summer camp Archives - Camp Towanda

Posted on July 6, 2015 by camptowanda

Wet Hot American Fun!

Week one was off to a very wet but wildly fun start at Camp Towanda. We made the best of the weather, creatively using all of our indoor facilities to the max and the campers and staff didn’t miss a beat. Our Towanda ponchos and rain boots have gotten their fair share of wear and mud GHOST is a new activity here at camp!

Even though it has only been a week, the camaraderie, smiles and friendships are as if we have been together a long time already. We have been appreciating the rare glimpses of sunshine, soaking in the fun of kickball, volleyball, basketball, free swim and more! And when the showers rain down on us, we have been seeking cover at indoor basketball, ping-pong tourneys, lego room, old-school board games, treehouse challenges, gaga, indoor arena soccer, Arts & Crafts, dance, Culinary with Chefs Ben, Hannah and Judi, gymnastics, martial arts, play rehearsal, zumba and more. And while the fields dry out we have managed to play lacrosse on the tennis courts because, why not!? We have enough to keep us busy. Rain doesn’t get us down one bit- we are “water resilient”!

Our evenings have been filled with Towanda favorites like talent shows, open mic night, Towanda Open (dizzy bats, pudding pie in the face, messy fun!) and Unique Entertainment Game Show to name a few and capped off with Under the Lights for our Upper Camp and milk & cookies for Lower Camp. We celebrated the July 4th long weekend with our annual traditions of breakfast on the lawn, Campapalooza outdoor concert, record-breaking attempt to get into the Guinness Book of World Records (this year the entire camp with stuck together with Chinese finger traps), a day of sunshine filled co-ed activities, luau, BBQ and fireworks set to 1812 Overture! The first week really did end with a bang!

Stephanie and I and the senior staff (Head Counselors, Camp Moms, etc.) spend the bulk of our day out there…in the trenches, managing, observing, directing, participating…at eye level…getting into it. Knowing your kids and their counselors so we can successfully guide and direct them towards a successful experience here at camp.

We are not in the office, we do not carry cell phones or technology with us…we are in the moment with the campers and staff. We break the cliques, we balance the group, we foster a brotherhood and sisterhood…the road to achieve that isn’t easy, but we have the tools here to be successful…things happen here that just can’t happen anywhere else! Just take a look at our oldest campers- The Dorm & Club!

By now you have probably received the first wave of letters…that’s what we call “old news”! You may need to read it, take a deep breath and then go out to dinner! We are on it!

Let the excitement, activities, skill development and games continue! Thanks for trusting us to do what we do and thanks for making the tough parenting decision to let us do it!

Check out the first official highlights video of the summer! Friday Nite Flix Week 1: Wet Hot American Summer Edition: FRIDAY NITE FLIX

Quote of the week: “Wow! Cannot believe how much rain you guys have had but glad to see that it cleared up . Watching the FNF this week it seems that the rain has not managed to dampen the spirit of camp. That’s amazing. The kids all look like they are having a fabulous time. Very impressive given the weather conditions.” – Camp Parent

Posted on April 22, 2015 by camptowanda

“Who Will Do This For You At Camp?”

With spring in full bloom (okay, at least there is no snow), parents are busy preparing, planning, shopping and labeling in anticipation of sending their kids off to camp! While the process can be fun for kids, it can be overwhelming for parents who are experiencing this for the first time. It also is a constant reminder that the day is getting closer to put them on a bus or plane and let them experience life without you.

Most of the time kids are busy being kids and don’t give a lot of thought to their excitement, fears and worries leading up to this experience away from home, unless their parents give them something to worry about.

Did you know that a parent’s anxiety levels about sending their child to camp are associated with higher levels of homesickness in the child? For example, have you found yourself saying any of the following (even if it is with a wink and a smile)?

