The Anatomy of S’mores

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660-Smores2At Americas Finest Summer Camps, everyone looks forward to getting in on the action and making s’mores. But what is it about s’mores that gets us asking for – you guessed it – some more?

The sticky, ooey, gooey, utterly delicious ingredients, that’s what!

People say there is a National S’mores Day celebrated on August 10 every year, but you don’t have to wait until then to eat s’mores. To make s’mores, you start when the sun goes down. Everyone gathers around the roaring camp fire hungry for an after dinner sweet treat. Bring along chocolate bars, graham crackers and marshmallows. It doesn’t matter if the chocolate is milk chocolate or dark chocolate – you pick. And don’t forget the skewers, unless you are planning to use twigs like the old days.

Very carefully, break the graham crackers and chocolate into squares. A half of a regular sized chocolate bar and two attached graham crackers will do nicely. Remember, you are kind of making a chocolate and marshmallow sandwich, so you will need two squares of graham crackers.

Now for the best part. Stick your skewer, or twig, right through the center of the marshmallow so it doesn’t fall off. Then roast the marshmallow over the fire until the outside is brown, not burnt, and the inside is really, really gooey. If the marshmallow does fall off into the fire, don’t worry! Just take another one and start over.

When the marshmallow is done, it is time to put together your s’mores. Use one piece of graham cracker as the base, then place the chocolate on top, and then put the hot marshmallow on top of that. Be careful not to burn your fingers! Then add the last layer, the other piece of graham cracker.

But the s’mores is not ready for eating yet!

Just wait a minute or two so the hot marshmallow melts the chocolate just a little bit. Now, take a bite and enjoy your sticky, ooey, gooey, oh so good chocolate marshmallow graham cracker treat!

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So Now What?

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After the initial feelings of elation that come from having completed their first summer at camp, many first year counselors are left wondering what comes next. For some, the choice to return to camp (or not) is an obvious one. For others, there are many factors involved, impending college graduations or internships, the prospect of a full time job, etc. Others simply need time to process the summer before making a decision. What may have seemed like a one-time-only experience in the moment, proper reflection can give birth to goals that require at least one more summer. Still, some counselors are just too exhausted to even consider next summer without some down-time to rest. During the transition, priorities often quickly shift from camp to academic responsibilities. Although the final decision to return to camp may be months away, fall is actually a good time to make a tentative decision about whether you’re interested in returning and initiating communication with your camp.

Because summer camps recruit heavily during the early part of the new year, they like to have an idea about which staff members have intentions of returning prior to the end of the year. This helps them focus their recruiting efforts. It’s therefore a good idea to contact your camp sometime during the fall to let them know your overall feelings about your summer experience and to express interest in returning the following year.  Although your camp may not have made final decisions about which staff members it will invite to return, having an idea of who is interested in returning is helpful when creating recruitment plans.

Likewise, if you think you might want to return to camp next summer in a different role than you had this season, the fall is a good time to express that interest so that your camp knows that you want to be considered for that role should an opening become available. For clarification, it’s a good idea to explain why you think you might be a good fit for your desired role as well. Although it may be obvious to you why you might be right for that role, your camp likely goes through hundreds—if not thousands—of resumes each year. Some proactive notes from you may be helpful.

Making a tentative early decision about potentially returning to camp also gives you more time to prepare for the experience. Even well-seasoned counselors sometimes find themselves scrambling to make summer plans come together at the last minute. The earlier you commit to another summer at camp, the more time you have to financially prepare for the travel to camp. This is of particular importance for international staff who tend to have significantly higher traveling expenses than domestic staff.

Keeping in contact with other staff members is a way to keep camp fresh and the anticipation high throughout the year. It’s also a great way to position yourself to hear news of rideshares or winter join ups among staff.

With a little advanced planning and proactive measures on your part, ‘So now what?’ easily becomes, ‘Now it’s time.’

