camp girl archery pull

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teens seeking sensations
• Children • Jeff Carter

Teens Seeking Sensations

Girls Camp for Teens Thrive on Sensation

If you spend time around teenagers, it’s easy to see them exhibit “sensation seeking” behaviors. They thrive on new experiences and stimuli of all kinds, and tend to take surprising risks. In fact it’s widely accepted within psychology that this personality trait is a dominant force in the lives of teen girls and boys. This sensation seeking is thought to be an evolutionary skill, something that helps teens learn new things, become more independent from their parents and to increase their social competence. Overall, it’s a good thing.

On the other hand, chasing novelty like this, even if they’re unaware of it, can sometimes get teenagers into trouble. As a young teen girl or boy is bombarded by urges to experience new things and to be included in their peer group, they may lack the cognitive development to temper risky behaviors, or blindly hold the perceived benefits of that behavior supremely important over everything else. For example, a girl may experiment with drugs at the urging of her friends, effectively ignoring the personal, legal and health consequences of that decision, because she values the approval of her peer group more. Put differently, it’s thought that risky teenage behavior can be understood as “sensation seeking” run amok.

It’s a dilemma; we want our teenagers to experience new things and meet new people, and thereby to learn and grow from that novelty, but we also want them to choose less risky behaviors and seek out positive experiences and peer influences. How to land on the right side of that equation?

Summer camp is well suited to provide this kind of positive sensation seeking for teens. Everyday at sleepaway camp, girls can enjoy new experiences, whether they be climbing a rock, the excitement of shooting a gun, or just making friends with new and different people.

Camp is a pool of positive peer pressure. Chock full of excellent role models, it promises to help teens channel their urge for novelty and their desire to connect with friends. Camp is also a place where teens can take acceptable risks, challenging themselves in exciting new ways, even as parents can be assured their children are kept safe, encouraged and supported. It’s just an ideal environment for teens seeking sensations. It’s no wonder they love it so much!

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Counselor Campers Hug
• Counselors • Sofie Ehlinger

Dear Camp Counselor

Here is just a quick reminder of how important you are.  If a camper and a parent were to write to our staff, here is what they might say:

Dear Counselor,

You are my hero. When I grow up I want to be just like you. I think it’s so cool how you use all those funny voices when you read to our cabin before bed! And you made me discover I like carrots! I told my mom I thought they were gross, but then you were eating them last Thursday at lunch (you remember the day you wore your blue shorts and had your hair in a pony tail and ate three pieces of chicken and told us about that squirrel who had that big acorn? Yeah- that day) so I gave them a try. Presto! I love them now! The other day, when you french braided my hair in two braids, I loved it so much I wrote a whole letter home, just about that! I’m so glad you are my counselor because you are the coolest person I have ever met.

Love,

Your Camper, Suzie

Camp Counselor Hugs Campers

Dear Counselor,

I am trusting you with my heart and soul. I am leaving in your care the single, most important thing in my life. I know that it would be ridiculous of me to ask you to put exactly one tablespoon of sugar in Suzie’s corn flakes, or to make sure that she brushes her teeth for exactly two minutes before bed, so I’ll just ask you this- The time you spend with Suzie this summer will shape her entire life. Every compliment you give her, every time you smile at her, every story you tell her, every story she tells you will mean the world to her. Knowing that her counselor cares deeply for her will put Suzie one step closer to growing into the strong, competent, amazing woman I know she has the potential to become. For the next three weeks my child’s life is in your hands. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you will tend to it with love and kindness.

Love,

Suzie’s  Mother

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girls swimming lake
• History • Charlotte Page

Swimming, Diving, I’ve Been Striving

Swim Lessons at Rockbrook Camp, 1920's
Swim Class at Rockbrook, 1930’s

Since 1921, Rockbrook has offered swimming lessons to campers of all skill levels using the Red Cross swimming system.  In those early years swimming was required each day for every girl. After an 8 week session ( there was only one session of camp back then) you would be a fantastic swimmer! Rockbrook also taught Lifeguarding classes to the older campers to help prepare them as they developed into counselors themselves.  One famous Rockbrook swim teacher was Helen Chiere, who taught swimming for over 25 summers.  She taught generations of Rockbrook girls how to swim and was famous for her style of instruction which included sayings like “scrape the jelly off the belly” for learning the backstroke, or “pick an apple and put it in the basket” for learning the side stroke.  Her humor and warmth helped all the junior campers have a great experience at the lake.

