PACKING, Packing, Packing...
it's the number one type of phone call we get this time of year.
Parents call asking us questions about which items should be packed for a child's summer experience at camp.
The suggested items are meant as a guide, as you know your child and what he or she will or will not wear.
It is there to help you remember everything your child might need at camp.
The last few things on the list below are not on the packing list, but are equally important for your child to bring to camp, so we thought we should send you this additional packing list.
Please remind your child to bring..
..
Their smile: Nothing says: "I want to get to know you," "play with you," "be your friend," or "I like you" more than a smile.
Sometimes a new friend gets the courage to come over and talk to you or invites you to play when they see you smile at them.
Smiles speak a thousand words.
Courage: The courage to try new activities, make new friends, taste new foods, play games you thought you couldn't, or to ask us for help when it feels tough being away from home.
The ability to be silly: Singing silly songs, doing silly dances, making silly faces, and telling silly stories makes for great memories.
It is okay to look and act silly at camp.
The desire to play: Come to camp ready to play and have fun.
Be prepared to participate in each camp activity and do the best you can do.
The ability to really listen: It is amazing the things you hear when you really stop and listen.
There are sounds you will only hear at camp~ like the sound of the loon on the lake or crickets and frogs at night.
But also, the sounds of your new friends talking and telling you about themselves, your counselors recognizing your bunk for working together so well...
there is so much to hear when we stop and listen.
A respectful voice: Camp is about being a community.
There are rules at camp that must be followed to make our community a safe and comfortable one for everyone, but we want everyone to have a say and be able to voice their opinions.
We are always available to discuss concerns a camper might have.
Know that everyone at camp is there to help you have a great summer.
You can talk to any one of us.
An open mind: Come to camp with a mind open wide to accept new things.
Accept people who are different from you.
Accept activities you thought you wouldn't love.
Accept new foods that don't look like something you usually eat.
The person your child wants to be: Camp is a place to be whoever you want to be.
You can reinvent yourself in anyway you want to be.
Leave any labels you wear at school at home.
Come to camp and be who you want to be.
We can't wait.
We are so looking forward to your children coming to camp for the summer.
We know they will have wonderful experiences and will bring home enough memories to fill their duffels one hundred times over!