I love this picture above – it is of Rachel & JMitch, the Presidential Gold Color War Captains, sitting with the rest of our amazing CITs of 2012 on the Amphitheater stage the last night of the summer while the whole camp sang the Color War Alma Maters one more time.  As the weather has dropped 20 degrees overnight, and I’ve been back in the winter office for nearly a month, it’s officially time to say goodbye summer, and start focusing on 2013!

Hopefully, a lot of you have been able to see camp friends (either in person or through Skype) and that you are keeping the memories alive!  I’m lucky to have this job where I get to “ThinkCamp!” all the time, but I got to see some camp friends who live a bit father away just a few days ago.  We mostly ate and enjoyed each others company, but we also did an arts & crafts project!  See below…

I hope by now that you’ve been introduced to the adorable Carli Forti…

Since Carli’s been living up in Canadensis with her parents Eric & Robin since she was less than a month old, she never really got her “crib” setup at home in the Philly suburbs.  (“Crib”…get it?)

Anyway, the furniture and bedding were great, but she was lacking some inspiring artwork – so the Camp Canadensis crew came to the rescue to ensure that her walls would make her room feel like a home.  We divided up tasks…Matt Unger, Sam Ginsburg, Dave Malter and friends worked mostly on hanging frames and a quilt.  I worked on some vinyl art work (similar to the kind we put up in the Camp Canadensis Welcome Center), which includes the tree below.  Once I got the branches up on the wall, everyone started adding flowers…including our Today Show Producer, Jason “JCal” Calabretta, and our Lower Juniors Group Leader, Melissa Torban.

We hope Carli enjoys her new room for a few months, but she’ll be back at her summer home before she knows it!

After months of planning and waiting, the first day of camp is about to begin!!  Campers have loaded onto buses, and we are just waiting for them to arrive at Canadensis so the summer can begin!

We cannot wait!!

We’ve been having a lot of fun at pre-camp!  As we are waiting for our full staff to arrive for orientation, BeckyJ has been up here doing all sorts of odd jobs, and getting crafty!  She made some super fun photo props that we’ll be using at the photo stations at dances this year, and we couldn’t help but try them out!

She’s also been using the Accucut to create posters for our TAC (Tagged At Canadensis) Program.  It recognizes campers that go above and beyond in making Canadensis a warm and caring place.  When a camper gets a TAC, they get a Camp Canadensis dogtag, and their name goes up in the Dining Hall.  BeckyJ made these cute posters to display the names!

You’ll see them in 15 days!

If you come to camp from PA or South Jersey, you’ve probably driven by the Stonewall Garden Center at the bottom of our camp hill a hundred times.  I stopped in there for the first time a few days ago with Aunt Terri & Cara, and I fell in love!  Gardening is one of the new hobbies I picked up this past year, and this place has some beautiful plants.  We picked out some plants that accentuate the absolutely beautiful setting we have at Camp Canadensis.  The hanging basket I’m holding is now at camp, and hanging outside the main entrance to the Dining Hall.Aunt Terri is a gardening pro…she knows what grows well in the Poconos, how to arrange everything, and how to keep it safe from the deer who like to eat plants as a midnight snack!  I learned so much from her, and we loaded up the car full of beautiful plants to bring home and place around camp.  We spent hours getting everything potted, and picking out the perfect spots…it was so much fun!  We hope you’ll enjoy seeing them this summer.  Only 17 more days to go!

We know that parents who are getting a child ready for their first summer away from home have lots of questions, there is a lot to prepare.  In order to help make this process easier, we’ve been putting together “Camp Canadensis How-To” videos, with the help of our amazing Canadensis Today Show producer, Jason “JCal” Calabretta.  The first video, “How To Send and Receive Mail At Camp” went online today.

In the video, we mention that you should create your own “Fill Ins” with information you want to know about your child’s experience at camp.  In order to get you started, I’ve created a sample that you can print and even pack your child with!  Click here to download and print it.

Feel free to even share it with friends who are sending children to other overnight camps.  Lookout for more great How To videos in the next few weeks before campers leave for camp!  If you have a topic you’d like us to cover in a video, please be in touch!  Pam@canadensis.com or 570-595-7461.

(and yes, I do wish I was Martha Stewart…)

Hi blog readers! I’m Carly Fleischer, I will be a CIT at Camp Canadensis and this is going to be my 9^th summer in the 18325. Pam asked me to be a guest blogger and I’m so excited! I decided to write about the top 5 things that campers new and old should be looking forward to this summer. However, I couldn’t stop at just 5!

10-Pools! We have two awesome pools at Camp Canadensis! The Blue Pool is new and has just been built. We love to play in the pools with our many toys and waterslides! I can’t wait to see the new pool with the Indian head logo in the bottom!

9-Meals at Camp! At Canadensis, we have some of the best food! My favorite breakfast food is the amazing waffles, lunch is grilled cheese (also known by the CIT girls as “Cheese Toasty”) and for dinner, chicken parmesan. At every meal there is also a salad bar option, with many amazing options! Just thinking about all the yummy food at camp is getting me excited!!

8-Special Wednesdays! Every Wednesday at Camp Canadensis is a great time! We have late wakeup in the morning, usually a sport or lake activity, and then lunch. After lunch, the entire camp participates in a special activity, such as Carnival or Revolutionary War Day.

7-Lineup! Lineup is when the whole camp gathers on the ampitheater before the first activity period. We discuss the meals for the day, sports scores, and play games. If you have a summer birthday, the whole camp will sing to you at morning lineup!

6-Making New Friends! Every summer when the buses roll in, I see many old, familiar faces, and many new ones too! I love to make the newest campers feel comfortable here at camp, and get to know them! You will make sooo many new friends this summer!

