be writing to a new girl in their cabin group or older girls may be reaching out to a younger ‘little sister.’  Girls look forward to writing notes and often seek out their new camp friend once they arrive at camp.  For new campers we hope that it helps them to feel like a part of the community and to get excited about the new adventure that they are taking.

Handwritten notes from a new camp friend are a long standing Runoia tradition.

In our techno world of texting and social media interactions it seems rare to actually receive a paper letter or card in the actual mail.  Often the mailbox is just full of solicitations and advertising along with some online shopping packages!  What a treat to find a handwritten envelope addressed to you personally.  This short video is a great introduction to letter writing to help kids for whom it may be a new skill.

At camp a campers only option of communicating with the outside world is through regular mail.  While parents can send one way emails, ‘real’ letters are still the most valued and appreciated.  Campers often show up with stationary boxes, a supply of stamps and some cool pens for their letter writing times. Rest hour and before bed are common times that girls will be found writing to family and friends. Campers and staff look forward to rest hour when mail is given out and often share news from home with their bunk mates or pin the notes that they receive to the wall by their beds.

Handwritten letters carry a charm and thoughtfulness that seems so radically different than an email or text message.  The fact that someone took the time to write to you and that it is an unedited conscious stream of thought makes it super special.  Parents often tell of the stacks of camp letters tucked away in memory boxes as treasures from their daughter’s time away at camp.

Send us some ‘real’ mail this summer it will be so greatly appreciated, we love when the PO Box is bursting at the seams.

Developing leadership skills at camp

Posted on by Alex

Residential camp provides a unique opportunity to allow young people to develop their leadership skills.  When girls attend Camp Runoia they have an opportunity to not only develop hard skills in activity areas and interpersonal skills but also to begin developing strong leadership skills.  Leadership starts at an early age at camp as adults often allow girls room to try out their skills and begin to develop their own sense of autonomy.  As their time at camp extends into their teen years older girls become mentors to younger campers, leaders of teams, assistant coaches in activity areas and communicators in their shack groups.  Some of this leadership development is organic while some is intentional youth development through our Camp Runoia programming.

The Counselor In Training(CIT)  and subsequent Junior Counselor (JC) programs at Camp Runoia help High School aged campers focus on their own leadership development within the safe and supportive community in which they have often spent many summers.  Feeling comfortable and confident in a place that you know well is a perfect environment for challenging yourself.

Intentional leadership training provides opportunities for girls to build on their current skill set and also challenge themselves to go out of their comfort zone and try new skills too.  It includes formal training certification programs like archery instructor, lifeguard, first aid, CPR courses and the Junior Maine Guide programs.   Event planning and implementation for large groups is a big component for the CIT group- they manage the entire 4th of July festivities for the whole camp.  Helping out in shacks with younger campers, assisting in lessons and learning to manage a group, teach skills and keep track of performance are all just examples of putting leadership into action.  More informal opportunities exist when hanging out with younger girls and being a positive role model.

Within the CIT group leadership often comes in the form of collaborative decision making and group process.  It may be about finding your voice or learning when to be quiet to let someone else speak up.

Both the CIT and JC programs are designed to be a full summer experience so that young women can practice their new skills over time and grow into great camp leaders.  They take back home with them not only a stack of certificates and accomplishments but a greater sense of self, more confidence and skills that will be transferable into other aspects of their lives.

 

 

The benefits and joys of reading aloud

Posted on by Alex

The end of our long Camp Runoia day finishes snuggled up in our cabins with a good book.  While some campers choose to read their own literature that they either bring with them or borrow from our extensive library, group reading is still the cabin norm.  Every night after circle time the on duty counselor sits in the hall on her crazy creek camp chair and reads a chapter or two from the shack book.  We truly believe that there are great benefits and joys of reading aloud to children of all ages and celebrate this camp tradition as an important part of the Runoia experience.

The shared bedtime reading experience provides cabin groups with a reliable bedtime routine, discussion points for the next day and a chance to collaborate and decision make as a group when choosing a new book.

The shack is quiet and the main lights are turned off so only flashlights light up the pages.  For some campers the excitement of a story that is new to them is engaging, for others they are literally lulled to sleep by the sound of the reading.

On rare occasion some staff have been known to scoot back early from a night off to catch a much anticipated chapter that ended on a cliff hanger the night before.

Reading is an important part of the Camp Runoia culture, we have a book club that meets a couple of times a week to discuss a chosen story, girls can borrow books from the library and reading is a great activity to do during rest hour or free time.  In the shacks girls keep track on a paper plate of how many books they have read collectively in their cabin group and we celebrate those high numbers at the end of the session.

