Take a look at this hilarious video below created by our 1st session campers. It's a parody of the popular TV show 'Pimp My Ride'...camp style.
- Ricky Searson, Assistant Director
Showing posts with label Pine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pine. Show all posts
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Pimp My Towel!
Foley introduced a brand new activity for Summer 2012 in the form of "Video Madness!" This class invites our campers to get in touch with their expressive side to produce short video creations. What are these short videos about?.. well that's the beauty of this class... they're about whatever the campers want them to be!
Take a look at this hilarious video below created by our 1st session campers. It's a parody of the popular TV show 'Pimp My Ride'...camp style.
Take a look at this hilarious video below created by our 1st session campers. It's a parody of the popular TV show 'Pimp My Ride'...camp style.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Your Child's First Sleep Away
Make no mistake that a child’s first sleep away at a summer camp can be a scary and nerve-wracking experience – for both camper and parent! We have seen time and time again that anxious separation of kid and parent on opening day of camp and it can sometimes be difficult to wager who will burst into tears first.
Russell Hyken, of Ladue News, testifies to this in a recent article. “Our concerns started to spiral. Is he too young? Will he be homesick? What if he doesn’t like his cabin mates” and will he eat the food?” These are all very natural reactions to what is often a traumatic time in a parent’s life – often the first prolonged separation from their child.
These is no real research into a definitive rule about the appropriate age for a child’s first over night camp, and children are often ready to attend long before their parents are comfortable sending them. We feel it’s important for parents to understand the benefits that children gain from coming to camp – self confidence, personal development, huge increase in physical skills and a heightened sense of self worth to name but a few. This rationalization will make the pain of this separation seem much more worth while. After all, parents want their children to develop and succeed!
Above and beyond the question of whether to attend camp or not comes the question of how long to attend. Hyken argues this should be carefully considered. “Many parents believe that a week is a good length of time to trail the camp experience. Seven days, however may not be long enough for a camper to relax, conquer homesickness and develop solid relationships with new-found friends. Consider two weeks or more to fully maximize the life-changing experience camp can provide.”
Rest assured – we stand by our mission statement to partner with parents to make their stay stress free for the grown-ups, too!
- Ricky Searson, Assistant Director
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| Camp can be a very anxious time for most parents. |
Above and beyond the question of whether to attend camp or not comes the question of how long to attend. Hyken argues this should be carefully considered. “Many parents believe that a week is a good length of time to trail the camp experience. Seven days, however may not be long enough for a camper to relax, conquer homesickness and develop solid relationships with new-found friends. Consider two weeks or more to fully maximize the life-changing experience camp can provide.”
Rest assured – we stand by our mission statement to partner with parents to make their stay stress free for the grown-ups, too!
- Ricky Searson, Assistant Director
Monday, February 27, 2012
Take A Closer Look At The Shop
Hello! For this Rattlin’ Blog, I thought I would take a slight step back in time to a previous building project that has had a great impact on Foley. Back in the winter or 2009-2010, Marie and I had a conversation on how we could move the Maintenance Center, Shop (camper activity), and the Garage to one location. At that time they were spread out on the main side of camp. The Maintenance Center with all the tools was so nicely located in the same building as the bikes; the Garage was a space that housed the bobcat, tractor, and other equipment; and finally the Shop which we were outgrowing. We wanted to create sufficient space , specifically for the activities at camp while separating areas for maintenance.
At that time, across the road was “Stormwood” - a building at one time used for the camp caretaker(s). In the summer of 2009, it was turned into a haunted house as part of a special program. It was the perfect location complete with utility hook-ups. So demo started in May of 2010. Our master plan was to have it completed, up and running with everything moved in so we could use it during our 2010 camping season. Well, let me tell you, that didn’t happen, BUT we did get it ready for the summer of 2011.
Our new building is home to Shop (path leading up to entrance), the Garage and the Maintenance Center.
Our new spacious shop!
