Yesterday we were thrilled to welcome our very first session of Wildwood Warblers! These 7-8 year-olds arrived in the morning and will leave on Saturday with the rest of Session 3 after a two-night overnight camp experience. They jumped right into camp fun with swim checks, lunch in the always-lively dining hall, and Camp Olympic.
Camp Olympics were unbelievably fun, both to participate in and to watch. We played silly games like Cheeto Head and Rock Paper Scissors Faceoff and made LOTS of messes with shaving cream, whipped cream, and Skittles. See a few highlights below and check out the full slideshow on SmugMug.
It takes teamwork to get over that 12′ wall!It takes teamwork to get over that 12′ wall!Two campers holding hands as they traverse the parallel tight ropesClaire and Anna made the most amazing fairy house we’ve ever seen, complete with tiny bark and moss furnitureSinging silly songs before lunch in the dining hallThe Parade of Flags at the opening ceremony for Camp OlympicsCampers must cooperate and work together to pass the marble along to the finish line without dropping itThe Shoe Toss event during Camp OlympicsDon’t pop the balloon, racers!No hands allowed, only elbows, in Pass the BananaTwo campers face off in Rock Paper Scissors RacesDigging for Skittles in whipped cream…no hands allowed!Using pantyhose and beanbags to knock over the cups in Stocking Cap BowlingCheeto Head involves tossing Cheetos at a shower cap covered in shaving cream and trying to stick more than your opponentTime for a shave, Dustin?
Here at Wildwood the rain has been holding up, but so has the camp spirit! There have been some exciting activities: we created items for a Dutch Auction, played games like Crab Soccer, did some Food Drawing, and used our imaginations at Monster Making. Check out a few highlights from this week below and see the full slideshow on Smugmug!
Come back on Thursday for a post and pictures from a new and exciting tradition at Wildwood!
One of the most magical things about camp is how a few creative ideas and a can-do spirit can turn a rainy day into the best day ever. A little rain certainly didn’t stop us this week: we created musical instruments out of vegetables and fruit, did the limbo, and a few brave souls even went for a paddle once the threat of thunder had passed. When things dried out a bit, it was right back to fun and games with archery, ropes course challenges, tie-dying, and a heffalump hunt.
Session 3 is off and running and we are BUSY with swimming, kayaking, making friendship bracelets, playing tag, building gnome homes in the forest, and making lots of new friends. Check out the highlights below and see the full slideshow on SmugMug.
Two campers demonstrate a particular braid technique for friendship braceletsJigsaw puzzling in the dining hallGrace helping a camper try out archeryThese campers are learning the basics of tap dance!A lively game of Rainbow TagNice gnome home!Helping out in the community gardenBalloon Tag…don’t get popped!I said OOH, AAH Ort Report!Tuesday morning kayak lessonsLoving this beautiful weather!
This week has flown by so fast, it’s hard to believe this is our last update of Session 2! We had a visit from a couple of animal ambassadors from Drumlin Farm (a Blue Jay and a Diamondback Terrapin turtle!), played Knockout on the basketball court, folded origami animals, transplanted native wildflowers, hit the slip-and-slide to beat the heat, tried our hands at outdoor cooking, and enjoyed (from a respectful distance) a nest of baby robins and one as-yet unhatched egg on the windowsill of one of our buildings.
Check out these highlights and see the full photo album on SmugMug. And we’ll see you on Saturday, parents!
Happy 4th of July from Camp Wildwood!Some of our international counselors (plus Dustin) attempt to sing the US National Anthem on the 4th of July.Counselors doing a silly song and dance.A Diamondback Terrapin (turtle) Ambassador from Drumlin Farm paid a visit to camp.Slip-n-slide time!Outdoor cooking making campfire cupcakes.A robin’s nest with two tiny babies and one unhatched egg.These dedicated campers transplanted wildflowers into our new native flower gardenNice layup! A little Knockout on the basketball court.Making animal origami in Arts & Crafts.A proud camper shows off her hand-made name “cookie”.Stand-up Paddleboarding is all the rage these days.Taking a flying leap off the dock on a hot summer day.These campers played Rock, Paper, Scissors on the dock—loser jumps in the lake!
