December 28th, 2015
It was fantastic to see one of Camp Starlight’s campers, Sam Seltzer, host “Stack The Caps” at his school!
He collected over 200 new and unused baseball hats that he will be donate to kids with cancer.
If your Interested in hosting your own Stack the Caps event in your local community, check out our website at stackthecaps.com.
And don’t forget to bring your caps to camp this summer for our annual Stack the Cap event.
December 21st, 2015
Friendship bracelets and summer camp go together like… well, summer camp and friendship bracelets!
Saying goodbye is always bittersweet. Colorful handmade bracelets and anklets keep the campfire vibes alive through the winter months — the more sun-faded, the better.
So far as supplies go you only need three things to get started:
There are dozens of different styles when it comes to friendship bracelets. Here are a few of the tried-and-true classics that every summer camper should learn!
The classic braid is the go-to standard of friendship bracelets. If you can braid hair, you already basically know how to make one. If you don’t… well, read on!
Start by cutting three pieces of embroidery floss. How long? Well, measure around your wrist, and add an inch or two for beginning and closing knots. Consider using more than one color to give the bracelet some personality!
Tie the three pieces together at one end and begin braiding the floss. You can pin the end down with a clothespin if that helps keep you steady. As for how to braid, just follow the steps in the image below and repeat until you reach the end of the floss:
Image source: http://laurenhartmann.com/
Once you reach the bottom, just tie the loose ends with any knot that strikes your fancy.
Now the only task left is finding a friend and helping each other tie them around your wrists! See you next year — pinkie promise.
The Fishtail is similar to the Classic Braid, but with a few twists that make it a little trickier to pull off. The final result is a little chunkier than the Classic Braid, adding some variety to your styles if you happen to be wearing more than a few. (If you’re a lifelong camper, we’re sure you are.)
But don’t worry; if you can tie a fishtail braid in your hair, tying a Fishtail bracelet should be no problem!
To begin, select about a dozen different colors of embroidery floss and cut them to length, just as with the Braid above. Tie them all together at one end, and braid following his pattern until you get to the end:
Tie the end and slip in a few beads if you’re feeling inspired — case closed!
If you can master the Classic Braid and Fishtail, get ready for your final challenge: the Knotted Bracelet! It’s a little trickier than the others, so be sure to pay close attention; especially for the beginning and end, when you’re measuring out the “clasp” part of the bracelet.
Detailed instructions are available over at The Red Kitchen.
The only trouble with friendship bracelets is finding enough wrist and ankle space to wear them all! Just be sure to save a little room for next summer… and the one after that.
Adding a little personalized spark to all three bracelet styles is easy: just mix in beads, or maybe even pieces of camp life like acorn caps and seeds.
We’re excited to see what you can dream up.
December 14th, 2015
Summer camp isn’t just about campfires and sports and jumping in the lake: we’re happy to report that the arts are alive and well at Camp Starlight!
From fine art to ceramics to theater, there are activities and specialty resources available for practically anything a creative spirit could dream of.
Camp is a hands-on place, so it makes sense that the hands-on approach applies even outside the core activities like sports and archery. Not everybody wants to be on their feet all day, so painting, ceramics, and other studio arts give campers a chance to slow down, zone in, and get their hands dirty in a creative environment.
Not a huge fan of ultimate frisbee? How about ceramics then! Not a pottery buff? Maybe some theater will float your boat? Camp is full of creative outlets, and everybody gets a chance to try out as many different mediums as they want until they find the one that speaks to them.
One of the best things about doing arts activities at camp is how they build on themselves from year to year, all while connecting with students’ activities and interests during the school year.
Campers who dream of going to art school can find plenty of time and resources for honing the skills they already have, while newcomers to a craft can start fresh and continue to grow the next summer if they desire.
At camp, the level a camper wants to reach within the arts is completely within their own control. The sky’s the limit!
