Best camp in Maine sleepaway overnight girls camp Archives - Page 8 of 23

Old friends for always

Posted on October 23, 2019 by Alex

An old camp friend flew in from Australia this past weekend. She traveled alone so that she could see New England in the fall and re tramp some of the footpaths of her young adulthood. We met at camp at a time when social media wasn’t even imagined and there were certainly no smart phone so connections through the years have been loose. How incredible is was to see someone again after 14 years we had only spent one 9 week summer together yet reconnected like it was just yesterday.

Though her memories were a little fuzzy the draw to return to Runoia was strong. We walked through camp, past the many things that have changed, the new buildings, additions, different program options and reminisced about all the things that were still the same. She found her name on the 5th shack plaque and could recall each of her campers and the laughs they had shared together that summer.

We sat on the boathouse steps for a long time just quietly taking it all in. She was amazed at how deeply she was moved by being back and how the memories of one summer so long ago returned so quickly. As a swim instructor she had spent many hours on and in the lake and could recount memorable moments and the day to days of camp life. We talked about how camp was life changing for so many reasons. As young adults our futures were impacted greatly by the time that we spent on Great Pond and the relationships that formed that have and will truly last a life time. How hard it is to describe this powerful experiential force to those that haven’t been here.

So many times our Runoia girls will say they come back to camp be with their friends. They love all that camp has to offer, the activities, silly evening programs and Sunday campfires, but it is the relationships that draw them back. As our cabins rapidly fill up for the 2020 season we are already anticipating the strengthening of those bonds and the development of new ones. Camp is the place where you come as you are and are welcomed in and appreciated for just being you. The friends that you make be it for one summer or over many truly are the people that stay with you for a lifetime.

She left the Runoia gates with a million photographs and the strong certainty that she would be back someday. I left with a great reminder that the work we do here is powerful and has great value. The Runoia experience is far more than just one summer moment in time, it’s magic that can resonate for a lifetime.

100 years of change for women – right to vote

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Alex

As we come off a summer where girls have access to all the activities and experiences that they choose it is hard to imagine what life 100 years ago was like for women. When Lucy Weiser and Jessie Pond decided to start a camp for girls in very, rural Maine they lived in a society where women had little say in their own lives. It was 13 more years until they had the right to vote, can you imagine what fierce and bold women they must have been! How fortunate we are that they created a place where girls can grow and be empowered.

The women’s suffrage movement began to formally organize in 1848 but is wasn’t until 1919/20 that women were finally allowed a say in the democratic process and were given the right to vote. Even then not all women were able to vote as minorities were still excluded. The 19^th amendment was passed on August 18^th 1920 long after those pioneer women had started their campaigning and 13 years after Camp Runoia opened. Maine was a little ahead of the national curve ‘On November 4, 1919, Governor Milliken called a special session of the Maine state legislature. By a vote of 72 – 68, Maine became the 19th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.’ Here’s a short video that may be fun to watch with your daughter. You can ask her what the process at camp is like when we vote for our team captains.

I wonder if the women who founded Runoia were involved in the suffrage process. Did they take to the streets with sashes and signs to advocate for their rights or were they quiet observers as many other women of the time were. We constantly encourage our Runoia girls to advocate for themselves, speak up for their needs, make their own choices and to not always just go along with what everyone else is doing. It’s certainly challenging to think that for most women a hundred years ago participating in the adventurous activities our girls do today would have been impossible. Even to other women the suffragettes seemed somewhat extreme ‘they seemed bold and unladylike to venture out into the world.’

The Suffrage Centennial in Maine is in full celebratory swing with many different events planned around the State over the next six months. One of our camp mom’s is a curator of the Maine State Museum which is hosting an exhibit and special events that are both informational and entertaining.

How thankful we are that brave, strong women walked before us and that our girls have equal opportunities.

Share the stories of the suffragettes with your daughters and take them with you when you go to vote!

Camp Sick

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Alex

September blew by in whirl of activity. It was nice to be home, to have time to read a book and fix the yard up. There were lots of fine Maine days, the lake was still warm enough to swim in and getting back into the fall routines kept everyone busy. The summer camp season is intense and exhilarating so a rest is definitely needed both physically and mentally when it ends.

Today it’s a rainy, cool October day. I got real mail in the post from a camp friend and I’m camp sick. I miss those hazy days of summer on Great Pond, the sounds of people all around me and the late night loon calls on the lake. I miss the simplicity of camp life, where I don’t have to drive anywhere, I show up for meals without having to shop or cook and there is always someone to chat with or just be around. I miss random hugs, and crazy giggles and all the in between connections with girls and staff throughout the day. I miss my early morning coffee in the Lodge office with the sun rising over the lake and deer for company outside my window. I miss campfires, songs and of course the bell!

The Runoia bubble is so unique and so difficult to describe to those who haven’t experienced it. Camp days are so long and so full it is hard to comprehend all that goes on in a whole summer filled with them. Later this month a camp friend from Australia will be here, she hasn’t been to Maine in 15 years and is so excited to be able to come back to reconnect with the people and the place that she enjoyed for only 2 summers. The bonds formed at camp last a long time and over great distance for sure.

As sign-ups for next season come in, I love sending out postcards to welcome back our returning girls and start a connection with those who will be new. I am already counting down the days until our 114^th season and cannot wait to be back on Great Pond with my Runoia summer family.

