Category: Parent

Happy 4th of July from the HOTTEST Camp Runoia!!

Posted on by camprunoia

Hi to all, hope you had a great 4th of July and enjoyed yourself. Here, like most of the country, it was and is HOT, HOT, HOT. So we have been doing lots and lots of things to beat the heat, mostly using the gorgeous Great Pond to full effect. Even with the heat, everyone is settling in nicely and getting into the routine of Camp.  Our first full week has been a wonderful time of old friends catching up, campers meeting the staff with our counselors getting to really know their campers, and the start of making new life long friends. Great times and it’s only the beginning. Here is our…

Camp Runoia Week 1 in Review

After Moving in Day and Orientation on Saturday, the girls “tagged up” and got started with Block 1 on Sunday.  New for Runoia in 2018 is 2 and 3 day Blocks (instead of daily sign up). This will give all of the girls an opportunity to better learn new skills, hone already existing skills and complete project more easily. Sunday started our first 3 day block, and the initial feed back has been extremely positive. So Sunday, Monday, Tuesday your daughter signed up for 4 activities of her choosing and then has Swim for 1 period.  Great start to the summer for all!!

For Evening Programs we really mixed it up a lot, from Crrazzy Counselor Night and Log Nite to my personal favorite (so far) Powder Fairies.  Crazzy Counselor Night is a funny dress up game where the campers get to pick one of their counselors and dress them up in as

Crrrazzyy Counselor Night was hilarious!!

many clothes as they can fit on their bodies. We had unicorn masks, layers and layers of shirts (over 80 shirts on 1 counselor) and tutus flying everywhere. Silly fun for all!! Powder Fairies was a lot more active for the kids as they got grouped into 12 different teams and then had to accomplish exciting and challenging team tasks at 9 separate stations. Making it more challenging, there were 3 Powder Fairies (counselors dressed up as… you guessed it… fairies) with the power to FREEZE the entire group if any member of the group was tagged. Needless to say, running and chaos ensued and the campers had a blast!!

Then the heat moved in on Tuesday afternoon and it has not stopped. 90s, mostly cloudless and pretty windless too. So it has been just HOT! And of course, what do you do at camp when it’s hot? Get in the water, so it has been water activities galore for all. Quick dips in the lake. Rec Swims. Get in the water and drink lots of water has been the non-stop message.

Nothing beats a swim in Great Pond. Nothing!!

But we did not let the heat beat us on 4th of July. No way. The CITs did an amazing job and put together a great day for all of the campers. After being split into their 2 traditional teams, America and Great Britain, it was time to go head to head at the Station Rotation. 10 different games for all to play, and with the heat, many of them were water themed – like Slip and Slide, water balloon toss, water wars and more. Into the afternoon they battled and did the annual Relay Race across camp ending in 2 Senior Villagers swimming their respective watermelons across the finish line together!!  Great time for us all, and it all ended with a swim in Great Pond to cool off again.

The heat is finally supposed to break tomorrow and should allow us to keep on moving ahead with regular programming into Week 2. More fun to come!! Talk to you next week…

Welcome to the Official Start of Camp Runoia 2018!!

Posted on by camprunoia

And we are off!! The summer of 2018 is about to begin here on Great Pond. My name is Matt Abrams and this will be my first summer at Camp Runoia as a senior staff member.  I am a long time camper, counselor and former Director of a boys camp back in Wisconsin, and I will be your weekly (every Wed starting next week) newsletter blogger.  I am so excited to fill you in to provide just a glimpse of the fun and experiences your daughters are having here throughout the summer.

What a summer it will be!!  Horseback riding, swimming, skiing, sailing, zip lining to go along with arts & crafts, pottery, basket weaving, archery & riflery.  Add in some sports and activities like basketball, mountain bike riding, tennis and soccer and of course lots and lots of singing, quality time with friends and laughter, all while carrying on the amazing Runoia traditions.  We know it will be a memorable summer, full of growth and making ever lasting connections. It will be an absolutely terrific and unforgettable summer!!

Ready to jump into summer at Runoia!!

The Runoia staff is ready. They have been training hard for nearly 10 days now and are literally jumping out of their skin because they are so excited for their campers to arrive tomorrow afternoon to get summer underway.  For those dropping off their daughters at camp tomorrow (FRIDAY) – travel safe and we look forward to seeing you here soon. For those dropping off at buses and planes, be on time and know we are ready for your daughters to arrive.

It is going to be an outstanding summer on Great Pond.  Lets get jumping!

Please check in here every week for the Camp Runoia weekly newsletter that will be posted every WEDNESDAY. We will also continue to post pictures just about everyday on CampMinder (login through the www.runoia.com) and a few on Facebook throughout the summer. Looking forward to meeting you if you will be at camp this summer, but looking forward to meeting your daughters even more.