My Bunk

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While I am now surrounded by the comforts of home, I would gladly give them all up again just to be back at camp, sleeping in my bunk. I must admit that the first few days of falling asleep in a quiet room, sleeping in my own bed, and waking up without bugles ringing in my ear have been nice but it does not seem to make up for the longing I have for my bunk.

Each summer when all of my bunkmates arrive at camp, we run to our bunk and begin to make it our summer home. On the porch we hang a big welcome sign with all of our names. We unpack our clothes and place them in our cubbies. Then each bed takes on a personality of its own with its bright sheets and blankets, fun pillows and sentimental stuffed animals. As the summer moves on the walls begin to fill up walls with posters, letters and pictures from home. The bunk becomes a disco, a runway, a theater where we perform. We play on the floor with jacks, cards and trade stickers. At night, we lay in our beds sharing stories. When the lights are all out, we continue to laugh and whisper until sleep fills the air. What I miss the most about my bunk is waking up, looking around and knowing that all my friends are there.

The First Few Days Home From Camp

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Another summer is drawing to a close, and the children have returned home from camp. You’ve made a significant dent in the laundry and are beginning to think about school supply shopping. The only problem is that your campers haven’t come out of their rooms since they returned. For parents who are wondering just what they’re doing in there (besides catching up on some much needed sleep), we can offer some insight from the campers themselves.

Looking at camp photos…over and over

One camper recently confessed that the first few days home from camp, she fights off “campsickness” by locking herself in her room and looking at ALL of the camp photos over and over. ‘It helps me to not be so sad about camp being over and to remember things that I’ve already forgotten—especially stuff that happened at the beginning of the summer because so much happens at the end.’

Arranging items that remind them of camp

One mother reported that her child refused to allow her to wash her camp pillowcase because it smelled like camp. A camper further supported this notion by confessing that he brings things home from camp and places them around his room so that no matter which wall he is facing, there is something that reminds him of camp. He even confessed to picking them up and smelling them from time to time so that he can remember what camp smells like.

Interacting with Their Camp Friends

Sure, they have an entire season of their favorite television show to catch up on, but they also have some important reflecting to do. Some confess to immediately beginning some planning for next summer while certain things are still fresh in their memory because ‘once school starts, sometimes it’s hard to just stop everything and think about camp.’ From Instagram to Vines, social media becomes an immediate post camp fix for making the summer just a little bit longer.

Eating…Yes, in their rooms

This may be particularly true if you’ve started to notice a considerable amount of unoccupied space in your pantry. Of course camp food is yummy, but campers assure us that there’s something about indulging in favorite foods that you can’t get at camp after not having had them for several weeks that helps alleviate campsickness.

Making a scrapbook

During a recent discussion about “those first few days” after camp ends, a camper proudly proclaimed that she makes a memory book of the summer using various items and photos that she collected over the summer. ‘I finish it and then spend a long time looking through it to make sure I didn’t forget anything. Then I get out my memory books from previous summers and look at them too.’

Recreating the camp environment

A camper shared that sounds of home are sometimes overwhelming those first few days. ‘Camp isn’t really quiet, but home sounds so different. In my room, I can just shut the door and think about what camp sounds like.’ Another camper disclosed that she lays the comforter from her camp bed over top of her non-camp bedding for several weeks because it reminds her of being back in the cabin or bunk.

So there you have it. Words straight from campers’ mouths that campsickness does not always translate to moping. Sometimes it’s just their own way of bringing proper closure to the summer.

Bringing Away Life Skills

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For most campers, when the summer of 2014 draws to a close, there is always next summer to which they can look forward. For the oldest campers, however, farewell this summer means farewell forever to their years as campers. Even though a significant number of former campers choose to return to summer camp as staff members later, the experiences they gained as campers are unique to those years. Although it is difficult to say goodbye at the conclusion of their final summer, it is also a time when older campers reflect upon their camp years and truly take inventory of what camp has meant to them and will continue to mean as they proceed in life.