The camp lake is still the center of daily life at Rockbrook!  Between swim classes, free swim, canoeing, kayaking and trips down the water slide it is always abuzz with activity.  Most of the campers these days already know how to swim, but lessons and fun are still at the center of it all at the lake.  And as the camp song says: “Swimming, diving, I’ve been striving, striving hard to pass my test, and before the summers over, I’ll be swimming with the best.  Jump on the spring board, dive in, SPLASH!”

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young girl with horse
• Horseback Riding • rbc

Her Very First Ride

Little Summer Camp girl horseback riding

For little girls, taking their first equestrian lesson can be a mix of excitement and nervous jitters. It’s exciting because horseback riding seems so fun when you read about it or see it in movies, but for your first riding lesson, it can easily be a little overwhelming. There is so much to learn— special clothes, important safety rules, riding gear for the horse, how to mount, different riding positions, and communicating with your horse. The horses and ponies can seem so huge! And there is a lot to remember all at once.

That’s why it’s so important that a girl’s first experience learning to horseback ride be a safe, caring, gentle introduction. It’s crucial that her instructor be experienced working with small children, that he or she be kind and patient, and that the pony be calm and gentle in the ring. Taking small steps, gradually gaining confidence and greater understanding, is the best way to maintain a girl’s enthusiasm for riding. The best children’s horseback riding centers know how to pace this kind of progression.

The equestrian program at Rockbrook Camp has a long history of introducing young girls to horseback riding. Camp has just the right combination of skilled instructors and gentle ponies, enthusiasm for riding, and great equestrian facilities to encourage girls on their very first ride. At camp, we’re well prepared to make every girl’s first horseback riding experience a positive one. It’s the perfect recipe for a life-long love of horses and horseback riding!

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camper playing at summer camp
• Counselors • Sofie Ehlinger

Hardy Har Har

Camper Playing outside

Tickle your taste buds- hit your funny bone- deep down belly laugh! At camp we love jokes. We thought you might enjoy these old standbys by none other than Prairie Home Companion’s  Garrison Keillor.

Warning: Do not consume milk while reading these jokes! It may come out your nose!

Knock Knock- Who’s there?- Four eight.- Four eight who?- Four eight’s a jolly good fellow!

What would the traffic cop charge a crocodile with? -Tail gatoring!

How many hipsters does it take to change a light bulb?- …..it’s a pretty obscure number- you’ve probably never heard of it.

Why did the piano get locked out of his house?- He lost his keys

What do you call an alligator in a vest?- An investigator

How do you fix a broken tomato?- Tomato paste

What’s a tree’s favorite drink?- Root beer

How does a dog talk with his tail?- With a tail-aphone

The teacher says to her student: “Give me a sentence using the words green, pink, and yellow.” The third grader said: “Okay. The phone went green, green and I pinked it up and said ‘yellow!'”

What vegetable are bugs most afraid of?- Squash

Knock knock- Who’s there?- Watson- Watson who? Not much, watson new with you?

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Vintage Summer Camp Dance
• History • Charlotte Page

The Summer Camp Dance

Vintage Camp dance NC
Rockbrook and Camp Carolina Square Dance, 1950’s

Who does not remember the excitement and nerves that came with your first summer camp dance?  Multiple generations of Rockbrook Girls have participated in this summer ritual.  The dances originally were held in our Dining Hall (see photo above) but are currently held in our Gymnasium.  They are usually held once or twice a session, the dates of which are a highly guarded secret.  The Hi- Up campers get to announce the dance to the camp and the reaction is quite  loud and boisterous.  It is a very light and fun experience with everyone dancing together, laughing and being silly.  For those who are not interested in participating we also offer a separate activity that is equally fun!  Feel free to share with us any camp dance stories that you have- we would love to hear them!

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healthy outdoor kids
• Children • Jeff Carter

Healthy Kids Get Outdoors

Canoe kid in the water with canoe outdoors

There’s a new bill introduced in the US Senate that authorizes “the Secretary of the Interior to carry out [state and local] programs and activities that connect Americans, especially children, youth, and families, with the outdoors.” It’s called the Healthy Kids Outdoors Act of 2011 and was introduced by Senator Mark Udall of Colorado, and co-sponsored in the House of Representatives by Rep. Ron Kind of Wisconsin.