Child has messy hair. Parent says: “Who’s going to brush it for you at camp?”
Child is a picky eater. Parent says: “What are you going to find to eat at camp?”
Child is slow to tie his shoes. Parent says: “How are you going to get out of the bunk on time at camp?”
Child is a focused athlete at home. Parent says: “Are you are going to ask the director to get you more play time this summer?”
Child has trouble picking out clothes. Parent says: “What are you going to look like every day at camp?”
Child struggles falling to sleep at night. Parent says: “Who is going to tickle your back and tell you stories at night?”

You get the idea…we can all probably insert a million more of these parentisms that of course come from a good place, but those concerns are the reason you are sending your child to camp! Camp is the cure! For 7, 8, 9, 10 years, your children have relied on you to be their advocate, their housekeeper, their chef, their stylist and their cuddle pillow, their everything. Sending them to camp says, “I’m so proud of how grown up you are. You are ready to do some of these things for yourself, to feel great in your own hands and solid on your own feet. You are ready for this experience and we picked the perfect camp to help you develop into a healthy and independent person.”

Maybe their hair will be a little messy in the photos you see online, but what you didn’t see is how fast they tied their shoes and were the first down to lineup. Maybe they write a letter home saying they didn’t like the chicken at camp, but what you didn’t see is how they have a newfound love for the salad bar and spaghetti and meatballs! Maybe they didn’t play extra baseball 3x a week, but what you didn’t see is that they are too busy mastering waterskiing on the lake.

And it’s okay you are missing these milestones and growing moments, because they wouldn’t happen if you were there!

So as you approach the next several weeks leading up to camp, focus on the positive. Get your camper involved in the camp shopping and labeling, empower them with fun stationery for communication, talk honestly about the possibility of homesickness, make sure they have a successful sleepover or two, practice saying good bye, and keep a smile on your face (don’t let them see you cry!).

When parents put aside their own anxieties, they give children the confidence that camp is going to be an incredible learning experience for everyone!

To learn more about the expressed parental anxiety and camp click here and here.

Worried about the possibility of homesickness? If you haven’t read “Homesick and Happy” by Michael Thompson, PHD, we strongly recommend it to all our camp families. We also have some more great ways to prepare your child for homesickness (and parents for childsickness). Click here to read about them on the Camp Towanda parenting blog.

About Camp Towanda:

Camp Towanda is an independent, traditional, co-ed sleep-away camp in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. It is privately owned, operated and directed by Mitch and Stephanie Reiter. For over 90 years, Camp Towanda has continued to define what camp should really be. Our program offers state-of-the-art facilities, an excellent and professional athletic department, waterfront, extensive arts, drama and adventure programs, culinary cooking classes, and special events. We are highly regarded and respected as an industry leader and are involved in giving back to various organizations throughout the year. Camp Towanda is accredited by the American Camp Association and a member of the Camp-Alert-Network, Wayne County Camp Association, Camp Owners and Directors Association and the Pennsylvania Camp Association.

Posted on July 18, 2014 by camptowanda

We Rocked Week 3!

Week 3 started off with a bang- when stormy weather caused us go indoors for Upper Camp’s roaring production of Queen’s We Will Rock You! The show went on and we all really enjoyed! We didn’t stop the music because Monday night followed with the Battle of the DJs! A dance party of epic proportions!!!

We dodged some other showers on Tuesday evening to gather as a camp and watch the ALL STAR GAME live on the lawn on our extra-large outdoor projection screen in surround sound. This is one of our favorite crazy nights, complete with Bob and Matt Miller grilling dogs, the Club boys hawking the dogs, Jared giving out Yankees popcorn bags from our vendor cart, Dorm girls serving beverages from the canteen window and Senior Staff acting as ushers at the game!

The kids are busy enjoying culinary classes with Alumni Chef Ben- delicious, fun, educational. Recipes to follow at the end of the summer so you can make them at home and think of camp! The talented artists in Stephanie’s Fine Art’s class are becoming masters (of pride and art). General swims have kids swinging, sliding, sailing, windsurfing and swimming!