The first half of session two has wrapped up! We experienced 4th of July sparklers, Counselor Hunt, Egg Drops, and our new friend Laquinta Sweets even stopped by to MC our Lip-sync show (Not to mention the many other activities that your campers are enjoying).
Here are some highlights, but check out our album on SmugMug for more pictures! Lots more left to come this week as we finish out the rest of Session 2…
Session two is here and we’re kicking things off with lots of swimming, wilderness shelter building, friendship bracelets, Freeze Tag, archery, and more. And in between all the activity, we’re still making time to just chill and relax and reflect in nature.
Gathering materials for wilderness sheltersTending to the camp gardenShoes lined up outside Cranberry cabin in the Fossey unitMaking friendship bracelets in the Arts & Crafts buildingCounselor Jackson had a creative way of choosing who was “it” first in Freeze Tag…Freeze Tag – An oldie but a goodie!Grace is a terrific archery instructorPracticing on the Archery RangeA camper plays the ukelele in the Arts & Crafts buildingA camper plays the ukulele in the Arts & Crafts buildingHammocks were a great addition to the Chill ZoneSwimming during OATSWalking to the dining hall during OATS
It’s hard to believe the first week of camp is almost over already! We swam, paddled, made nature puppets, played soccer and volleyball, learned about pond ecology by canoe, and so much more! We could try to tell you all about it, but you’d be much better off hearing about it from one of these happy campers. In the meantime, enjoy these photos from the second half of session one! See a few highlights below and view the full album on SmugMug.
LITs cutting up watermelon for a potluck dinnerAfternoon sailing adventure during DGsThat’s one epic gnome home, ladies!Discovering a red-backed salamanderAfternoon soccer game on the activity fieldNature Superheroes Theme Day!A lovely Tiger Swallowtail butterflyLots of Volleyball on ThursdayPonding on the shorelinePonding by canoeCanoeing on Hubbard PondA nice stroll along the beach with friends
Summer is finally, fully underway at Wildwood! Sunday was opening day for the first session of overnight camp and we are already having a blast! Here are a few highlights from opening day and Monday/Tuesday. Check out the full album for more!
Wildwood camp staff welcome all the overnight camp families with a fun sing-as-I-sing song!You sure can’t beat the backdrop of Hubbard Pond for a family photo op!Getting settled in Carson UnitIt’s always tough to say goodbye to our families, but we’ll see you before you know it!Waterfront Director Livy administering Swim ChecksHeading to DinnerEverybody has to wait their turn—and impress Maxx—to get into the dining hall for dinnerFirst Meal: Sloppy Joes!KP Duty – Everybody helps keep our dining hall cleanJunior Counselors rocking it out during dinner cleanupA little silly song-and-dance at the evening campfire programRoasting marshmallows during unit time is a great way to end a great day!
These families know how to kick off the summer right! Wildwood welcomed the first session of the season on Wednesday with a terrific group of families arriving to spend four days with us, enjoying the beautiful property and celebrating the advent of summer.
Here are few highlights from the first day of Family Camp Session 1.
Our parking lot crew are ready to greet the Family Camp families!Welcome to Wildwood! We’re so glad you’re here!We’ll take care of your luggage while you get your vacation started!Our lead naturalist, Jonathan, was on hand with a ton of cool nature artifacts—antlers, pelts, fossils, live tadpoles, and more—as families arrived at the dining hall.Wildwood staff helped this family move into Darwin, their lakefront cabin for the weekThe summer fun started right away! Arriving families are welcome to start swimming, boating, and enjoying the property as soon as they arrive.Time for a paddling adventure before dinner!At Wildwood, we celebrate birthdays in style!Dinner is served family-style at Family Camp, of course!Karaoke Night was a big hit with these little rockstars!
