Last Day Reflections....

The staff here at WEHGC wanted to post their final thoughts and reflections about camp as our final blog this summer. Each staff member answered the following 3 questions:

1 - What is your favorite camp memory?
2 - What did you learn from the campers this summer?
3 - What is your favorite camp value?

Check out the answers below:

Rae:
1 - My favorite memory is the morning I woke up to screams and shrieks at 6am, only to look out my window and watch the girls participate in their first ever Polar Bear swim. The sun was just coming up over the ridge and the girls were having an amazing time. I thank the other staff for such a moment.
2 - This summer the girls taught me that having a job that is focused on someone other than myself is a gift, and they reminded me everyday why working with and for kids is so fulfilling.
3 - Spirit of the House is my favorite value ;)

Johanna:
1 - Favorite memories: Tanisha "kissing her bacon" and putting her game face on; Laura doing her hammer dance; Middle school dance lessons; Tent camping with the high schoolers; Oriangella's "Facts of the Day"
2 - I learned that being the waterfront director means you are never going to be dry - ever and that camp makes you a stronger person with memories that last for a life time.
3 - Drive because it helps individuals accomplish anything. Drive is the hope for a bright and successful future.

Tom:
1 - My favorite memories are every time the camp/house was filled with laughter.
2 - Laughter is the best medicine.
3 - Respect for others without judgement is the base for living life peacefully and productively.

Maddie:
1 - The best moment is hearing the girls say that they learned a lot about nature. It is so gratifying to know that I created fun and informative nature programs.
2 - I learned I love my job! Every session I learned something new about my self and I grew as a person. The campers have an amazing capacity to love and care about each other, the camp, and the staff as well as push one another and their staff to overcome insecurities and fears.
3 - Unsung Hero -

Dona:
1 - Best Moment: When Anaja' read my mind and all of the crazy accents at camp.
2 - Something I Learned: "Shaking It" is truly an art form
3 - Love of Learning

Elena:
1 - My favorite memories are dancing with the girls and sharing stories with the teens.
2 - Hmmmm  ... what I learned from camp is that I am an awesome alarm clock! (I'm Wide Awake!" Most importantly, I became unwaveringly secure in my decision to work with children as a career.
3 - I believe Drive is the most important character trait we can build in our girls.


* It has been a truly magical summer. Thank you to all of the staff and campers that made this summer so special.

Wait ... there's more?

The high schoolers are still going after an insane two days. Check out our Wednesday and Thursday (today) schedule below:

Wednesday
     8am: Leave Camp
     9:30am: Team building games and rock-wall climbing at Camp Wanakee
     Noon: Picnic Lunch
     2pm: Plymouth State University tour
     4:30pm: Set up tents at Twin Tamerack Camp grounds
     6:30pm: Campfire dinners
     7:30pm: Night Nature Program
     9:30pm: Night Hike

Thursday
     10am: Arrive back at camp/Unload/Clean Up
     Noon: Word Games
     1pm: Welcome back lunch
     2pm: Trip Debrief
     3pm: Frozen T-shirt contest
     4pm: Color War
     Winner: Blue Team

     9pm: Scary stories with Snoopy

(are you tired yet?)
   

Ello Govene! Camp is going swell!

Here is  a recap of what's been going on so far (brought to you by Trina and Hayley):

- There is a lot of singing at camp (I should have brought a mic)
- We ended our first night with funny stories (had a few laughs) and painted nails before we went to sleep
- We get time to chillax in the Creative Learning Center
- We know about the Wizard
- We've already been canoeing, swimming, and paddle boarding (which is awesome!)!
- Roasted marshmallows

*Notes to future campers:
-Someone always has a flatulence problem
-The staff are ridiculous
-Laughing is not optional

Thanks for your time!

High School in the House!

WEHGC is SO excited to welcome our session 5 high schoolers to camp! We have quite an exciting week in store ...

... so stay tuned!

Rain Dance

Highlights of today from Elisa and Jamie:

Today, Sports was CRAZY! We started playing kickball, but then it started RAINING! Well at camp we play ran or shine, so we kept playing and got soaked. It was so FUN!

We also did some CRAZY team building that involved a lot of trust. In some cases, if the person didn't trust their partner, they would fall. Rae was my partner ... she fell :/

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In keeping with tradition, Session 4 has been crazy and fun. Thank you session 4 campers for making this week a memorable one:)

JUMP!

"Jump into the middle of things, get your hands dirty, fall flat on your face, and then reach for the stars."

-Ben Stein

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Congratulations to the Blue team for winning Session 4 2012 Color War!

On the Move!

Yesterday at camp we were on the move! The first things we did was to go berry picking. We saw some REALLY BIG blueberries and really tiny ones too. The best part was we got to eat them:) The second event was going to get ice cream. It took us a while to find an ice cream place that was open, be eventually we got to a little ice cream stand and had some of their yummy ice cream! Last, but not least, we went to the local beach. It was lots of fun. The water wasn't too deep and the sand was white and soft. Finally, we had dinner over the campfire and learned new songs. So ... yes, yesterday was busy, but a lot of fun!

