Director's Message

Over the summer, we noticed the leaves of one of the Lodge oak trees (which has supported the first two porch swings for two decades) turning browner and browner. In honor of the tree, fifteen counselors wrote a poem. Each of us chose a spot to observe the tree from different perspectives. Some sat on the Lodge roof, chimney, and base of the old oak; others sat on various swings or further away -- on top of Funland, down at the pool, and other places.

We silently explored various feelings from our unique vantage points, figuring out what two words resonated for each of us about the oak tree. Gathering back together, we spent an hour using our words to create our tree poem. The poem was copied and hung on a laminated poster board -- hugging the celebrated grand oak tree during the last week of camp.

Torpid Beauty

Tall she stands, mother-like and proud;
The octopus treasures her flagella
As Nature Camps reveres its cornerstone.

A ripe old tiredness, giving beauty
Seasonal, yet rigid; transformational
But constant, crumpled and lovely.

Half-hidden life watches melancholic, sacrosanct
Silently jutting
The erroneous, fluorescent, buttressed creature
Will always have a home.

-- by 2011 NC Staff

Becoming Familiar

Throughout this summer particularly, and here in noticing the quickly changing tall majestic oak, I am reminded of two essential underpinnings of Nature Camps. One is NC's sensory awareness or acclimatization objective -- to help children take notice of the unfamiliar so it becomes familiar. The key being to nourish an understanding of feelings in one's heart about the natural world. We all had fresh understandings of the oak tree, and throughout the summer, of one another.

My second noticing of an essential aspect of Nature Camps is best expressed by a poem, followed by a recent perspective from a past counselor.

Love and Light

There are many kinds of love, as
many kinds of light,
And every kind of love makes a glory
in the night.

There is the love that stirs the heart,
and love that gives it rest,
But the love that leads life upward
is the noblest and the best.

-- Henry Van Dyke (circa 1850)

Reflections

So, it is the commitment to saying yes to children that makes Nature Camps a truly extraordinary place. Children receive permission to be themselves, to do what they are most interested in doing, under the careful yet encouraging watch of counselors. As a counselor over the years, I've had campers with all kinds of stories and backgrounds. No matter what a parent or family member told us about a camper before the start of camp, the questions we asked, as counselors, were, "How are we going to take care of this child? What can we do to accommodate him or her? " This kind of willingness and flexibility allows Nature Camps to provide a home and safe haven for so many children, even those who might otherwise be perceived or labeled as weird, troubled, or problematic. I say this not with a sense of pity or a tone of being charitable; I say it because, in school and beyond, children can be defined in ways that do not fully encompass them, that do not always represent their strengths, values, and interests. At Nature Camps, we try and say yes to the capabilities of each child.

At Nature Camps, the saying of yes is very contagious. Once people start saying yes to you, you want to say it to other people. There have been so many times, as a counselor, where I have watched older campers say yes by looking after or taking care of a younger one, whether that means teaching them how to macrame or offering vocal encouragement on the ropes course. Age aside, I have seen many unlikely friendships between campers, pairings of personalities that you would never expect. But, somehow, these children are saying yes to each other as people, as companions, despite whatever quirks or uncoolness might have ordinarily divided them.

(Part of an essay, a Reflection of a Grown-Up Counselor, Cecilia Galarraga)

Nature Camps has eleven Best Practices for Meetings and For Being With One Another. We remind ourselves of these, reading them often at the beginning our daily staff meetings. The one that resonates best with me, and speaks to the poem and Cecilia's words above is number eight:

"Speak from the heart. Presume innocence. Assume positive intentions of others."

Perhaps this is embodied in Henry Van Dyke's poem above. For me, it is so essential to Nature Camps -- "the love that leads life upwards is the noblest and the best."

As Cecilia described, that love wonderfully comes from mixed ages -- campers to campers, campers to counselors, counselors to children, counselors to counselors, counselors to parents, and full circle parents to counselors.

 

Appreciation and Thank You For the Summer of 2011

There has always been a single desire by all who are present at Nature Camps to create something that endures.

Extraordinary gracious parents, unique outdoor educators, the supportive Henneman family, amazing friends and colleagues, and remarkable children give and give of themselves, and by so doing transform lives, including their own.

Thanks to everyone!

New Email Address

The new email address for Sally Fisher (Administrator) at Nature Camps is naturecampsinc@gmail.com. Please use this address for all correspondence regarding registrations, health forms, fees, dates, paperwork, etc. Don Webb's (Director) email address is still naturecampsinc@aol.com for questions regarding the programming at Nature Camps, and whether your child may be ready for certain aspects of Nature Camps.

Photographers Welcome!

To all those campers and parents who took photographs this summer -- we'd like them! As you may have noticed, Nature Camps web site and brochure are full of exciting photos. Parents and children have shared with us some amazing photos. If you'd like to share your good ones with us, please send the full resolution image file via email to Sally Fisher at naturecampsinc@gmail.com. Please be sure to include the photographer's name and permission for us to use the photo in our publications and on our web site. Please send only a few photos per email. If you have more than 10 photos, please email Sally for other options.

Thanks for sharing!