This is a question I often hear around this time of year…packing for camp is a big task, and we are here to help whenever questions arise, don’t hesitate to call the camp office!

On a recent trip to Long Island, NY – Brian, Eric, Cara and I made a stopover at Morton’s in Cedarhurst – which is an official distributor of Camp Canadensis gear (it’s where I used to shop for camp as a kid!)  There are so many fun things for camp in stores like these, but no one needs everything!  Before making purchases, stop and think about what you camper needs, and the camp packing policy.

At Camp Canadensis, our goal is to maintain a simple, “down-to-earth” environment, without an emphasis on clothing.  Clothing should be casual and comfortable.  We see our parents as partners in creating a healthy and non-competitive environment that allows campers to achieve a strong sense of individuality and self-esteem that isn’t characterized by materials, clothing or labels.  We send home a packing list with a suggested number of items as a guideline when preparing for camp, and we ensure that campers stay withing these guidelines.  Simply, please keep in mind that this is camp!

In the photo above, we are holding squishables – which are super soft and cute, and I expect to see quite a few of them around camp this summer.  I really did fall in love with the happy pink octopus I was holding, but, as you can see…they are also quite large!  So here are some packing tips when it comes to packing things like squishables…

1.  We really only need one or two pillows for sleeping, and a few stuffed “friends” to hang out on our bed.  I think the ideal number of pillows/stuffed friends is right around 5.

2.  If a squishable is going to make the cut in your camp luggage this summer…do you really also need a pillow pet?  Probably not.  As you are packing, think about similar items like this…and choose the one your child would use the most.  Let only that one make the trip with you to the Poconos.

3.  Think about skipping the “autograph pillow”…our girls side campers have a graffitti party where they write notes to each other on t-shirts, so is an autograph pillow worth a spot in your top 5 bed accessories?  On boys side, they often use the end of the summer shirts to write notes to each other.

4.  Things at camp get used…a lot.  It’s not a pristine environment for favorite stuffed animals or cherished blankets.  Think about how durable these things are before packing it for camp.  If your child can sleep without, maybe it’s a good idea to keep these items safe at home.  You can take photos of them, and send the photos up to camp as a reminder of what’s waiting for them after the summer.

Just one example of how to pack items for camp…again, if you have question don’t hesitate to be in touch!

Just before the calendar page flipped from April to May, I spent four amazing days with my two closest college friends, who both live in San Francisco, and are named Julie!  They planned an absolutely perfect pre-camp trip for me, and the weather really cooperated!  We got to do a lot of camp activities…including bike riding, cooking and hiking!  It was so great to catch up and share old college stories and photos.  I also wanted to see GIANT trees, so we went to Muir Woods and I was so impressed!!  I think the Canadensis trees are beautiful and tall, but these redwood trees are super huge and as tall as skyscrapers…

Before heading out of town, I got met with Cortney, a student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.  She is going to be our Fabric Arts director, and she is coming to camp for her first summer.  We decided to meet up and shop in an amazing fabric store in order to start brainstorming up some great camp fabric projects!  I’m so excited for the program she is going to run this year, and she will be putting together some sample projects for me to share on the blog soon!

Hello Camp Canadensis!

Here is my Camp List, A through Z!

A is for Apples at Fruit on the Fly!  Of course, other days will bring peaches, plums, pears and even ice pops on the really hot days!

B is for Basketball on the Office Courts!  Who’s playing in the NBA, NCAA, WNBA and IBL Leagues this year?  I have to start practicing my jump shot.

C is Color War!  No one does Color War quite like Camp Canadensis!  When will it break?

D is for Dancing!  If you don’t know, I am always dancing at camp!  J.Cal once even made a video.  Ha Ha!

E is for Electives!  Elective choices for Summer 2012 will be sent out soon!  What will you choose?

F is for Friday!  Friday!  Gonna get down on Friday!  Can’t wait to hear that tune again at morning line-up.

G is for GaGa!  I’m sure the Gaga pits will be packed during Free Plays at camp.  Maybe I’ll even win my first game ever this summer?!

H is for Honor Bunks!  Will your bunk be collecting all the great prizes for being the cleanest bunk?

I is for i-Can Nights.  This is returning for its third summer for our Senior Campers.

J is for June 23!  The day when the buses will roll into camp!

K is for Kind.  One of the many words I use to describe the campers at Canadensis.  To prove it, we have out 366 TAC (Tagged at Canadensis) Awards last summer for Random Acts of Kindness.

L is for Lake Parties on Lake Lenape, one of the best private lakes in camping!