In closing, this was an exciting project from designing the plans, to following through with the construction and finally seeing the completed project. It was like a jigsaw puzzle! Like most of my work here at Foley, the best part was seeing the campers enjoy the new space!
Until next time,
- Christopher Mathiowetz, Director
At that time, across the road was “Stormwood” - a building at one time used for the camp caretaker(s). In the summer of 2009, it was turned into a haunted house as part of a special program. It was the perfect location complete with utility hook-ups. So demo started in May of 2010. Our master plan was to have it completed, up and running with everything moved in so we could use it during our 2010 camping season. Well, let me tell you, that didn’t happen, BUT we did get it ready for the summer of 2011.
Our new building is home to Shop (path leading up to entrance), the Garage and the Maintenance Center.
Our new spacious shop!
In closing, this was an exciting project from designing the plans, to following through with the construction and finally seeing the completed project. It was like a jigsaw puzzle! Like most of my work here at Foley, the best part was seeing the campers enjoy the new space!
Until next time,
- Christopher Mathiowetz, Director
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Trees Are Our Best Antiques
A few weeks ago, Adam and I took a weekend trip down to Minneapolis to visit some friends. Since moving to Camp Foley in January, this was our first trip out of the area and we were excited to be in a city again with all the bustle and convenience. As we headed home, inching further north, Adam said out of the blue, “It is really good to see the trees again.”
It is amazing how that simple, tiny observation got me to really take a look around, not only in center camp, but in woods across the road and toward the lake to where Father Foley’s fireplace still sits, 80 plus years later. These trees, in all their towering glory, have seen it all.
There are many species of trees around Camp Foley with many of them falling into the coniferous category. Red Pine, White Pine, and Jack Pine are all coniferous trees and can be seen around camp. You can tell this by looking closely at what they are covered in, because a coniferous tree will always have needles, which are a type of leaf! This allows the trees to always look green, even in winter because there are always needles waiting to replace the old ones. That is how they got their name-evergreen!
What got me more about these trees was their enormous size! They seem to hover, watch and protect camp from above. You can get dizzy trying to look up at the tops of them and it makes you wonder just how old they are. And that’s when it dawned on me - they are as old, if not older than Camp Foley. These trees are equally as pristine as the Chapel and as statuesque and mighty as the old fireplace. They have been here since the beginning and have seen Camp Foley become what it is today and admired by thousands of campers over the years.
The first picture ( left) was taken during the 1950's, and the second picture (below) was taken in 2011. The trees surrounding have grown taller, but they're still the same trees!
These tall pine trees are truly a gift to all who visit Camp Foley. So, next time you visit, take a moment to really look at the trees and appreciate the strength and stability that they hold. They truly are a treasured piece of the Camp Foley history.
- Carrie Stageman, Assistant Director
It is amazing how that simple, tiny observation got me to really take a look around, not only in center camp, but in woods across the road and toward the lake to where Father Foley’s fireplace still sits, 80 plus years later. These trees, in all their towering glory, have seen it all.
There are many species of trees around Camp Foley with many of them falling into the coniferous category. Red Pine, White Pine, and Jack Pine are all coniferous trees and can be seen around camp. You can tell this by looking closely at what they are covered in, because a coniferous tree will always have needles, which are a type of leaf! This allows the trees to always look green, even in winter because there are always needles waiting to replace the old ones. That is how they got their name-evergreen!
What got me more about these trees was their enormous size! They seem to hover, watch and protect camp from above. You can get dizzy trying to look up at the tops of them and it makes you wonder just how old they are. And that’s when it dawned on me - they are as old, if not older than Camp Foley. These trees are equally as pristine as the Chapel and as statuesque and mighty as the old fireplace. They have been here since the beginning and have seen Camp Foley become what it is today and admired by thousands of campers over the years.
The first picture ( left) was taken during the 1950's, and the second picture (below) was taken in 2011. The trees surrounding have grown taller, but they're still the same trees!
- Carrie Stageman, Assistant Director
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