Prompting this legislation is a growing concern that American children are increasingly sedentary, spending most of their time indoors, and overweight. A wide range of studies show our kids are addicted to electronic media, watching on average 7.5 hours per day. Obesity and its related health problems are closely related to this. And now, seeing that kids are spending on average less than 10 minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play, an alarming trend is appearing. There’s even some worry that an unhealthy American population would be a national security threat given how many overweight people would be disqualified from military service.

The Healthy Kids Outdoors Act would combat these trends by funding state and local organizations in their efforts to get kids outdoors, to encourage active outdoor experiences. Here too, studies show outdoor activity yielding incredible public health, local economic and national conservation benefits. Seeking these benefits, this legislation would provide up to $15 million dollars of matching funds to sponsor programs and infrastructure that effectively connect Americans, especially kids, with outdoor experiences.

Of course, we are cheering this legislation! At an outdoor summer camp like Rockbrook, we know and celebrate the wonders of outdoor experience everyday. We spend most of our time (not just 10 minutes!) outside, actively engaged in dozens of activities.

At camp, we know all about the benefits to kids of outdoor activity. It’s nice to see those same benefits being championed nationally.

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extruded pottery and ceramics
• Arts • rbc

Dude, Do you Extrude?

extruded pottery and glazed ceramics

One of the ceramics hand-building techniques we teach in Rockbrook pottery classes is extruding. This involves creating clay forms, or consistent shapes, by pressing clay through an extruder, a simple hand-powered machine. An extruder is really a piston of sorts operated by a lever. On one end of the piston’s cylinder is a wooden or metal plate called a die. Different dies have different shapes cut out of them. The whole thing works by filling the cylinder with clay, and pulling the lever of the extruder, thereby forcing the piston to push the clay through the die, and out in the shape of the cutout. It takes muscles to pull that lever, but it’s so cool to see the extruded clay come out!

Some dies extrude circular tubes, but there are also square, hexagonal and octagonal tubes as well. You can extrude slabs, coils and even half-spherical shapes. Extruders are great at making long, even forms of clay.

Of course, these shapes then can become the building blocks for more complex hand-building projects. Extruded clay can be combined to make really complex sculptures, for example when extruded tubes are cut at different angles and joined to make multi-sided vessels.

And don’t forget glazing and firing these pieces. Like all the pottery and ceramics projects at camp, the artistic results are beautiful! Yep, at Rockbrook, we do extrude.

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Girl Mountain Climbing
• Counselors • Sofie Ehlinger

The UN-virtual Social Network

Facebook has become one of society’s guilty pleasures. With the click of a mouse, this tool allows us to reconnect with old friends, keep up with new ones, and easily put our own lives on display. We hand over the drama of living to a  computer screen and remain safe and disengaged in the comfort of our homes.

If what we are searching for is a sense of community, then Facebook certainly seems to create one for us. You can interact with a friend at any moment in time. Just click on her profile and there she is; her face, her words, her thoughts and opinions, her conversations with other people- all as easily accessible as air. Once more, if, by coincidence, you happen to be logged into Facebook at the same time as one of your friends you can even “chat” with her. Facebook keeps us more connected than ever!

Girl Mountain Climbing

But does it really? Virtual social networking cannot provide you with butterflies in your stomach when you meet up with an old friend after a leave of absence. This avenue of communication completely erases tone, crescendos, emotion and emphasis from the telling of a story, leaving it flat and lifeless. You’ll never feel the warm breath of laughter or savor the same full-bodied meal as the person across from you.

Camp coaxes us out of our dark rooms flooded with blue light and into the natural world filled with beauty and splendor. At camp we loosen our grip from the mouse and really feel things; the toughness of a rope, the mud under our fingernails, a horse’s mane, the sun on our face, the joy of a real community. No exclamation point, italic, or emoticon is worth an experience like that.

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Girls basketry work
• History • Charlotte Page

Basket Weaving at Rockbrook

Basket Weaving at Rockbrook Camp
Campers gather at the creek to work on baskets circa 1970

One of the traditional mountain crafts that is still taught at Rockbrook today is basketweaving.  Curosty, our weaving and basketry center, has been the home of this mountain activity since Rockbrook’s founding in 1921.  With its location right next to the creek, it is the ideal sight to learn this ancient art.  Campers soak their reeds (dried grass) in the creek for several hours until the reed is soft and pliable.  Then they are able to weave them together to make baskets of all shapes and sizes.  For the younger campers we provide a weaving base which helps them to arrange their reeds in the proper order.  It is quite a special moment when all of your weaving efforts pay off and you have a functional art piece, handmade at Rockbrook!

woven basket from summer camp
The finished product!
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