Until next week!!

Packing for a summer at Camp Runoia

Posted on by Alex

The first time I came to the US to be a camp counselor all I had was a large backpack and a carry on filled with everything that I thought I could possibly need for the summer.  The internet was not yet a thing and Portland Maine was just a dot on the map.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into, had never heard of Super Walmart and was certain that I would be living in the middle of a forest far from civilization.

Fast forward 25 years and I should have taken a leaf out of my old book when it comes to packing light!

It is complete chaos at my house as we try to finish up school and get ready for the next adventure – Camp!  We are packing and cleaning and getting ready to be full time at Runoia.  It is such an exciting time of year and also a little overwhelming as we transition to our summer home.  There has been much anticipation and we have had weeks of talking everyday about seeing camp friends, playing in the woods and swimming in the lake.   I am so glad that it is now finally time.

There are boxes and half packed bags waiting to be closed up and packed into the car.  The pet carries are ready to be filled and we are nearly ready!  It is amazing what one family needs for the summer, even though our house is only a little over an hour from camp we really don’t come back once we have moved north and I apparently forget every year that there are stores in Augusta!

In the past week it seems that everyone has shot up (or in my case out!) and desperately needs new Runoia uniform ordering.  Thankfully Land’s End ship fast.  Wellies for the wet mornings grass have been bought, bug spray and sunscreen ordered in bulk and a myriad of small items organized and checked off the packing list.  Of course I’m sure a number of items that were not on the list have sneaked in too!

It’s now time to sharpie names into everything because who has time to order name tags? so will have to use a trusty pen to get the job done fast.

As you prepare your daughter for camp know that we are available to help with last minute questions, that if something is forgotten we will help trouble shoot making sure that she has what she needs.  Don’t forget to sneak a little note into her trunk or duffle that she may fine when she unpacks.  Don’t let the packing exasperate or overwhelm you it’s worth it.

We are so excited for the fantastic summer that is awaiting us on Great Pond and cannot wait to see our Runoia girls soon.

The writing on the wall – hand-prints on my heart

Posted on by Alex

Twenty years ago when we moved into this house there were a lot of DIY projects that needed accomplishing. Painting the downstairs bathroom was not high on the list of priorities.  In order to brighten the place up a little we started adding the hand-prints of our visitors.  The parameters were basic: pick your colors, pick your spot, paint your hand and print it on the wall then add your name and date your print.  The hand-prints themselves started out simple, often with just one color and expanded to more elaborate creations that reflected the personality of their owner.  There are now a couple of hundred of prints representing friends from all aspects of life,  a large percentage of whom I know through camp.

The hand-prints tell their own stories. Jayen was an international counselor who just spent one summer with us. Angela is still a feature on our CRAO board.

The hand-prints are a regular reminder of the people that have touched my life.  Some of the folk are still regular visitors, or perhaps sadly now deceased, still others were only around for a short time and we have now lost touch.  They all generate memories of a time and place when we were connected, a shared history and an impression left in my life.  There are many old Camp Runoia friends, campers and staff that passed through for a summer or two or who it feels like I have known for a lifetime.  They hold a space in time that is a reminder not just of them but also of a particular summer on Great Pond.  The dates are helpful in remembering just how long ago it was that they were at camp and how quickly time flies.

Betty-Jo Howard a Runoia legend

 

At Runoia the names in the boathouse are a similar memorial to those that have passed through at some previous point in time.  They remind us of people we know and also trigger thoughts about those whose story is now  a mystery lost in time.  The faces may be long forgotten but their names are painted in bright colors to remind us that they were here and are part of the rich fabric of our camp community.

The hand-prints on my wall definitely reflect the hand-prints left on my heart.  This will be my 23rd summer at Camp Runoia in Belgrade Lakes, Maine  and I hope to add a few more hand-prints to my bathroom wall and a lot more to my heart.

Consider Yourself Charmed at Runoia

Posted on by Pam Cobb

How lucky are some of us that we get to experience “vacation” from school or our busy work lives. Hearing that four million college students go to Florida each “Spring Break” got me thinking about the concept of vacation.

Definitions vary but the basic concept is the same as defined in Merriam-Webster:

a period of time that a person spends away from home, school, or business usually in order to relax or travel.

When you pause to think of it, we are quite privileged to take the time and resources to relax and possibly travel.  I just returned from vacation. I took a trip to the windward islands of the Caribbean where I, with family and friends, rented a sailboat and cruised island to island. I love vacation with a purpose and fun. I love to learn, be active and engaged in what I’m doing. So a sailing trip is a good match for me! And I certainly do feel lucky to have the opportunity to do a trip.

