A Pink Party

Summer camp is sometimes compared to a party— festive, social, extraordinary, delicious, zany, and fun. Today at Rockbrook it was a pink party because to everyone’s delight we declared it “Barbie Day!” The campers knew that this would be one of our dress up themes this session so many came prepared. Some simply wore a pink t-shirt, while others had complete Barbie outfits with hats, sunglasses, and various hair decorations. A couple sported trim pink and white dresses, while others went more neon with wigs, scarves and skirts. From the nurses to the directors to the counselors and campers, there were Barbies everywhere today.

Barbie is inherently confident, outgoing and carefree, much like Rockbrook girls generally, so it was easy for Barbie mannerisms to pop up around camp today. All day girls would greet each other, in the most enthusiastic upbeat tone, “Hi Barbie!” “Hi Barbie” was the appropriate response. It was also fun to ask people, “What kind of Barbie are you?” As you know there are many Barbies, from tennis pros to yoga instructors, to rockstars and fashionistas. Everyone was glamorous in some small way, turning camp into a “dreamworld.”

This was also the first day of activities this session, so we saw many eager Barbies scurrying about Rockbrook, shooting arrows, climbing the Alpine Tower, and flying by on the zipline, for example. Apparently, Barbie is quite artistic too, enjoying needlecraft, working with clay and planning weaving patterns. The lifeguards said that Barbie loves the waterslide and jumping off the dock at the lake as well. You have to admit; Barbie is amazing.

Dressing up like this is a big part of Rockbrook. We love it because costumes always add a little silliness to whatever we’re doing. They help us laugh at ourselves, lightening things up a bit, proving that it’s OK to let your guard down and enjoy the freedom in that. When a lot of people are dressing up, it’s even better, as that sets an overall tone that brings us together. Costumes help you sing more, dance more, and be more playful. They help you lean into things with a more joyful and open attitude. Putting on a costume is just more fun like this. Ask your girls, they’ll tell you.

Our Barbie theme carried over into dinner too. With pink shiny mylar table cloths, pink streamers and flags, and few Barbie treats to accompany our meal of hotdogs, roasted potatoes, homemade coleslaw and baked beans, the real showstopper was the Barbie brownies with pink icing. We sang a few songs from the Barbie movie and ended the evening with a Barbie fashion show. So much silly pink fun.

A quick note about mail… keep sending it! Here are the instructions to send mail. Receiving mail is a big deal at camp, so the more cards and letters and emails you can send, the better. Trust me; your camper is craving something in their mailbox. Go ahead and send something. It’ll make her day.