YMCA OF THE PINES
SUMMER CAMPS | RETREATS |
FAMILY PROGRAMS | CHILDCARE | WILDERNESS TRIPS
Hello all!! Yesterday morning Camp had a very special visitor. A delicious breakfast was enjoyed by one and all and in the middle of the meal the Easter Bunny stopped by to greet everyone. After having a chance to get their picture taken with our famous, furry friend, the Bunny accompanied everyone outside for a god old fashioned egg hunt! […]
Camp was covered with a light blanket of fresh snow less than a week ago. Today we held our annual Breakfast with the Bunny event. I consider this the 'unofficial' start to the summer, because the next couple of weeks, Camp will be filled with more and more children and adults participaint in various events. Thank you to all the families who came out to celebrate with us, the staff at Camp for decorating and serving a delicious breakfast and of course the Bunny! https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=a.10151534150845743.1073741827.558140742&type=1&l=03b43bb6cc
Mark Twain once wrote, "When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." This quote really hits home for me. Where Mr. Twain said "father," you can substitute whoever that person is who you look up to and who looks out for you. For our more seasoned readers, I hope you read this quote and chuckle. For you younger readers who may not quite get what he was [...]
Today at Neeta School's Out program the kids are gearing up for Easter! They spent their afternoon dying Easter eggs for the holiday. A special thanks to Kimmie and Erin for providing such a fun activity and Nick Homa from the Kitchen for boiling the eggs! =) From our family to yours... HAPPY EASTER!
Thank you so much for all the families that joined us for our first Open House of the season! We had many new (and returning!) families come to visit Camp, meet our awesome staff and check out some program areas. It's days like yesterday, that remind my why I love working at Camp! There's something about having a full Dining Hall and kids outside making s'mores that makes me so excited for the Summer! Also, a huge thank you to Mother Nature for giving us a nice day, too! :)
Was this anonymous poem written about our experiences at Camp? "To laugh is to risk appearing the fool, To weep is to risk appearing sentimental, To reach out for another is to risk involvement, To expose our feelings is to risk exposing our true self, To place your ideas and dreams before the crowd is to risk loss, To love is to risk not being loved in return, To live is to risk dying, To hope is to risk despair, To try at all is to risk failure, But risk we must, because the greatest hazard in life is to [...]
Hello folks… As my title to this post may lead you to think about the weather… it is not about that. I am not a weather man and I have no idea what tomorrow or next week may bring in terms of temperature or precipitation. What I am eluding to is the fact that Camp is right around the corner we are beginning to move out of the winter projects mode and on to busier times ahead leading up to Summer Camp! A mental thaw, so to speak. […]
Please come out and join us at Camp Ockanickon, Camp Matollionequay and Lake Stockwell for our 1st open house of the season. Tours will be leaving from the Ockanickon Dining Hall (Ocky & Stockwell) and the Matollionequay Dining Hall (Matolly) from 1-4pm on Sunday March 24th. This is the perfect opportunity to learn about all the fun and exciting program we have lined up for this summer, meet our summer camp staff and enjoy some delicious s’mores! There is no RSVP needed…just swing on over! All of our open houses are rain or shine…but we always keep our fingers crossed [...]
I once opened a fortune cookie that read “achievement will come with such hard work”. I think about this statement all of the time throughout my leadership in Lake Stockwell Day Camp and School’s Out. Exactly one week ago from today marked my second year, full time, here at Camp Ockanickon. Looking back, these last two years has been such a personal success for me. Not only have I had the opportunity of working here, I have had the opportunity to professional grow through multiple trainings, conferences, and networking events. Although some days are more rewarding than others and some [...]
Working at camp all year, I have the privilege of saying that I play for a living. Yes, I do spend time in an office, and the work here at camp has a farther reaching and deeper impact than simply being fun. However, fun is the primary vehicle for the impact that we make, and as a result I am evaluated on my ability to have fun. This past week, many of us here at camp attended the American Camping Association Tri-State Camping Conference in Atlantic City. The convention provides three full days of workshops geared to all levels of [...]