Category Archives: Summer 2015

Robin Hood on The Move

The morning began at 6:30am for about 40 Hooders, all from different groups, who made the first swim to the island of the summer. Accompanied by lifeguards in canoes and kayaks, some even made it there and back! They all returned home in time to be honored at flag-raising.

Leaving directly from breakfast was our 15 and under soccer team for a tournament at Indian Acres and our 11 and under softball tournament at Birchmont. This afternoon our 16 and under girls played volleyball followed by basketball here at home against Forest Acres. Our teams did an amazing job – some wins and some losses but EVERYONE had a great time!

The Yeomen left mid-morning after bunk inspection for a mountain trip. They climbed Mt Chocorua. It is a great mountain with excellent views of Lake Ossipee. The mountain is bare on top so it offers great views of the area. They did the Champney Falls Trail and were back for dinner.

Also departing mid-afternoon for some time out of camp are the Bards. They are going to Rocky Gorge to enjoy the natural rock slides, swimming, and time in the sun. The slides are on the Swift River with a natural pool at the bottom. It is ice cold mountain water coming down from the White Mountains. There is even a small waterfall that you can duck under. A great time in our beautiful New Hampshire wilderness!!

Our Shires had an evening out in North Conway, enjoying dinner and an ice cream birthday party.

Kids in camp enjoyed tie-dying at art, softball clinics with Woody, lots of waterfront activities and more! The evening ended with fields full of activities, kids swimming at the waterfront, and a few groups enjoying candy canteen. Another idyllic day has ended here at Robin Hood.

Every day is a holiday at Camp Robin Hood

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Every day is a holiday at Robin Hood. A “holiday” in the vacation sense as we lose track of time, days, current events. And a “holiday” in the celebratory sense as we celebrate each part of the day with camp customs that make The Realm a world of its own.

Blue skies graced our day, as did perfect temperatures and a gentle wind. Campers enjoyed their Intensives in the morning and a full afternoon that featured every activity offered in camp.

Special events of the day included a Bow and Archer hike up Mt. Major. The two groups left second period and enjoyed lunch on the trail before heading back to camp in time for their later afternoon activities.

The 10 & Under Basketball Team traveled to West End and brought back the hardware with great pride. The boys played their hearts out and demonstrated great sportsmanship just as their older camp brothers did in “The Big House” last night.

Tonight Woody declared a picnic dinner on the quad. Yensi and his incredible staff served “fried” chicken, potato wedge fries, coleslaw and then a great vegetarian option of stir fried kale and braised tofu. Note to our health-conscious parents: we don’t use fryers – the KFC-style chicken and crispy potato wedges were cooked in our convention ovens to give them this fried taste. The staff brought out ice-cream treats for dessert and then all of camp headed to the waterfront for tonight’s evening activity.

The Court Jesters “played” our staff in a spirited, musical, comical basketball game down on the waterfront court. Line dances were mixed in to the Jesters game, bringing all of camp onto the court. We love seeing our campers, staff and even camp brass dance (or try to!).

The sunset was spectacular and since camp was already at the waterfront, everyone got to enjoy the magnificent ending of the day.

And we’re off…

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You know when you’re on vacation and everything is better when the sun is out? We have a 49 day vacation here at the Realm and today was a homerun! We started the day loading 29 Saxons and Scribes, 8 staff members and a nurse, into 3 vans at 6:45am. They were nervous to say the least. I told them this was the first step in their magical journey this summer. They are our oldest campers and the leaders of Robin Hood’s 88th summer.

Revile went off at 8:00am to sunny skies and warmer temps. The energy was electric as the kids were ready for a BIG day. This morning was our first day of intensives. We ran 4 speed boats and all our new KyPads were in full use. I love to sit and watch the waterfront in action. There’s music playing, kids laughing, all here without any screens!!! Imagine that?! I really believe that the ability to play and interact without screens is vital today. Since this is Day 3 of the summer – our kids have just started to adjust to walking around with their necks up. They walk and talk – not text. They engage with verbal skills and are creating new, life-long friendships. Overnight camp’s were created in the 1900’s to get kids out of the city and away from the disease that came with hot summer days. I believe that camp today serves even a bigger purpose – children need to disconnect and interact. They need to play outside in games that they make up. This morning at 7:15 – 20 junior camp boys were outside their bunks shooting hoops, swinging on swings and playing card games. All this happened under the eyes of our staff but the children were in charge – making up rules and dealing with issues. The way life used to be, the way life ought to be.

As the sun was shining in The Realm today, campers started their day in activities that they chose. Our intensives are designed to allow campers to focus on one specific activity for five days, an hour per day. They might choose a sport they are hoping to improve upon or try something completely new. The most important thing is that these kids are where they want to be. Tennis, Volleyball, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Sailing, Drama, Fitness, Dance… the list goes on and on, and our campers were active and having fun.