M is for MTV Night!  Can’t wait to see all of the creative routines you come up with this summer!

N is for Never Ending Fun!  The summer calendar promises non-stop activities all summer long!

O is for Outdoor Adventure!  The camping trips were one of the biggest hits last summer!

P is for the new Pool that is being built for Summer 2012 (with two waterslides)!

Q is for the Quality Staff coming to camp this summer!

R is for Reveille!  I bet you can’t wait to be woken up by the bugle call!  Ha Ha!

S is the Summit!  One of my favorite activities at camp!

T is for Taco Tuesdays!  One of my favorite meals at camp!

U is for U Know this is going to be the BEST SUMMER EVER!

V is for Visiting Day!  A time to show your parents all the great stuff you are doing at camp!

W is for Wednesday Special Days at camp like Carnival Day and Revolutionary War Day!

X is for 10!  As in ten year jackets!  Congratulations to all that will be receiving them in 2012!

Y is for Yoga!  A new activity coming to camp!

Z is for Zoogle!  Can’t wait to play again.  I’ve been practicing!

Okay.  That’s all of the alphabetical fun for now!  I hope you enjoyed.  Feel free to send us your Alphabetical Camp Lists!

I got some really great e-mails over the past few weeks that I wanted to share with everyone.  The first was from former camper and CIT Jamie Schneck.  For her high school photography class, Jamie had to prepare a photo montage, which must have had her thinking of camp as she incorporated alma mater lyrics from Summer 2011 in it.  Here it is…

2011 CIT Jamie Schneck's Photo Montage she used for a school project that includes Color War alma mater lyrics. Very cool!

Summer 2011 Counselor Michelle Goldberg was just recently published in the online newspaper, The Huffington Post.  The title of the article is “Why is This Generation Different From All Other Generations?”  To read it, click here .  Congratulations Michelle on a wonderful article!  I am sure this will be the first of many!

Some great home visits to report as well in this blog…

I met up with the Keim Family in my hometown of Montclair, NJ for dinner.  This summer, both Harrison and Ben Keim, of Livingston, NJ.  Harrison will be back for his second summer as part of our Upper Inter Boys division while Ben joins us for Summer #1 in our Junior Boys division.  Both boys have been busy all year long.  To start, Harrison, now in 5th grade,  plays forward and midfield on his travel soccer team, the Livingston Landslide.  Now, he is also in baseball season, playing pitcher and short stop on his team, the Mets.  Just recently, he even had two home runs over the same weekend.  He is also playing the trumpet in his town-wide band.  For Ben, currently in 2nd grade, he plays forward and striker on a travel soccer team, the Livingston Leopards.  He is also playing baseball on his team the Brewers, where he plays short stop, pitcher and first base.  He is a fan of the Mets, Knicks, Rangers and Giants.  Both boys in the winter ski black diamond slopes.  This summer, Harrison is looking forward to Color War and Dorney Park, while also reminding all Eagles fans (especially Pete Tarnoff) that the Giants won the Super Bowl.  Harrison also wanted to give a shout out to all of his buddies in Summer 2011’s Bunk 8.  Ben is looking forward to Dorney Park, Canteen and meeting a whole bunch of new friends.  Here is a picture…

Me with Junior Boy Ben Keim (left) and Upper Inter Boy Harrison Keim.

In Plainview, NY, I met up with the Cohen Girls, Julia and Miranda.  Julia, now in 7th grade, is back for her 4th summer as part of our Lower Senior Girls while Miranda, now in 5th grade, joins us for her first summer in our Upper Inter Girls division.  Julia told me that she has been involved with her dance group, called “Attitudes In Motion,” where she has been practicing for a tap dance recital in the spring.  She just recently finished up her first year being on a CYO League volleyball team.  This year, she has also seen a lot of her bunkmates at a number of different bat mitzvahs.  She wanted to give a shout out to the girls of Bunk 12 from Summer 2011.  When I asked her what she is looking forward to this summer, she simply answered, “Everything!”  This year, Miranda has been involved in taking an acrylic painting art class.  I even saw some of her work.  It was really, really great!  Miranda also likes to ride her bike with friends and family and play tennis.  She also played in a basketball league this winter.  She told me that her favorite color is pink.  When she gets to camp, Miranda is ready to try the Art Shack, Jewelry, Tie Dye, Ceramics and Photography.  Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Inter Girl Miranda Cohen (left) and Lower Senior Girl Julia Cohen.

