Stockwell Day Camp Archives - Page 4 of 11

The Lockout is Over

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-15T13:37:28-05:00January 15th, 2013|

For those of you who may not have known, there was a lockout in the NHL this past year that resulted in over half of the games in the 2012-2013 season being cancelled. Anyone who spends time with me has learned from me either proudly (pre lockout) or begrudgingly (during the lockout) that for the first time in my life this past year I became a season ticketholder for the Philadelphia Flyers. Needless to say the recent news that the lockout had ended made me very happy. Strangely enough as I reflect back on it, my relationship with the sport [...]

Vital Engagement

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-08T10:00:46-05:00January 8th, 2013|

In a world of virtual engagement parent’s can find summer camp as one of the few places left where vital engagement is so rich and positive in a “safe place for their children to thrive and develop a deeper sense of self."

Camp Family

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-05T05:15:02-05:00January 5th, 2013|

It is always great to have former counselors pay a visit to Camp. Unfortunately, we will all reach a point when we can no longer return to Summer Camp, whether it is because of a big move or college graduation or a new job opportunity. One generation heads out into the world as another one starts their own Camp memories. Fortunately, you can always come back. We had a quite a few visitors at Winter Camp. Not only did we have over 40 Ocky, Matolly, and Stockwell staff members volunteer to come and work at Winter Camp, we also had [...]

What a weekend!

By YMCA of the Pines|2012-10-27T12:47:09-04:00October 27th, 2012|

I love these kinds of weekends, there is so much going on in and around Camp it makes me proud to be part of such a great organization. After our last school group departed on Friday, Camp quickly transformed into a 10K Mud Run host site with over 500 people registered to partake in the 3rd installment of the Above & Beyond 10K Mud Run. At the same time, Mike Dzwill was putting the finishing touches on our float for the 67th Annual Medford-Vincentown Rotary Halloween Parade in which 32,000 pieces of candy will be given out by just our float [...]

Top 10 Camp Movies of All Time

By YMCA of the Pines|2012-10-16T12:05:31-04:00October 16th, 2012|

So, Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom was just released on DVD and Blu-Ray last week and as an avid movie-watcher of any sort, camp movies in particular hold a special place in my heart. I decided to share my Top 10 Camp Movies of All Time with the rest of the nation. And yes, this is the child-friendly list. We will leave Jason Voorhees off for now. 1. Meatballs 2. Heavyweights 3. Earnest Goes to Camp 4. Camp Nowhere 5. The Parent Trap (1961) 6. Moonrise Kingdom 7. The Great Outdoors (not really camp, but camping all the same) 8. Indian Summer 9. Addams Family [...]

Summer Camp 2013

By YMCA of the Pines|2012-10-13T07:33:32-04:00October 13th, 2012|

With the addition of session 6, a co-ed Resident Camp program held on the grounds of Camp Matollionequay, our new indoor sports court for Lake Stockwell Day Camp, the amazing new water inflatable which will be shared by all three Camps, an additional day of swimming for members at Cherokee Beach and our Pre-School Camp based out of Cherokee Beach, 2013 Summer Camp cannot get here quickly enough. It amazes me each summer how quickly 10 weeks can pass by, but I am constantly reminded that as quickly as each summer passes by, it’s going to arrive just as quickly. [...]

Family Camp …

By YMCA of the Pines|2012-09-11T07:18:54-04:00September 11th, 2012|

Apologies for being out of touch for a little while. I wanted to share with everyone some of the remarkable things that happen at camp when things don't go as planned. Last week over 45 families chose to spend their Labor Day Weekend here at Ockanickon for our bi-annual Family Camp. There was swimming, boating, challenge course, Gaga, and more. One of the less glamorous side notes to operating a facility like this is our use of water. While at camp guests take showers, brush their teeth, hydrate, and go to the bathroom. On the Ockanickon side of the property, we [...]

Time to reflect…

By YMCA of the Pines|2012-09-05T10:21:18-04:00September 5th, 2012|

Hello to all of our dear readers… I know It’s been a while since my last blog post… somewhere in the vicinity of 10 weeks… just about the length of our Overnight Summer Camps and our Day Camp. As you can imagine… and as I will “Wow” you with some statistics in a “P.S.” below this post… Camp is BUSY!! […]

Summer Staff Super Heroes

By YMCA of the Pines|2012-08-27T05:04:53-04:00August 27th, 2012|

There is a group of young people here at Camp that we can never give enough credit and "thank you's" to. These folks are truly the ones that make Camp Magic happen. Our year-round staff and board and committee members do a tremendous amount of work, so please don't think we are slighting them. But the summer staff, the young men and women living in the cabins, leading our villages around, cooking our meals, running the activities, keeping Camp clean, mentoring campers, and generally being great role models 24/7 deserve our gratitude and respect in a big way. These "kids" [...]

Self-Esteem

By YMCA of the Pines|2012-07-24T12:51:43-04:00July 24th, 2012|

Michael Thompson, author of Homesick and Happy, writes, " ... self-esteem is not the engine of learning; it is the by-product of learning. Children don't learn because they feel good about themselves; they feel good because they have mastered something." All over camp this summer, I've seen children building self-esteem. Some of our tried and true activites have been giving campers the ability to master something unique and special. At boating, countless campers have practiced and refined their J-Strokes and T-Rescues. At archery campers have progressively sighted their targets and walked away with some outstanding shots. Over at the challenge [...]