Summer camp is often seen as vacation. Of course, being at Camp Runoia, in the beautiful Belgrade Lakes of Maine, is fun and engaging, learning and skill building. Technically it’s not about relaxing or necessarily traveling but it’s all about having a break from routine and being away from home and school.  And of course, being unplugged. One could say campers get a vacation from their phones!

Whether you take vacation to relax or to learn and engage in something completely different, if you get to have a vacation, consider yourself  charmed. You have the chance to take a break from your daily life to experience something outside of your routine be it school or work life.

 

Building life skills through horseback riding

Posted on by Alex

This week’s guest blogger is Jen Dresdow, Camp Runoia’s Equestrian Director.  Horseback riding is a huge part of Jen’s life.   When she is not managing Camp Runoia’s riding program she is a team coach for IEA.

Jen Dresdow coaching one of her students.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

~ Theodore Roosevelt

Runoia riders after a show

This past weekend I both coached my team at and organized the Zone 5 Region 7 Finals for the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA). IEA is a program for 6-12 grade students that allows them to compete in the equestrian sport without owning a horse. Riders draw horses provided by the hosting barn and are judged on their riding skills, called equitation, alone. This is my fifth year coaching a team and my daughter, Natalie, is in her fourth year of showing IEA.

Regional Finals is a show for the riders who earned 18 points or more during the regular season. The top riders and team from regionals will compete at Zone Finals in three weeks for a shot at making it to the National Finals in April.

Choosing to compete in any sport takes courage and hard work. Dr. Brené Brown describes vulnerability as the willingness to be “all in” even when you know it can mean failing and hurting.  Being judged on your equitation, which while there are standards, is subjective to the judge’s personal taste. While ribbons and trophies are fun, and riders learn the value of working hard towards a goal, I feel the most important lessons learned in the IEA ring are that it’s okay to take chances and learning how to process both success and failure.

We participate in horse shows at camp, both our own Blue/White show, and at other camps. Our campers set a personal goal before a show. Maybe it’s getting their diagonals, picking up the correct leads, or finding all the right distances to the jumps. We don’t dwell on how they placed in the class, but did they work on achieving their goal. We also celebrate their courage in trying.

My IEA team riders transform when they put on their show clothes. They go from silly teenagers to poised young adult. They climb aboard a 1200 pound animal with a mind of its’ own and pilot it over jumps, all while maintaining the correct body position knowing a person they’ve never met is judging their every move. I am always in awe of their audacity and I’m reminded of Dr. Brown’s saying, “Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver.” I am incredibly lucky to be surrounding by young women both in the IEA and at camp who “dare greatly”.

Camp Runoia continues our professional development

Posted on by Alex

This week: Diversity and a continued commitment to youth development

Another week and yet another opportunity for professional development right here in Maine with a another amazing, national level speaker .  This weeks workshop was presented by Maine Summer Camps, the consortium of Maine camps that comes together to ‘support and promote meaningful developmental, educational, environmental, and recreational experiences for children.’  Camp Runoia is a long time and active member of this group and is always keen to participate in any opportunities that promote further growth and learning.

Unlike many industries the Maine summer camp community is invested in working together to provide the best camping opportunities for all children.   We are a diverse group for sure so it was particularly fitting that our workshop speaker was Niambi Jaha- Echols.

Niambi Jaha-Echols

An expert in ‘cross cultural agility’ Niambi’s focus was about inclusion, diversity and our unique position as an industry to create diversely rich communities that value everyone equally.  We were lucky enough to work with Niambi last year at our Runoia staff training and this was a great reminder of our commitment to all girls and to creating a truly diverse community where everyone is valued.

It is always interesting to network with other camp professionals, to discuss common factors and also learn from our differences.  There are so many different ways to provide the camping experience and there truly are camps that best suit the needs of every child.  By opening our doors as widely as we can and staying true to our goals and missions we can build relationships and connections among groups of people who may never come into contact.

Highly recommended is the ‘Seeing White‘ podcast series that challenges our perceptions and calls us to true action.

At Camp Runoia we try our best to challenge ourselves to grow and develop, to meet the needs of the changing world that we work and live in and to provide as many girls as possible with an exceptional overnight camp experience.  We are always open to hearing comments and opinions of others, to rethinking the way we approach things and to recommitting to our goals and mission.

‘No More Mean Girls’

Posted on by Alex

Monday night, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a lecture by psychotherapist and author Katie Hurley.  Her latest book ‘No More Mean Girls – the secret to raising strong, confident and compassionate girls ’ delves into the realms of relational aggression and how it is starting among girls at a younger age than ever before.  In her research and collaboration with experts from around the world it is clear that young women are facing greater challenges in their social interactions which is having a negative impact on mental and emotional health.

Hurley’s latest book is an excellent read for parents and educators.