Another great evening activity this week was Electionality; our convention where each group comes as a “STATE” to cast their votes for the next Presidents of camp. State of “New Jerseys”, State of Selfies, State of Neon, State of Paper Plates and so on…… some very creative States…plus the state of the camp address and speeches by the candidates.

All good fun which ended with the election of our first ever international presidents, Maria & Juan from Madrid! Their successful campaign endorsed by the Giddiap Poll used the tag line: “We’re Number Juan”! They have promised Tapas Tuesdays and changing the name of rest hour to Siesta Hour.

Trip Day was wet and wild! Jets, Cadets, Debs & Dillies to Montage Mountain (lazy river and age appropriate water fun rides). Middies, Tweens & Juniors to Camelbeach! And Upper Camp to HERSHEY PARK!

And here we are now, completing the 3rd week of camp and I can only say this place is magical. The experience of watching the young campers with the older campers, the mixed personalities, the varied interests and abilities, combined with the different backgrounds and upbringings funnel into creating this special “family” we all feel part of.

This is the sense Stephanie and I have…everyone waves hello to each other, smiles are exchanged and we are overall the way the world should be. To think that camp will get better as the weeks go on is almost unimaginable. But we can’t wait!

There is so much MORE in week 4! Stay tuned…we know you will!

Posted on July 31, 2013 by camptowanda

We’re Good Sports!

In addition to the family atmosphere, the intense spirit, tradition, legacy and incredible camaraderie that flows through our camp, the summer of 2013 has also been a very successful season for Towanda Athletics.

We are proud of our kids’ sportsmanship, participation and respect of other camps, as well as teamwork and Towanda pride.

Although our tournaments are still going on as we speak, we thought this would be a good time to share a recap of the ‘lucky summer of ’13’:

Everyday, our campers are engaging in instruction, skill development and games in virtually every sport. Our coaches, who consist of professionals, high school coaches and college players are top-notch and work with groups, teams, and individuals.

We offer what we call MasterCamp Clinics in Tennis, Soccer, Gymnastics and Basketball throughout the summer, for those campers who want extra focus in these sports (adding Lacrosse in 2014).

We have a very healthy balance and well-rounded program that keeps ALL our campers very happy, motivated and excelling; from our awesome and excellent athletes to our campers who “could go either way”!

Our kids thrive because we don’t put on the pressure and give the parents a much-needed break from getting caught up in the competition from afar (which is why we don’t live-tweet games or share daily scores). Some of our families are in the intense sports circuit for 10 months of the school year with travel sports and practices. It’s refreshing that when the pressure is off…our kids are winners! They feel good, everyone plays and it is a team that cares about each other!

We offer different levels of competition based on levels of interest and ability. For those who are interested in continuing an intense focus in a particular sport, we offer plenty of opportunity through MasterCamp and Tournament play. For those who want to try something new or less competitive, we offer friendly competition through inter-camps and scrimmages. We participate in a great program with other Wayne County Camp Association camps including: Wayne County Tournaments (which run all summer and are single elimination), Inter-camp Tournaments, Towanda Invitationals and Fun Friday Inter-murals. And of course, the grand daddy of them all…our Camp Towanda Olympics (which is also the most fun and spirited).

As you know, Camp Towanda is about so much more than sports, although they are of course a big part of our program. To date, we have had over 40 wins in Wayne County Camp Association soccer, basketball, baseball, football, tennis and lacrosse tournaments; including (only to date so far) SIX Championships and SEVEN 2nd Places. Still to come, another 12 teams have reached the championship round (yet to be played). In addition, we have won FOUR Towanda Invitational Tournaments so far and victories in casual inter-camp playdates.

Regardless, win or lose, the teams are called up to the flagpole for recognition! Because we are really most proud of the excellent sportsmanship, team support and camaraderie which is paramount to our coaching philosophy and our Towanda values!

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