How are we already writing the last blog of the summer? It seems like just yesterday we were watching the buses pull into camp for the first time watching new campers being greeting by their counselors and returning campers being reunited with their best friends. Throughout the summer we have seen our campers develop a sense of independence as they tried new adventures. Their self-confidence grew as they learned many new skills, and countless friendships developed as countless friendships developed each and every day.
This past week may have been a shorter week than the others but who could tell with everything going on?!
On Monday, we were marching to the beat of our own drum as each camper participated in a drum circle with their groups! Path To Rhythm, a group drumming program, came to Elmwood for the day to create connections through rhythm. Each camper began their activity with an introduction to drumming where they learned a bit about the instruments they would be playing. They also partook in a call and echo activity, a group drum jam and of course ended with a dance party. The campers were so excited to hear the sounds that they were able to make each time they hit the drums.
We dodged the rain on Wednesday so that every camper was able to celebrate Pool Float Day! There is something incredibly fun about having multiple pool floats in the pool. All of the campers enjoyed jumping onto the pool floats, floating around on the floats, and singing and dancing to the music that was playing at the pool all day long. Some of the favorite pool floats included the unicorn, the crab, the flamingo and the dolphin. Campers particularly enjoyed the floats the fit multiple campers on them as they loved floating around with all their friends!
Thursday was bittersweet for everybody. Of course we had a great day at camp and enjoyed reflecting on all our memories that we’ve made this summer, but we were all sad to have to say our goodbyes to our summer family. Each group had a special banquet lunch where campers were able to honor their counselors and say special words about each of them. It was nice to hear the impact that these counselors and specialists had on their campers. We ended the day with an all-camp meeting where we had our annual closing ceremony. The ceremony included a slideshow, village songs, and of course our tradition of honoring specific staff members who have been here 10 years or more. Jen Stein and Anne Tiffany received their 30 year honor! Lindsay Ross, Molly Raik and Janet Murray were all acknowledged for all of their hard work and dedication at Elmwood over the years. They received their own personalized signs which we will be hanging up around Elmwood for all to see.
Throughout the week each camper celebrated the final days of camp with a special ice cream party with Hillari and Gregg! The campers had so much fun talking about their favorite memories of the summer, thanking their counselors and of course making ice cream sundaes!
Stepping Stones News:
Our Stepping Stones stayed busy and active all week long! Dancing at the Gazebo, playing basketball at Allie’s Arena, running around the Sky Park, playing tennis and of course going to ballpark were just some of the activities they did this week.
Our three-year-old campers particularly enjoyed going to art this week where they got messy using glue, paint and tinfoil as they created moons which reflected how their feelings for Elmwood are over the moon! At cooking, our three-year-olds loved making food art out of carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. Their favorite part was making the dipping sauce to dip the veggies in!
Our four-year-olds were extra affectionate with their counselors and friends this week! There were hugs, hands being held and tons of laughs this week. They loved participating in yoga where they were able to learn breathing exercises using a hoberman ball, stuffed animals and lights.
In gymnastics this week, most of our kindergarten campers learned how to get themselves up from the low bar to the high bar all on their own! The look on their faces when they landed back on the ground was the highlight for all! There is something so special about successfully learning to do something that you’ve been working on all summer! The kindergartners also enjoyed going to Quest where they made sling shots out of popsicle sticks and spoons. It was so much fun to watch marshmallows flying all over the science porch!
Lower Village News:
Lower village loved all of their athletic activities this week. They particularly loved going to soccer where they began the activity warming up with some drills and ended with a group game of soccer. They each took turns playing different positions on the field to use the skills they had learned earlier. Of course, they also enjoyed going to gaga, as it is definitely a camper favorite! At Adventure Park this week, our campers had a blast completing the ropes course, especially since it ended with them going down the zip line!
Our second-grade girls took advantage of the time they had together at Sky Park as they all climbed into the squirrel nest and hung out on the ropes together as a group talking about all things camp! Our second grade boys had a blast using shaving cream and colored dye at quest this week.
Lower Village Clubs included: Magical Mermaids, Scrap Castles, Epic Science Remix, World Cup Soccer, Gardening Galore, EWD Memories and Hit the Target Archery.
Upper Village News:
Upper Village campers are always so excited to do any activity they go to! They love being with their friends and participating in all of their activities. While the third-graders always enjoy running around and playing sports, they particularly enjoyed going to tennis where Adam helped them practice their forehands. The third-grade girls were really impressive at gymnastics this week as they were tumbling in the air on the bars, crossing the high balance beam, and jumping from the spring vault into the air.
The fourth-graders had a special treat this week as they all created beautiful tie-dye shirts! They loved showing their creativity by choosing their colors, deciding how to tie the shirts and where to put the rubber bands. The highlight was taking off the rubber bands and seeing their masterpieces! We cannot wait to see them all wearing these shirts next summer.
Upper village clubs included: Unicorn Club, Clocks, Space Club, Sports Remix, Hit the Target Archery, Gymnastics, EWD Memories, Cooking: Food Truck Favorites.
Seniors:
The last week of camp for our seniors was a blast. They spent the day on Monday at Woodmont Day Camp participating in activities there. They loved being able to experience a day at another camp, but they were happy to return back home to Elmwood at the end of the day! On Tuesday, the seniors went to the Spy Museum where campers were able to discover and experience amazing spies, stories and gadgets, and complete immersive spy challenges. On Wednesday, our seniors enjoyed going Kayaking all morning! They came back to camp for lunch, an ice cream party and finished the day creating tie-dye shirts!
We wish all our families and staff an incredible year ahead of them. Wherever this year takes you just remember, you always have a home at Elmwood. We can’t wait to see you all next summer!
