Res, Advance, 2:22 and more!

We have five different camper programs going now, and today we have an update for them all! 

Res: Res campers just arrived yesterday, and they're charging ahead at full steam! After a night filled with name games, icebreakers, swim tests, skits and cabin reflections, they woke up this morning to cabin impacts, camper worship, and activities. At this point, they're just finishing up their second activity period and heading into OPA (optional play activitiy) where they have some structured free time with their cabin before dinner. 

Advance Camp Girls, ready to go on trip!Advance: While the boys got back Saturday afternoon, the girls left on trip right after lunch today. They'll be out on trip for the next few days, enjoying the beautiful Northwoods. Meanwhile, the boys will work on their activities on camp. When Sarah asked the girls how they wanted to caption this picture, they said, "Bugspray is the new perfume!" This year, that may be the case!

2:22: 2:22 is in camp today but will be gone tomorrow as they all split up and leave on their trips. There are a few pictures up on SmugMug, including their cabin photos. Stick tight through their wildnerness and service trips - while we would love to get pictures during these times, there isn't an opportunity. Our photographer is working hard to get as many takes of them as she can before they leave!

Service Team: Service Teamers are busy busy busy! They're split up all around camp as well as in town. Job rotations include housekeeping, Operations, Construction, town service, etc... If you were able to pop over to our photo site, you might notice some silly pictures in their gallery. We handed off the camera for them to take some pictures of their time setting up DTP tents, banquet, and their overnight trip - they had some fun with it!

AC's: This is a fun group to watch. They're all doing so well with their campers - leading them through bible studies, camper worship, activities...it's incredible to see the growth from Service Team to Assistant Counselor. The guys will soon be leading their Res campers on their overnights, while girls are prepping for Girls Night on camp. 

All SmugMug galleries were updated today, even Res Camp! The password was given out early this afternoon in a message sent to the email parents provided. If you can't find it, check your junk mail - somtimes it likes to sneak in there. If you're still having problems, let us know at media@honeyrockcamp.org. Thanks!

Campers are Coming!

There's a different feel around camp today - breakfast was a little louder, Devo circle announcements took a little longer, and last minute preparations continue. Some returning staff loosely compare today to Christmas morning - so much preparation and training and waiting and anticipation for this day. Most of the staff has been up here for the past month: exploring the Northwoods on wilderness trips, learning about preparing and giving cabin impacts (among other things!), and serving one another day in and day out. With that training month in the books, we can confidently say that we're ready for campers. 

Abby & Hannah welcoming campers, 2013When the busses pull up this afternoon, rest assured that your camper is excitedly welcomed and guided to their cabin. They play icebreaker games and name games. The swim test is given, and directly following they eat a hearty dinner with fresh HoneyRock bread. After dinner, campers are introduced to the different parts of camp with various skits led by the Unit Leaders and Activity Staff. Finally, at 9:00 or so, the campers start to wind down the day with Cabin Reflection. It's a busy first day, but ensures that campers are safe and know their way around camp. Want to know more about the first day schedule? See this post.

We'll post updates of the busses here and to our Facebook page. Stay tuned this week as we continue to share Intro & Advance Camp, as well as Service Team's journey!

8:50am: Bus has left Shaumburg, on its way to Rockford.
1:15pm: Bus is traveling north of Madison...next stop HoneyRock! 
3:50pm: Bus passing through Rhinelander. 
4:45pm: Here safe & sound! 

Packing Tips!

Welcoming Advance Campers, 2013We don't know about you, but for us the countdown is on for Intro & Advance Camp, as well as Service Team! If you've been to HoneyRock, do you remember that first drive down Highway X and into camp? This Monday, campers (many for the first time!) will drive past the Rock, under the HoneyRock sign, and straight to the playing field where their counselors can hardly wait to meet them.

For those of you who have a first-time camper, we've put together a quick list of tips you!

• Pack in layers - Sweatshirt in the morning, t-shirt by noon, and back to a light jacket in the evening is the routine many days this time of year. Make sure to bring those layers!
• Dryer Sheets - Don't want to open up a suitcase and be greeted by some of those campy smells? A couple dryer sheets tucked away in the bottom of the suitcase can go a long way.
• Headlamp - So you may look a little silly wearing a light on your forehead, but for those walks from the campfire pit to the cabin or in a dark tent, they're pretty handy!
• Sheets! - Our mattresses are great, but having bedsheet on it makes it even better.
• Pack small - Packing at the end of camp is so much easier if you don't have too much to pack in the first place.
• Mark it up - Put your name on everything. See that sock? Mark it up. Beach towel? Yes. The toothbrush? Yep. Cool headlamp? Definitely. We like seeing the gear our campers bring, but we want to see it go home, too!
• Send Mail - Whether it's snail mail or our email option, campers love getting mail. If you're going the snail mail route, start writing. It takes a couple days to get to the northwoods. Need our address? 
  Camper Name, Program / 8660 HoneyRock Road / Three Lakes, WI 54562 
• Pre-Stamped Mail - Letters from camp are awesome. Prep your kids by handing them a couple envelopes pre-addressed & pre-stamped. We've even heard of some parents pre-writing letters. For example:
  
  Dear ____________, 
  Today, we went _______________. Then, we did ______________. For lunch, we ate ______________. My favorite part about camp is ________________ and I can't wait to tell you more about _________________________________! 

Want to see the full packing list? Click here.

While these tips may help, we believe the most important part of preparing for camp are the dicussions you and your camper have before (and after!) camp. Packing can allow great time for talking through fears or worries as well as what they're excited about. 

We're praying for you and your campers as the countdown continues!