Cabin Life - New Camper Blog Series

Hello new campers! Can’t believe we are SO CLOSE to the start of the summer. It is just around the corner!

Today we are going to be talking about Cabin Life – you will be spending lots and lots of time in your cabin with your cabin mates. It is the best!

You’ll be in a cabin with 8 - 10 other campers your same age. Sleeping in a cabin with your cabin mates is like a slumber party that doesn’t end…it is non-stop fun! Your counselor will sleep in the cabin with you, making your cabin full of excitement. Many of our past campers describe their counselor as a big sister, favorite babysitter, best friend…and these are all so true. You are going to love having your very own cabin counselor and living with your cabin mates while you are at Greystone!

Here are some ins and outs of Cabin Life that you may not know yet:

Door posters and nametags: when you get to your cabin on Opening Day, your cabin will have a door poster with all of your cabin mates’ names on it, and you will be given a nametag to wear the first few days of camp. No need to worry if you forget someone’s name – check the door poster or take a peak at her nametag.

Calendar: your counselor will have a calendar hanging in your cabin showing all of the Evening Programs and events throughout your session. We do keep some of our programs a surprise, but this calendar will help you to get a good idea of what’s coming up and what’s next.

Job Wheel and Inspection: Every cabin will have a Job Wheel that has different jobs to be done each day. These include things like 1st sweep, taking out the trash, wiping down the sinks, and even Captain of the Day (your only job that day is saying “all here” at our flag ceremony). The Job Wheel rotates each day so that you and your cabin mates all share the different cleaning responsibilities. You will complete your job two times a day – before breakfast and before dinner. Then, while you are at our flag ceremony, a counselor Inspector will come make sure your cabin is clean. If it is clean, you earn points for your Odds or Evens team, which helps your team (hopefully!) win for the summer!

Taking a shower: After your last class in the afternoon, we have what is called “free time” which is time for you to go back to your cabin, take a shower, do your job, and get ready for dinner. After a day filled with jumping in the pool, playing on the tennis courts, or riding a horse, you’ll be thankful for shower time! We also have some free time after rest hour and after dinner, if you’d prefer to take a shower at one of those times.

Cabin music: We give each of our cabins a Camp iPod, synced with fun, camp appropriate music. Each iPod has TONS of songs, and many cabins have awesome dance parties after Evening Program at night. If you’d like to bring your own music with you to camp, make sure to bring CDs, as we don’t allow campers to bring their own iPods.

Cabin bucket: At our longer sessions, each of our cabins will have a Cabin Bucket, filled with markers, glue, card games, etc. Everyone in the cabin can use these throughout the session. It’s fun to play a card game with friends during the day (and feel free to bring your own small games if you have them!)

Cabin plaques: Each cabin will have the opportunity to hang a wooden plaque on the cabin wall with all of your cabin mates’ names on it. Our Junior, June, and August campers will have their names posted on small wooden plaques inside the cabin, and our Main campers have larger painted plaques outside of the cabin door. Over the years, you will have your name in all of the cabins where you were a camper so that when you come to bring your own daughter or granddaughter to Greystone, you’ll be able to go back through all of your cabins and see your name!

Devotions: You will end each day with a short cabin devotion from your counselor. After this devotion, your counselor will come around and say goodnight to every girl in the cabin…you can then drift off to sleep to the sounds of Taps blowing. You will come to love this special time with your cabin counselor!

These are just a few of the things to look forward to in your cabin this summer. Cabin life is truly one of the BEST parts of camp! Make sure to also check out our Cabin Life page to find out what all you fill find in your cabin and how it is arranged.

If you have any questions about life in your cabin, feel free to comment below or give us a call. We can’t wait to see you in your very own cabin this summer!