Summer Critters

If you're a fan of this blog, (and I know you are!) you'll know on January 9th, 2020 we published a blog called "Winter Critters" that was all about how animals kept warm in the winter time. Well, it's 6 months later and guess what? It's finally warm out, so I thought we could take a look at how animals are keeping themselves cool during the summer months.

Here are some things the animals around Foley do to keep cool during a Minnesota summer...


Taking Turtle Naps!
Turtles are much more active in the summer and will awaken from their hibernation and emerge from lakes and ponds. The temperatures they love the most are between 70 and 85 degrees, but they will tolerate nighttime temperatures down into the 50's. During the summer, they are seldom active during the mid-day heat and do most of their hunting and foraging during the cool, early morning hours. They can be found sunning themselves on rocks and logs during the hottest part of the day.




New Bear Hair!
The summer heat can be downright “unbearable” for us humans, so people often wonder how the black bears handle hot days with their fur coats. While people wear coats to keep warm, animals have fur not only to stay warm, but to stay cool too! Much like dogs, bears do not sweat. They pant to dissipate heat and, they shed their thick and heavy winter undercoat to help them deal with the summer heat. The remaining hairs are lighter and longer, helping to insulate their bodies while keeping heat and direct sunlight from their skin. As they move, the longer, taller hairs float and sway allowing for cooler air to move along their body.



Deer Ears!
Like the bear, deer shed a lot of their thick coat in preparation for summer. They also pant to help heat escape their body. But by far the "coolest" way a deer keeps itself cool is with its ears. A deer’s ears are hairless in the summer to allow heat to escape from the body and speed up the cooling process.






Squirrels Sweat!
Yes, just like humans, squirrels can also sweat when they get really hot. Squirrels have sweat glands in between the pads at the bottom of their feet and in between their toes, By sweating through their feet, they're able to cool themselves off. They also chill out through respiration, panting like other animals we discussed.

                                                                                    

 Eagles Soaring Above 
Eagles often soar at higher altitudes on the hottest days. While this does not get them out of the sun, the air temperatures are much colder at great altitude, which keeps the birds cooler. They can also be found in shady areas during the hottest times of the year, particularly near water sources and low to the ground. The more layers of branches and leaves above the ground, the more heat will be absorbed and the cooler the shade will be.



We are lucky at Camp Foley to have a lake and lovely tall trees to keep us cool, but maybe we can learn something from these animals too!

TORT TIME!

If you have been a camper in the last 5 years, you know exactly what "Tort Time" is! For those wondering, this is a reference to an activity available during Morning Fun and Free Swim, the two free periods scheduled each day at camp. When campers see "Tort Time" written on the white board they know to head straight to the nature center to see our good friend Tort.

Who is Tort?? 
Come on, everybody knows Tort! He's Tort the Tortoise and over the summer he comes to live here at Camp Foley. Tort is a gopher tortoise, and almost 30 years old, making him much too old to be a camper.

Ok, but what is a Gopher Tortoise?

The gopher tortoise is one of five North American tortoise species and is the only tortoise naturally found east of the Mississippi River. It can grow to be up to 15 inches long and weigh from eight to 15 pounds. With their strong elephant looking back legs and front feet specialized for digging, they are well-adapted to burrowing. The burrows provide gopher tortoises with protection from predators . They are most active in the warmer months but spend most of their lives in their burrows. The  
burrows can get over 20 feet deep! Our Tort is a very average sized gopher tortoise, and we estimate about 30 years old according to one of our Foley nature experts Ace. These animals usually live to be 60 years old in the wild, but in captivity the could be over 90 years old. Hopefully this means we will have Tort for a very long time.

Fine, but where do they live?
Gopher tortoises prefer well-drained, sandy soils found in parts of Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida.  Land they like contains sandy soil for digging burrows and nesting, lost of green plants for eating, and open, sunny areas without a lot of trees for sunbathing. While at camp, Tort lives in the outside enclosure at the nature center. It has very nice sandy soil for Tort to dig in and one large tree so he can decide when to nap in the shade or get his tanning on in the sun.

