Courage to Grow Up by Kyleigh Mercier

As I sit and listen to the wind bring in the sound of the peepers through the open window, I am reminded of how special this time of year is.  It is mother’s day.  And the world around me is bustling with life and new energy.  Today I saw the red robins moving with intent and determination to build nests, I watched a hawk fly with such grace and glory from tree to tree.  I see the red and the gray squirrels moving and collecting bounty.  The world has awakened from the quiet hibernation of winter and the white stark horizon is now 30 shades of green.  It is spring and it is a celebration of life.

Being a mother is my greatest accomplishment.  I reflect on this day that it is not actually a celebration of my work, but that of my children.

Three in The Nest
Three in The Nest

It is their momentum and their exploration that feed my soul.  Spring is also a time of change, and as with all growth there is change.

Chris and I are embarking with our family on great adventure.  Our commitment to join the Runoia family is beyond exciting!  We are determined and dedicated to bring our enthusiasm to camp and offer our love, our life, our experience, our connection, our intent, our passion, and our good will to Great Pond.  We could not be more thrilled to travel to Maine with our beautiful children and share some of the greatest experiences that we could dream of with your daughters!

Courage!
Courage!

We promise to be kind, gentle, honest, and to encourage them to find the best of themselves.  We support growth and experience.  There is so much that the land and the programs at Runoia will teach us all this summer!  And as spring blooms with life and spiritual awakening, I resonate with  E.E. Cumming’s words “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”

Joy
Joy

At Runoia we encourage and support what spring begins in growth all summer

Growth!
Growth!

long.  My wish is that as you send your daughters from your nest to our woods, that we provide them with the safety and comfort, courage and the wisdom, the strength and the bravery, to expand their physical and emotional skills to their full potential, becoming exceptional young women.

Happy Mother’s Day.  Happy Spring.

Find out more about Kyleigh and Chris Mercier here.

A moment in time.

Vernal pools temporary yet essential.

As the snow finally melts here in Maine and we transition into what is often a short spring there are many new and temporary delights to be found.  Around camp where the water is pooling in depressions or a small stream has widened on its way down to Great Pond you can now see vernal pools.  While they will likely be long gone by the time the campers arrive for the moment they provide a temporary habitat for the creatures emerging from the winter.  Although vernal pools may only contain water for a relatively short period of time, they serve as essential breeding habitat for certain species of Maine wildlife, including salamanders and frogs.  The air at night is now loudly filled with the noise of spring peepers and wood frogs that are quickly mating and laying eggs before the pools dry up.

03_wetThis time of year is energizing and engaging, we see signs that summer will soon be here and still have a quiet moment to enjoy the beautiful environment around us.  How fortunate we are that Ms. Weiser and Ms. Pond found the perfect spot for Runoia amidst the tall, shady, pine trees.  Much of our property is in a tree farm easement which allows us to keep the natural habitat available for all of our local wildlife.

vernalWhile individual people’s time at Runoia may be temporary we are grateful to all who have stepped through the gates and left their mark on our camp.  The vision of our founders and those that have preserved Runoia as a camp along with all of our girls and counselors breed the memories that will be preserved for a lifetime.  The summer of 2015 like a vernal pool or lunar moth will exist for only a short moment in time yet will grow the spirit of Runoia for generations to come.

moth

Camp and 21st Century skills

21st century skills

There is a lot of buzz particular in schools but also in the wider community about kids reaching adulthood prepared for their future. There is a need for youth to be skilled enough to navigate the world into which they will be employed and living.  These so called ‘21st century skills’  will hopefully enable a young person to gain the greatest potential success in their life and will be sought by both higher education institutions and employers.

21st_century_skillsSummer camps have been watching this trendy terminology with a happy glint in their eye as the intentional learning that we provide every day in a safe and fun environment fits right into this model.  Camps can easily argue that they can complement the developmental components of 21st century skills in an environment that varies so greatly from school that it allows for more and varied success.  Camps are not just a somewhat expensive commodity that either provides child care or a ‘fun’ way to spend the summer, they are learning environments where children don’t even realize they are engaging with skill development.

21st-century-skills-newCamps often work hard to convince parents that first and foremost their children will be safe and secondly that they are providing good value for money in the skills that campers leave with.

Often parents may focus on hard skills – did their child get better at tennis or swimming? It is the camp benefits that are perhaps less tangible which meet the 21st century skill set, a deeper appreciation for nature, the ability to build relationships and make connections, greater independence, more resilience (it does rain at camp sometimes!).

DSC_0066

We are proud to be actively promoting 21st century skills and look forward to sharing more moments of learning with our girls this summer.  Camp Runoia building lifelong skills.

