Camp Kupugani Blog
An Empowering Cabin Sunday
CABIN SUNDAY QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.” – Flavia Weedn Today started off with the camp waking up from their out of doors sleep after their night under the stars. It’s Read more…
Super Soccer Saturday
On this Super Saturday, the counselors defeated the campers in a close match in the staff vs. campers soccer game. The campers took an immediate lead, but couldn’t hold onto it as the counselors evened it up before halftime. In the second half, despite a frenzied comeback to tie the game at 2-2, the campers eventually succumbed to the counselor’s relentless pace and fell behind 3-2 with not much time left. Even given a spirited last-minute comeback spree, the campers couldn’t quite find the back of the net to equalize Read more…
Day of the Queen Bees
On this Fantastic Friday, we honored our Queen Bees at camp. Though we enjoyed blended camptivities, Kupugani stayed true to our values of intentional inclusiveness, meaning the girls gained a bit of extra positive attention today! In other words, only girl-identifying speakers (campers and counselors) led us through camp-wide transitions between this-or-that (that’s right, move over Kevin!). After our fourth round of COVID-free testing, for the last couple of days, our kiddos have been able to enjoy more mixing between cabins and tables. This morning, the campers headed to breakfast Read more…
Terrific Thursday
On this Terrific Thursday, our early birds woke up at 6 am to do some nature sketches. They enjoyed the morning breeze near the flats and listened to the birds chirp as they drew and colored. At 7 am, all of the campers woke up and got ready for the day. They headed to morning circle and then enjoyed a breakfast of eggs, oranges, and coffee cake – which was a very big hit among the campers. After some camp chores, the campers broke into their teams for team-building activities Read more…
Wonderful Wednesday!
On this Wonderful Wednesday, the campers and staff alike celebrated Crazy Hair/Hat Day. From baseball cap towers to space buns, the combination of hairdos was quite a sight to see! Our early birds woke up at 6 am for a session of Sweat and Swim. They played nine-square and ran around top field for a while before jumping in the pool for a morning swim. For breakfast, we enjoyed some French toast and turkey sausages. After breakfast, we broke off into teams and discussed the importance of using “I” statements Read more…
Terrific Tuesday at Blended One!
We started off the day by waking up in the cabins after a good night’s sleep. Our early bird campers woke up at 6 am again, this time for some morning canoeing and kayaking. Everyone was up by 7 to shower, brush their teeth, and get dressed for the day before heading to morning circle and breakfast. Breakfast today was bagels and eggs. After breakfast, we broke into our cabin groups to take care of our chores. Then we met with our teams and did some reflective activities about our Read more…
A Fun First Full Day of Camp
We started off the day by waking up in the cabins after a good night’s sleep. Some early bird campers woke up at 6 am for a morning yoga session, and others slept in until it was officially time to get ready for the day. Once the early birds returned to their cabins and everyone was awake, they took showers and brushed their teeth. After everyone got dressed, we headed down to our morning circle. There we shared the quote of the day and asked the campers to share their Read more…
Welcome Back! A Great Introduction to Blended Session One 2022!
Today we welcomed our wonderful campers through a drive-through check in. They checked in meds, unloaded their luggage, and, of course, got tested for Covid… #PandemicLife. After the campers said goodbye to their families, we took them to their cabins to get settled in. There, they figured out their sleeping arrangements and met their new cabin mates.They spent some time there waiting for everyone to arrive, playing name games and getting familiar with each other. After all of the campers arrived and settled in, we met at the top field Read more…
A Few of Our Favorite Pinterest Boards for Parents
This is just a fun little blog from your favorite Midwest summer camp for all you Pinterest users! Kids these days are all scrolling–so why shouldn’t you? Pinterest is a free website where you can upload, save and manage images to discover new and inspirational ideas to try at home. Below is a selection of Pinterest boards we think are super great for parents! https://www.pinterest.com/kupugani/_created/ Couldn’t help but sneak a little self-promotion in here! Our Camp Kupugani Pinterest is full of great boards, such as “Female Role Models,” “Games and Read more…
Cannonballing 101: How to get the biggest splash
Especially as we spring towards summer, thoughts of young people (or those young at heart) turn to how to maximize one’s summer excitement. At our Midwest summer camp, we appreciate that much of that excitement comes from good times in the pool! Everybody knows the feeling that comes from seeing an incredible cannonball, the shock, excitement and awe that follow when you witness the biggest splash of the summer. Now imagine you’re the person who was responsible for the greatest splash of the summer… So, how do you create the Read more…
99 thoughts every Kupugani camper has on the first day of camp…
I’m so excited! I hope the food is good. Are we almost there? Oh no, did I forget anything?? I wonder if I’ll know anyone there. How am I going to live without my phone?! I hope my counselors are nice. I wonder if there are going to be any international counselors? Are we there yet? I hope I get a nice bathhouse. I reallllly want the top/bottom bunk!!! YAAAAY WE MADE IT!!!!!! This driveway is so long! Hopefully the camp shirts will be cool this year. Where’s the gaga Read more…
How to Be an Emotionally Intelligent Parent
At our Midwest summer camp near Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois, we recognize the importance of how our adult interactions impact the youth whom we serve. We strive to foster an environment where children are empowered to be their best selves. A recent article shared some good insights on how to be an emotionally intelligent parent. Check out our summary below, with the full article available at this link: bakadesuyo.com/2022/03/parenting This is how to be an emotionally intelligent parent: The 4 Systems: Playing dictator should be a last resort. (Orwell’s “Nineteen Read more…