What’s a campfire without some good-natured inside jokes? Theater is a great way for campers to play and practice team organization outside the sports environment. The end product is usually a little on the goofy side (this is summer camp after all, not Shakespeare in the round), but what’s really valuable about the activity is applying those teambuilding skills to something more like “real life” than a team sport.
You could say that the team that plays together, stays together.
Ultimately, the goal of creative activities at camp is to build confidence through self-expression.
The arts have always been a safe place for campers to express the things they have on their minds. Making art in a community ensures that everybody gets plenty of attention, and skilled instructors are always on hand to pair campers with the tools appropriate to their skill level. No matter the discipline, every camper gets a chance to show their own unique creative spark.
Camp isn’t just a fun place — it’s a creative place too! So get creative in the arts. There’s no better time than summer to make something spectacular!
December 8th, 2015
It was midway through the fifth week of summer camp that I suddenly realized I didn’t know what day it was.
…Or what week it was.
And you know what the craziest part is? That didn’t make me feel stressed at all! On the contrary, I hadn’t been so happy for months.
After all, who has time to balance a calendar when you’re spending all day and night away from the computer, playing games in the sun and making new friends?
Summer camp has a way of making you “live in the moment” — so much so that losing track of time is totally normal. In fact, it’s pretty much expected by campers and counselors alike.
After a long school year of classes and homework and tests, let me tell you: it’s an incredible feeling to just let it all go.
“Live in the moment” may be a common piece of advice, but truth be told it’s a difficult nugget of wisdom to follow without practice. Back home, the phone was always ringing, the deadlines were always looming, and the stakes always felt high. It wasn’t until I started spending my summers at camp that I started to understand what “living in the moment” really meant.
…It didn’t mean throwing my phone in the lake, or not worrying about grades. It meant simply being okay with my best try — and to keep my mind on the task at hand, rather than always worrying about the next one.
Camp is the perfect place to practice living in the moment, because there is simply less to worry about. In fact, living in the moment is pretty much the default at camp. There simply isn’t much to worry about, and it’s hard to think about the past or future when the present is packed with activities, sports, campfires, and all the rest.
So you see, losing track of time at summer camp is pretty understandable!
However, that isn’t to say that anybody is disorganized. Far from it; if anything, camp will improve your time management skills and help you get used to staying on schedule. The big difference is that everybody is in it together, and it’s not the end of the world if somebody is late once in awhile. Nothing encourages being on time quite like the thing you’re rushing to get to being a ton of fun!
There were many days that I spent on my feet running around for 12-15 hours straight, and yet it always felt like there just wasn’t enough time in the day. The saying that “time is relative” is definitely accurate at summer camp. If time is crawling during an SAT prep test, then it’s flying when you’re at camp, taking a first shot at wakeboarding!
Honestly, the only calendar any of us worried about was the end of camp, when we’d all have to pack up our things and embark on our journeys back home. Leaving camp is always bittersweet, but we all left with a profound new outlook on life. We had learned what it truly meant to “live in the moment,” and it’s a lesson I’ll never forget. Thank you camp!
December 1st, 2015
Have you been keeping up on Parks & Rec lately? Yeah, so have we. (You have to do something when summer ends, right?)
Here at camp pretty much everything reminds us of camp activities, but apparently we’re not the only ones: and Nick Offermans’ goofy woodworking-obsessed character has gotten us particularly excited to dive into some traditional American crafting in the shop at Camp Starlight!
“It’s difficult to name a favorite wood. They are all so noble, each with its own special characteristics.”
– Nick Offerman, Parks & Rec
Okay, maybe you don’t have to be as serious about woodworking as they are on Parks & Rec, but getting crafty in the shop is definitely a ton of fun.
Woodworking is one of those traditional skills that is slowly being lost in much of the country. Trying it out at camp is as much about getting in touch with the history of craftsmanship as it is about learning practical skills that will serve you well next time you need to use a little elbow grease on a home-improvement project.
The best part about woodworking at Camp Starlight is that it isn’t “just any” woodworking class. If you think building a chair in the shop at school sounds boring, how about building a rustic necklace, or something you can use in your room — like a laptop tray? Campers have built some pretty crazy stuff in summers past, including:
…and the list goes on.