Camp trunk?

A trunk or not a trunk? that is the question!

I am a first time at sleep away camp for my youngest daughter Mom this year.  My oldest did a whole bunch of programs that either just required a duffel bag or a suitcase.   She was more the college campus, camp kind of girl! it’s been a while so I am back shopping for camp supplies.

Today’s question for deliberation is what to pack in to? A trunk or duffel bags? and if we do decide on a  trunk what type? my head is already swirling just contemplating thinking about it.  You would think as the camp director I’d have a clear vision but it seems that there are so many pro’s and con’s for each option.  To me the ubiquitous trunk screams sleep away camp and is a connection to the long time tradition of kids packing up for the summer and heading out by train to camp.  But wait this is 2015 and no one arrives by train anymore and we won’t be traveling far with her stuff!

The girls that bring trunks to camp love them as they are a great catch all for spare towels and linens dress up clothes and all manner of junk you can just throw in there before cabin inspection.  You can sit on them, use them to get up to your top bunk and play a round of cards on top.  Trunks these days comes in such an array of styles and colors they can be an identity statement and it’s also pretty cool to bring your parents old camp trunk.

camp-trunk-botanical-explosion-trunkDuffel bags are easy to pack and can be tucked away on the luggage rack collecting dust bunnies until the end of the season. With all of her stuff unpacked she won’t forget about items that may be stored in the trunk and will be able to see everything.

thWhichever option we go with I am sure it will work out fine it usually comes out about 50/50 amongst the campers. There are then those international staff who manage to put everything they need for the entire summer into one small backpack maybe that’s what we should do!

My Journey Through Camp – Anna’s Reflections

At the end of this past August, after seven summers of growth and memories, I was less than happy about the idea of leaving. Settling into the alternate universe of laughter and companionship -not to mention the notable absence of parents – only to be torn away and thrust back into the hectic lifestyle of the school year was not ideal. I had spent most of the summer hoping the day would never come. Unfortunately, the day arrived and all at once I was in the car heading down the street which had once led me to my second home, and was now tearing me away from it. Gazing into the rearview mirror at the entrance reminded me of the first time I’d driven down that very street- heading towards the gate, instead of away from it.

Anna Discovering Independence
Anna Discovering Independence

As a nine year old who had inherited the family heirloom of independence, which had been passed down through generations of women in my family, I had chosen Runoia myself. I was excited. My search for independence was temporarily fulfilled with the thrill of being away from home, and each summer, in an environment that encouraged individuality, I found more ways to become myself. During my second summer as a camper, I was horrified to hear that because of its weakened state, campers were no longer allowed to sit on the branches of the apple tree.

 

As this was an ancient artifact that I had become especially fond of, a friend and I promptly funneled our disappointment into a farewell poem called Ode to Apple Tree, which we read to the entire camp and still remains in the 2009 log.

The Apple Tree
The Apple Tree

This incident is only one example of how Runoia transcended its promise of exposing me to new people and skills, and went on to provide me with opportunities to express and improve the parts of me that already existed. Whether or not your child has the same sense of independence I had upon arrival, they will certainly gain more of it throughout their summers away from home.

 

Camp is a place for growth and while many people remember it as a place of newness -new skills, new friends, new foods- it is important to remember that the camp experience is also about the qualities we already possess.

The deeper benefit of being exposed to camp is that through these new experiences, I was allowed to sharpen and exercise the skills I already had. And so, in August, while I left camp unwillingly, I left empowered.

Runoia CIT program provides Leadership Growth
Anna and her CIT Group (Anna far right)

Anna is a graduate of the Camp Runoia Counselor-in-Training (CIT) program and spent her summers growing up at Camp Runoia.

 

Camp Runoia and Strong Women

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.

Runoia Co-Founder Jessie Pond
Runoia Co-Founder Jessie Pond

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.

From Early Years Runoia Teams
From Early Years Runoia Teams

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

Strong Women at Runoia Built Bridges
Strong Women at Runoia Built Bridges

 

 

Camp is…many cultures: Sailing and Hungary!

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 17th 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.

Hamming it up with Mark on the lake
Hamming it up with Mark on the lake

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 4th 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.

Laura out sailing with campers
Laura out sailing with campers

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
Laura Meszaros, Runoia Staff

Dogs at Camp!

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).

A Regal Cody at Camp Runoia
A Regal Cody at Camp Runoia

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?

Where is the dog?
Where is the dog?

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

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

 

Our Author Phoebe
Our Author Phoebe

The bus!

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.

bus1

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.

questionThere 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!