5-Counselors! On the first day of camp, one of my favorite things to do is to get to know my counselors! I love to learn about their families, schools, pets, and more. We always have such amazing staff here at camp!

4-Evening Activities! After dinner, it is always so much fun to play games with your entire division. My favorite evening activity is The Newly Bunk Game!

3-Lake Lenape! This is one of my personal favorite locations on camp, and the possibilities at the lake are endless. When I was younger, I would spend every opportunity I had at the lakefront!

2-CITS! Our group of Counselors In Training will be amazing this year! We cant wait to meet each and every one of our campers, and have the best summer ever!

1–COLOR WAR! When the entire camp is divided into blue and gold, the sense of competition and spirit amplifies, and completely radiates from every camper. Color War is the best 5 days of the summer, and everybody has the best time!

So that was my list of the top 10 things to be excited for this summer! I hope that I got you pumped up and ready for summer! See you in just 25 days!! 🙂

Camp birthdays are the BEST!  Above is a photo of 2011 Boys Bunk 2 celebrating Zachary’s birthday.  If your child will be celebrating their birthday with us at camp this summer, here are some things that you and your camper can expect…

1:  For any child having a birthday during camp (6/23 – 8/11 only), camp will provide a cake for the special day.

2:  Most birthday campers choose to eat on the back deck, overlooking Lake Lenape for their birthday.  If you wish for your child to have a bunk pizza and soda party for their birthday you can arrange this through the Camp Bank. Please mail $65 payable to Camp Canadensis (ATTN: Bank) with a note indicating this is for a “Birthday Party” and the date of the party.

3:  Parents may send a birthday gift and package to their child. Please arrange this package ahead of time with our Main Office staff.
Good ideas for camp birthday gifts would be something that the whole bunk could enjoy such as board games, knockhockey
set, etc. Some parents choose to make T-Shirts for the campers and counselors in the bunk. Please know that these shirts are typically worn once by campers and staff.

4:  If your child has a summer birthday, they will receive an additional phone call. To schedule this Birthday Phone Call, please call our summer office at 570.595.7461.

5:  It will be an overall amazing day for your child!  The whole camp will sing to them at morning line up…they will get to appear on the Canadensis Today Show…and more surprises will be in store as well!

Last years Girls Bunk 4 celebrating!

I’m writing this post today because I’m actually celebrating my birthday at camp!  May 23rd is also the birthday of Don Cannon (Aunt Terri’s husband) and new camper Mia, who will be a Junior Girl.  I hope they are both having a wonderful day!

This has been one of my best birthdays ever!!  My amazing co-workers really helped make it a special day…as soon as I walked into the office I was covered with silly string (blue & gold of course) and my desk area was covered with balloons. So many people from home have also helped make this day incredible with phone calls and packages from home…here are just some of the highlights:

Bday Balloons

A birthday song video from Jen, Sydney & Aiden…

…PLUS and an amazing candy letter (that goes on and on) and a homemade watering can for my garden.  Plus a ticket to heaven…which comes in the form of a gift certificate to Terrain!! For my new favorite crafting activity with Cara, embossing!  Now I have my own supplies with my favorite saying!

Dave is incredible, SO many birthday surprises from him!  He read my blog a few weeks ago and saw how much I loved the octopus squishable, and he sent me my own to keep!  He also sent a fun camp package full of  camp treats!Flowers from Ali, so beautiful, they remind me of my garden back home!

Birthday love from my friends Suzy & Gary, and their two adorable kids in New Orleans…

So many treasured memories were made today…thank you to everyone at Camp Canadensis, and my friends and family at home.  I’ve saved the absolute best for last…Dave gave me a gift that will change my crafting life forever.  He sent me the Silhoutette Cameo!!  It’s like a printer that cuts out any image from your computer instead of printing it.  I cannot believe it…and I can’t wait to start making some Canadensis Crafts with it!!Soon I’ll be off to bowling and ice cream with the pre-camp staff…it’ll be just like my 2nd grade birthday party, love it!

Our winter office has moved…we are officially up at camp now, and it’s thanks to this guy that you see above!!  Mike is about to spend his third summer at Camp Canadensis, and he will be the Upper Senior Group Leader this summer.  I met him on the Bowling Green State University Campus in Ohio many years ago, and we are so fortunate to have him on our team!

He’s up at camp right now working with the rest of our fabulous precamp staff, and he must have drawn the short straw because he was the one who helped us move our office from the Philly area up to the Poconos.  He was fabulous, and he packed the camp minivan full of boxes…it was like playing Tetris, he fit so much stuff in!

Thanks Mike!

You can now contact us at camp – 570-595-7461 and send mail up to this address.  It feels so good to be home!

Brian and I had a great time this month when we were invited over to hang out with siblings Rachel (a 4th year camper and Freshman Girl) and Jason (a 2nd year camper and Lower Inter Boy). On the menu was pizza, salad, the most perfectly mixed Crystal Light iced tea ever…plus a lot of exciting chat about the upcoming summer!  Rachel & Jason are big blog readers and Today Show followers, so they knew all about the new pool, fitness center, etc.

They have so much camp spirit, and they are lucky enough to get to see some camp friends on a regular basis.  On the night we were there, they invited over Sabrina (also a 4th year camper and Freshman Girl) and Jake (also a 2nd year camper and Lower Inter Boy).  Some topics we covered included the Freshman Girls Overnight Trip to Hershey Park (the boys go to Cooperstown)…good Arts & Crafts project idea for boys…ways to break Color War…it was so fun, and it doubled my excitement to get to camp!

Only 3 more days til we move up!