by Ken Miller, Associate Director
The echoes of Color War past reverberate throughout the history and memories of Moosilauke campers. There was always the mystery of how Color War would be broken although many of us felt we knew what night it was going to happen. The actual Color war breaks ranged from everything from ping pong balls bouncing all over the mess hall, letters to each camper received at rest hour, the themes of pirates, giant eels, and even Grease, to crazy loggers and the Planet of the Apes. This year we had the mystery of why the Color War of 1961 never happened. The story was that a pilot had been hired to break Color War but he never made it to Camp Moosilauke and disappeared under mysterious circumstances (A storm? A tornado?). The lead up to a Color War break is as important as the break itself as campers follow clues that take them to many areas of camp. There was a list of Color War results since 1943 posted at the office which clearly showed that there were no results in 1961.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
What You Learn About Boys From Running a Summer Camp
by Bill McMahon, Co-Director
After twenty plus years of running a residential summer camp you learn a thing or two about boys. Here are some of the golden rules my wife and I have learned about how they learn and grow, all of which informs how we run Camp Moosilauke.
1) Peer culture drives everything. Judith Rich Harris makes it very clear in her book The Nurture Assumption that the most powerful non-nature factor influencing how kids learn and grow is peer culture. Peer culture does not push, it pulls, and its pull is magnetic. Even though peer culture trumps the influence of adults, adults who work with kids can make a difference. One key way is to influence the norms of a peer culture. And of course a key role of parents, especially those with teenagers, is to help place their kids in positive and healthy peer cultures, via where they live, the schools they choose, the activities and organizations they affiliate with—and the camps they select.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Weekly Letter Home 7-29-2011
Dear Moosilauke Parent:
This provides our first letter from our 2.5 week session. It has been a busy, fun-filled week. Click on http://campmoosilaukephotos.shutterfly.com/ for daily photos and read on for all the adventures and special happenings.
As you know, Monday, July 26th, was opening day. Although we had a brief drizzle, overall it was very pleasant and not nearly as hot as the previous week. Once we finished with arrivals and registration, the whole camp played the time-honored game of "Bill Says" (like "Simon Says" but better). After the game the new campers met their Camp big brothers and were escorted by them to our first meal. After our Moose burger-fest the first chants and songs of the session began. The highlight was "There was a crazy Moose" lead by counselor Josh who has the unique distinction of making a Division I football team and also being selected to be part of the elite male singing group at his school. Then it was time for a silly Moose trivia contest MCed by head counselor Gordo. After the meal it was down the hill for age group orientation games followed by our traditional wacky counselor introductions by activity areas. The campers agreed that the best introductions were courtesy of the swimming staff going wild with squirt guns, the baseball staff smashing fruit, and the tennis staff riding lawn mowers.
This provides our first letter from our 2.5 week session. It has been a busy, fun-filled week. Click on http://campmoosilaukephotos.shutterfly.com/ for daily photos and read on for all the adventures and special happenings.
As you know, Monday, July 26th, was opening day. Although we had a brief drizzle, overall it was very pleasant and not nearly as hot as the previous week. Once we finished with arrivals and registration, the whole camp played the time-honored game of "Bill Says" (like "Simon Says" but better). After the game the new campers met their Camp big brothers and were escorted by them to our first meal. After our Moose burger-fest the first chants and songs of the session began. The highlight was "There was a crazy Moose" lead by counselor Josh who has the unique distinction of making a Division I football team and also being selected to be part of the elite male singing group at his school. Then it was time for a silly Moose trivia contest MCed by head counselor Gordo. After the meal it was down the hill for age group orientation games followed by our traditional wacky counselor introductions by activity areas. The campers agreed that the best introductions were courtesy of the swimming staff going wild with squirt guns, the baseball staff smashing fruit, and the tennis staff riding lawn mowers.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Moosilauke Weekly Letter Home 7-17-11
Hello from balmy Orford, NH! We have had another terrific week and it is our pleasure to share with you the highlights via this letter. As you know, you can also access daily pictures from camp by clicking on http://campmoosilaukephotos.shutterfly.com. We are also excited to announce that Moosilauke is now blogging! By clicking on http://campmoosilauke.blogspot.com you can read postings by Bill and Sabina, campers and staff. Finally, click on http://moosilauke.com/tmpl.php?pagename=video2 to view a video montage from the first two weeks of camp that one of our counselors put together.
And now to recap the events of the past week...
Saturday was filled with competition with a neighboring camp. The boys participated in baseball, soccer, tennis, hockey, and basketball in all age groups. One of the most exciting games was the 12-and-under basketball contest that ended with a buzzer beater basket.
And now to recap the events of the past week...
Saturday was filled with competition with a neighboring camp. The boys participated in baseball, soccer, tennis, hockey, and basketball in all age groups. One of the most exciting games was the 12-and-under basketball contest that ended with a buzzer beater basket.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Farm Trip
by Gregory Locker, Counselor & Director of Backcountry Leadership Program
This past Saturday a group of ten campers went to Kingsbury Market Garden (KBMG), my family’s farm in Waitsfield, VT. KBMG is your archetypal diversified vegetable farm growing over 40 kinds of produce on seven tillable acres. KBMG employs innovative methods, such as movable greenhouses and natural weed control, for efficient and sustainable production. To visit KBMG one is struck by the utter flourishing of life and astounded that so much can be grown by the farms limited staff of three (my two brothers and one intern).
Our trip began with an extended tour by the head farmer, my brother Aaron. Systematically we moved through the farm and the campers had a chance to see -and taste- the different crops, while gleaning a sense of the complexities of planning and engineering that lay behind such an operation.
This past Saturday a group of ten campers went to Kingsbury Market Garden (KBMG), my family’s farm in Waitsfield, VT. KBMG is your archetypal diversified vegetable farm growing over 40 kinds of produce on seven tillable acres. KBMG employs innovative methods, such as movable greenhouses and natural weed control, for efficient and sustainable production. To visit KBMG one is struck by the utter flourishing of life and astounded that so much can be grown by the farms limited staff of three (my two brothers and one intern).
Our trip began with an extended tour by the head farmer, my brother Aaron. Systematically we moved through the farm and the campers had a chance to see -and taste- the different crops, while gleaning a sense of the complexities of planning and engineering that lay behind such an operation.
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