If you can imagine it, you can build it. Staff specialists work with you to help you learn the tools, and then your creativity gets to run wild making something cool along with the group… or going rogue and making something else entirely.
If you’re racking your brains trying to think of a good Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or Holiday gift, keep it in mind when you hit the shop next summer. Everyone loves homemade gifts, so a handmade gift from the camp woodworking shop is sure to fit the bill. It’s certainly less boring than socks!
Whatever you bring home from the camp woodworking shop, it’s guaranteed to surprise your folks. Camp isn’t just fun — it can also be practical.
We can’t wait to build more awesome stuff next summer! See you in the shop!
November 23rd, 2015
For most campers, a summer at camp just isn’t enough. Even though camp counselors are pros at squeezing as much fun into every minute of every day at camp, eventually it is time to go home, and teary eyed campers are sad to say goodbye. Parents can easily help their kids feel connected to camp all year round by incorporating little things into their life that remind them of camp.
At Camp Starlight, there is a chant, rhyme or song for almost everything campers do. This not only helps them remember important information, but also brings all of the campers together. Parents can ask their kids what songs meant the most to them and why, and find a way to incorporate the song, chant or rhyme into their daily lives. Campfire songs are a classic camp memory, and having children teach their parents these catchy tunes is a great way to connect parents and kids, and also brings back fond memories of camp all year round.
It won’t take long for parents to figure out what activity their children really connected with at camp. If possible, parents can plan a weekend at the lake for their new sailor or wake board enthusiast and see for themselves why the sport meant so much for their children. If kids discovered their love for acting, music, art or dance, parents can look in their community to see if enrolling their children in these programs/classes is realistic for their family. It is very important for parents to encourage their children to follow their dreams and passions, many of which are discovered after a fun filled summer at camp.
There is no doubt that kids will come home with more than one new best friend. Parents can help their child stay in touch with their camp friends by helping them write letters, emails and arranging “Skype-dates.” If possible, planning a get-together with friends from camp may ease the common “camp sickness” (the camp version of homesickness) and allow kids to foster and build upon the relationships they made at camp.
The Internet is full of fun ideas to bring summer camp to your home, such as DIY fire pits, delicious ‘smore recipes and exciting team games that will get the whole neighborhood involved. Parents can get creative in bringing the camp experience home, and by asking their kids a few questions about what they loved about camp, it is easy to bring some camp favorites right to their own living room.
November 16th, 2015
Summer camp means getting out on the lake, and getting out on the lake means: wakeboarding!
Wakeboarding is a favorite for many campers, providing tons of adrenaline and fun in a super safe environment. (After all, the worst that can happen is you fall in the lake… and campers are constantly doing that on purpose anyway!)
The only tricky part about wakeboarding is remembering everything you learned the year before. Like any seasonal activity, staying in practice year-round is pretty difficult. (Unless you live somewhere with warm winters and happen to have a boat and lake at your disposal, that is!)
So how can you practice at home so you’re in top form when it’s your turn to hit the lake?
We’ve gathered some of the best ways to stay on top of your wakeboarding game. Get ready to impress your camp friends when they see how many tricks you can do!
Note: as with any sport or fitness activity, always wear safety equipment, stay within your limits, and only practice with a qualified instructor to keep everything safe and fun.
The hardest part of wakeboarding can be simply balancing on the board. Luckily, snowboarding and skateboarding both build similar skills, so if you can get out on the slopes or make it down to the local skate park, you can practice your balance all year round!
The best part is that both sports are super fun in their own right — and they’ll make sure you have killer board handling skills by the time summer camp rolls around.
You can also consider using a balance board, which gives some of the same advantages as a skateboard without requiring you to leave your room or the gym. You could even watch Netflix while you practice!