Older campers come away from camp having attained life skills that give them a distinct advantage as they move through their high school years and college becomes a focus. There is, for instance, respect for tradition. College campuses, like resident camps, are built on traditions that help define them.  Former campers understand the importance of their role in these traditions by creating experiences that are both memorable and worthwhile.

Former campers know how to show spirit and to live in the moment as well. At camp, campers are sensitive to the fact that their time at camp eachsummer is limited and they embrace each minute. Having already learned to comprehend that their camp years are limited to a specific timeline in their lives, former campers arrive on college campuses already understanding that their college years are much the same.

There is also an emphasis on total involvement at camp. Summer camp is about creating an environment in which campers feel encouraged to try new things and to push their level of comfort each summer. In the safety of a setting that emphasizes inclusion, campers learn to understand that diversity is key to success. It takes many types of people and talents coming together to make camp the beloved place that it is in the hearts of the campers. With such an understanding, campers tend to get to know and befriend individuals who they might not otherwise have taken the time to get to know in a setting that does not facilitate similar ideals.  Having been submerged in such a culture for several summers, campers are well equipped for the transition from home to college life after several summers at camp. They also tend to be somewhat open- minded when it comes to new things and experiences.

Older campers also come away from camp as leaders. Whether they have led fellow campers in an activity or helped mentor and lead younger campers in their later camp years, leadership is another quality that is rigorously promoted and embraced at sleepaway camp.

Campers also learn everyday life skills at sleepaway camp as they spend several weeks away from home each summer and make decisions for themselves. Making healthy eating decisions, for instance, is an important skill that children learn at camp. Campers also learn how to juggle multiple commitments at once, such as having a role in a camp show while simultaneously playing on a sports team. They co-habitate daily with several other campers and learn how to maximize their living space.

Clearly, those campers who will say goodbye to camp at the conclusion of the summer are bringing away far more than fun memories of a place where they spent their childhood summers. They’re bringing away experiences that translate into life far beyond camp.

Special Events at Camp

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Along with the regular daily schedule, camp special events are unique days that make camp–well–special. The guest blog this week is from Camp Weequahic and explores the amazing special events that take place at one of America’s Finest Summer Camps.

Once a week we take a break from our scheduled activities for a special event day. Special event days are highly anticipated by both campers and counselors at Camp Weequahic. The day begins with a late wakeup and donuts for breakfast. For the rest of the day we have a relaxed schedule and lots of fun activities planned for our campers. Below we have highlighted some of the event days from Summer 2014.

Wild and Crazy Day

Wild and Crazy Day was a messy and silly event planned for our juniors. The campers dressed up their counselors’ hair with spaghetti, had shaving cream fights, played water games, and decorated t-shirts. At the end of the day, each bunk lined up at the ice cream trough, a long gutter designed for eating ice cream sundaes without hands.

Amazing Race

The jinters’ special day was the Amazing Race. After a morning of t-shirt decorating and bunk bonding, the teams prepped for the big race! They coordinated their outfits and selected a mascot and team name. After lunch all jinters met at the flagpole to start the race! The clues directed them to specific places on camp where they completed a task at each area. The tasks were mental tests, physical tests, and silly activities. Each team finished at the ice cream trough and ate the frozen treats with their hands behind their back.

Cruise Day

The inters and seniors’ special event was Cruise Day. Each bunk rotated through their chosen stations: Top Chef, tennis, the water slide, beauty parlor, and soccer. In the afternoon the inters and seniors walked to the waterfront for a beach party with music by DJ Dennis. The campers went tubing, paddle boarding, and bounced on the waterfront trampoline and inflatables. The party ended with all campers and counselors eating ice cream from the trough.

World Cup Carnival

All our campers participated in World Cup Carnival Day. Each bunk chose a country to represent and decorated their porch with the corresponding colors. In addition to the decorations, each porch was set up as a carnival booth. Some of the booths included a nail salon, cupcake decorating, Pop A Shot, and mini-golf. After the booths the campers bounced around on giant inflatables on main camp. The carnival was concluded with snow cones, popcorn, cotton candy and a dance party in the Activity Center.