In Tenafly, NJ, I saw the Ginzburg Girls, Julia and Kasey.  Now in 4th grade, Julia will be in the Lower Inter Girls division for her second summer while Kasey, currently in 1st grade, will be in our Junior Girls division.  During our time together, I also got to meet the girls’ new hamsters, S’Mores and Marshmallow.  Julia told me that she has really been into fashion designing this year and can’t wait to be back in the Fabric Arts room at camp.  She wanted to say hello to all the girls from Summer 2011’s Bunk 3 and can’t wait to get to camp to set up her area once again as well as see all of the campers and counselors.  In 2012, she is ready to do a whole bunch of activities, including cheerleading, rocketry, glass fusion, needle art and photography.  Kasey can’t wait to also get to camp.  She told me that she is really looking forward to glass fusion, the Summit, zumba, cheerleading, fabric arts and meeting all of her counselors.  Here is a pic…

Me with Junior Girl Kasey Ginzburg (left) and Lower Inter Girl Julia Ginzburg.

Before I finish my blog, I wanted to tell everyone about a great movie I saw recently.  If you haven’t heard about it or seen it yet, you should.  It’s called “Bully” and covers the serious topic of bullying at schools.  It is a documentary that follows many different children that were and have been the victims of bullying.  For more about it, check out the website, where you can even view the trailer, at www.thebullyproject.com .

Go see this movie!

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now.  Counting down the days until Summer 2012!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

-Brian

A super quick project…but you definiteily need parental supervision if you want to make this!  You will need…

1.  Scrapbook paper

2.  Scissors, or an exacto knife (ask your parents!)

3.  A clear cell phone case

4.  It’s helpful if you have a cell phone to make this project for 🙂

All you have to do is trace the shape of your case, and then cut it out.  Make sure to cut out the spots where your phone has the camera lens.  Then, put the paper behind the clear case, put your phone in, and you are done!  It takes less than a minute, so I’ve made a bunch of covered, and I plan to make a Camp Canadensis one soon!

We have some new horses coming to Camp Canadensis this summer, and although they won’t need to be fed and groomed like our real camp horses that live at camp, these guys will definitely be fun to ride!  It’s sort of like an individual inflatable “bouncy castle”, and we are going to come up with SO many games and ways to use them this summer…it’s going to be so much fun!!

If you also want to do the “traditional” horseback riding at camp this summer, don’t worry, we will still have 5 horses living at Canadensis this summer, and they can’t wait to start taking the kids on trail rides.  Horseback Riding is one of those amazing activities that you can’t really try in your backyard, so it’s great when you can test it out at camp!  Check out this amazing photo of Dana, an Upper Inter Girl doing jumps at camp last summer!

If you want more information about horseback riding lesson, contact our office at 484-674-1941.

Can’t you feel it?!  Camp is getting SO close!  This warm weather just makes me want to put my friendship bracelets back on, and start building my 2012 “Camp Wrist“.  A “camp wrist” is how you lovingly display all of your favorite friendship bracelets, and as you get more and more throughout the summer, it gets higher and higher up your arm.  When it reaches your elbow…it means camp is almost over!

My absolute favorite friendship bracelet was made for me by BeckyJ (she is going to be at camp for her 13th summer, and will be a Group Leader!) and it’s the top one in the photo above.  It’s made out of rubber and metal chainmaille links – and she tried to teach me how to make it, but it’s really hard, which only goes to further prove how amazing she is!

The middle one was brought back from Africa by Terri Konst who has been working at camp for many years, and has been making sure our Evening Activities are top notch for the past four summers!  It’s one of the coolest bracelets I’ve ever seen, and they were very popular with the 2011 CIT Girls.

I made the bottom one on the last day of camp in 2011.  It was during the street carnival, and one of our staff members was teaching us how to make parachord bracelets – I always love learning a new skill, and I love the way it turned out!

These bracelets will definintely be on my “Camp Wrist” this summer, but I wanted to try out a few more options that I’d been seeing on Pinterest lately, so I got out some supplies…We keep our Arts & Crafts room SUPER organized, and I try to do the same at home.  I keep all my bracelet making supplies in a labeled shoebox, and it’s full of chains, string & beads.  Here’s what I made…

#1 Is just the standard “cobra” stitch made with a cotton rope, and I used a chain to attach the ends so I could roll it on and off like a bangle.  I used a dab of glue on the ends to keep the rope from fraying.  It was super quick so I made one in silver, and one in black.

#2 Is a quick version I made of the necklace tutorial you can find here: I used some friendship bracelet thread and just wove it through the chain and tied it all off together.  I think this will be a great project for art this summer!

