Straight from Pasadena, TX, Lucy arrives at Weequahic for her first summer as a division head. Happy as can be, she just adores the camping environment, amazing counselors, and, most of all, her Junior campers’ love of life and sense of imagination. With an abundance of experience working with children, she brings enthusiasm and determination to cultivate the most dynamic and memorable summer for them. Her tireless energy rivals theirs. She is the last one standing after a fun-filled evening activity! In college, Lucy studied to become a Child Life Specialist and one day hopes to work at a summer camp full time or in a hospital setting. Lucy enjoys the outdoors, learning new sports, reading and traveling.
Tag: American summer camps
What’s Cooking at Camp Weequahic…
Summer Camp cooking programs like Camp Weequahic’s help campers learn their way around the kitchen by teaching them how to make fun snacks. Eating a warm chocolate chip cookie that one helped bake makes a second home feel even more like home, and it’s a special treat to which many campers look forward. In fact, some of the treats campers whip up in the cooking studio have become part of Camp Weequahic tradition. Camp Weequahic cooking instructors also teach campers tips for making some of their favorite snacks more nutritious as part of an overall effort to help campers maintain a healthy lifestyle while at camp. Here’s one of our favorite recipes from the Camp Weequahic cooking studio:
No Bake Choc Chip Truffles
1 cup soft butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp water
1 (6 ounce) package mini chocolate chips
· Cream butter and sugar together.
· Add remaining ingredients and mix well by hand.
· Roll into bite-size balls.
· Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Store in a plastic zip-type bag in the freezer.
· Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before eating. (Makes 4 dozen)
It’s Time to Start Thinking About Packing…
For summer camp parents the arrival of June means it’s time to start thinking about packing. For first time parents, the task can seem absolutely overwhelming. How much sunscreen and shampoo do I pack? Do they really need shinguards? How many t-shirts are enough? For seasoned camp parents, packing is a science based on experience. The art is in packing just enough but not too much or too little…and knowing which items the children have sneaked into their bags to take out and which ones to let go. Packing properly takes time…and patience.
Camps provide rather comprehensive packing lists. These should not be disregarded. They’re compiled by professionals with years of camping 
experience who have excellent knowledge of what children’s bags need to contain in order for them to arrive prepared for a successful summer at camp. Also keep in mind when packing that living space is somewhat limited at camp. Your child will not have his or her own room at summer camp. He or she will live together with several other campers as well as a couple of counselors. This means that there is not a whole lot of room for “extras” and labeling clothes is important as mix-ups are otherwise bound to happen. If laundry is your primary concern, rest assured that camp laundry is done at least once per week. Your child’s counselors and other camp staff will see to it that your child has clean clothes.
Summer camp values also often downplay appearance. The emphasis of summer camp is on fun, friendship, and safety. Before the end of the summer, your child will likely get wet, slimed, painted, generally messy, and a host of other cool things that tend to make children laugh and adults cringe. So keep the really good stuff at home and send clothes that neither you nor they will miss too much if they have to be “retired” at the end of the summer.
It’s important for both new and seasoned camp parents to pay as much attention to the items your child’s camp asks not to bring as those items it asks to bring. There is a reason your camp requests that certain items not be brought onto campus, whether it’s to help facilitate a specific environment, protect those with allergies, or to avoid other issues not conducive to the spirit of summer camp. Packing “do not bring” items risks them being lost or confiscated until the end of the summer. This ultimately causes undo stress on your children. Alleviating stress that results from the idea of having to leave a beloved item such as a cell phone or notepad at home is typically accomplished by reiterating to children about what they will have at camp as opposed to what they won’t.
By following your camp’s advice and being proactive rather than reactive, packing for camp can be a fun countdown to camp rather than a reactive chore.
