Hummingbird Parents and Summer Camp

I recently stumbled across a very interesting blog posted by Richard Louv on the Children & Nature Network. The title: "Hummingbird Parents": Seven Actions Parents Can Take To Reduce Risk And Still Get Their Kids Outside." In the blog, Louv provides seven ways a parent can let their child have independent play - outside - and still feel in control and aware of their child's needs.

I fully recommend reading the entire article, but I want to address two of Louv's seven actions specifically.

Action 1: Take your kids outdoors

Anyone would agree that most children today do not spend as much time outdoors as children used to. Bike races around the neighborhood, exploring the woods for hours on end and disappearing into a neighbors house for a snack just don't happen as often as they used to. To this, Louv says, "If we want our children or grandchildren to experience nature, we'll need to be more proactive than parents of past generations." It's not up to the kids to get out of the house because often it's not their choice. Parents must be committed to introducing their child to nature. This brings me to the second action...

Action 2: Be a hummingbird parent

We hear the term "helicopter parent" all the time, which may be why children don't experience the outdoors as much. Parents are worried about their child disappearing into the woods for hours without checking in. Sometimes it's easier parking a child in front of a screen because there they are safe, under the watchful eye of a parent or trusted supervisor. Louv encourages parents to take Michele Whitaker's approach of being a "hummingbird parent." The idea is that parents can supervise their children - from a distance. Let them make their own experiences and "zoom in" when safety is a concern. This takes the hovering out of parenting.

How this fits into camp

As camp professionals, we hear all the time about the fears a parent may have about sending their child away for weeks at a time. Will they wear sunscreen? Who are the counselors watching my child? Will their allergies be an issue? All of these fears are understandable. We think summer camp is the perfect opportunity for parents to practice being "hummingbird parents."

When a parent decides to send their child to camp, they are deliberately sending their children outside to experience nature. After researching the right camp, parents can send their children off feeling confident that their child will be well cared for while they are away. Parents can zoom in by sending mail (and requesting mail back) or calling to speak to a camp administrator with concerns. It's hard for a parent to hover when their child is away being independent. This allows children to grow and investigate on their own. Sure, they may fall or fail a few times but that builds grit. 

grow GRIT. investigate INDEPENDENCE. 

Camp Creature - The Minnesota Black Bear

A juvenile Minnesota Black Bear

Are there bears at Camp Foley?  Possibly...  While we certainly don’t see them wandering through camp every day, one species of North American bear is indigenous to the North woods.  It’s the Minnesota Black Bear, otherwise known as the North American Black Bear.

Black Bears are closely related to Brown and Polar Bears.  They can grow to weigh 150-600 lbs., and stand 5-7 ft. tall when up on their hind legs.  While most Black Bears have a rich, black coat; about 6% actually have brown coats.

Black Bear and cub

Unlike Grizzly Bears, Black Bears are rarely aggressive towards humans.  In most cases, Black Bears will run or retreat from humans unless they feel they are being threatened, a human is trying to harm their cubs, or their escape path has been cut off.  The most common reason humans are attacked by Black Bears is because they make the mistake of trying to feed them.

In spite of the fact that Black Bears have been over-hunted in previous decades, the Minnesota DNR estimates that there are now about 27,000 in Minnesota, and they have been removed from the endangered species list.  Hunters still need a special permit to hunt them, but a small number are taken each year with bows and arrows, muzzleloaders, and modern rifles.

Black Bears are an arboreal (tree-climbing) species

One of the reasons Black Bears were able to repopulate so quickly is because they are versatile omnivores.  Black Bears eat plants, insects, and animals they find on land, in the water, and in the trees.  As an arboreal bear, they continue to have the ability to climb trees even as adults.  Up to 85% of the Black Bears’ diet is plant life.  Especially in early spring when they are thin and weak from long periods of inactivity, Black Bears will often feed on roots, plants, and young shoots from emerging trees.  While they don't technically "hibernate," they do enter into a similar long-term sedative state during winter months where they can lose up to 40% of their body weight.

