Tag: camp programs

Siblings at Summer Camp

February 6th, 2014

We are blessed to have a number of families at Camp Weequahic who entrust us with not only one but many (if not all) of their children. In fact, we have so many sets of siblings that we have had to expand to three photographers just to handle our annual Sibling Photo Shoot!

As parents of three very different boys ourselves, we know that finding the right camp for each can be a challenge both from both ‘right fit’ and ‘siblings getting along’ points of view. Thankfully, Camp Weequahic offers a great solution to both concerns.

Campers get to build their summer by choosing from over 60 different activities. As a coed camp, we thoughtfully plan our offerings so that it they are evenly split between activities girls and boys will find appealing.

During the program day, boys and girls do activities with other kids of the same gender and age group. In other words, when 5th grade girls are playing tennis, making a dress in fashion design or climbing our 50’ climbing tower, the 5th grade boys are at woodshop, basketball, or the waterfront. In our case, the competitive older and middle brothers play against other boys the same size and level which makes for a much more enjoyable experience for each.

With our activity schedule, most siblings will see very little of each other. However, there are ample opportunities for siblings to visit (or avoid) one another during the rest of our very full day at Weequahic,

First, we eat every meal together as a camp. While bunks sit together at each meal, siblings often get up to visit one another throughout the meals. Second, we have a camp wide free play time (supervised and unstructured) each evening before flag pole. This is another great time for siblings to check in with one another. And, finally, we have several evening activities and special events which involve the entire camp.

Parents love the fact that each of their children can build the perfect summer for their unique interests at Weequahic. Having the children taken care of in one spot while also providing the space each needs to grow and gain independence is a wonderful feeling.

The Weequahic Football League

January 30th, 2014

Watch out NFL…. The WFL is right behind you in popularity and about to take over! As football fever reaches the highest pitch with the upcoming Super Bowl, we are reminded of all the fun we have at Camp Weequahic while playing flag football.

Much like our very popular Weequahic Basketball League, campers are divided into teams of equal ability, gender and age groups. Boys and many girls love flying around the fields running, catching, avoiding and ‘tackling’ (pulling the flags) for at least one period a day. Our coaches are collegiate athletes who love to develop drills, plays, and practices that increase our campers’ understanding and enjoyment of the game each time they arrive at the field.

Campers who have never played the game are just as likely to love being a part of the flag football program. Whether they are learning the basics and practicing their new found skills in the flag football ‘class’ activity, competing with the SEC Dragons or the Big Ten Demons of the WFL, or representing Weequahic on our Wayne County Flag Football team, the campers do their best and have a blast.

What is the Wayne County team, you ask? It is just another one of our many competitive and completely volunteer teams that plays against 26 other camps in Wayne County, PA. Campers of any ability are welcome We compete across all ages and the kids love to play!

We hope you’ll come out to play with us this summer!

Seven Summers

January 2nd, 2014

Most children step off the bus and get their first glance of summer camp as eager, excited, and slightly nervous seven or eight year olds. It’s their first time away from home and they’re not quite sure what to expect. Few register those first moments as the first of a seven year adventure. It’s just the first summer, after all. Even parents sometimes forget that summer camp isn’t just one summer and, in that regard, is much more than a campus. It is a place where children grow up, and it should be a place where campers are every bit as enthusiastic about stepping off the bus their seventh year as they are their first. It should be a place where they feel an integral part of something larger.

Relationships form early at camp. The friends campers make their first year are often their closest throughout their camp careers. The adrenaline filled first meeting is the beginning of several years in the making. But the accepting environment of camp that encourages children to try new things also facilitates the promise of new friendships each summer. What campers learn as they progress through summers is that at “their camp,” no two summers are quite the same.

There is always the element of the unexpected at camp. Anticipation throughout the winter to return to camp is driven by the mystery of how the next summer will be different than the last. The ability to envision the campus as pretty much the same way they left it (with maybe a few upgrades or improvements) eliminates the element of fear in change for children. The stability of the campus itself makes change something to which campers can look forward. Boating docks, dining halls and arts and crafts studios become favorite spots as the settings of memories from summer to summer. Although they are the same places they were the summer before, the memories campers associate with them make them slightly different.

That first exploratory summer, young campers are also able to observe and begin to anticipate the various rites that occur as they age. They look forward each summer to special trips and activities that are exclusive to their second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh summer. In the end, summer camp isn’t a singular experience. It’s the sum total of many summers and a culmination of friends, activities, traditions and memories that builds from that first welcome on the first day of camp that first summer.