5 Minutes at Camp

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We focus a lot on how much happens at camp over the course of the summer, but the amount of activity that takes place in just 5 minutes on any given day is mind blowing to anyone who is not familiar with camp. Five minutes at summer camp is like a symphony: many individual components come together at the same time to create a single, enjoyable experience. In addition, each component is unique, yet critical, to the overall piece. In just five minutes at camp…

A soccer team may score a goal to win a championship game while play rehearsal takes place on the stage and, at the waterfront, swim instruction is happening. In arts & crafts, campers are busy putting the finishing touches on projects as a batter on the softball team steps onto first base and a volleyball is spiked over the net. A group of campers is learning how to sail on the lake as a group of paddle boarders make their way across the water. A camper does her first giant swing on the parallel bars in gymnastics just as another reaches the top of the climbing wall while yet another makes his way across the high ropes course. It’s a 3 on 3 tournament on the basketball courts and a group of campers are learning how to improve their tennis serve just as a camper finds the back of the net at lacrosse. A team captain just called a time out at roller hockey and the finishing touches are being put onto some hip hop choreography in dance. A group of mountain bikers pass a group of runners and two teams are facing off in flag football. It’s the bottom of the 9th on the baseball field and the game is tied while the final two players in an intense game of gaga face off as their fellow campers cheer them on. The aroma of chocolate chip cookies wafts from the cooking studios and campers in photography take nature shots as a small group of campers fishes nearby.

And it’s not just the action that takes place in any given five minutes at camp that creates the rhythm of summer, it’s the interaction. As all oftheseactivities are happening, campers and staff members are talking, laughing, learning and cheering. In the same five minutes at camp, friendships are formed and new skills learned. Traditions begin and are repeated. Campers try something new for the first time as well as accomplish them for the first time after a summer of trying. In five minutes at camp, campers gain life skills by becoming more confident and more self-reliant.   In just five minutes at camp, memories are made. Like a conductor, memories bring all of those activities together to create the image of summer camp that campers replay for a lifetime.

Post Trip Revitalization

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More than a big event to which campers look forward each summer, trips are way for campers to refresh and come back to camp feeling revitalized. As fun as camp trips all, the period after trips is always a special time when spirit is high and everything seems even more fun than it did before as this week’s guest blog from Camp Laurel South illustrates.

Our 8th and 9th Graders returned yesterday from their trips to Acadia National Park and White Water Rafting on the Kennebec River.  They had a blast!  As great as it was, though, we’re all so happy to have the entire Laurel South family reunited in Casco.  We’re back in full-gear with programming, and all around camp excitement fills the air.  i-6NKPk26-LThere are incredible dishes being created in our brand new Culinary Center, the Athletics Instruction has been awesome, the creativity shown at the Arts’ Centers and Theater are second to none, and Crescent Lake is always a hotbed of activity.  Our first “S” Day was a hit:  the Saco and Kineo campers had an amazing time at Splashtown USA , the 7th Graders enjoyed Seacoast, and the Baxter/Allagash Beach party was a huge success!

Roger and Dagni had a fabulous time at dinner last night with our 7-Year Club members.  They had a wonderful meal while reminiscing about the campers’ experiences over the past 7, 8, and even 9 years!  Where have the years gone?

Tonight is Counselor Hunt, a favorite Evening Program and long-time Laurel South tradition.

The fun never ends in Casco!