That's cool, what do they eat?
These guys are herbivores, and eat grasses, mushrooms, prickly pear cactus pads, fruits and flowers, as well as blackberries, blueberries, gopher apples and other low-growing fruits. Tort gets spoiled here at camp and usually gets lots of treats taken form the Camp salad bar.

Check out some pics of Tort below!

Umuganda in Rwanda and also Gorillas

This past February, I was lucky enough to travel to Rwanda and Uganda for a once in a lifetime

experience photographing the Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees. The animals were of course very impressive and watching them interact with each other was not much different than watching my cousin’s families interact (they have lots of young, spirited children and we, as a group of adults, tend to share parenting responsibilities when we are all together). The Gorillas and Chimps are incredible animals that are threatened by habitat loss, climate change and poaching but in recent years have started to rebound (thanks to treaties by Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo). I could go on for hours about them, and probably will if you ask me, but something else has burrowed in to my soul and had me thinking since my return – “Umuganda” and Rwanda’s Plastic Bag Ban.

So what is Umuganda? In Rwanda, every last Saturday of the month, all able-bodied citizens between the ages of 18-65 spend 2 hours volunteering in their communities, in a day they call “Umuganda”, which translates to “Coming Together”. Umuganda has been practiced in Rwanda for decades but it wasn’t until after the genocide in the early 1990’s that it got a makeover and took on its current form. For many years (until 2007), it wasn’t technically the law, but the social pressure to help was so high that estimates put participation at over 80%. Those that don’t participate are often not invited to local events or shunned at birthday parties and weddings. Now it is the law and fines can be administered if people are found to be skirting their responsibilities.

It is estimated that Rwandans do 18 million hours of community service per month. They pick up trash on the roads and trails, paint houses, help a neighbor who lost their farm to a mud slide, volunteer professional services like medical or dental care, dig trenches to prepare for rain water run-off and countless other acts that better their community.

And it works! The people of Rwanda are so committed to keeping their country clean and helping their neighbor. They voted to outlaw plastic bags and when you drive around you rarely see trash on the ground. If they don’t put it there, they don’t have to pick it up at the end of each month. Neighbors are helping neighbors and the whole time, guess who is watching? Kids!.

5 million children watch each month as their parents help others, as government officials work side by side with community members and skilled professionals offer their services for free. The kids watch (and usually help) and prepare themselves for a future where they, too, will be called on to help their communities.

What does this have to do with Camp Foley? In the spirit of Umuganda, this summer we are going to have 1 block of time each session that will be dedicated to community - both directly related to Foley and in our local area.  Every camper, counselor, and director will participate in some way, giving us time to connect as a camp community and do something that makes us proud. Just think. If every person in the USA, between the ages of 18-65, dedicated 2 hours a month to helping our communities we would have 624 million hours per month.

Of course the process isn’t perfect, and they have to revisit each year how to make this work for their communities. But I have been to quite a few countries and something was different in Rwanda. I’m not sure if it was their storied past, their sense of urgency that it can’t go back to how it was or something else that I, as a foreigner don’t understand, but something was different. There was an acceptance and a community and a togetherness that I haven’t always felt when I have traveled. I came back thinking and yearning to be better and pushing to find new ways to engage my neighbors. And for that I thank Rwanda, the Gorillas and Chimps, and most importantly, the Rwandan people.

Marie and I look forward to working side by side with the campers and staff this summer as we strive to make our community a better place and partner with parents to start kids on a path to bettering the world they live in.

For more pictures that I took of Gorillas and Chimpanzees see EightLegsPhotography.com or follow @eightlegsphoto on Instagram . 

~ Alli Faricy, Director

F is for Faith

Camp Foley was originally founded by Father John P. Foley in 1924 and has proud roots in the Catholic faith. A lot has changed in 91 years, but to this day, campers sing grace before each meal and attend Catholic or non-denominational services every Saturday evening. We know that faith, Catholic or otherwise, is an integral part of each child’s personal development and well-being. We aim to help kids foster their own faith through careful guidance and by encouraging independent and group exploration.

