summer camp

Untalented Show Surprise!

Today was backwards day, so all the girls dressed backwards and we even had dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner. In case you’re wondering what we ate, we had chicken and waffles for breakfast, pizza burgerz for lunch, and french toast for dinner! Tonight the girls are currently enjoying a dance party where they can showcase all their moves, some of which they have stolen from counselors. The untalent show was also on tonight, a stage where the girls can sing or perform a skill they have, while every […]

And So It Goes…

And so it goes, boys camp came and went in the blink of an eye; and after two weeks, campers created some strong bonds. Not only with each other but also with their counselors. It was a transformative experience for them all and we are looking forward to next summer already! Mother-Daughter Weekend Without further ado, Mother-Daughter Weekend began on Friday evening and ended Sunday. We enjoyed watching the interaction and growth between mom and daughter, hopefully as much as they enjoyed it! Moms and Daughters were able to bond […]

And the Winner Is…

Good Sportsmanship Today was another day full of joy and wonder with our boy campers. The boys challenged themselves today with Camptivities like Rock Climbing, Challenge Hike, Slacklining, Cratestacking, Pool, Canoeing, and our special Engineeritivity- Stomp Rockets! An extra soccer match was added to the agenda following the camper vs. counselor game this previous Saturday…this time with the cabins enjoying good sportsmanship and spirited play representing their cabin groups. Fun! Can you guess the winner?

Camptivities Galore at Kupugani!

Today marked the first day for camptivities! During the first camptivity session, the campers chose from activities such as Rock Climbing, Biking, Nature Walk/Schoolhouse, and Canoeing! Following delicious treats at La Tienda, the boys chose between Pool, Fishing, and Archery to channel their adventurous souls! The evening activities included Diversity Bingo and Diversity Show and Tell. Diversity Bingo is a version of Bingo where campers get to know each other through facts such as naming three Motown hits, if they speak more than two languages, if they were born somewhere […]

First Full Day of Boys Camp!

Today was the first day for all of our boy campers! The bright early morning was full of the peaceful sounds of nature and the crunching of twigs from those who awoke early to go on a Nature Hike! Boys experienced the initial Team Activities which helped them learn more about each other as well as each other’s opinions on racial controversies in the thought-provoking activity, Four Corners. After lunch, campers went through Swim Evals, Nurse Checks and enjoyed a wonderful camp tour with their counselors to explore the beauty […]

Tubular Tuesday!

Good Evening! Tuesday was filled with trips for our 13, 14, and 15 year-olds to further connect with their respective groups. Our 13 year-olds pitched tents in a distant part of camp for their very own night under the stars and campfire. Our 14 year-olds headed off to a state park to also camp out and spend the following morning exploring the park’s natural caves. Our 15 year-old group headed twenty minutes away for their special bonding time with each other filled with camping, swimming, campfire, and barbequing. Meanwhile, back […]

Swim Sensation

Today was a beautiful warm day… One lovely camper had her Snickers ice cream dissolve in her hand minutes after buying it from La Tienda. The girls enjoyed the pool nearly all day; when they weren’t in the pool, they were basking in the warm sun (or enjoying the shade). While the new campers went on a tour through beautiful Camp Kupugani to get their bearings and to see where all the camptivities take place, the returning campers jumped in the pool. As another session of camp begins, we notice […]

FIRST DAY FUN!

As we reflect on the first day of Kupugani, we compliment our campers on a smooth and seamless beginning to camp. From our opening pot luck to camper check-in, big group games like Ship Island and Running with the Bulls, and the opening campfire, the day was spectacular. Everyone is really taking a liking to Kupugani and we can already see that we have another group of world changers in camp!

Children Need Healthy Risk-Taking

It can be a challenge for many parents to let go. Especially in our age of “helicopter parenting”, media reports of dangers lurking for your child around every corner, it can be easy for parents to imagine untold mayhem everywhere if you let your child out of your sight. We want to protect our children and want the best for them. However, for children, and especially teens and older pre-teens, they need to develop their sense of independence and need to grow by having us parents let go… Here’s a good article and podcast by sociologist Christine […]

Challenges of Camp Standard Time

Thinking earlier today about how Camp Standard Time (CST) is a funny creature. Days seem very long yet fly by…as do the weeks of camp. Before you know it, the girls are gone. Also the CST time lag that underscores the trust that our camper parents have in us. If/when there are times when a camper has a difficult transition, those down moments are the ones that result in the letter home that makes parents wonder if their babies are okay. Meanwhile, the parents don’t necessarily get to see the […]

Our Camp Staffing Process More Selective Than Harvard

We’ve been enjoying a camp week with the 4H-ers at camp. Our camp staff is amazing, as expected, especially since they’ve been culled from almost 250 applicants. On top of their being just generally awesome, it’s fun to note that our staffing process is even more selective than Harvard. Its acceptance rate is almost 7%, while ours is approaching 4%.

Serious Responsibility of Caring for other Children

I had a couple of amazing moments earlier today–one a parent moment, and one a camp moment. During our staff training for rock climbing, led by our experienced instructors, Mico had his now annual opportunity to scale the limestone rock face. Belayed safely by a new staff member, he climbed his way to the top of the 50-ish feet limestone cliff, watched by smiling Mama and Papa. He was engaged and feeling great the whole way up, which was surpassed at the summit by his absolutely beaming smile and eyes […]