More bracelets to come soon!  Remember…you can follow Camp Canadensis on Pinterest now!

The winter office took advantage of the warm and sunny Tuesday weather to take a day trip to Long Island for some staff fun! Here are a few pictures from our travels:

Ralph's! Twin Pop recommended Graham Cracker and he was right!

Alex and I want you to vote Sigal Negrin for Merrick School Board!

We had the best time visiting Alex and Ben! What an amazing family 🙂

Eric and I got to hang out with a new camper this past week…Eli is a current 4th grader, and will be a Lower Inter Boy at camp this summer.  He lives in Philadelphia and goes to school at Friends Select, and in the past few summers he’s been splitting time at the beach and day camp, but he’s excited for his first summer at Canadensis!  He’s done some camp overnights before, so he is ready to leave the day camp behind and have 4 weeks of non-stop action.

Eli has a younger sister and brother, and when we visited they had just gotten back from Disney World, where they had conquered just about every ride!  He enjoys pretty much everything we have to offer at camp.  During the school year, he especially likes tennis and skiing.  He’s skiied most of the slopes in the Poconos, so he should be able to learn to waterski pretty quickly this summer!  Eli is also a guitar player, and will be bringing one to camp with him this summer…I can’t wait to hear him play.  He also happens to be a Yankees fan, so we will be cheering together at morning line-up when the pinstripes have a great game this summer!

Another new Friends Select student is coming to camp this summer too!  Lucas is in 4th grade and will be a Lower Inter Boy for the first time this summer, but Camp Canadensis is a family tradition for him!  His mom was a Canadensis camper, and he is really looking forward to his first summer around Lake Lenape.

Hello Canadensis!

I am writing this blog on a beautiful sunny day that totally has me longing for the summer to begin.  This past weekend was so nice that I had to delve into the deepest depths of my closet to find my stack of shorts!  Ha Ha!  I got to hit the tennis courts this weekend, too, to get back “in the swing of things.”  Pun intended.  All I’ll say is this…I need to get back into camp shape!  Summer is closing in on us, that’s for sure!  I even started to do my own annual camp shopping for Summer 2012 this weekend.  For me, that means trips to the Sports Authority for new sneakers and a visit to Marshall’s (one of my favorite stores) for some shorts and socks.  I am now ready to go!

Of course, if you need to be further pumped up, Jason “J.Cal” Calabretta made another Summer 2012 Promo video to get you excited.  Here it is…

In just a few weeks, Matt Unger will be moving up for good as he is a key component in making sure that camp is ready for everyone’s arrival.  Matt also is in charge of all of our preseason camp groups that come to camp.  If you didn’t know, when our camp isn’t in session, we use our facility to host other programs from schools to youth groups to other organizations.  Most groups come for a three-day period, but some stay for up to a week.  Many of these groups have been at Canadensis for close to 20 years, so they have a close bond with Canadensis as we all do.  Every once in a while, we will have a camper come to Canadensis with their school group, which is sometimes a little strange for them.  That is, they are up at camp with their school friends.

Matt was actually up at camp yesterday and took some updated pictures of the new Blue Pool that is being built.  They look awesome!  Here they are…

The concrete work is being done around the new pool.

A shot from another angle. The water slides will eventually be put in the back left by the pump house.

The Canadensis Indian Head will be at the pool bottom in tiles. How cool is that?!

In mid-May, the remainder of our winter staff will head up to camp for good.  Having done this for so many years now, I really look forward to my move up to camp, but it is also met with some challenges.  Specifically, I try to use the next few weeks to see all of my friends and family before I go.  That is sometimes hard to organize with everyone.  But, I won’t see many of them again until September.  I guess that’s life in the camping biz.  Ha Ha!

Our Annual CIT Weekend up at camp will be on June 2-3.  This weekend has been a great opportunity for our CITs to begin their once in a lifetime experience as the camper leaders for the summer.  In addition to having the camp all to themselves, they will work with Head Counselor Cara Corradetti on their summer experience.  For more about this year’s CITs, be sure to check out Cara’s blog for a profile on each of them.  On June 3, the following day, we welcome all of our camp families for our Annual Open House.  We hope many families can make it to this fun day at camp!

