Meet Isaiah: Sailing Instructor

Meet Isaiah, our Sailing Instructor! In the States, Isaiah calls Lancaster, PA home, but has lived in Dakar, Senegal for most of his life. He's pumped to be up at camp this summer for his third HoneyRock experience. After Isaiah participated in Passage, he knew that he wanted to spend more time in this place. 

We asked Isaiah about his favorite part of working at HoneyRock, and he told us that apart from the community, he loves watching the mist over the quiet water in the early mornings before 5am.

Isaiah is at HoneyRock this summer after feeling a strong draw back to the place where he grew in Passage and counseled Advance Camp men. He says, "I know that this fits with the person God made me to be and my desire to bring people together in community...it all comes together to work well in this environment. I'm here to love and serve, all to the glory of God."

Isaiah shows the "Mojo Monkeys" a sail

Intro Camp girls listen as Isaiah explains parts of the boat

Olympic Fest is the Best!

After a morning filled with activities, Commissioner Captain Olympus began the Olympic Fest with a big parade – tractors, horses, athletes, aunts and uncles alike joined in to start the games and throw candy to the waiting fans.

The team ready to start the parade

 

Service Team helps throw candy

The afternoon was filled with playing greasy watermelon, jousting on the water mat, running in dizzy bat races, and sliding down our GIANT waterslide on the front lawn. There were also a couple new games like "Bionic Bud Ball" and Kayak Relay Races. 

Boys running the dizzy bat race

Kayak relay races were a hit!

Tomorrow is Olympic Banquet and Friday is Family Day! Haven't registered yet? Click here to let us know you're coming!

Campers Arrived!

Our campers stepped off the bus and made their way onto the playing field, meeting their counselors for the first time! They were greeted with big signs and smiling faces, immediately joining their cabin to stretch their legs, learn names, and begin ice breakers. 

After finding their cabin, campers headed to the tent to discover this year’s theme: the Northwoods Olympics, led by our Commissioner, Captain Olympus and his team. This will serve as the theme for the week, developed through funny skits, Olympic Fest, and a big banquet Thursday night.

The swim area is the next stop, where campers gather to take the swim test – one of our measures to ensure campers’ safety while on the waterfront. All of our lifeguards (Activity Staff) are there to go over the rules, life-jacket use, and facilitate the test. Cabin Aunts and Uncles dress up in crazy costumes to entertain and make the time fun.

The camp is filled with the buzz of energy and excitement that only campers can bring. After five long weeks of training, we’re ready to have some fun! Check out tomorrow to hear highlights of Activity Staff’s first day with campers!  

Make your way to Family Day!

Already planning on coming to Family Day? Register here!

One week from today HoneyRock will celebrate the first Family Day of 2013. Families of many Intro campers will visit to see everything their children have explored and learned. This day is a “hands on” way to catch a glimpse of what your camper experienced in their time at HoneyRock – meet cabin-mates and counselors, visit activity areas, watch the Rodeo and Ski Show, and sit down to a good cook-out.

More importantly, it’s an opportunity to learn how to help your child bring what they learned in this transitional community (camp) to their permanent community (home). We realize it’s a big investment to send your child to camp, and we want to maximize that valuable investment. Friday, June 28, we ask parents (and especially younger siblings!) of Intro campers to join us at 2pm to begin the afternoon!

Katie (Swim Instructor '12) presents a camper with her Swimming Masters award.

We have a couple requests to keep the day fun for everyone:

• Please do not bring your dog - we do not allow dogs at HoneyRock, and we thank you for helping us uphold that policy.
• HoneyRock is a place apart and we ask that people not use cell phones in the main areas of camp. While we understand that your work may require you to be accessible by cell phone, please take advantage of this opportunity to unplug and fully engage in the HoneyRock experience! You will miss out if you spend the day on your phone!
• Leaving with parents at the end of Family Day is strongly discouraged. We cannot stress enough the value of the camper's last night with his/her cabin. Therefore, it is our expectation that your child remain at camp until the morning after Family Day.

Again, if you are planning to come to Family Day, please register online!

 To see a schedule of the afternoon and learn more details of Family Day, visit our website.

Work & Play

We're so pumped to finally have our Assistant Counselors at camp! They arrived Monday and quickly left on their 24-hour Wilderness Trip. They returned today, packed in at the Trip Locker, and moved right to their swim test.

Talking about tests - today was a big day for our SLS, Service Team, & AMP leaders. They had class and activities in the morning while the Water Safety test, knot test and canoeing test filled the afternoon.

working on knots and canoeing strokes on the front lawn

Ben (Canoeing) helps facilitate the Water Safety Test

Except, it's not all work...

Taking a big jump off the dock

Shalom, Ceramics Instructor, paints her mug

Anna (Crafts), Amy (Drama), & Olivia (Swimming)

Are You Ready?

Our Assistant Counselors got to camp this afternoon and Intro and Advance campers will arrive one week from today! We're so excited to finally welcome campers to HoneyRock for the summer.

Preparing for camp can be a stressful time for parents and campers - sometimes what should be a time of excitement is overshadowed by a cloud by anxiety. However, it doesn't have to be that way! Here are 5 simple things parents can do to better prepare their children for camp and lower the stress level of the transition.

 1. Set some goals and expectations:

Talk to your child about camp and what it's all about. Watch the videos on the website.  Talk to other families who have been to HoneyRock before. While you can't prepare your children for everything, you can give them some idea of what to expect. It will also give you a good opportunity to set some goals for camp.

Some sample goals:

• I want to do Solid Rock Club.
• I want to get an Intermediate in Sailing.
• I want to become friends with 3 new people - kids not from my school or church.

2. Practice being away from home:

We highly recommend this for new campers who are going away to camp for the first time. Have your child do an overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's house or another close friend's house without you. This will give them some experience in being away from home before they head off to camp.

3. Begin praying about camp:

Set aside some time at meals or before bed to pray about camp. Pray for your child's cabin mates, their counselors, the bus ride up to camp, the Bible studies they will participate in, the activities they will do, and for safety while they are at camp.

4. Don't make promises you can't or don't intend to keep.

As parents we often make little promises to our children in order to alleviate their fears before they leave for camp. It can be devastating to a camper if those promises aren't met. Some examples:

• Don't promise you'll be at Family Day if you aren't planning on it.
• Don't tell your child they have $100 in their Beehive account.
• Don't promise they will know everyone in their cabin.
• Don't tell you child that you come and pick them up if they don't like camp.
• Don't tell them it won't rain and that there are no bugs.

5. Read through the Information Packet.

The Information Packet contains packing lists, transportation information, as well as forms to have ready before you arrive for bus check-in. Download the PDF Information Packet for your child's session.