-Sade

"Hmmmm ... is this one a good one?"

"1 blueberry, 2 blueberry, 3 blueberry ... I hope Tom knows what to do with all of these blueberries!"

"Berry picking is exhausting ... we should stay here and take a nap."

"We picked it, we made it, we ate it ... we are that good!"

"What do you mean it's time for showers?"

"MMMMMM-Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay"

So thanks to a perfect imitation of a You Tube video by one of our campers, "mmmmm-kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay" has become the session 4 slogan. Below is what two of our campers wanted to share with you all about today (they are also responsible for the title):

*At camp we are having a great time. We have many sing-a-longs and funny moments.
Today's Sing-A-Longs were:
1. Party Rock
2. ABC -123
3. Black Socks
4. Wide Awake

Best moment of the day: When all of the campers had to jump into the lake ... with their clothes on .... because the staff won at Capture the Flag!

Until tomorrow!
-Tiffany and Tamara

First day of session 4!

After a lovely ride up to camp, the session 4 campers got down to business unpacking their things, learning the camp rules and the camp song, and participating in some cool camp activities. These girls are ready for a fantastic week here at camp!

It's been amazing session 3!

Thank you to all of the girls of session 3! We had a great session and we will miss you! Have a wonderful rest of the summer:)

Green means GO!



Hey look! It's our logo!



Learning a lot at the recycling plant ...

The fire circle was quite a mess ...



"Cooking with Dona" taught us about healthy and yummy snacks.

 The girls showed their appreciation of nature and conservation today through a trip to the recycling plant and an all-camp clean-up. At the recycling plant the girls were very attentive and learned about the many things that can be recycled as well as the many ways in which something can be recycled (i.e. turning it back into its original form, creating electricity, or creating something out of the untouched material - like a bench made out of milk bottles). The girls also worked very hard to clean the grounds around camp, picking up trash and beautifying our campfire area. The girls completed their day with a quick trip to the local beach and a picnic dinner as well as a traditional, session 3, pre-shower, dance party:)

The Girls are Being Creative!

The girls had fun today on paddle boards. The staff from the boys camp came and gave us all an introductory lesson. It was so much fun! Also, we filmed the first part of our new music video to the song "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. The girls also began making their original game boards for the WEHGC Games we are creating.

This is Ruby (and Rae) saying goobye ... for now:)

Blue team brings it home!

Blue Team! Winner of the 2012 session 3 Color War!

The day brought a long and grueling color war. The girls were divided into two even teams and set out to compete in a variety of team building tasks, including a low-ropes element, two water competitions, a relay race, hockey, a silent puzzle challenge and the creation of a skit. The girls did a great job competing to the end and supporting their team mates as well as the other team. By the end of the day, everyone was too tired to get emotional about winning or losing so we all celebrated with a special evening snack in honor of the blue team, wrote letters home, took showers, and went to bed:)

The staff were ready for a Color War show down!

The teams got their colors on ...

and their game faces on!

Let the games begin!

The stars finally came out!

Heading out for the night hike-

Dance party in motion-

Basketball in the new recreation center-

Sunday was dreary and rainy all day. The girls did amazing though; participating in every activity and staying positive. By the end of the day - they even went for a swim in the ran ... and loved it! After an impromptu dance party and early showers, the girls had their second late night program, "Nature at Night". They bravely faced the dark going on a night hike with no flashlights, experimented with color recognition at night, and even made their own light with spearmints. At the end of the night, as the girls were coming in from their adventure, the clouds cleared and we were able to see stars (for the first time in 4 nights!) and even a moon bow! It was a perfect end to a very wet day.

Everybody loves the weekend!

We had a great start to the weekend here at WEHGC. The girls had a busy day, even though everyone got to sleep in. They spent the day sharpening their soccer skills, learning about constellations, reading/working on homework, and playing at the local beach. We finished the night with a movie and some Olympic swimming and went to bed late. Everyone is excited to see what the rest of the weekend brings.

Relaxing on the weekend!

-Rae, WEHGC Director

And the Fun WON'T stop ....yet ....

It's the midpoint of camp and the girls are having a great time. Below are day 5's high points (so far) brought to you by Toni and Tara:

1) All swimming groups took on the deep end!

2) It was our head counselor's birthday! We made chocolate covered strawberries and a card. She was super surprised.
3) In Food for Thought we talked about the good and bad points of "rescuing" an animal from the wild.
4) In Arts & Crafts we made life time-lines and shared them with the group.
5) Milk & Cookies!

To celebrate the olympics we watched opening cerimonies together and had a Polar Bear Swim early this morning!!!! Go teams!

Cloudy With a Chance of ...

Fishing!

Arts and Crafts!

Games!

Basketball!

Everyone had a great day in spite of the cloudy weather. The day was full of giggles and smiles and a lot of Fun!

Until tomorrow!
Goodnight:)