Check out Week 1 at The Wood!
Every week at Elmwood is special, but the first week has the kind of joy that is difficult to put into words. Ten months have passed since the entire Elmwood community has been together, and on Monday, the entire place was abuzz with the same love, energy, kindness, fun and celebration that is part of every Elmwood summer. As the first campers arrived on Monday, we knew the summer of 2023 was going to be our best one yet.
Monday and Tuesday were a touch rainy, but we still got to swim. By the end of the day on Tuesday, all of our campers had been assessed and are ready to grow into stronger swimmers. New swimmers are learning to dunk their heads and blow bubbles and more experienced swimmers are working on strokes and more advanced skills. Campers are already passing levels especially since the sun shined for the rest of the week!
Rainy day activities included our new Destination Imagination Blocks, game shows, yoga, music, relay races and more. It was also awesome to see counselors teaching fun rainy day games that they had learned in orientation. Our camp buildings were filled with laughter.
Our youngest campers learned that Elmwood is a great place to be me this week. They met their counselors, learned each other’s names, played sports with Jess, sang with Anne and created art with Jojo. They tried new activities and foods, packed their bags, changed for swim and learned how to get around their summer home. Play is the work of childhood, and our staff gave them tons of opportunities to play. The best part was playing in our brand new Elmville. It was spectacular!
Club started this week for our first through fourth graders. These campers love being able to pick their activities and develop their passions.
This week’s Lower Village Clubs were: Soccer Superstars, Archery, Under the Sea Art, Slimeology, Wooden Nail Art, Monster Club, Songwriting, Gymnastics, Ain’t it Sweet at Cooking, Origami Paper Party, Ceramics, Recess Reloaded, and Board Games/Puzzle Club.
This week’s Upper Village Clubs were: Punchball, Soccer, Ain’t it Sweet at Cooking, Enter the Lab, Disney Dance Party, Mosaic Making, Advanced Nail and String Art, and Talavera Wall Hangings.
Fourth Grade Clubs included: Artist’s Studio, Woodworking, Tennis, Dancing, Mindfulness, Archery, Fencing, Lego Robots, and Mini Sports League.
Our second graders had their first specialty this week: Magic with Charlini. They learned the art of sleight of hand and how to engage with the audience. Campers were able to bring their tricks home, so be sure to ask your second grader to perform a magic show!
Thursday was our 2nd Annual Upper Village Gagathon, and it did not disappoint. Campers played their hearts out at one of Elmwood’s famous games. The cheering was unstoppable, and the sportsmanship was excellent. Congratulations to UV3F and UV4F who were the 2023 champions.
One of our favorite Elmwood traditions is that every group gets to pick their own names. Our 2023 groups are:
SS3A: The Silly Fishies
SS3B: The Rainbow Wiggly Worms
SS4A: The Superstar Bunnies
SS4B: The Blue Swimming Unicorns
SS4C: The Outstanding Owls
SSKA: The Rainbow Bunny Hoppers
SSKB: The Dancing Rainbow Unicorn Cars
SSKC: The Silly Donut Bears
SSKD: The Sparkly Puppies
SSKE: The Dazzling Diamond Dinosaurs
SSKF: The Shooting Star Cupcakes
SSKG: The Sprinkly Donuts
SSKH: The Killer Whale Pack
LV1A: The Summer Sisters
LV1B: The Shining Alicorn Mermaids
LV1C: The Sparkly Dolphins
LV1D: The Mermaid Starz
LV1F: The Golden Boys
LV1G: The Spooky Scary Dino Friends
LV1H: The Dynamite Elmwood Panthers
LV1I: The Fire Breathing Super Kids Crew
LV1J: The Mega Superstars
LV2A: The Super Rockstars
LV2B: The Swimming Puppies
LV2C: The Elmwood Champions
LV2D: The Thunder Power Pops
LV2E: The Elmwood Sparkly Panda Girls
LV2F: The Fire Breathing Chipmunks
LV2G: The No Names
LV2H: The Blazing Boys
LV2I: The Golden Lightnings
UV3A: The Diving Pizza Dolphins
UV3B: The #1 Donut Slayers
UV3C: The Curious Creative Campers
UV3D: The 3D Vision
UV3F: The Big John Vipers
UV3G: The Bad Bananas
UV3H: The Dancing Bananas
UV4A: The Fierce Koalas UV4YAY
UV4B: The Krazy Koalas
UV4F: The Campers Of The Caribbean
UV4G: The Champion League Vipers
UV56: The Superior Seniors