Catholic campers or campers desiring a more traditional service on Saturday nights can experience mass in the stunning Our Lady of Snows Chapel, singing songs and celebrating their beliefs together. This gives campers the ability to take a break from the hustle and bustle of camp life to reconnect with themselves and others spiritually.

Foley counselors also offer a non-denominational service that is open and designed for all campers. Topics explored during non-denominational services include happiness and caring for others, and counselors illustrate these concepts with poetry, books, and hands-on activities. The goal here is to help campers achieve that spiritual connection through a better understanding of the world and people around them.

E is for Engage

There’s a place for everyone at Foley, regardless of interests or skill levels. We believe that every camper deserves to be engaged with camp life in their own special ways, whether it be through intense activities like wakeboarding and archery or through the creative arts activities like photography or guitar. We know that growth occurs when counselors and staff engage campers in activities that allow them to gain confidence and receive helpful feedback.

Never should anyone at camp feel bored or uninvolved; with days and nights packed with fun opportunities to form friendships, learn new skills, and see themselves in new, positive lights, kids are always a piece of the Foley puzzle. Like any team, we need the unique strengths of each and every person in order to be at our best. With that in mind, we seek to give and receive that constant and varied engagement.

D is for Dog

Nike & Norm in Staff Uniforms

Norm on a Boat

Two common sights around Camp Foley are Norm and Nike, the camp dogs. While Nike is known for her fluffy, teddy bear appearance (she is a mini Golden-doodle), excitability and overall carefree nature, Norm is a bit more serious, fiercely loyal (you can always tell where Alli is as he will be waiting outside of the whatever building she is in or following close at her heels) and lovable in a one on one situation.

The two dogs are best buds, often laying in the sun together or harassing chipmunks. However, just like human best friends, they have lots of differences. At any picnics you have to watch your plate if Nike is out, she is stealthy, fast and always in the mood for a good Sloppy Joe or peanut butter sandwich, but Norm will sit by you whining for a snack, however he rarely goes in without an invite. While Nike loves to swim, Norm prefers to chase squirrels. Norm is happy to sit quietly at campfire, Nike, not so much. Norm hates rain boots, Nike hates thunderstorms.

Nike "helping" with Docks

While they add entertainment and smiles to everyone (and sometimes just annoy us), we have found that from time to time, kids feeling a little down or missing home have loved to have Norm or Nike to talk to or pet for a few minutes. A little reminder perhaps of their pets.

Dogs really do make the best friends.

B is for Breathtaking

Summer camp campers and counselors at Camp Foley come from all over the

Photo by Camper Genevieve S

world (last summer 24 states and 11 foreign countries to be exact), a fact of which we are immensely proud. On the first day of each session, one can hear tales of the bright lights of New York, the beaches of Cancun, and smooth Parisian accents drifting through the air, and it is often wondered how we all ended up on the same piece of land in northern Minnesota.

After a few strokes of a canoe paddle through the Whitefish waves or a night of stargazing on top of the marina, it’s easy to see why Camp Foley is so magnetic. Campers fall asleep to singing loons and wake up to crystal blue skies peeking through the pines. They look out over the summer camp from the top of the climbing wall and wave to the sailboats as they skip over the Minnesota water on wake boards. And on quiet afternoons walking the trails, they can look straight ahead and see nothing but trees.

A is for Appetite

At Foley, our campers and staff have a special kind of hunger. Maybe it’s the rumbling in their bellies after a tough afternoon spent canoeing on Whitefish Lake, twisting in and out of yoga poses, and ringing the cowbell at the top of the climbing wall. Perhaps they’re especially ravenous dreaming of soda bread on Sunday mornings. But anyone at Foley, from the youngest fox campers to our oldest veterans, will tell you that the real appetite at camp is a true desire to be more, do more, and most of all, grow grit and investigate independence.