In the technological age camp provides campers with the opportunity to engage with reading without distraction and to enjoy the feel of a real book in their hands.

If you want a good book to read before you get to camp the first session 2019 book club book is Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities.

Developing independence at camp

Posted on by Alex

From an early age children are developing skills that will help them to be independent of their caregivers.  Adults work hard to provide physically and emotionally safe spaces for children to have the opportunity to develop their confidence and the skills that they will need to live independently.   When children are small it may be parents and caregivers spend time teaching basic skills.  Some skills are instinctive  like feeding themselves and learning to walk while others required direction and input from older humans.  Learning the alphabet,  reading, tying your shoe laces and riding a bike may all take a while to master. Children begin to learn the boundaries of their own capabilities and to feel more confident in the world around them.  As their world grows so does their need for the skill of being more independent.  Camp can play an important role in developing more independence than other more restrictive opportunities.

While parents are initially a child’s primary resource,  school and extracurricular activities provide for the academic development of our kids and are supplemented by experiences with our extended families and in the community.

In our house it’s kind of a family joke about ‘life skills training’ especially when I am asking the kids to do chores or be helpful.  Some skills are ‘advanced’ and not able to be mastered yet and all need a growth mind set to learn. These ‘life skills’ certainly have equal value to academic skills.

How do kids develop independence? They certainly can’t do it if every minute of their day is managed by adults.  For some kids even ‘free play’ time is on the schedule and actively supervised with adults intervening if conflict or upset arises.  We have to provide kids with the time and space to do their own thing.

At camp a simple way that we develop independence is by offering choices.  Supported by caring adults and within the structure and routine of the camp day, campers choose activities, the food they eat, what to do in free time, who to hang out with and the clothes they are going to wear.

From the youngest age groups, girls manage their belongings, navigate around camp, make choices about what they will do or not do, figure out what they want to eat and develop relationships without constraints.  It’s great that you don’t need to schedule a time or have a ride if you want a play date there is a diverse  array of people to connect with.

Runoia girls make their own choices.

The multi-age structure at camp allows girls to develop where their skill level is at.  We know that not everyone gains the same skills at the same speed or age so camp allows for a variety of ages and abilities to be working alongside each other. Girls are ready for camp at different ages too, Parenting Magazine has a great article about determining if your child is ready for a sleep away camp experience.

Of course at Runoia there is structure and support in place to help girls feel confident in their decision making.  Camp Runoia’s, Harmony Land Camp program is specifically designed for younger campers who are away from home for the first time.  Directed by seasoned camp counselors who are skilled adults that are educators this age appropriate program has realistic expectations and provides these young campers with an introduction to the Runoia experience. Girls spend time with their group as well as integrating with main camp.  They have the opportunity to be more independent than they may get to be at home or school and often leave ready and determined to do a full session the following year.

We can’t wait for June and toe be together on the shores of Great Pond.

 

Even Runoia’s youngest girls are brimming with enthusiasm for camp life.

Be the change you want to see in the world

Posted on by Alex

Our camp Runoia community attempts to create change through simple acts of kindness and caring, hoping  to make the world that we live in a better place.  We believe that we can engage campers and staff to be the change that they want to see in our local communities and in the greater world around us.

In our Giving Tuesday blog back in November we shared about a new community service initiative that we were excited to be getting involved with.   We are moving forward with this partnership and continuing our monetary giving into the summer season.

‘World of Change’ is a philanthropic organization with a home base right here in Maine.   It  encourages youth to participate in collections of loose change that can then be used to create ‘change’ in their local communities.  We are excited to be one of the startup camps that are joining the drive and will be collecting change this summer.  We are hopeful that this will create enthusiasm among our campers for continuing this support in upcoming seasons.

The statistics of how much money is just sitting around in our homes, cars, and workplaces is just staggering.

How much loose change do you have lying around?

Camp Runoia families are always incredibly generous and our ‘cans from campers’ food drives have been very successful.  Through support of our local food pantry, we have had the opportunity to be a positive presence in Runoia’s small, home town .  We will continue collecting food on opening days this summer and hope  that gathering change throughout the school year to bring to camp will catch on too.

We know that a lot of people giving a little can really create positive change for those in need.  All of the money that World of Change generates goes directly to the nonprofits working in communities identified as having needs.  The six focus areas ensure that all children get strong foundations to grow on.

Promoting kindness at camp and at home.

We hope that our Camp Runoia campers will engage with the World of Change philosophy and strive to make a difference in their home communities.  Where will you start? How can you be the change in your community? It doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking spending an hour picking up trash or helping an elderly neighbor with yard work can be a great place to start.

Together we truly can be the change we want to see in the world.