Greenwood Trails Kicks Off 2015!

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Welcome, welcome, welcome!

We’re so excited to begin our 2015 season. Our staff have been working extra hard to make sure that they and the camp are ready for campers.

The weather is beautiful today and we can’t wait to see what all of our kids have chosen for their activities today. They’re going to love our evening activity tonight. Our counselors have consumed a crazy amount of coffee and they’re all about to go crazy! Pictures tomorrow!

Still Searching for the Perfect Sleepaway Camp?

Meet Greenwood Trails’ directors during one of our home show visits in New York next weekend!

During the home show, learn about:

What happens during our 2, 4, and 6-week programs

The benefits of sleepaway camp

Whether Greenwood Trails is right for your family

When and Where?

May 16, 2015 from 2-4:30 with a brief presentation at 3pm in New Rochelle
May 17, 2015 from 2-4:30 with a brief presentation at 3pm in Manhattan

RSVP and for location information:
[email protected] or 516-483-7272

We are looking forward to a fun weekend, talking about what we love most!

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CURRENT CAMPER FAMILIES: REFER A FRIEND AND RECEIVE $100 CREDIT WHEN YOUR FRIEND ATTENDS CAMP THIS SUMMER!

21st Century Skills and Our Campers

Let’s face it- kids are different than they were ten, twenty or thirty years ago! This generation is being raised in an age where screens are everywhere, standardized tests guide our education system, and free play is no longer a priority in the modern home. Organized sports and video games are a great solution to entertaining and guaranteeing that our children get exercise during the school year but while you work during the summer, how can you be sure that your child is exercising body and mind properly?

Greenwood Trails is THE answer!

Schools have a responsibility to teach book learning. Greenwood Trails takes on the responsibility of teaching your child the skills needed to survive in life because we know how important these skills are!

What are 21st century skills?
21st century skills are considered “essential for success in today’s world and include the 4Cs of critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation (www.p21.org).”

How do we teach these skills?

  • Children unplug from modern day technology at Greenwood Trails and have many opportunities to work as a team to reach common goals through regular games, evening activities and Sunday Funday activities
  • Children say goodbye to their parents, overcome homesickness, and learn how to depend on their own set of skills to make friends
  • Children have responsibilities within their cabin and learn how to live with people with different personalities, values and cultures
  • Children have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of activities.  They will try new activities, listen to staff members, and learn how to push themselves past their comfort zones
  • Children have opportunities for supervised unstructured free time- a time to write letters, socialize with their peers, or create new games to play.

After camp is over, we receive great feedback from our parents, exclaiming that their child learned a new skill- sometimes it’s making a bed, sometimes it’s playing a guitar, but a lot of times, it’s that they have become more independent.  What feedback will you give when you pick your child up from Greenwood Trails?

You’ve Spoken and We’ve Listened!

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Every year we evaluate all our programs and listen to what our camp community has to say. Based on feedback from our campers and counselors, we’re so happy to announce that we’re modifying ‘Delaware Time’ and the Lenape Cabin Activity this summer!

Here’s what’s happening:

Delaware Time
Delaware Time will be free choice EVERY DAY this summer, instead of every other day! Delaware Time allows our older campers the opportunity to socialize or choose open activities in a relaxed atmosphere. Counselors scheduled for this period will run their own optional activities like ultimate frisbee, bracelet making, arts and crafts, cultural exchange, etc… Campers do not have to take part, unless they want to.

Delaware Leadership Elective
The Delaware Leadership Elective (DLE) is a time for our older campers to give back to our community and/or participate in activities to develop their leadership skills. Some examples of what campers can do during DLE are mentoring younger campers, developing and leading their own activities, beautifying camp, community service, and beyond! We want them to be able to do something that is meaningful to them, so we also want to hear camper suggestions on what they would like offered. DLE will alternate with Delaware Minors (electives for Delaware Campers only) on a regular basis.

Lenape Time
Lenape’s time is a bit more structured so that they can experience more of the camp program; however, we want to make sure that Lenape campers have time to bond with their cabin, with their building, and with others in the camp community. That’s why we’ve scheduled a period every day so that Lenape can alternate between these activities!

 

Coding is coming to Greenwood Trails!

 

Greenwood Trails is rolling out a computer coding activity area this summer! Why teach kids to code? “..Very few people become professional writers. But it’s useful for everybody to learn how to read and write. Again, the same thing with coding. Most people won’t grow up to become professional computer scientists or programmers, but those skills of thinking creatively, reasoning systematically, working collaboratively — skills you develop when you code in Scratch — are things that people can use no matter what they’re doing in their work lives.”

 

Where Do Our Campers and Staff Sleep?

It’s a question on so many parents minds and I can understand why!  When our parents know that our campers will be comfortable in their living quarters, it eases a worry or two! All of our campers live in cabins with at least two counselors.  Our younger cabins will have more counselors than our older cabins.  Counselors sleep next to the door and next to the bathroom so that they can monitor the campers’ whereabouts, in case of sleepwalking or emergency bathroom trips.

Each cabin is equipped with toilets, showers, and electricity- the older girls’ cabins even share a shaving tub!  The cabins have also received makeovers in the last couple of years- creating an even more comfortable feeling with new beautiful wooden walls (I love that new pine smell!)!

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