Black Bear cub

As Black Bears regain their strength and muscle, they’ll begin adding fish from local lakes and streams; and other forms of meat to their diet.  Although Black Bears can run up to 35 mph for short distances, they can’t keep up that pace long enough to be effective predators of small game.  Occasionally they will catch and eat moose, beaver, and other animals, but they are much more likely to feed on carrion they locate with their powerful sense of smell, or scare away smaller predators that have recently made a kill, and steal their prey.

1914 photo of the Black Bear
who was the inspiration for
"Winnie The Pooh"

Black Bears love honey and have been known to tear deep into trees to get to nests of bees.  They will often eat the entire hive’s supply of honey even while being repeatedly stung, and in fact often eat honeybees and other hives of insects.  Perhaps this trait is what inspired novelist A.A. Milne to name his character Winnie the Pooh after a famous Black Bear named Winnipeg, who lived at the London Zoo.

This Famous Political Cartoon of Theodore Roosevelt
that appeared in the Washington Post newspaper
inspired the creation of the 1st "Teddy" Bear.

Black Bears have had quite an impact on American history:  Morris Michtom, the creator of the teddy bear, got the idea to create this children’s stuffed animal when he saw a political cartoon (based on a true event) of President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt refusing to shoot a black bear that his hunting guide had tied to a tree.  And in 1950, a Black Bear cub that was rescued from the Capitan Gap fire in a National Forest became the first mascot of the United States Forest Service. They named him "Smokey the Bear."

Have you ever seen a bear while out hiking or camping?  If so, how did you react?

You can learn more about the Black Bear from the Minnesota DNR's website, or The American Bear Association, which is also located in Minnesota.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

What better alumnus to ask to capture their Foley reflections than Peter Kronschnabel! Anyone who has spent time at Camp Foley since the early ‘60’s, has probably run into a Kronschnabel or two. As Peter started chronicling his 45 years of Foley experiences, he realized it couldn’t be summarized into just a few paragraphs. Here is his first submission -watch for more in the future. Sit back, and relax as Peter takes us back in time…

Peter K. (left) pictured with friends during 2010's Alumni Triathlon

Reading the blog brings back memories of being a camper, counselor, marina director and a parent. It's amazing to say the least that after 45 years, I continue to be a member of the Foley family. Camp has created lifelong friendships that continue today for both me and my family. When gathering with camp friends there is always an exaggerated story of how someone did this or that. Even with facebook, internet and blogs the stories continue and amazingly enough still are exaggerated even with photos. As I reflect on my Foley experience you’ll be reading things that may sound strange, harsh or even totally absurd to today’s societal standards. But please remember Foley has evolved as society has changed. Foley was great back “in the day”; it is great now and with the current leadership the future looks very bright for the Foley tradition.

I began my Camp Foley journey years before I was old enough to be a camper when my family would vacation at "Myrwin Manor" which is now known as Alli’s house. Yes, there are some home movies of me playing in the sand on Whitefish as early as 1964. My actual camp experience began at the tender age of 7 in 1967. "The Hill" was for the younger campers and my first cabin was MicMac. Back then "The Hill" consisted of MicMac, Ishtakaba, Yakama and the West Washo. Tekawitha was the heath center/ nuns quarters and Pocahontas/Matoaka was the tripping center and the garage was used as a garage. I think there were about 12-14 boys in MicMac for those two weeks. It was an assortment of characters from all over the Midwest.

