Archive for July, 2010

Dear Indian Brook Families,

Your campers are well into the first week of camp and have settled in beautifully. 

Trips from First and Big lodges are out and will all be back at camp Sunday, I am quite sure with many tales to tell.  Senior Lodge had another successful work project with Timberlake, and have started working on gathering materials for The Fair bonfire. 

The IB Kitchen continues to create healthy food for your children to eat, and yes this does include regular servings of vegetables and milk from the farm! 

I will send out another email once campers are back from trips.

Best,

Nicole Sutherland-Maiden

Dear Indian Brook Parents,

This weekend at Farm and Wilderness is one where we say good bye to one wonderful group of campers and prepare to embrace the next.  It is the center of the summer, and perhaps the weekend where the heart beats the loudest. 

The day before pick up, we ran an activity where campers could write their hopes and dreams down on pieces of fabric to string into prayer flags.  We were not quite sure what the activity would bring, but the timing was clearly spot on, and for this camp director, it made my heart sing.  We hung the prayer flags on the wall behind our meeting circle that evening, where we all sat in candlelight together in the community that we created in 24 days.

I want to personally thank you for sharing your children with us, they truly are the inspiration behind all the work we do throughout the year.  

Warmly,

Nicole Sutherland-Maiden and all the wonderful Indian Brook Staff of 2010

Dear Indian Brook Parents.

I hope this letter finds you well, and that you are excited for your child to arrive at Indian Brook this Sunday for what is sure to be a memorable summer for your children. 

You may drop your child at Indian Brook between 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 25, 2010.  Sarah Kinsler and I will be anxiously awaiting your arrival by the Indian Brook Barn to welcome you and direct you to your lodge.   For new parents, First Lodge is for 9 to 10-year-olds, Big Lodge is for 11 to 12-year-olds, and Senior Lodge is the for 13 to 14-year-olds.      

Before you leave, please remember not to pack any food for your children.  At no time can they ever have food in the cabins, as it attracts animals very quickly.  If you child is coming on the New York City Charter bus, please send her with a bagged lunch as it is a long trip.   Secondly, please no iPods, laptops, cell phones or valuables. If a counselor finds any of these items after you have left, they will be taken from your child and kept in the office until she leaves camp.  Please feel free to bring a musical instrument.  Lastly, mark your children’s clothes with their first and last name, this includes their underwear and socks.  

What to expect when you arrive:

Once you place your child’s luggage into her assigned cabin,  you and your child  should then proceed to the main lodge to confirm trip choices in addition to getting a lice check. If your child is on any regular medication, please drop off the meds with Marni before you leave. The next step is to proceed to the waterfront where every child has a swimming evaluation with our waterfront safety staff to determine what group they will be in for swimming lessons. At 3 p.m., there will be a parent orientation with me in the Main Lodge.   

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

Best,

Nicole Sutherland-Maiden

Dear Indian Brook Families,

 And where exactly did the last three weeks go? We are all having so much fun and are looking forward to you all participating in some of our activities this coming Friday.  

The day gets off to an early start.  We begin with two very moving pieces of program.  At 9:00 a.m., we sing together (and likely will sing the Interdependence day song along with other camp favorites), with counselors and campers linked together by hands or arms around shoulders….and, yes, tears of happiness and letting go.  From here, we move on to the meeting circle to reflect in the experience of silent meeting.  Campers and staff alike will often share some of their personal growth during their stay at camp, a personal favorite of mine.

Once silent meeting is complete, this would be the perfect opportunity for campers who are leaving at the half to load their luggage into their cars and tour parents around the campus.  At noon, you have two options: You are welcome to join for us for lunch or bring a picnic lunch for you and your child to enjoy.  If you do intend to stay for lunch, please let me know by this Wednesday, so I can give Anna, our cook,  an estimate of how many people will be dining with us. Your children’s counselors will be heading for their day off at noon, and the support staff will be your hosts for the remainder of the day.

 Full season parents are welcome to stay until 5:00 p.m. to visit with their children.  Each activity area will have displays of what the children have been doing during camp.  The waterfront will be open should you choose to go swimming, so don’t forget to pack your suit.

 If you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

 Best,

 Nicole Sutherland-Maiden

We have had a wonderful, adventurous, hot, well-hydrated week and we thought we would give you a glimpse into life at IB through the lyrics of our Interdependence Day Song (please read this below)!