As the day went on, double booking found both our Bows and Foresters at the Home Run Diamond. This is a very popular spot on camp as the girls were scheduled for a Softball clinic with Me and the boys were eager to work for a coveted spot on the Home Run Derby plaque. In true Robin Hood fashion, there was only one way to settle this conflict – with a good old-fashioned challenge. There, in the Gaga pit by the HR Diamond, the Bows challenged the Foresters to see who would, in fact, play on our softball field! The Bows, girls who have completed 5th Grade, put up quite a fight against our second oldest boys group! With the boys using their less dominant hand, the Bows showed that they are not a group to mess with. It was far from a blowout, as the Bows made it to a one on one final round where the Foresters took home the prize. It was like Day 3 of Green and White….

As we walked the bunk line tonight – I saw nothing but happy smiling faces. None bigger then ours….

Thank you so much for sharing your kids with us!
–Woody

Magical Moments

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Life is made of magical moments. The key is recognizing them. For when you do – and pause and take it in – it smells fragrant, looks dazzling, sounds musical and is beyond delicious.

Our job as camp directors is to make sure your children are safe. Happy. Active. Inspired to try new things. Excited to make new friends, and strengthen existing bonds. But just as important in our mission is to move our campers to take it in. Breathe in the fragrant pine. Cherish a pink-tainted, purple and red sunset. Dance to the dining hall cheers. Relish a rainy day for the mud offers a different kind of fun. Our mission is to encourage that pause. That quiet moment where you honor and celebrate the magical moments in life, and in the summers – in the Realm.

The buses pulled in as Chuck dropped his hand down, bringing them to a halt while conversely catalyzing the start of what will be Chuck’s 50th summer as Head Counselor.

Kids sprinted off from states including Illinois, Ohio, Florida, California, New York, Massachusetts, …. And then the vans pulled in bringing children from – as Dick would say -“across the pond.” We have campers from England, Japan, Italy, Spain, France and Kuwait. (Please forgive me if I have left any states or countries off the list!)

Friends reunited, new members of the Robin Hood family were welcomed. Staff led everyone to their cabins, and our summer began.

Dinner was alive. Yensi and his staff made a spectacular pasta feast, complete with an overflowing salad bar and moist, delectable fudge brownies for dessert.

With a perfect temperature and blue skies, groups engulfed every corner of camp in lively evening activities. The sound of children sings through our trees once again. As tradition would have it, DC, Woody and the Brass will make their way through the bunks to sing the Robin Hood goodnight song and wish everyone a good night’s sleep.

And that, my friends, will be yet another magical moment for us…

With gratitude and warm greetings from The Realm.

Keep In Touch – How We Communicate at Robin Hood

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Duffels have arrived, fields are being lined, counselors are orientating… now we wait for the campers to arrive for the summer of their life! But what happens when the buses have pulled away and your camper is off to The Realm? In a world with text messaging, snapchat, FaceTime, skype, (you get the idea…) parent’s who seem to always know where their children are and what they are doing wonder how they’re going to know how they will communicate with their camper during the summer.

Communication throughout the summer is a top priority at Camp Robin Hood. Not just for the parents but for our campers too! Kids LOVE receiving letters and if you haven’t already sent a note for your camper to receive on Opening Day, now’s the time to start your letter writing routine. As an option, we offer our families the opportunity to send eLetters directly to their campers through our Camp InTouch system. You can even request a hand written letter back from your camper which we’ll scan and email back to you! But if you’re worried that you’re child is not much of a letter writer – DON’T – every Wednesday and Sunday, letters home are campers meal tickets to lunch.

Life may have been simpler before all of the technology that has come into our daily lives, when letters home were the ONLY way parent’s knew how life at camp was, but we know you want daily updates. Every evening, we upload anywhere from 150-350 pictures of our campers, to Camp InTouch, participating in various activities throughout camp. We do our best to make sure your child will be featured in photos, but we like to think if you don’t see your child, it means they were too busy having FUN to stop what they were doing to take a picture! Haven’t seen your child in a few days (which is rare,) shoot us a note and we’ll make sure to snap them in action (discreetly of course!)

Not only will you be able to see what’s happening at camp through photos, we post daily WoodChuck blogs, giving families a birds-eye view of our camper’s day in at Robin Hood. It’s a great way to include Robin Hood specific questions in your letters to camp and gives you a sense of how camper’s spend their time in The Realm.

With all of these ways for you to follow your child’s experience at Robin Hood, we make sure to keep the lines of communication with parents wide open. While many of your campers are holding onto their cell phones for dear life in the last few days before going “screen free,” we keep phone calls during the first two weeks to families with birthdays (either camper or parent.) A phone call can be arranged between parent and camper after the second week of camp has ended. We find from past experiences that a phone conversation may end up causing harm to the child’s adjustment at camp, as campers who are perfectly adapted and happy at camp can become homesick from a few short words with you on the telephone.

We understand that the transition to camp can be hard on parents, even after years of experience, and welcome the opportunity to speak to our families not just during the summer but all year round. Give us a call, shoot us an email… we’re ready to take care of your child(ren) this summer and thank you for trusting us with your most prized possession(s.)