Campers wake up in the morning wanting to push beyond the boundaries they may have previously set for themselves. They try new activities, open their hearts to new friends, and discover new talents they never knew they had. They are not afraid of failure because they know that even the clearest path to success is riddled with it.

At the end of the day, after the dinner grace has been sung, food has been shared and eagerly eaten, and the last activities have come to a close, the counselors put their campers to bed knowing that their biggest challenge for the next day will be to provide them with the best opportunities for growth. The Camp Foley experience is a multi-course meal, the meat of which is the confidence kids have after seeing that there is no end to what they can accomplish. This is why the appetite here can never be fully satisfied; the possibilities are endless, and the growing never stops.

A camper works hard to get up on water skis for the first time.

What's in a Letter?

Parents! You drop your child off at camp, say your goodbyes and then you leave that child in the care of these certain amazing individuals we call, camp counselors.  Those counselors are going to be the ones on the front lines giving your child the best growing experience of their young lives. You are entrusting your child to us. That’s a big responsibility, but guess what; we are highly trained, compassionate individuals who want nothing more than the safe well-being of your child.

But how do you know this is what your child is getting? 

This is when those fancy parent letters come into play. Personalized letters seem like a thing of the past. People seem to turn to social media "stalking" to get information or communicate with other people.  The camper letter however, is a personal and sentimental account of what your child has accomplished over their time at camp. It shows that the counselors are paying attention not to just what your child is doing in activities but how they are growing as a person while at camp.

Although campers send home letters to their parents throughout their camp experience, most of the time they leave out certain details or don’t say much at all (generally a sign they are having too much fun while at camp).  The counselor letter adds on to those amazing experiences your child is having. It adds the friendships that have bonded, the struggles they have overcome, and the mountains they have climbed and then jumped off into new experiences.  This certain letter helps bring about a certain piece of mind, and tranquility that might help the parent through the separation.  The parents can realize the impact camp has on their children. The impact it has on their physical, mental, and social capabilities. These soothing letters provide that sense of worth that you hope your child is getting while at camp. 

The counselors take a great deal of time writing, re-writing, correcting mistakes and then possibly throwing it away and starting over again on these letters. They want you to feel the pride they feel when these events happen to your child. They want you to know that you might the correct decision sending your child to camp. They want you to know that even though your child might not realize it, they are growing is the most of positive of ways in their youth.  These letters do just that. They are not just part of the job description. They are an intricate part of camp and keeping your relationship with camp to the highest standards. 

So when you as a parent, receive a letter from a counselor, think of it as an outreach of further trust between yourself and the entire camp and what it holds dear to every counselors heart. That the true meaning of these amazing, and time developed letters are to insure that you know your child is receiving an amazing experience at camp and these counselors and directors are proud to help partner with you in helping your child grow in every aspect of their lives.

Wes Long, Assistant Director

How much do you love Camp Foley?

My kid is 8. She doesn't need to think about getting a job right now. Or does she?

Picture this:  you walk in to the living room and your 8 year old child is grasping an iPad or video game controller or remote control. You cautiously approach and try to suggest some other activities. The debate heats up and your child wins. Not because they are right to want more time with their gadgets but because you want to avoid a full scale blowout fight.  You sigh and head off to another room to work on one of the hundreds of things that parents must do to keep their house in order, deciding to rage your war against technology on another day...

This scenario occurs often in American households today and children are being stimulated more and more without face-to-face interactions that are a vital part of growing up.

In a study done by The Partnership for 21stCentury Skills, they found that companies are no longer focusing on “the 3 R’s” (reading, writing and arithmetic), but instead turned to “the 3 C’s"...

1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving 

2. Creativity and Innovation

3. Communication and Collaboration

Companies are looking for graduates with initiative, leadership, flexibility, social and cross-cultural skills, productivity, and accountability.  These skills, together with “the 3 C’s”, comprise what is known as the 21^st Century Skills.

Sadly, many of today’s typical educational programs are aimed at passing standardized written tests and don’t have the time or resources to focus in on the 21^st Century Skills.  

Luckily, there is a solution—you guessed it—summer camps! 