 In addition to a great performance of this song during our annual all camps Interdependence Day celebration on Friday, we also enjoyed a beautiful Interdependence Day bonfire that was built by our very own axe swinging IB Pioneers.

Another highlight this week was a camper forum on body image and “body talk.” Your children are amazing! The integrity, openness and compassion with which they participated in this discussion was really impressive.  It is so great to see this group of young people grappling productively with issues that affect them as individuals and as a community.

Our J1 campers departed on Sunday after each receiving their IB bead and being affirmed in front of the whole IB community at a banquet the night before. We miss them and hope they are sharing stories of camp with their families and friends.

Today, as Senior Lodgers began to arrive home from trips, the rest of the campers set off on Adventure Day! This included a 12-mile hike, a cake-baking adventure, an aquatic scavenger hunt, a farm tour of the F&W farms and many others. Despite today being our second rainy day of the summer, adventurous spirits were running high and we were once again impressed by the fabulous energy and enthusiasm of these kids we get to work with every day!

We hope you are all well and we hope you like our song!

All the best from Indian Brook,
Nicole and co.

Don’t Stop IBing (Hold onto that IB Feeling)

Just a wooden bunk, under which I store my trunk

Might not sound like much, but it’s home to me.

Just a summer camp, most of my clothes are damp

But even when it rains, my home is at IB.

Campers swimming, up and down the reservoir

Paddling, learning how to dive

Goose poop on the dock, loons are making creepy noises

Lifeguards keeping us ALIIIIIIVE!

 Don’t stop IBing

Hold onto that IB feeling

Flashlights, kybooooos!

Working hard to get new skills

Using saws and power drills

We can swing an axe and build a fire with our own two hands

We play games, we shoot hoops

But no one ever wins or looses

At IB we know the recipe for fun for fun for fun for fun

Campers milking, underneath a Jersey cow

Chickens running all around

Turning compost, making soil for the garden

Munching carrots from the GROUND!

Don’t stop IBing

Hold onto that IB feeling

Flashlights, kybooooos!

Singers in the dining room

IB makes a sonic boom

For a summer we can share the love,

It goes on & on & on & on…

Campers hiking, climbing up a rugged mountain

Cooking oatmeal on a whisperlight

Hanging bearbags, protecting our food from rodents

Peeing outside in the NIIIIIGHT!

Don’t stop IBing

Hold onto that IB feeling

Flashlights, kybooooos!

Hello from Indian Brook:

It’s summer here, and I mean really Summer, with clear, blue skies, with little-to-no humidity, okay maybe a lot of humidity, and with many enthusiastic campers participating in multiple water events to keep cool.

We definitely have had a busy five days here at camp. First Lodge have finished trips, and Big Lodge are on their way back today and tomorrow. Senior Lodge spent a day with Timberlake, gathering materials for the Interdependence Day fire, which for those of you that are new to Farm and Wilderness involves felling trees, gathering brush, and stumps, and transporting all of the materials to the fairgrounds. Once the work was completed, we returned to TL for dinner and a swim at the waterfront. Before we headed back, we all participated in a council fire, with many wonderful musical offerings by both campers and staff.

First Lodge gathered together one evening for story telling, a fire and s’mores, and singing. It was a very cute site to see four children snuggled into Reeve Basom while listening to the tales of “Winnie the Pooh” told by one very convincing story teller Russ.

Big Lodge had a block party, where each cabin offered a different activity. Annapruna had a scavenger hunt, Morning Glory had fortune telling, Rosa Parks painted pet rocks, Top of the Forest made friendship bracelets, Seneca Falls played spanking Yoda (game of telephone on paper with pictures and words) Tajars were bowling!

Cooks fooooooood is beyond delicious (see an image in our Current Summer Photos album for an example).

The Woodchucks (work projects senior apprentice) helped raise a timber frame at Timberlake yesterday, and are getting ready to start working with cobb.

Overall, your children are busy having tons of fun, especially last night when we all gathered at the waterfront for a beach party, sing along and a little contra dancing. What a great way to cool off and celebrate the hard work of the day.

I will post more pictures on the website tomorrow. The lodge heads will be sending out access instructions.

Warmly,

Nicole