Tag: amazing summers

Vacation boredom – the art of learning to entertain yourself

Posted on by Alex

Our kids are generally kept very busy with school, sports, extracurricular lessons, homework, play dates and hopefully some family time squeezed in.  Their schedules often need a PA and chauffeur to manage them and if there is any free time technology seems to be the quick and easy filler.  Free time seems to evoke anxiety and cries of boredom or having absolutely nothing to do.

We just barely survived winter break with very few concrete plans and only some skiing on our ‘to do’ agenda. There was a lot of free, unscheduled time.  It seems that life for kids is much easier and time flies by so much faster when every minute is planned for them.  Even though the time away from school was much sought after, suddenly hours with nothing to do makes the days seem endless and ‘boring.’

Life doesn’t always have to be planned and goal driven, it is good for our brains and especially for our kids to have space and time to contemplate their next move or in fact to not do much at all.  While boredom may generate some negative emotions and in my kids case a bunch of whining and complaining it can result in new motivation and a desire to change track and reengage with tasks that we then gain pleasure from.  Boredom can build self-reliance, creativity and self-motivation.  Giving kids an opportunity to plan their own day, make their own choices and figure out a strategy to provide for their own happiness is a great skill builder.  Check out this NY Times article for more support of letting children experience boredom.

There is always time at Camp Runoia to read a good book.

At camp free time is intentionally built into our day so that girls have the space to think about what they would like to do and to fill their own time.  There are organized opportunities provided like rec swim or a bracelet making party along with plenty of opportunities for spontaneous play be it in the gaga pit, on the courts or just around the cabin or in the woods.  Girls may also choose to hang out in the Lodge and look at the logs, read a book or play a board game with friends.  Often they can be found sitting on porches chatting or having fun with friends or visiting a sister or cousin in a different shack.  Campers never seem to be bored at camp. They engage with each other, with adults and with their environment and take advantage of the opportunities provided to keep themselves engaged.

Making friendship bracelets in free time.

We are really doing our children a favor when we let them have the opportunity to get ‘bored,’ maybe we need to schedule boredom in more often during the school year!

 

The inside scoop on Camp Runoia

Posted on by Alex

As we continue delving into how you find the perfect sleep away camp for your child it is definitely advantageous to get the ‘inside scoop.’  Once you have narrowed down your camp list to your top two choices talking with parents and campers is a great way to figure out which one is the perfect fit for your child.  Word of mouth referrals give a real perspective of a camps culture and value.  Candid conversations with current parents can help you to get a real feel for the place and the people.

Here’s what some of our 2018 parents had to say about Camp Runoia and why they and their daughter’s love it:

  • S’s highlight was water sports, particularly the “dot,” sailing, and tubing. She also loved tennis, archery and riding. She also loved meeting new people, being mixed up at mealtime at different tables. She loved making connections with older campers who had written to her as pen pals a great tradition.
  • Being white team captain (and all the other amazing camp experiences!!). As always, she is still talking nonstop about all the fun she had.
  • Both our girls seemed to have fully inhabited the physical space of camp. The freedom to do so much good healthy stuff all day long was fantastic. Ropes course and waterfront were much talked about.

She loved all her counselors.

  • Her cabin mates, she had a blast and has made incredible lifelong friends. It’s really special we are so grateful.
  • She was so excited about sailing. She drew us diagrams and explained all the terminology. She enjoyed all the activities and the girls with whom she shared the experiences.
  • For me, it was great fun to see her participating in a sailing major this session. She loved getting to know the girls in her shack.

She came home with more independence with personal care.

  • She loved trying all the new activities she wished she would of stayed longer to try all the activities. Definitely was very happy with all the activities she managed to do this summer
  • Greatly appreciated the quality of the counselors and their simultaneous focus on girls and readiness to reassure if I was worried.
  • Definitely improved her swimming in the 12 days of camp, which we appreciated. She benefited from tennis and riding instruction as well.