In his recent article, "Camp: The Ultimate 21st Century Skills Learning Environment", author Andy Pritikin gives examples of how summer camps adhere to these skills and how camps continue to layer the "depth of knowledge".  One of the survey statistics he mentions is that 81% of parents reported seeing an increase in their children's teamwork skills at home after a term spent at camp.

At Camp Foley we have different words for those same skills - Grow Grit. Investigate Independence.

Think of the advantage your kid would have for a lifetime with a great traditional education in the winter and a extraordinary experience at camp in the summer....

Camper Creations: Aline

Aline

By: Crystal L.

Artwork by: Crystal L.

Two Years Ago - Prologue - Aline's Point of View

"I will defeat you!" I shouted through gritted teeth. 

My name is Aline. I am a bounty hunter who has to pay my parents' debts. If I successfully defeat Chargin, then that will be $10,000 more. However, that just proves how hard he is to beat.

"Oh?" He questioned mockingly. "You've got some guts to face the best villain in the world!"

Chargin then charges full speed at me while singing in his bad voice: "Oh ho ho - I am a Disney villain! Therefore, you cannot defeat me!"

He raised his battle axe as he dropped it down. I tried to block with my pistol...

...but no avail. 

He hit me and hard. I ended up hopelessly screaming in pain. Chargin seemed to be enjoying it. Considering was a jerk, idiot and sadist he is. I fainted due to blood loss. 

I barely heard Cgargin whisper, "I'll let you go this time, but don't expect me to let you go." 

With this he walked away. 

Present Day

I finally can get my revenge on Chargin, fo r I ran into him again. 

I shouted loud and clear, "I will defeat you this time!"

He replied haughtily, "Well, well, let's see if you honed your skills from the past two years." 

He brought out his battle ax. I didn't hesitate. I brought out my treasured pistol given to me and the holy ice bullet hit the tree directly behind him. Freezing part of the trunk. Before I knew it, he was in front of me.

He said seven words, "Have a great day in the water." 

After this, I was thrown in the river, and I lost consciousness. 

Denzin's Point of View

As I was hanging out in the water, I felt something hit my feet, and I yelped in surprise. I picked the thing up, Only to find a human. A soaking wet human. I put her on the ground and studied her. She had black hair, slicked from the water. A long jacket with pants and a belt. She had a pocket meant for placing guns in. I pressed on her stomach to get the water out. She opened her eye's slowly and she turned her head toward me. 

Her eyes then widened, and she sat up fast and brought out her pistol and inquired, "Who are you!?"

I was surprised by this. 

"Whoa, whoa, calm down will ya?" I asked. 

She slowly brought her pistol down to the point where she had it down by her waist. I noticed unlike most pistols, she had a blue and shiny looking thing.

"Wh-who are you?" She stammered, a rather frantic look on her face.

"Denzin," I replied firmly without hesitation and a smile rose on my face.

"Denzin..." she repeated curiously. 

"Yep. Denzin is my name," I said enthusiastically. 

Then a sudden idea popped into my head, "Do you know Poison Lotus?"

She tilted her head, "Poison Lotus?" she inquired. 

"She has a servant named Chargin."

She reacted a lot to the mention of Chargin. Then she slumped back down and said, "My name is Aline."

"Wanna come with me?"

She seemed puzzled, but to my joy she agreed. 

We both stood up at the same time and I decided to explain Poison Lotus to Aline. 

"Poison Lotus is a girl who used to be nice and caring. However, after wearing an amulet she got cursed and turned bad." I paused before continuing, "She killed my parents."

"Oh..." Aline said,

We continued walking until the sun set and I asked, "Wanna stay here for the night?"

She shrugged. I took that as a yes and went to grab sticks and bark for a fire. After I built the fire, 

Aline sat down and looked at it until she turned to me and asked, "Where is this Poison Lotus?"

"In a castle not far from here known as the Nightshade Palace."

"What do you mean by 'not far from here'?" she inquired. 