If you already have a stretching or workout routine that you follow at least once a week, consider adding some balance-focussed exercises to the mix! Exercises that improve your balance are surprisingly simple: practice balancing on one leg for 30+ seconds, then build up to hopping on one foot, and doing one-legged squats and lunges.
Pro tip: closing your eyes makes these exercises twice as hard, but will have huge rewards when you get on the board.
When it comes to learning specific tricks, YouTube is your best friend. Instructors all over the world have videos you can watch for free that break down each trick into step-by-step challenges, and you can play them over and over until you’ve got a handle on the mechanics of the trick.
Yup, wakeboarding is your excuse to play around on the school trampoline!
A trampoline is surprisingly effective at simulating the wakeboarding experience, and gives you a chance to practice a tricky move over… and over… and over again, until you’re absolutely sure you’re ready to give it a shot on the lake.
Plus, jumping on a trampoline is just plain fun!
Success comes to those who expect it, and summer camp activities are no different. If you’re excited about another fun season of wakeboarding, go ahead and let yourself get stoked about it!
Visualize yourself doing the tricks you enjoy, and practice them mentally while doing less exciting activities (like sorting your clothes, for example). How did it feel to grind that steep wake? How did it feel to land that spin?
Summer is always right around the corner, and it’ll be time to get out on the lake again before you know it. Can’t wait to see you there — be ready for some serious watersport fun!
November 9th, 2015
There are many things notice when they arrive at camp the first day. They notice the cabins, all of the new faces, the baseball fields, ropes course, tennis courts and acres and acres of open space to run in, play in and explore in. But one of the most breathtaking and exciting parts of camp is the lake. With “so-clear-you-can see-right-to-the-bottom” waters, the lake and sandy shoreline is a popular place for campers to spend the majority of their summers.
When it comes to watersports, campers can try a variety of different options while at Camp Starlight. Campers can relax and learn the art of fishing, or work their muscles on a standup paddle board, or they can get their heart rate up as they experience the speed and thrill of wakeboarding and water skiing. The lake doesn’t just offer a location to try new sports; it serves as the backdrop for
the time in their lives when kids will remember they tried something new. It will be the place they fondly remember as the spot where they faced their fears, tried something new, and had the time of their lives.
The lake also serves as a great place for reflection and peace. A quiet stroll along the shoreline can be a great place for a confidential conversation between friends, a quiet place for journaling or writing letters back home, or simply a place to connect with nature. Warm, sunny days heat the water to a comfortable 80 degrees during the day, making it easy to run, splash and play in the crystal clear waters all day long. (Don’t worry, sunscreen is readily available and lifeguards and other professionals are always around!)
The lake is a central part of camp, and it brings campers together in a variety of waves. Camp Starlight would feel incomplete without all of the activities, events and life lessons that are centered on the lake. Self-confidence, friendships and trust are all built on the lake. Campers who come from a part of the country where they don’t have access to such a beautiful part of nature really connect and enjoy everything the lake has to offer.
The lake is so much more than just a body of water in the middle of camp. The lake is a place that campers really connect with, and where lifelong memories are made.
November 2nd, 2015
Baseball. The crowd going wild while a player steals home. The smell of popcorn and hot dogs in the bleachers. Afternoons playing catch with the family at the park. Generations of American tradition, all wrapped up in one game.
Much like summer camp, baseball is something that many of us take for granted as a part of our childhood. Few activities come close to being so… well, American. Baseball and summer camp are as close to our hearts as flag, family, and country.
…So it should come as no surprise that baseball is one of camp’s most intensely anticipated activities, with campers going wild year after year, debating over particularly clever plays well past the last activity and into the evening.
So what is it that makes baseball so special?
Everyone has their theories around here at camp, but here’s one that seems particularly insightful: baseball, like camp, is a thinking sport. The strategy is different from games like football or basketball — where the adrenaline comes from chaos, and each player is constantly making split-second decisions.
Baseball, on the other hand, requires more planning for the future. Half the game is spent between plays, with players huddled in circles determining their best bets. Like many things in life, the game is all about anticipation. Baseball teaches campers to think ahead, and to enjoy waiting for the fun parts of life. As it turns out, anticipation is often just as fun as the event itself.
