Tag: caring adults

Choosing Summer Camp – Guest Blog by Alicia DeHart

Posted on by Pam Cobb

As a former camper and summer camp counselor I immediately knew that my children would attend summer camp.  As a director at a girls’ summer camp I thought choosing a summer camp for my daughter would be a breeze.  With more than ten years working at a Maine summer camp I had more information about summer camp options than other parents researching summer camps.  I thought this would help me filter through the options to find a final choice rather quickly.  I soon realized that choosing summer camp wasn’t any easier for me than other moms and dads searching for their child’s summer camp.

While I had more information about camps and connections with various people in the camp industry, I was just a mom trying to make the best choice for her daughter.  Choosing summer camp for my daughter was filled with many of the same considerations that families across the country are working through as well.  Our decision process was guided by my purpose of choosing summer camp.  Then the things my daughter and I valued in summer camp.  And finally, our family schedule and other family dynamics.

Why Choose Summer Camp?

As someone who has spent three-fourths of her life at summer camp attending camp is an obvious choice.  However, many of my friends didn’t grow up attending summer camp.  So, their first question was, why choose summer camp?  While I was answering their questions, I quickly realized why my daughter wouldn’t attend the girls camp where I am a director.  This decision was easy, but it didn’t make the decision-making process any easier.

To me summer camp is an opportunity for campers to gain independence and a greater sense of self.  It’s a time away from parents to learn and explore under the guidance of summer camp counselors.  Summer camp is one of the greatest opportunities we as parents can give our children.  I wanted my daughter to have the true camp experience where she could be just another camper.  I felt she deserved the opportunity to have her own adventures just like I had when I was a young camper.

The Value of Summer Camp

The value of summer camp doesn’t come in its price tag.  The value of summer camp comes in the little details found in its values and philosophy.  I knew that I wanted my daughter to experience a camp similar to the camp where I work.  A camp where simple living, independent choice, and a sense of community guides daily life at camp.  I was surprised when my daughter wanted similar things.  She felt strongly about an all-girls camp.  I am sure this was partially because it’s the primary summer camp experience she’s had.  There’s likely an equal part for her choice of a girls’ camp because it guaranteed her younger brother wouldn’t attend camp with her in the future.  She’s an independent spirit so I fully understand her choice in not wanting to share her camp experience with anyone from home.  Especially not her brother.

When discussing camp with my daughter it was very apparent that she wanted an opportunity for a “trial” experience.  She was excited about the opportunity to have “her own camp.”  But she wasn’t quite ready to fully jump in with both feet.  Runoia’s Harmony Land Camp program was the perfect fit.  This shortened summer camp experience provided her an age-appropriate residential camp experience.  It also solidified her desires for an all-girls program with a strong focus on the outdoors.  And there were enough arts options to ensure her creative spirit was never bored.  After Harmony Land she was all in.  Five summers later and she hasn’t looked back.

Choosing Summer Camp for Your Family

The variety of programs and options can make choosing summer camp a complicated process.  However, choosing summer camp for your family schedule and dynamics can make everything more complicated.  One major consideration for us was camp dates because of the school calendar in the southeast United States.  There are summers that school begins before Maine camps are finished.  Due to this a half-summer session was a must.

An unexpected aspect of being a camp mom is the level of communication and individual attention Runoia families receive. The owner/director, Pam, took the time to speak with me about the Runoia experience and answered all of my questions throughout the enrollment process.  The level of attention we’ve continued to receive as a Runoia family has been amazing.  My daughter’s face lit up when she first received a letter from her camp pen pal and welcome post card from Alex.  Now she has the opportunity to do the same for new younger campers.  And my daughter now anticipates her birthday postcard in October!  The connection to summer camp truly continues year-round.

Choosing Summer Camp as A Camp Director

Sometimes being a summer camp director gets in the way of being a camp mom.  The summer season is crazy for all camp directors- our attention is on the amazing campers who create our camp community.  Due to this I knew I had to fully trust the leadership team for my daughter’s summer camp.  As a camp director who speaks with parents on a regular basis, I think this is the most important aspect of choosing a camp for your child.  As parents we are sending our most prized possession away for an amazing experience.  We must fully trust the people who are going to be responsible for them.

Here is where I have an advantage.  I met Runoia Director and Owner Pam very early in my years as a camp director.  As a young director I admired her for her integrity and commitment to summer camp.  As a mom I knew I could trust everyone at Runoia because I knew Pam was leading them.  2020 will be my daughter’s fifth summer as a Runoia girl. Directors Pam and Alex and the rest of the Runoia team haven’t ever let me down.  And more importantly, they’ve gotten to know and supported my daughter like she’s one of their own.  They’ve given her all I could have ever asked for in a summer camp experience and so much more!

 

“Remember who you are and what you represent.” 

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Jody Sataloff  – Guest Blog

“Remember who you are and what you represent.”  Back in my camp counselor days in the early 70s (good grief, was it really that long ago?), this was the abiding ethic, the ever present rule of law, that Betty Cobb expected us  to live by.  Anytime we left camp proper she sent us off with that reminder.  We all rolled our eyes and scoffed at this repeated admonition.  I suspect that most, like me, didn’t appreciate the value of those words until we were true adults with kids of our own. 

Remember who you are and what you represent.  Those eight words pack a punch.  For me, they pretty much represent the myriad of life lessons I learned at Camp Runoia.