"Like, a mile or two. Look up," I added, 

And she did. She widened her eyes, "What is that?"

"Nightshade."

Morning - Aline's Point of View

I stretched my arms. I saw by the sun that it was late morning. Denzin was already awake. 

When he saw me, he said, "Do you want to head to the palace."

I nodded and grabbed my jacket and quickly put it on. We set off fifteen minutes later.

There were a bunch of thorns along the way that were sharp enough to draw blood at the slightest touch. After slight trudging, we made it to the front of Nightshade Palace. I realized I would have to face Chargin again. 

We went to the doors, and when we were close enough, the doors creaked open. The creaking sound sent uncomfortable shivers down my spine. We walked in cautiously. I have got to say, I never thought I'd live to see the day where Denzin would turn serious all of a sudden. But even so, Denzin would want revenge. 

We walked, our footsteps creaking in the dead and eerie silence. Suddenly, there was a pounding sound. I froze from fear and determination flowing inside my body. It was then I realized the pounding sound was an army of skeletons. 

I shot them off one by one, but before I knew it, an unlimited number of skeletons. After looking down on the ground in thought, an idea came into my head.

I whispered to Denzin, "Hold off the skeletons."

He simply nodded, and did hand-to-hand combat. I quickly loaded the bullet and since it took awhile for the bullet at full power, I can't really shoot. Just three more seconds should be enough.

BAM!

I shot at the ground and the whole ground froze in holy ice, causing the skeletons to fall to pieces. Denzin was panting slightly but quickly caught his breath.

I shouted, "Let's go, Denzin!"

"Okay," he replied.

This time, we ran.

We came to a set of doors containing spider webs at the corner, lots of grooves, skeleton heads acting as a torch attached to each side, and a black lotus carved into the center of the doors. We slowly opened it, flinching at the sound it made. 

As we were observing the dark, royal room, a feminine voice thundered, "What are you doing here?"

"Are you Poison Lotus?" I inquired. 

There were a couple moments of silence before the reply came, "Yes!"

The figure stood up and walked in an elegant way to us and studied us. We studied her back. She had deep purple eyes, and outfit a gypsy would wear, except the color was dark. She brought her dagger up without letting me finish and brought it down. Her hand movements we so fast that it went down my chest. I gagged, and it didn't feel good. Denzin tried to fight her hand-to-hand, but that didn't work either.

After I passed out, I felt my pistol fill me with power. At first it was just a little, and I craved for more. 

Its power overwhelmed me, but I stood up and said, "I'm not going to lose, especially not this time." 

I pointed my pistol with one hand, with my other hand gripping my chest. I shot at her chest, breaking the amulet. She screamed in agony before everything was yet. 

The boice was melodious too, "That you..." it said. 

Me and Dnein both smiled and said, "You're welcome."

Epilogue - Denzin's Point of View

I was reading at the library along with Aline in comfortable silence. After Aline opened the next book at her pile and scanned through the words. 

She whispered quickly, "Come here!"

I came over and saw a temple picture. I read the words: "This temple is located at the peak of the mountain. It is said a monk lives there who will answer any question and grant any wish."

We glanced at each other and smiled.

I said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" 

And with that, we set off on our next adventure. 

Camper Creations: Drawings

Just for Fun Drawings!

By: Celina M.

Camper Creations: The Magical Cupcake

The Magical Cupcake

By: Tessa S.

Artwork by: Tessa Stephenson

Once there were three girls. Their names were Jennifer, Caroline and Lily. They worked at a cupcake store. One day they made a strawberry cupcake with sprinkles. And they accidentally added blue glitter glue. Lily ate the cupcake. And she disappeared. And then when Caroline ate it, she disappeared. Then Jennifer disappeared into camp.

And when they got there, one person said, "Welcome to Camp Foley."

Caroline said, "Camp what?"

"Camp Foley."

"Oh," said Caroline.

"Here, let me show you around," said the girl.

"Okay," said Lily.

"This is your cabin," said the girl.

"Does this cabin have a name?" said Lily.