The awards and being able to experience different and new activities was very positive. She was very proud of all her awards 🙂

  • I am SO impressed with the academic caliber of the counselors. They are obviously intelligent in academics and also have a generous spirit to share with their girls.
  • She had a wonderful experience gained independence and increased confidence. As she enters 3rd grade she is really showing a sign of maturity that she hadn’t last year. I do believe it is part from her experience at camp.
  • Communication is EXCELLENT in all areas. I am always confident that T is safe, happy and in good hands. Any and all communications have been clear and prompt, whenever we have needed extra help with our girls in particular it has been handled incredibly well.

If you want a copy of our current family reference list so that you can get the inside scoop give us a call 207 495 2228 our parents are happy to chat about why they continue choosing Camp Runoia for their daughter.

The path to the lake at Camp Runoia in Belgrade Lakes, Maine.

Girls only!

Posted on by Alex

Single gender or co-ed? how do you choose the right option?

Many prospective families are curious as to what makes an all-girls, overnight experience special or at least different to a co-ed camp.  Single gender camps have long been a tradition in youth camping.  The majority of the earliest programs were established just for boys or for girls only.  We imagine that back in 1907 when Ms. Weiser and Ms. Pond were establishing Camp Runoia for Girls it was likely highly frowned upon for boys and girls to be camping out in the Maine woods together!  We relish our long and strong tradition of girls attending sleep away camp in Maine and primarily being led by women.

A history of female leadership.

So why do girls enjoy a single gender experience? Many Runoia campers welcome a change in dynamic from their co-ed schools.  Often girls will say that they can be themselves at camp.  They enjoy not feeling any pressure to look or dress a certain way.  At camp the playing field is even and all opportunities are available to everyone.  There are no gender specific activities and the prevailing sense is that girls can do anything.  With the majority of the staff also being female there are many different types of role models and the opportunity to learn from slightly older young women who are in college.

Once you pass the Camp Runoia gate you’ve made a little date with fate.

There is a perfect camp fit for every child and a myriad of options to choose from. Focusing on your child’s strengths and personality traits rather than the perception of what a ‘perfect’ camp may be will help to narrow down those choices.   Your old summer camp that you attended 30 years ago may be perfect for the next generation or they may be better suited to a different opportunity.  Knowing where your child will thrive best and then asking questions to see if the camps you are choosing will be a good match is crucial to everyone’s happiness.

We are always happy to chat about what makes Runoia a special place for girls to grow and you can check out our philosophy on our website.

Finding the right camp

Posted on by Alex

As we rapidly roll towards the summer season, this time of year is typically the busiest for new camper enrollment.  As families begin their search in earnest for the perfect camp for their child we thought that some tips and helpful questions may be of use.  There are such a wide variety of program options and so many great choices it can certainly be overwhelming to even get started.  So how on earth do you find the right camp?

A general internet search for summer camps turns up what seems like a million options for summer programs  and even when focusing on resources that are specific to camp selection the choices can be extensive. The American Camp Association website is filled with over 3000 accredited camps and summer programs and can be a great place to start. If you are already sure that Maine is the place that you want your child to be Maine Summer Camps also has a ‘find a camp’ tool which is also very helpful.

So how do you get started?

Set some parameters before you go near your computer and maybe even before you get the kids involved –  you don’t want them picking space camp on the moon when you were thinking arts camp in the woods!

Here are some potential questions to think through.

  • What genre of camp are you looking for?
  • Do you have family traditions with a particular program or location?
  • Are you restricted to specific dates or have a set session length in mind?
  • Is your child ready for an overnight experience or are you looking for a more local day camp?
  • What is your budget?
  • How far from home are you willing to travel?
  • Are you looking for specific program content or a more general program?
  • Do you want to do your own research or get help form a professional camp referral agency?
  • What are your child ‘s thoughts  about camp?