The increased use of technology and the ease with which cyber bullying can occur are prevalent factors in the social interactions that most girls experience today.   A rumor or photo once shared with a quick click can become instant public humiliation and a destroyer of lifelong friendships. Exclusion from the social group is one of the biggest and most damaging forms of social aggression that our girls are facing.  Girls are often left to flounder alone in an environment that can instantly become dangerous and emotionally damaging.

Adults need to teach, model and help girls to navigate the relational world that they live in.  Helping girls to understand the concepts of empathy and kindness and how they can be incorporated into their social interactions both in person and online are crucial to the development of healthy relationships.  Educating girls about what mean behavior looks like, how they can not be part of the problem and helping them understand steps to being a solution will help strengthen their connections.

Hurley claims that girls can be the change in their own social worlds by:

  • Being the ‘upstander’
  • Refuting the rumors
  • Meeting negative comments with positive ones
  • Saying something nice to the victim
  • Involving adults

Fortunately overnight camp provides girls with the opportunity to develop face to face relationships, to be tech free for a few weeks, to work through hard social situations with the support of caring adults and to continue to grow their self-esteem and self-worth.  We must commit to helping girls navigate the complex social world that they live in, help them to not be the ‘mean girl,’ recognize when relational aggression is happening and stand up when they can.

For more from Katie Hurley and a ton more great articles check out her website

 

Unplugged – Camp Can Help

Posted on by camprunoia

Happy New Year one and all! It’s the time for reflection on the past year and a looking ahead to the next. For many, it is a time to make resolutions… exercise more, lose weight, and the one I have most heard this year, is “unplug more”. I’ve been thinking about what it means to unplug, and found myself remembering when “unplugged” was not in our everyday vocabulary. Now I am not OLD but I am older, and I remember well how different life was 10, 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Perhaps you remember some of these things too…

Waiting your turn for the home phone to call your “besties” and hearing the dreaded busy signal (no call-waiting) or no answer and no voicemail. Now we connect to anyone or multiple people in any place and at any time.

Taking pen to little scraps of paper in school to write notes to my best buds and figuring out all sorts of tricky ways to pass them. No texting, snapchatting, Instagram, etc.

Waiting with great anticipation for next week’s episode of my favorite TV show instead of binge watching a whole season in one weekend.

Talking with friends face to face, playing games, listening to music together, goofing around, and just generally, “being”.

Being in nature, whether a walk on the beach, a hike in the woods, or a paddle on a lake, and the “music” was the waves, wind, and bird calls.

“Plugging in” is not bad – it’s wonderful to be able to connect with friends and family so easily and I do enjoy some binge watching, but it can dominate us unless we intentionally keep things in balance. Camp can be an enforced and welcome balancing force. As a director, I do need to be “plugged in” at times each day, but it’s just as important for me to leave the screen and go out and play and talk with girls and counselors in our beautiful natural environment. Unplugging is just one of the gifts of camp but it is one that girls benefit from so much and most of them end up loving the experience. Catherine Steiner Adair, a Maine camp alumna, a researcher, writer and leader in the field of girl’s development has written extensively about technology and the value of unplugging for girls and families in today’s world. It’s well worth a read.

 

Planning Your Trip to Camp Runoia and Maine

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Some of our camp families have made their daughter/camp drop off day into an adventure to explore Maine. Maine is a vacation destination for thousands of summer visitors and planning this winter will help you secure lodging and help you escape from the January doldrums!

A local favorite lodging spot is right in Belgrade Lakes. The Village Inn accepts reservations year round and fills up quickly. Dinner at the restaurant or tavern is rewarding as you gaze on the mill stream or sit outside with live music.

Portland is a foodie’s paradise with more farm to table restaurants per capita than most small urban cities. Sustainable harvesting and creative chef inspirations has been a trademark for Portland over the past decade. New hotels are popping up in Portland’s Old Port. Portland and its many charms from sunset sails, lobster piers, harbor cruises, kayaking trips, forts, nearby beaches, rock cliffs and light houses, minor league baseball team the “Portland Sea Dogs”, boutique shops, art galleries, first Friday art walks, music venues with summer concerts added, a world class museum and manageable-sized children’s museum make Portland an easy and fun town to visit. Did we mention bakeries, ice cream, farmers markets and food carts?

Seeing and experiencing the natural beauty of Maine is not just limited to your campers! Check out some of the highlights Maine has to offer:

Acadia National Park – “the crown jewel of the North Atlantic coast”

Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin

Get your Moxie by White Water Rafting
The White Mountains in Maine and the Appalachian Trail

Hiking Hut to Hut on Maine Huts and Trails

Now is the time to day dream and then PLAN! Maine has a limited summer season that fills to the brim.

Our very own Belgrade Lakes area has lake side cottages to rent but realtors all over the state of Maine can help you find a lake or coastal rental for a week in Maine:

Finally, Maine isn’t beautiful only in summer. Plan your winter, spring or fall trip to Maine as family!