Unpacking Time at Camp

We'll admit, it is a little early in the summer to start talking about unpacking camp, but since we just had our first Intro campers return home, it's an important topic to cover. We want to share some ways to connect with your children after they have had a powerful camp experience.

Look at Pictures

We just launched our photo website where you can browse pictures of the session of camp your child attended, as well as purchase prints. Look through the pictures and let them tell you the "who, what, where, when, and why". While they won't know all of the details of every picture, catching a glimpse of an activity instructor or a place on camp can spark their memory of more details and start more conversations. Hopefully through these conversations you will gain a greater glimpse into their time at HoneyRock. 

Use Conversation Starters and Links

Below you will find two separate conversation starters that you can use to connect with your child on their camp experience. The first was created by HoneyRock parents while the second by HoneyRock staff. Click on the following conversation starters to begin great conversations with your children.

• Reflections on My Time at Camp (PDF)
• HoneyRock Camp Transition Home (PDF)

Do something active and/or let them teach you.

Maybe your child learned how to make a campfire or how to kayak for the first time. Allow them to show you what they learned by engaging in that particular activity. This will show them that you are interested in what they learned at camp. This method is particularly useful for children who have a hard time talking about things.

If possible, plan on coming to Family Day.

Parents and caregivers are the primary transfer agents for the campers. It is your role to help your children figure out how to bring the learning and life change from the temporary community back home (the "permanent" community). Coming to Family Day will help you experience what has happened in the life of your child(ren). 

What happens?

• Eat at a cook-out on the front lawn
• Participate in one-on-ones with your child's counselor
• Go to a meeting for parents to get to know the director and other staff
• Visit "open house" style activities for campers to show their parents activity areas
• Watch the Rodeo & Waterski show featuring campers who have worked in these areas

Why come?

• Learn firsthand what happened in your child's life this summer as you experience HoneyRock for a day
• Meet one-on-one with your child’s counselors, allowing you to hear about the specific ways that your child was challenged and grew while at HoneyRock
• Begin the process of connecting with your child’s experience and applying it to life back home

We pray the day will also deepen relationships with the Lord as experiences and stories are shared that glorify Him for what He has done in the lives of people through HoneyRock. Interested? Register here for your Family Day. 

Saturday Snapshot

It's been a busy couple of days around here! There are so many moving parts of camp at this point that we thought giving a brief snapshot of each program would be a good catch-up.

Intro Camp

We just said goodbye to our Intro campers this morning. It was a crazy fun-filled week of experiencing new things with our 3-5th grade campers: eating yummy meals in Chrouser, singing at Zacco, buying candy from the BeeHive, diving into the Word in Cabin Impacts, sitting around a campfire telling stories...not to mention the time visiting all the activities HoneyRock has to offer! Talk about a busy week!

Make sure to see Monday's post about how to unpack your camper's week at HoneyRock!

Strutting their stuff during this year's Olympic Fest

Res Camp

To all of our Res Campers out there, we are SO pumped for you to be up at camp and finally meet you! Our first session begins this Monday (click for drop-off details). The counselors are busy this weekend resting up, planning, and doing the much needed laundry-run into town.

Camper Worship - looking forward to do the same with this year's campers!

Advance Camp

The boys have been out on trip since Tuesday afternoon and will arrive back at camp sometime today! They will spend the next two weeks in camp where daily bible studies, activity time, group worship, campfires and more occupies their time.

Yesterday, the girls went rafting on the Wolf River! They made it back in time for the ski show and the cook-out on the lawn. They are busy today doing laundry before they go on trip this Monday. After a busy week of being in camp, they are ready to get out into the wilderness to experience creation and all God has to teach them there.

The "Protons" make a rainy day bright with their colorful jackets.

2:22

2:22's counselors just returned from their final training trip! This Monday about 60 2:22ers come to camp, ready to engage in activity areas, a wilderness trip, service opportunities, and delve deeper into their faith through daily group bible study, evening hot topic discussions, and guided personal quiet times. 

Service Team

Service Team spent their first days at camp doing get-to-know-you type initiatives with their cabins. They have also made the Olympic Parade epic, helped run our big Olympic Fest, and set up camp for our first Family Day of the summer. Service Team also turned Chrouser into an Olympic Banquet Hall, complete with real canoes, kayaks, streamers, archery targets and more for our Intro Campers - it looked great!