Once you’ve got a basic outline for your needs and wants you can dig in. Camp websites are typically filled with all of the initial information that you may need and directors are waiting for your calls to expand on what makes their camp unique.  Expect good customer service and attentive sales pitches, camps should want to find out about your child to see if it is a good fit for everyone not just push their program.  A great director will be able to head you in a different direction if their camp doesn’t meet your needs.  You should also expect to get referrals to other families and ideally a camp tour or home visit depending on the season.

Finding the right camp should be fun not stressful, give us a call if you need help 207 495 2228 there is a perfect fit for every child out there.  Want to learn more about Camp Runoia our website is a great place to start.

‘Once you pass the Runoia gate you’ve made a little date with fate..”

 

New years resolutions – realistic attainable goals!

Posted on by Alex

Did you make resolutions for 2019?

At this time of year conversation often turns to what resolutions people are making for the New Year.  A fresh start as the year changes fills us with a new sense of purpose and commitment.  Gym membership’s increase as health, fitness and weight loss goals usually top people’s lists.  Sadly as we often know too well once February rolls around the best laid plans have often fallen by the wayside as the reality of life sets in and our commitment was really just on paper with little passion for it in our hearts.

Try something new or improve on something that you already find engaging.

While having a bucket list of things you want to accomplish in the next year can be exciting, setting realistic attainable goals may be far more rewarding and lead to more gratification. Check out this article for creating your own SMART goals. Perhaps we don’t need to do something completely new in 2019 because honestly even suggesting that I’m going to go to the gym 3 times a week is just laughable!  A re-commitment to an activity that makes us happy or continued participation in a class or group that we enjoy or even just agreeing to meet a friend once a month for coffee may be enough.

There are so many great activities to try at Camp Runoia.

Why start something new when repeating experiences has great value?  As we know from repeated overnight camp experiences at Camp Runoia , solidifying skills and building on relationships, embracing the familiar and allowing ourselves to be in a comfortable place allows us all to grow.  We work with campers each summer to set new goals and focuses for their camp experiences.  Even though the location may be the same each season is always different  and has it’s own unique challenges and successes.

 

 

 

Maybe we don’t need a fancy list of resolutions just a focus on what engages us in the present makes us happy and helps us to continue growing as a person.  We hope that a Camp Runoia summer is on your daughter’s bucket list and look forward to helping her to achieve her goals.

We are excited for our 2019 Camp Runoia season and wish you all a very Happy New Year.

res·o·lu·tion
noun
a firm decision to do or not to do something.

The Camp Decision – Is it Time? And Which Camp?!

Posted on by Pam Cobb

After a lot of thought… discussions… reading every parent blog online … multiple calls to friends who had gone away to sleep-away camp, we finally decided to send Mati to camp.   She had never slept away from home at anyone’s house, so it was quite a decision-making process.

Researching and Deciding Was Intense!

Once we made up our mind, all the fun began.  Matilde was turning 9 and was leaving for three weeks to Maine.   She was so excited!   Not once during her 3-week stay, nor any time before, did she ever feel sad.  Quite the opposite!  Matilde absolutely loved her camp experience and hasn’t stopped talking about it since!  She discovered the carefree joy of friendship, crafts, sports, playing, singing, all within the most beautiful setting possible. She also learned responsibility with her daily chores and appreciated the comforts of home (air conditioning).

By far a great gift for any girl :).  So much was new; so much was fun!

Today we are happy to be able to send our youngest daughter along this summer as well.

Julián & Andrea Gómez

Giving Tuesday – be the change

Posted on by Alex

I’m sure that on this Giving Tuesday you have been bombarded with emails and Facebook requests from your favorite nonprofits and charities asking for your donation to make a difference to their organization.  Our alumnae organization the CRAO is always thrilled to receive donations at any time of year.  The money they raise supports our camper scholarship program.

Mass giving produces amazing results as we know that many people giving just a little can add up to a lot which has a significant impact.