Interestingly, many of the campers most excited about baseball at camp aren’t actually players at school. Baseball is their top pick at camp, and meanwhile they play soccer or lacrosse for their teams back at home.
It’s hard to say why this is, but it may be that the leisurely pace of the game is better suited to camp, where campers have a chance to think ahead and reflect in ways that the hectic school year schedule often doesn’t allow. Baseball requires concentration and focus, both of which come easier in a supportive environment like camp where everyone has plenty of time to look inwards — and of course, no homework to keep them distracted!
Everyone needs a little room to breath when they think towards the future. Room to breath is something that camp and baseball have in common. They show us that you don’t have to be doing something every single second of the day in order to have a great time. Sometimes, it’s someone else’s turn — and that’s a good thing. After all, you’ll be using that time to get ready.
…When your turn comes, we know that you’ll shine!
October 26th, 2015
It’s hard not to imagine yourself in the world of “The Hunger Games” when you watch the film’s star Katniss running through the forest on the big screen, and for summer campers the themes of friendship, family and on-point archery skills ring especially true. Everyone has their own strategy they would use if they were a contestant in “The Hunger Games.” How would summer campers fare? From archery practice to camping skills, here are 7 reasons campers would definitely win:
Campers know better than anybody that teamwork increases the odds of winning a game — and guarantees a fair share of fun even if “winning” isn’t in the cards. Being comfortable working on a team and trusting in others to pull their fair share takes guts, whether you’re fighting for your family in the Hunger Games or fighting for an extra marshmallow at a campfire challenge.
What do medieval knights, futuristic Hunger Game contestants and summer campers all have in common? That’s right — unbeatable archery skills! Katniss might get a run for her money if she participated in a camp archery competition, because let me tell you — some campers are seriously sharp shooters. Knowing how to use a bow and arrow is a rare skill in this day and age, but it’s no mystery to campers.
One of the biggest challenges of The Hunger Games is making do with what you have, and using elbow grease and creativity to solve problems. Campers spend all day practicing these skills and learning to have fun in the great outdoors without high-tech smartphones and game systems. Then when it’s time for theater and skits, campers use their imaginations to bring the adventure to life. Needless to say, being resourceful in the Games would be no problem for campers.
As if being on the run and fighting death-defying odds weren’t enough, the contestants of the Hunger Games also have to survive for days on end in the wilderness — sleeping under the stars, making shelters out of branches, and always planning ahead so they have access to their basic necessities.
Luckily there’s no risk of such troubles at summer camp, but campers still get to practice the fun side of wilderness survival skills. From learning to start campfires to exploring the habitats of wildlife in nature, exposure to the skills needed to have a blast in the great outdoors is a huge part of camp life. Regardless of experience, all campers get a chance to experience the life-affirming power of an outdoor camping experience.
…And of course, everyone at Camp Starlight knows where the North Star is! So navigation is no problem.
Leadership is the quality that makes Katniss special in “The Hunger Games,” and it’s also one of the most important qualities taught at summer camp — how to be brave and volunteer when help is needed, and how to take charge when you know that something needs to be done.
Trust games are a staple of summer camp, and a belief in the power of team building carries summer campers far as they grow up and enter “the real world.” Anybody who’s done a trust fall knows it’s one of the scariest things you can do — and also the most liberating, because once you believe in your peers you can learn to truly believe in yourself. In the world of “The Hunger Games,” Katniss almost lost many times simply by second-guessing her allies, and the fact that trust ultimately brought them together is one of the film’s most inspiring messages.
Last but not least, the biggest and best part of camp life: friendship. It’s friendship that saves Katniss and her friends at the end of the film, and it’s friendship that brings campers back to summer camp, again and again, year after year. Katniss shows that she’s willing to give everything for her friends and family. Campers learn that friendship isn’t just about taking — it’s about giving back, volunteering, and always being ready to help others.