"Yes, it does," said the girl, "The name of the cabin is Pocahontas. Wanna roast marshmallows?"

"No," they said, "Can you help us go home?"

"Yes," said the girl, "Let's build a time machine."

"Okay," said Caroline, Jennifer and Lily.

"How do we do that?" said Jennifer.

"First let's gather some sticks," said the girl.

"Let's look all around camp for thick sticks," said Lily.

"Is this enough," said Caroline.

"Yes," said the girl.

"Now we need to find fog, and try to put it through the hole," said the girl.

"Is that impossible?" said Jennifer.

"No," said the girl. "We need to shape it like a tunnel."

"Oh," said Caroline.

"Now let's test it out. Let's put a pencil in the time machine," said the girl.

"It worked," said Lily.

"Thank you for helping us get home," said the three girls, "Bye!"

One, two, three jump.

"Hey it worked. That was awesome," said the Jennifer, "Well let's get back to making cupcakes. Remember, don't use the blue glitter glue again."

Everyone laughed. And they never added glitter glue again. And that's the end of the Magical Cupcake.

"Wait," said Caroline, "Is the story over?"

"Yes," said Lily.

"To be continued," said Caroline.

Camper Creations: Spy Camp & Stories

Spy Camp

By: Genevieve S.

Imagine if Camp Foley was a spy camp. Imagine the costumes and disguises. Instead of Crafts you had "Creative Escapes." Imagine that every time you get hit by paint in Paintball you lower your score, What if when shooting at Riflery hand guns were used. Imagine that you cooked your own meals with things from nature. Imagine that trips were survival lessons and you got dumped in the middle of nowhere and had to survive one, two or three days. Imagine Fencing had real swords. What if Archery was knife throwing and Journalism was writing reports and solving crimes. 

What if water sports were silent swimming and sneaking up on people. Imagine boating was water escape and Skiing was a backup plan. What if while skiing you had to lasso people dummies and wore a disguise. What if Diving was parachuting class. What if Shop was to make weapons and Tennis was deflecting class. If Snorkeling was scuba and sports were to make you a fighter. What if going home was a code name for who knows what?

Spy Camp Short Story

Someone hands me a schedule. Uh-oh. Paintball.

"So, what's your first activity?" Jeremy asks.

"Paintball!!" I say.

Woosh, a paiintball flies by my head. I want to scream but that would be dangerous. Too dangerous. 

"Hey, I found him!" 

I turn around quickly. Right in time to get hit in the face with a pink paintball. SPLAT!

... 

I wake up later in the infirmary. The pas flew back at me. I see a splot of pink and then black dots popping in. And now I'm waking up in the hospital. 

As I walk outside I hear, "Little, pinky piggy coming into the fire. A cute pinky piggy."

I turned pink, well more so then I was already.

Resilience, Grit and DURABILITY.

Something recently caught our attention on the Children & Nature Network website. The title of the post, "The Importance of Being Durable: Building Natural Strength in Our Kids" immediatel
y made us think of "grit," an important part of Foley's ideology.

In this article, Jennifer Joy Madden explains how "grit" and "resilience" fall under the even broader term: durable. As she says, "Durable means to be the best human being you can be, capitalizing on your own unique powers and drawing strength from the natural world around you."

Humans are all too ready to turn to a screen for stimulation than turn to our natural world to explore and investigate.  The Chinese are actually studying a condition they call, "Internet Addiction Disorder." It has been noticed that students that spend exorbitant amounts of time online per day actually have less gray matter (as Madden puts it, "the thinking stuff), than students that spend fewer than two hours online per day.

Madden, author of The Durable Human Manifesto, says, "Early childhood is the only time in life when a person is completely free to discover his or her native 'gifts.' I'm not saying that gifts of tablets and apps are not amazing, but their time will come. In the meantime, when toddlers range around, freely using all of their senses to examine, taste and play with whatever they choose, they are making rich and lifelong neural connections."

We're clearly not a summer camp for toddlers, but in the post Madden explains how older kids also need this down time. Summer camp allows much needed time for youth to recharge and have the opportunity to use all of their senses in nature each day.