We are excited to announce that for our Holiday giving this year we will be making a Camp Runoia donation on behalf of our campers and staff to World of Change.  Every year for holiday gift giving we pick an organization that is aligned with our philosophy and which supports a community that is relevant to us.  We are thrilled this year to donate to World of Change and will continue our giving through the summer so start saving your change now!  There will be change collections at camp during drop off and pick up days and ongoing for our staff.

Did you know that: “There’s an estimated $10 billion in loose change sitting idle in American households – an average of $90 per household not being put to use. Another estimate calculates $62 million in spare change is discarded every year. World of Change® is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization, which uses a series of ongoing matching challenges and grassroots fundraising efforts to mobilize and leverage this collective capacity.”  https://www.worldofchange.world/

If all of our families, alumnae and staff found just $50 in loose change around their homes and offices  we could potentially donate over $20,000!  A number of Maine Camp Experience summer camps are joining this cause and hoping that together we can collect a significant amount of money much of which stays right here in our local communities.

You truly can be the change that you want to see in the world.  Have a scavenger hunt around the house and see who comes up with the most loose change!

If you are inspired to be a change maker – donate directly to World of Change.

Runoia elections – using your voice at camp

Posted on by Alex

A long standing tradition at Camp Runoia has been having elections to see who will be team captain.  The pool is small and anyone who meets the very basic criteria is eligible to run.  There are no residency requirements and basically your age and having been in camp a couple of years allows you to be on the ballot.  Occasionally girls take themselves off the roster as it is not of interest to them but typically everyone gives it a shot.  You get to vote just for the candidate who represents your team in your end of camp and campers are often surprised by the fact that ‘yes’ you can vote for yourself.

Candidates get 1-2 minutes to present their ‘reasons why I should be captain’ speech to their team.  It is a big deal to stand up in front of a large group and talk about yourself.  It is often the first time that girls have had an opportunity to describe their own skill set and successes.  For other campers it is a great opportunity to elect someone that they know to a position of leadership and to figure out that your choice makes a difference.  Girls use their individual voices in multiple ways during the process and it is an empowering experience.

Probably the greatest outcome from camp elections is that as soon as the winners are announced everyone cheers, hugs and offers their support.  There may be a few tears from a losing candidate but those quickly turn into offers to help with line ups, song teaching or any other aspect of the captain job that requires support.  The voting process is respected and the team is quick to rally behind their new leader regardless of whether or not she got their vote.

Sometimes the most unlikely candidate wins, the quieter girl who is reliable, consistent and trusted by her camp mates to treat people fairly, the girls who is not necessarily the best athlete but always shows awesome team spirit or the camper that is most respected because she keeps a positive attitude and is fun.  It is an honor and privilege for girls to serve their teams and they take their role seriously and put forth their best efforts.  They know they walk in the shoes of campers who have been leaders for many years before them and strive for the victory while still remaining great friends with their opponents.

We are glad that camp can provide girls a small taste of the democratic process and encourage campers to stand up to represent their own beliefs and support those that they have the most faith in.

It is a relief that election season is finally and why don’t they give out prizes for which candidate  has the most creative signs? that’s what we would do at camp!

Some of our 2018 elected team captains!

What is the best age to start camp?

Posted on by Alex

Is your daughter ready for an extended sleep away experience? Is her age a determining factor?

Trying to figure out when the right age to start camp is can be a real challenge for families.  Actual yearly age carries a lot of weight in our society.  We celebrate milestone Birthdays with celebrations and sometimes commiserations!  My daughter is about to become a teenager and I have been blown away by how much emphasis there is surrounding this event.  Mom friends commiserate that I will have a ‘teenager on my hands’ it is apparently just the beginning of the tumultuous years and I am supposed to shower her in adult type recognition and responsibility to help her develop her true self as a young adult.   Truth is she will be the same person today at 12 as she will be tomorrow when she turns 13. She has displayed some of the teenager characteristics for a couple of years, others are sure to develop over time or may never appear on our radar.  Age does not define us yet it has societal normative behaviors placed up on it.