Over the past few weeks, Eric, Pam and I have been meeting for hours at a time to develop the 6-Day Camp Week.  This is the rotation of activities that we use to make sure that the divisions get a wide range of activities from sports to art to water sports to outdoor adventure.  We also plan out all of the elective choices for the summer.  We start this process, which usually takes 3 to 4 full days, from scratch each year.  This allows us to take into consideration the camper surveys that are filled out at the end of each summer as well as all of the new activities we want to incorporate into the program.  On top of this, we have also been putting the finishing touches on the summer calendar, which includes all outside entertainers, trips, camping overnights, inter-camp games and evening activities.  For our Senior campers, we have also included the return of a Mystery Bus Ride for you.

In my last blog, I forgot to congratulate the winners of our 2012 NCAA Basketball Tournament Brackets.  This year, our camper winners were Morgan and Haley Brettschneider and our staff winner was Max Hecht.  All three can expect a camp prize when they get to camp!  Congratulations!  I need to know your picking secrets for next year’s bracket.

In Montvale, NJ, I got to hang out with Alyssa Snyder, who is currently in the 4th grade and will be in our Lower Inter Girls division this summer.  Alyssa told me that she is in a dance group, where she is learning hip hop and jazz dance.  In the spring, she will be performing at a dance recital.  Alyssa is also involved in her school’s chorus which will be putting on a spring concert very soon.  When not performing, Alyssa plays defense on her soccer team, the Tigers.  Some of her favorite TV shows are Victorious and Pretty Little Liars.  She also let me know that she loves having sleepovers with friends.  At camp this summer, she is ready to try cooking, gymnastics, fabric art, tennis, dance, soccer and swimming.  Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Girl Alyssa Snyder.

In Armonk, NY, I saw Isabella Yallof, who will be in our Lower Inter Girls division.  Now in the 4th grade, she loves to dance…everything from hip hop and jazz to modern to ballet to acro.  Her hip hop and jazz company will also be competing in the upcoming weeks.  Isabella also loves to sing and act and has even starred in plays such as Charlie Brown, Peter Pan and The Sound of Music.  Isabella plays the alto saxophone and loves gymnastics as well.  Some of her favorite TV shows are Victorious, iCarly and Zoe 101.  She also let me know that she is a huge Justin Bieber fan and loves the game Movie Star Planet.  In Summer 2012, she is ready for tennis, archery, gymnastics, dance, theater, pool and lake parties and hoping that her bunk wins Honor Bunk.  Here is a picture…

Me with Lower Inter Girl Isabella Yallof.

Me with Lower Inter Girl Isabella Yallof, along with siblings and future Canadensis campers Abby and Alex and mom Amy.

In Wayne, NJ, I spent some time with Jake and Ella Rudd.  Jake is in the 3rd grade and will be in our Junior Boys division while Ella is currently in 1st grade and will be in our Junior Girls division.  Jake has a busy spring as he is playing both travel lacrosse and baseball.  In the fall, he plays football and soccer.  And, in the winter, he plays basketball.  This summer, he is really looking forward to all of the sports at camp, swimming, Color War, sleeping in a bunk and making new friends.  Ella takes jazz, hip hop and acro dance classes and will be performing at a recital in June.  She plays soccer and softball, too.  She likes to plant flowers in the spring and jump in the leaves in the fall.  She also loves having virtual sleepovers with friends.  At camp, she can’t wait to swim, go to the Art Shack and gymnastics, meet her new counselors and learn the Color War names.  Here is a pic…

Me with Junior Girl Ella Rudd and Junior Boy Jake Rudd.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve received a few terrific e-mails from camp families and wanted to share them with you.  First, I got an e-mail from the Pearlman Family in New York City.  As it turns out, it looks like we might have a star on our hands at Canadensis as Junior Boy Ozzie Pearlman just recently starred in a commercial for Verizon Fios.  Ozzie is the boy with the popcorn on his lap.  I was not able to embed the video, but you can check it out here:  http://vimeo.com/38142746. 

Got a great photo from the Stern Family, who was traveling during their Spring Break to San Diego, CA.  While there, they caught a San Diego Padres game, which happens to be my favorite baseball team.  Here is a pic…

Upper Inter Boy Noah Stern wearing his Canadensis shirt while at Petco Park in San Diego, CA at a Padres game!

Finally, it looks like some of our new Junior Girls had a sleepover recently.  Great to see that some nice relationships are being made even before the summer starts!  Here is a pic…

Some of our 2012 Junior Girls! Top (from left to right): Jordyn Weinstein, Bailey Germain, Julie Pulewitz, Frankie Ader and future camper Jamie Kurtz; Bottom (from left to right): Alexis Lefkowitz, Mandi Kurtz and Ilana Lefkowitz

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now.  Back to work.  Things here are really starting to get busy!

Have a great day!

-Brian