Last week we welcomed 124 campers at Indian Brook on a rainy opening day including YOUR wonderful camper! The first week of camp has been filled with orienting your camper by learning about the Indian Brook schedule and how they can find success at camp this summer. We are happy to be helping her find a way to be a positive part of the community because we know how important it is to feel a sense of belonging whether it is their first time or fifth time at camp!
Both the rain and sun have been showing their best selves and smiles are all around here while girls start to carve a spoon, warm up to swim the Grand Circuit Swim, peel potatoes for dinner, find shade under Sarah (the tree), bask in the water, and climb the rock climbing chimney. Below are some more specific updates with what’s happening at camp!
FILLING OUR BELLIES! As we circle up and hold hands around the table each family style meal, it is apparent at how much we are melding into a community finding strength and positivity! We had our first silent breakfast today where we actively listened to campers and counselors singing, reading poetry, and playing piano/violin/guitar. The food has been happily varied as we enjoy a burrito bar, homemade pesto, grilled cheese, homemade hummus, feta and olive English muffin pizzas, asparagus and tomato quiche, VT Bacon, Curry Chicken salad, sesame sticks for a snack. We are celebrating the love that comes from our garden by enjoying strawberries, salad greens, and our farm maple syrup! Dessert treats will emerge more this week as we have been savoring fresh fruit and sesame sticks.
BEING IN THE WILDERNESS
All campers were out on trips! From four days on Lake Umbagog in New Hampshire to overnights on Farm and Wilderness property. Campers and staff are enjoying s’mores over a fire, and sleeping out under the starts all the while pushing themselves to learn new skills and grow closer.
GAMES GALORE
Big Lodge night played improvisation games and paper bag skits with the theme of “a new program at IB”. Hilarity ensued! After skits quiet activities transpired in Cozy Lodge while a rambunctious game of tag was played on the lawn.
CREATIVITY FLOWS
Campers in the paper making apprenticeships are combing plant identification skills and creativity to find leaves and grasses around camp that can be boiled down to make paper pulp. Soon we’ll be incorporating our papers (cedar, iris, onion skin, milkweed, plantain, and palm grass!) into hand bound journals.
Campers are helping with daily Barn Chores while Rosie the Nubian goat expresses her feelings loudly! Many campers have been coming to barn chores to feed and care for our animals, including two very cute piglets, and a sweet calf who we are teaching to walk on a halter. First and Big Lodgers have been learning about growing food and caring for our animals. Campers in the apprenticeship learned about incubating eggs, and started 22 eggs in the incubator, if all goes well we will have a few chicks by closing day! They also put plants in their very own camper plots in the garden.
WOMEN AT WORK
Campers are busy in the workshops, learning about hand tools, types of wood and safety. Spoon carving is a popular activity, along with making signs and swings for cabins. To get warmed up for big summer project, which is to build the deck and wall frames for a new kybo, campers have been learning to measure, mark, cut, and fasten benches for our meeting circle and dining hall. Apprenticeships took a short field trip to the barn to measure for and design a new roost for the chickens. Pioneers are building a new lashed archway for the meeting circle and preparing to build the Interdependence Day Fire.
WATER LOGGED
Campers are eager to complete some big distance swims this summer and many are well on their way. The canoe apprentices have declared themselves the “PFD’s”, based off of “personal flotation device”, a.k.a. life jacket, but their acronym is “Paddle for Days!”
This summer we are offering simplicity and home-made activities at camp! In this unplugged environment we are encouraging independence and appreciation of being in a space with other empowered young woman. We encourage you to write letters, visit our IB Blog on Tuesdays, or check out the current photo gallery.
Happy Summer Day!