The Close of Another Best Summer Ever

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It seems that just yesterday the blog subject at hand was the anticipation of the campers’ arrival at camp. As usual, though, we blinked and now it’s August. Another summer is coming to a close over the next couple of weeks. This is the time of year when campers and staff alike begin reflecting over their summer. They mentally check off their bucket lists for this summer and already begin composing new ones for next summer. They begin making those final efforts to do those camp things they love most at least one more time. They take stock of those special moments—the ones that will forever define the summer of 2014. At the end of the day, there are always a million reasons why this summer was better than any other. Something was always bigger or better or even brand new. Your circle of friends has always grown just a little bit larger. You finally had the chance to go on that camp trip or participate in that camp activity to which you’ve been looking forward to for years. Even though the summer never seems long enough, it’s always mind-blowing to realize just how much was accomplished in such a short span of time. Perhaps it’s the sheer volume of activities that take place at sleepaway camp that makes every summer seem like the best summer ever.

When one weighs the summer as a whole, the good memories are prevalent and the word “amazing” comes to mind far more than the words “didn’t love it.” Upon considering everything that you accomplished, it’s impossible to be disappointed, even if you can’t check all your pre-summer goals off your list. At camp, especially at the end of the summer, it’s much easier to focus on everything you’ve done more than everything you’ve not.. The feeling of accomplishment is inevitably satisfying in a way that reminds you just why you come to camp anyway. There’s no other place in the world where you have the opportunity to accomplish so much in such a short period of time. Sure, you also come to relax, enjoy the rural setting, and spend time with your camp friends. But you also come with an agenda—specifically, a camp agenda of things that cannot be accomplished anywhere – or with anyone – else. These lists are often lengthy and filled with many more aspirations than can reasonably be achieved during a single summer. But the comforting thought that almost everyone brings home from camp is that there’s always next summer…and the promise of another best summer ever.

A Closer Look at a Camp Hobby Program

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In addition to traditional sports, summer camps are offering more and more hobby related activities to campers. The guest blog this week is from the Camp Starlight blog and explores a popular hobby program there that offers campers the opportunity to learn skills that are not commonly taught in schools or neighborhood programs.

The Circus program at Camp Starlight is very popular, and for good reason. It is the only program that gives campers the opportunity to walk on stilts, juggle, do diabl0, flip devil sticks, and spin plates. Campers in the Camp Starlight Creative Writing option decided to spend some time there to see just what draws campers by the dozens each day.

The Circus program is led by Ben. He first became interested in Circus when he was in the Youth Theater, which is an amateur theater in his home country of England. Ben says that a circus person once came to his theater to demonstrate juggling and diablo, which made him very interested in all things circus. So he asked the circus person to teach him his tricks, and so the circus person taught Ben everything he knew. Ben practiced a lot, and eventually became better than his mentor.

Campers find Circus fun and different.  Around the world, spaghetti string, and  throw and catch might not be familiar terms to those who aren’t familiar with the diablo. But one Junior who was interviewed by the roving reporters of the Creative Writing Option and has been to Circus five times this summer has learned all of them. For those less familiar with all things circus, a diablo is a popular circus toy comprised of  two large cylinders attached to both ends of a metal center piece that are balanced and juggled on a piece of string controlled by two sticks.

For campers who are looking for an activity they can’t try at home, Circus is the perfect choice. Every camper interviewed at Circus told us that they learned everything they know about Circus at Camp Starlight. Favorite camper activities at Circus include, devil sticks (aka Chinese juggling sticks), stilts, and the balance board known as a tiabolow. Many Camper Starlight campers build their skills at Circus over multiple summers. One particular enthusiast of the stilts said she has been learning and practicing the art of stilt walking for more than a year.

Circus was even offered as a Starcamp at Camp Starlight this year. Special guests from Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus taught campers the art of Circus comedy that included pies in the face, water throwing, and gags, which are funny skits that many circus clowns perform in between acts during circus shows. Campers also learned new circus skills, such as getting up on stilts without the aid of a wall as well as new juggling and spinning tricks with the circus tools available at Camp Starlight. The Ringling Brothers crew shared that in addition to camp clinics, they also perform for patients at children’s hospitals.

Campers agree that the circus is fun to watch but even more fun to actually do. It is no wonder campers rate the Camp Starlight Circus program a 10!