July 30 2024

Imagine this: the bugle has just blown and you are a camper running to your first “whole camp” assembly in the FORT. There is a crack of thunder, then a sudden downpour of heavy rain. So much rain it is hard to even see the lake at the bottom of the hill! You enter the FORT (through a column of cheering counselors) and save a spot close to the stage. What would you do then?

• A. Sit down in your crazy creek chair and watch the action.
• B. Start dancing to the music, big smile on your face.
• C. Immediately run outside and make it an “extreme dance party”? Obviously, the answer is “C”! It was a glorious sight, my favorite moment of a really great day at Greystone. These girls are soaking up every minute of this experience, literally! They make the most of every challenge, which yesterday included lots of new experiences.

They moved into their cabins and met their new friends while Unpacking and making their bed. We know it is stressful for you to not be a part of this, but the girls love this first taste of independence and it is a good bonding experience for the cabin. The counselors are there to play the role of “mom” and this sets them up for success in the days to come.

They ate their first meal in the dining hall, finding their assigned table and making new friends on this day is a huge confidence building experience. Some of the girls were worried about finding something to eat (being picky eaters or having food allergies). You would have been proud to see how they figured it out so quickly (how we manage Food Allergies and Concerns at camp is very good). We do our best to make every camper feel comfortable and well cared for and great food has always been a big focus at Greystone. According to the decibel measure in the dining hall last night, everyone is adjusting to camp well and very happy.

And a surprising component of a great camp experience is successfully overcoming homesickness. Some of you are VERY worried about this subject because you don’t want this “bad feeling” to impact your daughter negatively. It is a valid concern. We agree it is not a good feeling and can be emotionally damaging, so we take it very seriously. We also know that it is normal. Occasional tears might come as we adjust to this new setting. Our goal is to ensure every girl loves her time at Greystone, especially if she gets a little homesick early on.

The first days of camp are marked by moments of uncertainty and adjustment. This is completely natural and leads to resiliency. A resilient girl will get past moments of sadness or discomfort with ease- for she has learned what to do when she feels that way. We lead by example in our classes, at our tables, and in our cabins by our actions (always positive and encouraging) and by our words (a quiet conversation during a teachable moment is powerful). When this happens we learn to be resilient. It is a 21st century skill and vital for gaining confidence in new situations.

If a camper is not adjusting to camp in a healthy manner, we will call you and seek your insights. Your insights always help and together we almost always fix things. We do not call you every time your daughter ever has a sad moment because that is not a problem. We expect sad moments but also expect the girls to get over such moments and have a great day quickly. If you aren’t getting a call, it means things are OK! Our good friends over at Alpine Camp paired up with Raising Boys and Girls to record a fantastic podcast about how adjusting to camp and getting over homesickness is good for your child; it’s worth the listen!

The counselor skits last night were a huge hit. It never ceases to amaze me how much delight arises from the simple fun of camp. A typical Netflix show is highly produced and features talented actors with mind-blowing special effects. It costs millions of dollars to make a 30-minute episode, and many/most shows can’t hold our attention for 5 minutes. Yesterday we sat entranced as the counselors did their little acts. Girls were literally rolling with laughter after some of the acts! It capped off a day where we had a blast doing things like sliding down a plastic sheet, playing ga-ga (Jim-ball), swinging, stomping in puddles, playing tag, and getting our pictures taken. Time flew by, and we loved every minute.

The Details:

• Breakfast: Fried Ham and Apples with homemade biscuits
• Breakfast Club: Smile… how to make friends in new situations.
• Joke: Look at that S Car Go (Escargot)
• Weather: Partly Cloudy, 80 degrees, chance of rain this afternoon.
• Lunch: BLT’s (with homemade bread still warm from the oven)
• Dinner: Taco’s (hard shell, ground beef, all the fixings)
• EP: Tentalows - BU2 Lip Sync… a great cabin bonding performed on the Pagent Court stage.
• To send an email to your camper, log in to your Greystone account and click the Email button. We print emails at 11 a.m. each day. You can also use the Campanion app.
• To see photos of your camper, log in to your Greystone account and click on the Photos button. Or you can use the Campanion app. You can download photos for free! We take thousands of photos daily, so you should see photos every day or every other day. If you aren’t seeing photos of your daughter, email her to remind her to jump in front of the camp camera.