Some the things that stand out are:
• Those who could not pass the swim test had to wear a “red ribbon” around their neck. If they passed the swim test while they were at camp, there was a big ceremony. They used a meat cleaver more suitable of butchering a cow to cut the ribbon. Very dramatic.
• Food from the plates was scraped into empty milk cartons and burned.
• For some reason I remember nuns working in the kitchen. 
• We got to take overnights on the Voyager—a house boat. Making popcorn, eating s’mores and sleeping at an island or in a bay was always an adventure. But not as much as an adventure as when we awoke the next day missing our gas hose or gas tank. Yes, the old staff would pull pranks on the new staff and that poor counselor would have to figure out how to get that big house boat back to camp.
• Huge closing campfires with tons of action, extravagant costumes and story lines.
• Singing lots of songs on stormy days in the Dining Hall.
• Lifejackets were not needed on the boats, unless you had a red ribbon. Later that evolved to taking, but not wearing, a life jacket.
• The Checkmate (wooden C scow) was the king of the fleet.
• Big Red was real.
• A bunch of boys running around the cabin in their “tighty whities”; them screaming in panic when the nurse was at the door.
• Vi Schmid’s cousin “Aunt Frannie” was the camp nurse.
• Standing outside the cabin at night gargling salt water—then getting a splash of honey from Frannie.
• The swim dock “H” faced the west.
• Not a day went by that somebody didn’t get a leech on them.
• Two weeks, two sign ups. Only 4 periods in a day. The rest was cabin activities, free swim, canteen or rest period.
• First time I saw colored lights indoors was in Foley Hall. Also known as the Library.

Stay tuned, more to come...

- Mary Stevens, Administrative Assistant.

In The Woods...

“In the woods, a man casts off his years, as a snake its skin, and is always a child. In the woods is perpetual youth. In the woods we return to reason and faith. There I feel like nothing can befall me in life, no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes) which nature cannot repair. I am part or particle of God. In the wilderness I find something more dear than in streets or villages.” -Henry David Thoreau

Spring has showed her face at Foley this week and if you are like me, that means digging out some boxes with lighter clothes in it, finding your rain jacket, and casting away your snow boots until next winter. After a few days of warm weather, it is easy to forget that it is only March, but the sun keeps coming and the temps keep rising. Obviously everyone here at Foley has started to shift their work from a desk to some days spent getting activity areas prepped and windows clean.

Geocaching during Spring 2010.

Since I am a new Assistant Director, I have a lot of learning to do, and one of my tasks was to head up to Upper Mosquito and locate all the Geocaches (there are 26) and walk all the routes and trails that are tucked away back up there in the hills behind Foley (approximately 8 miles worth). If ya’ll don’t know what Geocaching is, think of it as a real-life treasure hunt! You use a GPS device to locate different items, called caches, in the outdoors. You never know where the cache might be or what it might look like, but the GPS gives you the area to search in!. So, if you can imagine that, you can see that this day of learning for me would require a lot of hiking, a lot of leg muscle and plenty of tick checks!

One of many Foley Geocaching trails.

As I got started on my trail hiking and started up the steep hill towards upper mosquito the sweat beads broke out on my forehead. My mind was filling with thoughts of how my body had gotten out of shape this winter, that my feet were already hurting and that I wasn’t a spring chicken anymore....I am turning 29 next month (eek)! But as I relaxed a little bit and let the bird noises and the sound of the wind suck me in, I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and contentment. I was able to work on my Geocaching with energy and optimism (some are very hard to find) and had some undisturbed “me time” to be alone with my thoughts and process everything that had been rolling around in my head the last few months. And that’s when I realized, I have the woods to thank for this. There is no other place on Earth- no coffee shop, no cubicle, no library, that I can feel this clear-minded and youthful and just learn and grow more naturally.

So, my advice to you is, next time you’re feeling not quite like yourself, and your thoughts are running a bit on the self-loathing side, just get outside! Take that walk, sit in the sun for 10 minutes or pack up your tent for the weekend and get out there. Your mind and body will thank you, as mine did.

If you are looking to have some fun with Geocaching then why not join over 5 million active geocachers worldwide! www.geocaching.com offers the choice of over 1.6 million geocaching locations, including all the coordinates you need to find their treasure. This website allows you to connect with other geocachers and share stories. Who knows... you may even make new friends along the way. Give it a shot!

