It sure was a fantastic day here at Camp High Rocks! The partly cloudy skies, reasonable temperatures, and plenty of awesome things to do sure helped a lot! Speaking of awesome things going on, we had another mountain bike trip (like we do almost every day) out of camp today. We have the benefit of our own 20 miles of trails, but our next-door neighbor, Dupon State Forest has over ten thousand acres of fun trails. We are so close that the boys get in two hours of solid riding and can still be back for lunch. The weather was great, and the riding was even better. We even had a little waterfall treat.
Speaking of trips! We had several opportunities for the boys today. We had an all-day rock climbing trips. Another all-day canoeing trip. And then we had a morning and afternoon group on the high ropes course.
I tell parents that it’s not even fair sometimes. You can never be as cool as our staff. One of the key reasons all of this works is because our camp staff is admired so much by these boys. It gives the staff a precise advantage to handle all that comes their way because the boys want to stay on their good side. Adult mentors are an important part of every child’s life. The important part to remember is that these mentors cannot be their parents. It’s that need to impress, desire, and please these mentors that make it work. It’s also the kind heart and the ability to expect a lot that adds to that dynamic.
What makes camp amazing is not just the adventure program but the fact that we are doing all of this away from our parents. Of course, the activities are incredible, but the process, the journey of what we call camp, is where the jewel is found.
While parents want to be the ones to teach them everything, you can’t teach independence, you can only give it. It is something first to experience, then to meld and mold into what it really means. High Rocks is a great place to learn independence; from making a bed or making it to horseback riding on time. Independence is found all through the day. Research shows that if we do not allow our children to solve their own problems then our children will begin to believe that they cannot. Part of coming to a place like High Rocks allows for the separation for our children to learn just enough independence that requires them to figure it out without mom and dad around.
While we have had levels and progression going on in our activties for a long time, we have finally formalized it into a specific level system. Every camper knows what they need to do to complete a level as does the staff member. These boys work hard in their activities and they learn a lot while having a blast. We used the best level designs from many different activites to come up with one consistent sytem that will carry with them from year to year. When they come back next year, their achieved level will show up right next to their name on the activity role sheet.
This summer, your camper will likely receive one or more patches for their level progression in an activity at High Rocks. Completing the first level (Adventurer) is accompanied by the activity specific patch. these patches are the COOLEST looking things you can imagine. Upon completing the next four levels (Explorer, Pathfinder, Navigator, and Trailblazer), rockers will be earned to accompany the patch.
There are many ways to display your patches. We will have have staff at the tennis shed and the camp store showing off the Red Felt Frame and High Rocks Felt Pennant. Please stop by to see these items we have available and ask questions about our levels program!
Age Group 1 (Hillside and Connestee): Games on Soccer Field!
Age Group II (Lakeside and Foxhollow): Games on Soccer Field!
Age Group III (Flattop, Chalet, and Windswept): Chill Night!
Age Group IV (Outpost and Sprucepine): Games on the Tennis Courts!
Age Group V (Overlook and Lookout): Waterslide and Rope Swing!
Age Group VI (Pinnacle and Halfway): Dodgeball in the Gym!
It sure was another exciting day! there are some great pics of the boys who received their 3-year flags, and 5-year backpacks last night! the days just keep getting better.
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