  1. Who are you, and who do you want to be?  Are you a leader?  Are you a risk taker?  Are you an optimist? Are you kind, empathetic, generous?  Runoia taught me to try and be all those things.  I might have been one of them when I arrived there….I hope I was many by the time I left.  I remember the thrill as a young counselor of being in charge of my first camping trip with young girls — that rushing sense of responsibility, the new feeling of a sort of power to be in charge of the kind of experience others would have.  And I remember the nervousness of leading my first overnight sailing trip, recognizing the risk of all that could go wrong, but forcing myself to charge into the experience with enthusiasm.  I remember being stuck on a rainy day in the boathouse with a class of young sailors, miserable with the weather and being “grounded…and realizing the importance of putting a sunny side on the experience and coming up with games like Dr. Knickerbocker and Pin the Telltale on the Sail.  I remember wanting nothing more than a quiet rest hour to myself and having a 5th shacker suffering from homesickness need comfort that took up the entire hour.  Wonderful growth, wonderful life lessons.
  2. We are all part of something bigger, be it a camp, a family, a place of employment, a school….and when we are out in the world, our actions reflect back on that bigger thing we are part of.  It’s important to remember that, that what we say and what we do has a giant ripple effect and we have a responsibility to those to whom we are attached in one way or another.  We represent them.  We are obliged to do it well.
  3. Throughout our lives we will encounter one tough situation after another.  It’s not the ones we walk away from that are remembered.  It’s the ones we face, and how we choose to face them.  Remember who you are and what you represent.  For me, going through life, recalling these words, I try to reach deep inside myself and locate the strong girl/woman Runoia  helped me to become.  I try to make decisions based on that strength and on the good judgement I learned to try to use in life.  While at camp you had no choice but to become flexible, learn to make compromises while you were living in close proximity to others, combat fear to try new things, be kind and caring all along the way.  In other words, you learned to be responsible.  And learning this at camp, it was all important to me when I had kids of my own to instill this same sense of responsibility, this same sense that we do not walk through life alone, that our steps have consequences on all whose lives we touch, that we owe it to them, to our families, our friends, our co-workers, our communities to take those steps with courage, with strength, with compassion, with grace.

 

I carry Betty’s phrase with me throughout both my personal and professional lives.  Whenever my kids walked out the door, I heard it emanating from my mouth.  I have it in my head when I speak or act in public.  It is just one of the many Runoia building blocks that have hopefully made me a better person than I ever could have been without it, without Runoia.

 

 

 

Camp job – working a summer at Runoia

Posted on 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.

Lunch time table group hug!

 

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!

Transferring camp skills to school

Posted on by Alex

The camp bell is soon to be replaced by the school bell.

When Runoia girls arrive home from camp their parents often tell us that not only do they seem to have grown a few inches but that they are moving through the world with more confidence and have added to their inventory of skills.  During their time at residential camp girls acquire life skills that transfer to all aspects of their lives and are particularly useful when they head back to school. Acknowledging this skill development and verbalizing with girls what they can take from camp back to the rest of their year can be valuable and may smooth the back to school transition for those that find it a little bumpy.

Camp bus
We’ll take the camp bus over a school bus!

 

 

 

 

 

 

At camp girls often become more self-reliant, they learn to make new friends, manage their personal belongings and get from place to place on time and in the right attire. Day to day living tasks become their responsibility. They problem solve, communicate and advocate for themselves every day. The Runoia community is rich with opportunities for girls to push beyond their comfort zones, try new things and build on their strengths. Campers often surprise themselves with their new found competence and confidence. They learn that with perseverance and dedication that they can do things that once seemed difficult or that make take multiple tries to master. They learn that they have value and a place in our community, that they are respected for who they are and that there are people who want to build relationships with them. Making independent choices are a huge part of a Runoia camper experience and they affect all aspects of a girl’s daily living and camp experience.

Our favorite kind of backpack! The challenges of hiking a mountain can fill your child’s tool kit with skills that transfer to school.

Intentionally re affirming your daughter’s summer successes, reminding her of the great camp friends that will be there next summer and actively naming all of the skills that she now  has in her tool kit can really help strengthen confidence through those first sometimes daunting back to school days.

We wish all of our campers a smooth transition back to school and if they need a ray of camp sunshine to brighten their days enrollment for 2020 is opening this week! For some of our teachers on the Runoia staff school is just a filler job between summers!

We are officially starting the countdown to Camp Runoia’s 114th season on Great Pond.

And We’re Off!

Posted on by Pam Cobb

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love, Aionur

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Hi Runoia Families!

My name is Nina and I am one of the new Assistant Director/ Head of Cabins at Camp Runoia this year. I’ve been on the edge of my seat, gearing up for the 2019 camp season for a while now, and I am extremely excited to get things going in full swing.

I firmly believe that the value of the camp experience for children goes far beyond the summer. When a kiddo gets their first bullseye in archery or tackles their fear of heights on a ropes course, they get this new found confidence in themselves that is just infectious— it spreads to their friends and peers, creating an incredible energy and sense of camaraderie. This is what kids will remember forever.

Down the road they may forget how to shoot an arrow or navigate a climbing wall, but I know from experience that campers remember less about what exactly was done or said at camp, and much more about how camp made them feel. I believe in cultivating an environment and culture that supports kids’ inherent need to grow and explore and try new things and speak up for themselves.

When training counselors, I like to tell them that as a camp staff member, “You are a TV, and you’re always on,” meaning that kids will watch and often model the behavior and actions of their counselor or CIT. This is a beautiful thing because it cultivates campers who are become strong, loud, passionate individuals, which is important and amazing.

I am excited for Summer 2019, and honored to be a part of the 113th summer at Camp Runoia. See everyone soon!

 

Developing leadership skills at camp

Posted on by Alex

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

Posted on 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 by Alex

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Developing independence at camp

Posted on by Alex

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

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

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

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

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

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

Runoia girls make their own choices.

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

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

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

 

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