fbpx

Author: admin

Mindfulness Activities (Chilly Edition)

admin Mindfulness, Outdoor Education, Social Emotional Learning ,
Mindfulness Activities (Chilly Edition)

It’s starting to get colder here at Wildwood, and we love doing outdoor mindfulness activities for when the temp drops.

This week, Wildwood experienced its first frost of the fall season. Shorter days and colder temperatures are upon the summer camp world. 

For some of us, the colder months can prove to be more stressful and difficult than the summer months. Days are shorter and nights are colder. The cold outside can make us feel anxious, stuck, or even depressed. As advocates that kids (and grown ups) grow better outside, we want to share just how you can keep up with some outside mindfulness activities this chilly season! 

Jump to Activities

Read more

What Campers Gained This Summer

admin Uncategorized
What Campers Gained This Summer

Hello, Wildwood families! 

Can you believe it? Another summer camp season has come and gone.  It feels like the summer just began and we are already putting away the canoes and closing down camp.  For many Wildwood campers, this summer was the first summer away to camp, while for others it was merely a return to a favorite summer spot.  Regardless of which was the case for your camper(s), we hope the experience was a fun and memorable one. 

As I am sure you were excitedly told upon picking up your child, your camper probably participated in many classic camp activities such as archery, canoeing and giant tag games across our large, open field games. 

Campers working through a low-ropes challenge this summer.
Campers helping out in the garden
A few of our week 5 campers

But there’s a good chance that they got something even more valuable than a chance to catch a fish, hike up a wooded hillside, or try out our zipline — they got to step outside the usual home environment and practice some independence.  Campers were responsible for carrying out their own morning and evening routines and chose their own afternoon activities, and, in many ways, designed their own days while at camp.  Perhaps you’ve noticed some of this independence seeping into the home life since they’ve come back. (We’d love to hear about what you’ve noticed, via our parent survey, email at kevin@wildwoodctr.org, or at one of our upcoming events!)

Campers also practiced getting along with others.  Upon arriving in a cabin with different peers from different backgrounds, campers get to know their peers and go through much of the day with these same peers.  Sometimes conflict arises, and there were many instances of campers working through these difficult situations with the support of their cabin staff and gaining a new idea of someone else’s perspective. We’re curious if you’ve noticed any instances of a wider, more open mind since your camper got home.

We hope you’ll tell us about it–the good and the bad–at one of our events this fall! Whether you and your family attend a hike with our hike club, eat with us at Wildwood Family Dinner, or explore Wildwood trails at Electric Night Hike, we can’t wait to hear from you and see you in person!

Sincerely,

Kevin Anderson

Wildwood Camp Director

Volunteer Counselor–David

admin Makerspace, Summer Camp
take a wild guess volunteers

Although we haven’t had volunteers on site in the last year or so, we are so so grateful for their work and support. In honor of National Volunteer Week, we’d like to highlight the experience one of our dedicated volunteers, David, had working with campers in 2019.

“My name is David. I work at Cerner. In 2019, I had the opportunity to volunteer as a counselor for a week of camp at Wildwood.

How I Got Involved

You might wonder how I came to spend a week with campers at Wildwood.

I first learned about Wildwood in March 2018 when I was searching for volunteer opportunities. I stumbled across a listing for Wildwood’s fundraiser, Take A Wild Guess, at Boulevard Brewery. Between my background as an Eagle Scout and my fondness for local beer, I knew that this was the perfect volunteer opportunity for me. I volunteered at the event–manning a game station for guests–but I immediately felt I had more I could offer Wildwood than a donation or a few hours of my time.

Read more