- Carrie Stageman, Assistant Director.

BEST. CAMP. EVER.

A few months ago, we heard from Claire Benton; a Foley camper from 1987-1992. Claire is currently the Assistant Director at Cornell University’s Engineering Co-op & Career Services Office, working as a Career Counselor. She lives in Ithaca, New York with her husband, Sam Simkin, who is busy finishing up his PhD, and future Foley camper, daughter Lydia, 2 ½. In the process of updating her information with us, she mentioned she couldn’t wait until her daughter is able to attend Camp Foley “as attending Camp Foley is the best thing I’ve ever done!” I thought, who better to feature on our next alumni blog! Here are Claire’s thoughts about the “BEST. CAMP. EVER”:

Claire Benton.

Camp Foley, ra ra ra! Often I am asked what experience has had a big impact and influence in my life. Without hesitation, my answer is always Camp Foley! Honestly, I can’t think of any other experience I have had that has impacted me as much as my years at Foley. I have always felt that there are “camp people” and “non-camp people.” Then one day, when listening to NPR’s “This American Life,” I hear an entire episode decided to this very topic! I understood then that it isn’t just me; lots people out there GET IT! They fully understand what I am talking about. But THEN, there is the whole idea of what makes “MY” camp the “BEST” camp. Where to start!!! What about Foley comes to mind off the top of my head?? Just watch this…

• Amazing friendships that I still have today 
• Friendship campfire and the giving and receiving of the Anchor Award. The year I got it and the year I gave it away especially…and the tears that came along with it 
• The annual talent show 
• Capture the Flag 
• Awards/merit badges 
• Soda bread 
• Cabin time and the bonds made with the people in my cabin 
• Singing songs at meal time, camp fires (filled with joy and tears and various times) and throughout the day…ones I STILL know all the words to 
• Being carried and thrown into the water for my birthday... "Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. We hate to do it but we must, we must!"
• Canteen time (and having a hard time deciding if I should get candy or soda) 
• Mail time and water on my head when my folks would purposely send a large number of letters on the same day 
• Care packages 
• Lake Superior sail trip 
• ALL the amazing activities including my favorites: 
• Sail racing, riflery, windsurfing, archery, tennis and swimming 
• Families! 
• My cool brothers and all my friends’ brothers and sisters who attended. 
• LOVED the generations Chapel time 
• The counselors getting dressed up and dancing around like fools and LOVING it!
• Cute boys and all the juicy conversations that were had late at night in the cabins about them 
• The buddy system 
• Washing up in the lake 
• Canoe trips to who knows where but were they fun 
• The wonderful counselors that were SOO old and wise; who are now friends and aren’t really that much older at all 
• Meeting people from all over the US and the world and being able to visit them when outside of camp
• Learning all about cool new clothing trends…Birkenstocks, GAP, Polo, etc. and shopping with my buddies who lived in Minneapolis since northern WI didn’t have that much to offer 
• Conversations about “soda” vs “pop” 
• Learning “lifelong” skills from an early age: respect, encouragement, perseverance, how to have fun!
• Learning how to live away from home at an early age and learned how to live with others 
• ALL the laughs, energy and cheering that occurred daily 

And the list could go on and on!

One thing that continues to keep me connected to Camp Foley is that the same dedicated people, year after year, continue to make Foley what it is…the BEST CAMP EVER! I love that the next generation is involved as well. I very much enjoy hearing from all my camp friends, seeing what they have become as “adults” and seeing their children grow up. I hope that one day my daughter Lydia will be able to experience Foley and have a similar, most amazing, experience. I can only hope that she will be so lucky. Thanks to everyone at Foley, Foley attenders and mostly to my mother and father who allowed me to have this experience!

- Claire Benton, Alumni

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