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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

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

You may drop your child at Indian Brook between 1-4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30, 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.    I have attached pictures of each lodge group, so your children can see who their counselors will be.  For new parents, First Lodge is 9-10 year olds, Big Lodge is 11-12 year olds, and Senior Lodge is the 13-14 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, lap tops, 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 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 check in with Marni our nurse.    The next step is to proceed to the waterfront where every child goes through a swimming evaluation with our waterfront staff to determine which group they will be in for swim lessons.  At 3:00 p.m. there will be  a parent orientation with myself 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

Hello Indian Brook Families,

The last 10 days at Indian Brook have been full of adventure, fun, new friends, and good food. The rain finally stopped and we have had about five days now of beautiful sunshine. It did not seem to faze any of us though, it was camp as usual and we still had lots of activities happening.

On the first day of camp we had 22 campers down at the barn by 6:00 a.m. to help with barn chores, despite the fact that only two campers were required. We were all thrilled to learn our Interpendence Day song called “Scrub and Scrape,” themed after Gwen Stefani’s song Sweet Escape. It was all about clearing up after meal time, the Hobart and Pots….I have never seen so much enthusiasm over doing the dishes!

First Lodge went out for their two day trips, with a combination of hiking and canoeing. They all came back to camp with tales to tell about how strong the wind was while paddling across the lake, or who got the most mosquito bites. My true delight was that they had all bonded in their experience and met the challenge with excitement, and realized that they could sleep out in the wilderness and have fun doing it.

Come Interdependence Day we were all crossing our fingers that the thunderstorms would not interfere with our camp wide celebration. At 4:00 p.m. Executive Director Pieter Bohen gave the green light and we were all jumping for joy to share our performances together. At 6:00 p.m. Indian Brook and Sam Camp started the parade to the spillway at the Barn Day Camp, we picked up Tamarack Farm, Flying Cloud and Timberlake along the way. All of us had wonderful performances to share, and it just reminded me why it is so great to work at a summer camp-the children. We only managed to get one dance in before the next thunderstorm rolled in. We quickly went back to Indian Brook where we enjoyed ice cream together a little drenched but very happy.

As we end our first 10 days at camp, all of Big Lodge are out on trips, and First and Senior Lodge enjoyed a great game of Capture the Flag yesterday evening. We are all in our rhythm and camp is running smoothly, and I have to say I am seeing a lot of smiling faces.

Dear Indian Brook Families,
As you know, F&W is transitioning to a 7 week summer schedule this year. At IB, this has afforded us the opportunity to re-evaluate and refresh our program. We’re really excited about what’s in store for this summer and we wanted to let you know what to expect and look forward to!

Community building and skill building have always been two of the things that make Indian Brook such an empowering place for campers. Given the time constraints of a shorter schedule, we want to make sure that the experience of completing meaningful, hands-on, community-based projects is preserved, and we want to make sure campers have as many opportunities as possible to learn and practice new hands-on skills. Although the general flow of the day will remain the same, we will be re-emphasizing these two elements in our morning and afternoon activities.

Campers will spend their mornings engaged in age-appropriate, skill based work projects that benefit the community. Just a few examples of things one might do include planting a kitchen herb garden, making cheese, building a new kybo, clearing and blazing trails, processing wool, harvesting and preserving food, building bonfires, building cob ovens, building canoes, … and the list goes on. With more time dedicated to morning activities, campers will be able to really invest in projects and have the time to complete them.

In the afternoon, campers will choose from a wide variety of activities that will allow them to work toward the skills they are most interested in. This might be silk screening, rock-climbing, canoeing, pottery, orienteering, carving, knitting, learning to play the guitar, dancing, soap-making, painting murals…! We look forward to celebrating as campers achieve milestones along these many skill building pathways, and as they use their skills to make IB a more productive, exciting community!

Whereas swimming lessons for all campers used to be part of the morning schedule, this summer most swimming activities will take place in the afternoon. We will be evaluating each camper on arrival day to determine who meets the baseline level of swimming proficiency needed to participate in waterfront activities. Those campers who do not meet this skill level will receive instruction from WSI certified staff and can participate in other waterfront activities once they are able to demonstrate improved skills. In other waterfront news, we are excited to offer not one, but TWO general swims per day on most days. Waterfront activities will also be among the activity options during every afternoon activity time. This will include canoeing, kayaking, distance swims, games, snorkeling, diving, and swimming instruction for those who are already a swimmer but want to improve their skills. Note that all lessons and waterfront activity time will take place in the afternoon when it’s a bit warmer

Whew! That sounds like a lot, but don’t forget about trips and all camp games, cocoa house and Adventure Days, morning singing and silent meeting, delicious meals and morning barn chores, wonderful friends and a whole team of counselors and staff who can’t wait to meet you. IB summer 2009 is ready to go, and now all we need is YOU!
Best,
Nicole Sutherland-Maiden

June 9, 2009

Dear Indian Brook Parents,

Hello to all of you from Indian Brook. We are quite busy getting ready for camp, and will be welcoming all of our seasonal staff at the end of this week to begin staff training. The gardens are planted, and we are already being treated to some fresh greens at our Staff lunches. The animals are all healthy and the babies are doing well. We will have a Milking Cow at Indian Brook this summer, which provides all of us with such a wonderful program piece to offer the children. In addition to the cow, we will have, laying chickens, meat chickens, goats and pigs.

I hope you are all doing well and are beginning to think about getting your child ready for Indian Brook this summer. I strongly recommend that you read through your parent hand book carefully, so that you and your child is prepared for camp.

There are a few things that are imperative to happen before you arrive.

Firstly, your child must have had a physical exam within the12 months before the start of camp. The health form must be completed and returned via mail before camp starts … please note that the third page of this form needs to be signed by your child’s physician.

Please go over the packing list to ensure that your child has the equipment and clothing necessary to have a comfortable experience at camp (page 14 in handbook) .

We recommend considering the purchase of a rectangular mosquito netting for when your child goes to bed. We suggest looking at www.campmor.com .

Please do not pack any valuables unless necessary for transportation (plane tickets, identification, etc.) IB can not be responsible for keeping track of valuables other than these which will be held in a safe.

Early next week, I will be sending out the trip and senior apprentice choices for camp this summer. This will provide you and your camper with the opportunity to read through the trips descriptions and respond to us with your camper’s top choices. The trips will be divided into the three lodges. First Lodge (9 & 10), Big Lodge (11 & 12) and Senior Lodge (13 & 14). Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions in this area.

Campers are always thrilled to get a letter and or package from home. Again please see the guidelines in handbook (Page 12) as to what is appropriate to be sent in the mail. Candy and electronics may not be sent to campers. All packages received are searched and contraband will be confiscated. Please send to the following address:

Camper’s Name

Indian Brook (and cabin name if known)

263 Farm and Wilderness Rd

Plymouth, Vt. 05056
For Parents of Campers arriving July 1, camp is now only weeks away, so please do not hesitate to contact me with any additional questions you may have.

Warmly,
Nicole

Here are the 2009 Indian Brook Counselors and Staff. We can’t wait to see you!

COUNSELORS