Read the post: http://blog.childrenandnature.org/2014/03/27/the-importance-of-being-durable/
The Durable Human Manifesto: http://durablehuman.com/productions/this-is-the-durable-human-manifesto/

What an AMAZING summer!

It's hard to believe that our summer officially ended on Saturday. We said goodbye to our remaining counselors on Friday and our summer ADs headed out Saturday morning (after one last wakesurfing session). After 10 weeks of non-stop Camp Foley fun, everything is pretty much packed away until 2015. We're looking forward to one last week of Foley in September for Environmental Education.

What a great summer it was! We handed out eight Anchor Awards (Lachlan Ewald, Sophie Johnson, Danny Holmes, Frances Schroeder, Josh Levinson, Claudia Leon de la Vega, Franci Volpi and Maggie Hinken). We inducted eight people into the Hall of Fame (Matt Carney, Steven Davis, Emily Newman, Kevin Beltz, Sara Turke, John Daily, Tory Kronschnabel and Evan Oncay). We had a slew of new campers join us for the first time and many more return for another summer. There were a handful of campers that joined us for their last summer, and we're so sad to see them go. Our CITs nad LITs were outstanding. Our Octos put in lots of hard work in the cabins and kitchen. Our counselors put in time and energy to make this summer unforgettable.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our 90th summer in any capacity (camper, counselor, AD, alumni visitor or a new family that came for a tour). Great summers like this one get us even more excited to get the ball rolling as we spend the next ten months planning for our 91st summer. See you in 2015!

And as always: Make it a great day or not... the choice is yours!

Camper Creations

We love when our campers submit things for us to post on the blog. During a Journalism class First Session, one of our campers, Thomas R., created a sweet comic about the Dark Squad. Enjoy...

Growing Grit at Camp Foley

We've been throwing around the word GRIT for a few years now at Camp Foley. The definition, according to Google, is: courage and resolve; strength of character and is synonymous with courage, tenacity and perseverance. Foley-GRIT is defined as: courage to take risks without fear of failure; unshakable spirit; resolve. 

At Foley campers learn to take risks, try their best, and if they fail, to try again!

In the May/June edition of the American Camp Association's Camping Magazine there was an article for camp directors about how camps can work on developing grit in their campers. The article, "Eleven Tips to Building Resilience with Campers," is a good one for camp directors AND camp parents. 

11 Tips to Building Resilience with Campers

1. The Benefits of Failure

From the article: "True competence and self-esteem develop when we face difficult challenges and realize we can find a way to get through them."

2. Encourage Effort and Improvement

3. Do All Kids Deserve Trophies?

From the article: "Campers need 'realistic' pictures of their strengths and weaknesses so they can develop truer pictures of themselves based on fact."

4. Instant Gratification Does Not Build Frustration Tolerance or Equal Accomplishment

5. True Self Esteem and Confidence

From the article: "Where does confidence come from? I bet it comes from facing difficulty and finding a way to succeed." 

6. Is Every Camper a "Superstar"?

From the article: "All children can be their own superstars if we help them find ways to feel good about themselves. We need to encourage our campers to evaluate success for themselves - not based on our ideas of what is good for them or their parents' ideas of what is good for them." 

7. Points of Contact

8. Teaching Inclusive and Not Exclusive Behavior

From the article: "Children will feel good when they stand up to do what is right and make a contribution to include others' they will feel rewarded for reaching out to be inclusive."

9. Boredom, Frustration, Disappointment, and Patience

10. Are You Ethical and Fair?

11. Encourage Positive Thinking and Optimism

From the article: "Having resilience means you are able to find a sliver of something positive even when going through the roughest times."

We strongly encourage reading the entire article online to learn how campers benefit from summer camp by growing grit and building resiliency. 

Music Monday! Button Factory

How fitting, 2013 counselor Joe sings Button Factory at Closing Campfire! Because... "Hi, his name is Joe, and he works in a button factory."

First Session - Button Factory