Post Camp at Runoia is Bittersweet

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Pam Cobb

How and why is post camp bittersweet? It’s too quiet around here. I miss the giggles at night time, the splashes in the water, the sound of doors slamming and the laughter rippling or roaring out of a shack. Yet, there’s something about completing a camp season that feeds the soul. There are memories tucked away. There is the growth in campers you can measure, see and experience. There are the notes and emails and excitement about next year.

So, we get busy. We plan and strategize and take feedback from campers, families, staff and administrators and we make things happen. This fall, we are building an addition on our health cabin. This will expand the h

ousing we have for nurses and create two more beds and a new storage and organizing room for nurses.

Additionally, shacks 1- 7 are getting a face lift – well, a floor lift, really. All the buildings will be raised and new posts and pads will be replacing the old and, wait for it… the floors will be sanded and finished. Say goodbye to splinters!

This is the mundane stuff we camp people get excited about. Yeah, sure, we are planning program and continual improvement, staff training and connecting with staff about re-hiring, we are interviewing excited but nervous new families and still running fall tours as we visit people in their homes. That’s super exciting, too.

But creating spaces and places in camp is the kind of warm and fuzzy we often feel in the fall when we dream about next summer.

Just next week, we’ll be meeting with 150 other Maine camp directors for the Maine Summer Camp Directors’ fall gathering. A time where we share and confer, brainstorm and collaborate to make Maine camps the best camps in the world. So, there’s lots going on for us as you focus on back to school but the bottom line is we can’t wait till next summer already. For now, we’ll take it a week at a time!

Until next week,

Aionur

Camp job – working a summer at Runoia

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Alex

Returning to the routines of fall I’m often asked how was your summer? What did you do? was it relaxing? For other people, summer is a kick back relaxed time of days at the beach and family barbecues. For those of us who work in the summer camp industry it’s when we bring our best game and our work ramps up to an intensity that is difficult to describe. Having a camp job is not really comparable to any other industry so it is very difficult to articulate what makes it one of the best jobs ever.

It is hard to know where to start when answering people’s questions. Here in Maine saying that ‘I was at camp all summer,’ can mean a number of things. In Maine people often refer to their summer cottage, lake house or even a hunting cabin in the woods as their ‘camp’ so one has to clearly define that you were actually working at a residential children’s camp not chilling in a lounger by the lake all summer or off hunting deer! Once the definition of ‘camp’ has been determined it is typically met with ‘oh that must be lovely you get to be on the lake all summer.’ People’s perception is often that I spend my summer swimming, boating and playing with some kids. They also think I must now have the rest of the year ‘off’ as camp just lasts a couple of months of the summer. My Mum is still not convinced that I have a ‘real’ job!

The Lodge office has a great view of Great Pond and deer for early morning coworkers.

When a break from the office means being 40′ up the tower!

The reality is that I spend most of my summer in an office – granted it has one of the best views ever and is often infiltrated with generally happy, smaller humans who have something about their day that they want to share. I manage schedules, answer emails and generally make sure all is running smoothly for the almost 200 people that we have on site at camp. I also get to dress up in crazy costumes, have ‘moo off’s’ with my boss and be immersed in a community filled with love and laughter. A day at camp has more crammed into it than a week of life outside so it is a busy, non-stop and highly engaging job. Throw in a few unexpected thunder storms, an afternoon at the top of the zip line tower or an escaped goat and the long days are never dull.

Summer camp in Maine is a large revenue generating industry, with over 200 camps that employ thousands of workers, it is big business and plays a large role in the states tourism industry. Maine summer camps have their own organization that promotes and supports our Maine Summer Camps and we are a committed group of camp professionals that truly believe that a camp experience is great for all kids. We truly love our jobs.

When people ask ‘how was your summer?’ I simply smile and reply ‘spectacularly exhausting.’ I have one of the best jobs, it is truly a gift to see children and young adults grow and develop over their summers at camp.

Our Camp Runoia 2020 season is already open for enrollment because we just can’t wait to do it all again.

We’ll see you on Great Pond!

Developing leadership skills at camp

Posted on May 29, 2019 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 4^th 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.

Living in the moment – enjoying the time, place and people without FOMO

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Alex

Smart phones and social media keep us connected in our fast paced world. We know that younger and younger kids have access to constant media use and switching it off for a few weeks of camp can be a challenge for all of us. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a very real affliction for many who are used to a constant stream of updates and notifications telling them what everyone they are connected to is up to at any given moment. Added into the Oxford Dictionary in 2013, FOMO is defined as “anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.”

There is a great deal of scientific and social research about how FOMO has become a rel phenomenon in our current society. For an interesting read check out this article from Psychology Today.

Appreciation and mindfulness for the moment that we are in can generate great satisfaction. It may be hard initially to turn off our brains to wondering what our friends and family are up to while we are at Camp Runoia but once we get into the busy days of camp life, the outside world becomes more of a blur. At camp we learn to be present in the moment, to engage with the people around is, to not worry what others are up to or even what is going on in the outside world. Fortunately camp is generally exciting and interesting! There is always something going on and a wide variety of people to connect with. We learn to enjoy and relish living in our Runoia bubble

Not having access to electronics at camp really helps reduce the FOMO

Parents, family and friends can really help their campers adjust to camp life by sending letters and emails that are encouraging and ask questions about camp life. Making life at home sound really boring and not listing a bunch of fun things that have been going on while their camper has been gone really helps too.

Camp is where all the action is in the summer and when we are living in the thick of it we definitely don’t feel like we are missing out on anything and are so sad to see it come to an end.

The benefits and joys of reading aloud

Posted on May 15, 2019 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 May 8, 2019 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.

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 May 1, 2019 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.

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.