YMCA OF THE PINES
SUMMER CAMPS | RETREATS |
FAMILY PROGRAMS | CHILDCARE | WILDERNESS TRIPS
NEVER GIVE UP Never give up; No matter what is going on Never give up. Develop the heart; Too much energy in your country Is spent developing the mind, Instead of the heart. Develop the heart. Be compassionate; Not just with your friends, But with everyone. Be compasionate. Work for peace; In your heart, And in the world. Work for peace. And I say again, Never give up. No matter what is going on around you, Never give up. ~ Dalai Lama
For the past month I have been designing fun, science related activites for our school's out programs. These activities focus on direct immersion in scientific thought and experimentation in loose, fun, and creative ways. All of these activities are easy to do at home and my goal is to encourage students to take their curiosity about the natural world to the next level by trying these experiments outside of school. Over the past few weeks our various school's out sites have been participating in the egg-drop experiment. This involves the kids working in teams using a variety of materials to [...]
My favorite time of year is coming up! Ten years ago, I volunteered at my first Winter Camp. It was one of my greatest memories at Camp. Surrounded by amazing staff and incrediable campers, we spent time on the Challenge Course, cooking, doing Arts and Crafts and learning about the beautiful grounds around us. We had snow and s'mores and night time hayrides and dances. I am so excited to be a part of Winter Camp again this year! It means so much to me that the staff come to Winter Camp and volunteer their time and want to spend [...]
It was a great day here at Camp because we had a chance to meet Santa Clause! It was great to see the Ockanickon Dinning Hall filled with smiling and familiar faces after a few quiet weeks around camp. This is truly an amazing event for a couple of reasons...not only do we get to have the local community out to camp, but we (a handful of camp staff) got to spend our Friday decorating the dining hall. The highlight of Friday was when Mike Dzwill dropped off our 10 foot Christmas tree and we got to decorate! Thanks to [...]
How many of you remember your very first experience at Summer Camp? I was 11 years old my first summer in Apache 31-B. I remember Chip Candy picking up trash as he led my parents and I to my cabin and introducing me to my counselor, Mick Weeks. I remember trying not to laugh at my first Opening Ceremony (yes the Great Chiefs still dropped their blankets in those days!). I remember not sleeping all night on our first evening (or at least it felt that way) because someone would yell, "Raid!" every 10 minutes and we would come running out of [...]
If there is light in the soul, There will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, There will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, There will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, There will be peace in the world. Chinese Proverb
School's Out children are getting into the Holiday Spirit! Check out some of the awesome projects our schools are working on...
In 203 days, the 2012 Summer Camp season will officially start (how great is that) and Camp will be filled with hundreds of happy faces. Help us make sure that everybody learns about our amazing Summer Camp program by sharing our new promotional video with your friends and family members. http://youtu.be/XCPB8hrNvUs