Monthly Archives:July 2018

First off, birthdays are the B-E-S-T at camp. If you are the birthday camper, each cabin enthusiastically wishes you a happy birthday and sings happy birthday to you at morning assembly. At rest hour you get a special phone call from your Mom and Dad, and at the end of the day the camp directors throw your cabin a birthday party with a homemade cake and a sparkler to top it off.

Maddie celebrating her 7th Birthday!

My daughter, Maddie, would not celebrate her birthday at any other place. How do I know? She has never spent her birthday anywhere else. I was very fortunate that my life took a positive turn 7 years ago, and the Jordan Family invited me to come back to camp to connect with our alumni and start a few new camp marketing projects. I never thought in a thousand years I would be packing my 11-month-old baby and spend 7 weeks in Northern WI (especially since I live in Virginia). I never thought in a million years that we would continue the annual pilgrimage to WI and Maddie would spend every birthday at Camp Woodland for Girls. But here we are – Maddie turned 7 years old last Sunday!!! This year was more special than ever, because she is now a full time camper celebrating with her cabin mates in Starshine.

Maddie’s Cabin – Starshine

You heard it right, my daughter just turned 7 years old is a full-fledged camper for 6 weeks. Like all first year parents, I was nervous. Will she change her underwear everyday, wash her hair, eat anything at meals, and be able to keep with the older girls in activities? I soon realized everything would be ok when she quickly stopped calling me Mom and started calling me Lee! She also stopped referring to her younger siblings as her family members and only refers to them as the “day campers”.

The “day campers” formerly known as Maddie’s siblings

The super cool thing is that I now get to see the “fruits of my labor” pay off. Maddie is the quiet girl at school. She does what she is told and sits back and watches everyone else. Teachers weren’t sure she was learning anything until she took her first test. They soon realized she was absorbing everything.

Maddie riding Snoopy

At camp we do not need her to take a test to know that Maddie is learning so much. She is a doer- loves to sing, tell jokes, rides an enormous horse with confidence, and is part of a cool little crewe called the Starshine Cabin to put on skits at campfire. I have a feeling she is going to be an unstoppable 2^nd grader this fall. If not, that is ok, because I know she will always be an unstoppable Woodland girl.

Maddie’s first birthday at Camp!

When campers try something new, there are feelings of vulnerability and unease.

Lauren loving gymnastics!

We sometimes allow self-doubt and negative self-talk to tell us “I’m terrible at this,” or “I probably won’t be good at this” we say to ourselves.  But at camp, everyone embraces a can-do attitude.  Starting on the first Sunday at activity promotions, every activity area leader tells the ALL girls to sign up for THEIR activity, no matter their skill level.  It quickly becomes clear that anyone can do anything they set their mind to at camp and that beginners are respected. Feelings of, “Maybe I should know how to do this before I start” fade away.  This sets the stage for a community of supporting each other, no matter what the level. Even those girls who are nervous about trying something new quickly become more confident and proud of their determination.  It’s only the end of the first week of activities and many girls have already felt the assurance of progress. So many levels have already been passed and goals have been set. This lesson is such an important one to learn to carry us through life – “I tried something new. It was hard at first, but I got a lot better. I can do hard things when I set my mind to it!” Think of how much confidence this lesson, learned many times, can bring to the emotional toolbox of a child.

Annie trying riflery!

Angie said, about trying archery for the first time, “At the beginning it felt weird and new and also exciting.  I was afraid of the arrow!  Now I’m more confident.  I gained confidence by just starting to do it.  I even just passed a new level!”

Alice said, about trying riding for the first time, “It was so scary at first.  I was afraid of tipping over and I didn’t even know how to hold my hands or place my feet.  Now I can hold my hands correctly and place my feet without anyone telling me.  I am excited every day to find out which horse I get to ride.  I can stop the horse by myself and I’m not scared anymore!”

Maddie said, about trying riding for the first time, “I was nervous about riding and scared that I might fall off the horse.  Now I feel good and confident because one time, the teachers were holding the reigns and they let go and Max (the horse) ran for a second and I was fine.  So now I know I’ll be ok!”

I can’t wait to see how much progress, not only skill progress, but also the emotional progress of gained confidence, determination and bravery, the second week of activities brings!

Caroline trying horseback riding!

-Written by Aron who’s working in the office this year (also a camp mom, a 5th grade teacher and a former Woodland Counselor!)