Service Teamers just left on trip yesterday, and will soon return! Once they are back at camp, job rotations will begin, working on and off camp to focus on others-oriented service.

Service Teamers ready to start Olympic Fest with the parade

AC's:

Our AC's had their first taste on life on the other side of the camper/staff line as they counseled their first cabins this week. JD, a long time HoneyRocker, remarked how great it is to go through all of the HoneyRock programs - a camper in Res Camp, Advance Camp, and 2:22, catching a glimpse of how camp is run through Service Team, and then making the switch to counseling as an AC. This is exactly what we love to hear! It's been awesome to see JD and others like him grow through the programs.

JD plays on the watermat with one of his campers

Stop back here on Monday to read a few tips about unpacking your camper's HoneyRock experience!

Meet Isaiah: Sailing Instructor

Meet Isaiah, our Sailing Instructor! In the States, Isaiah calls Lancaster, PA home, but has lived in Dakar, Senegal for most of his life. He's pumped to be up at camp this summer for his third HoneyRock experience. After Isaiah participated in Passage, he knew that he wanted to spend more time in this place. 

We asked Isaiah about his favorite part of working at HoneyRock, and he told us that apart from the community, he loves watching the mist over the quiet water in the early mornings before 5am.

Isaiah is at HoneyRock this summer after feeling a strong draw back to the place where he grew in Passage and counseled Advance Camp men. He says, "I know that this fits with the person God made me to be and my desire to bring people together in community...it all comes together to work well in this environment. I'm here to love and serve, all to the glory of God."

Isaiah shows the "Mojo Monkeys" a sail

Intro Camp girls listen as Isaiah explains parts of the boat

Olympic Fest is the Best!

After a morning filled with activities, Commissioner Captain Olympus began the Olympic Fest with a big parade – tractors, horses, athletes, aunts and uncles alike joined in to start the games and throw candy to the waiting fans.

The team ready to start the parade

 

Service Team helps throw candy

The afternoon was filled with playing greasy watermelon, jousting on the water mat, running in dizzy bat races, and sliding down our GIANT waterslide on the front lawn. There were also a couple new games like "Bionic Bud Ball" and Kayak Relay Races. 

Boys running the dizzy bat race

Kayak relay races were a hit!

Tomorrow is Olympic Banquet and Friday is Family Day! Haven't registered yet? Click here to let us know you're coming!

First Day of Camp

Today is the first full day of camp and the first day Activity Staff have campers in their area! Intro Camp takes a different approach to activities than Res Camp - instead of signing up for individual activities, the cabins visit the areas as a large group, making it to nearly all of the activities at camp. We love this change because it gives first time campers a chance to see all of the activities that HoneyRock has to offer. 

Olivia, Swim Instructor, invites a cabin into the Swim Area

Catching frogs in the Lagoon at Wilderness Skills! 

Yesterday we also welcomed incoming high school freshmen to Advance Camp, our three week program specifically designed to meet those entering 9th grade - answering the questions "Who am I? What is true? What is my purpose?" Advance Camp still shares similarities with Res Camp, including their time spent at activities. This morning, the guys packed up and headed out on their wilderness trips while the girls were able to choose an activity. 

Advance Camp men packing out.

Ali instructs an Advance camper on the wheel.

Tomorrow all of Res Camp has their big Olympic Fest, kicking off with a parade and moving into field games. We're pumped to start off the Northwoods Olympics!

Campers Arrived!

Our campers stepped off the bus and made their way onto the playing field, meeting their counselors for the first time! They were greeted with big signs and smiling faces, immediately joining their cabin to stretch their legs, learn names, and begin ice breakers. 

After finding their cabin, campers headed to the tent to discover this year’s theme: the Northwoods Olympics, led by our Commissioner, Captain Olympus and his team. This will serve as the theme for the week, developed through funny skits, Olympic Fest, and a big banquet Thursday night.

The swim area is the next stop, where campers gather to take the swim test – one of our measures to ensure campers’ safety while on the waterfront. All of our lifeguards (Activity Staff) are there to go over the rules, life-jacket use, and facilitate the test. Cabin Aunts and Uncles dress up in crazy costumes to entertain and make the time fun.

The camp is filled with the buzz of energy and excitement that only campers can bring. After five long weeks of training, we’re ready to have some fun! Check out tomorrow to hear highlights of Activity Staff’s first day with campers!