As a parent I feel like I am often battling the social norms imposed upon my children.  It is hard to go up against them when ‘everyone else’ does it, has it or has been there.  I love that my sons school uses the ‘wait ’til eight’ theory for cell phone use as it has taken the pressure off getting my 6th grader a phone as it is not the norm in their school culture.

Figuring out when your daughter is the right age for camp can also appear to have social norms and external pressure about when is the right time to send kids off to sleep away camp.  We all know that kids develop at their own pace, have varying life experiences and certainly come with an array of different personalities that are more or less conducive to the camp experience.  We often get calls from concerned parents wondering if their rising 7th grader is ‘too old’ now for camp? Or if aged 7 is ‘too young’ to start.   Will she fit in if she didn’t start in 5th grade when all of her classmates went off to camp?  Can we advise them about what truly is the best age to send your child to an overnight camp experience?

Kayaking is a great activity for all ages.

The truth is there is only a perfect age for each individual child, some kids are ready at 7 others at 12 or 13 and some girls  just may never have the desire to be away for an extended time period.  As we talk to parents starting the camp research process we are always excited to chat about their daughters and to help them figure out if she may be ready to join the Runoia fun.

Great questions to ponder for prospective families are: how does your daughter feel about camp? is she driving the process? does she enjoy being away from home overnight with family or friends? is she age appropriately confident managing her own things and time?

If you are pondering camp for 2019 and are wondering if your daughter is ready give us a call we are happy to help support you in the process – Camp Runoia  207 495 2228.

 

Back to school – transfer those camp skills!

Posted on by Alex

Transitions and transferring skills

Is the back to school chaos getting to you? I have chatted with a lot of parents in the past couple of weeks and the first question asked is often ‘how is back to school going?’.  It seems to be such a loaded question as many families find themselves challenged with the transition from lazy days of summer to the conformity of the school routine.  There is an intense pressure that the school schedule brings and just trying to get everyone back into the swing of the expectations and responsibilities can be overwhelming.

Summer vacation is long and even for those that have it filled with camp programs, family time or travel the last days of school in May or June seem like forever ago.  The summer break allows us flexibility that we never have the rest of the year.  Week days and weekends roll together as we lose the structure of organized activities on set days.  Often there is no alarm clock and on some days no need to even change out of pajamas!

Even though camp life is very routine and structured it has much less urgency than school and you certainly don’t get detention if you are late or don’t have the right supplies. The practical, organizational skills gained at camp are easily transferable and can make for a smoother start to the school year.  At camp space is limited so campers have their stuff very well organized and to hand. Girls often lay out clothes that they will need, or have handy well used accessories such as lunch bags and crazy creeks so that they are prepared for the next thing.  5-15 minutes of clean up time results in beds being made, dirty clothes sorted and in the laundry bag, shoes paired up and dresser tops tidied.  Try challenging your daughter at home with the thought that the ‘nurse’ will be doing inspection how would she score?

There is no doubt that as parents we often do too much for our kids, give too many warnings and reminders and don’t allow them their own success of taking responsibility for basic tasks in their day.  It gets everyone stressed out and certainly isn’t helping our kids build their own skills set. At camp the expectations for independence are much higher.   Even our youngest campers navigate our campus and get themselves in the appropriate clothes and shoes from cabin to activity.  Girls make it to meals on time, make their own choices about what to eat  and more often than not they choose a balance meal without anyone nagging them.  Often older girls coach the younger ones on good tactics for making the camp day work, grabbing your snack before you change for your next class is apparently key to getting the best choice of apples.

Give your daughter the opportunity to show you what she learned at camp, she can pack her own lunch, organize her activity equipment and clothing, get her backpack ready the night before and a myriad of other tasks that will make everyone’s day smoother.

You’ve got this!

We hope that your school year has started off well and that you can remind your daughter that the skills she learned at camp can also be used at home.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity of more life skill building next summer and enroll for 2019!