Happy ThanksGATHERING

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from us and ours here at Lindley G. Cook 4-H Camp.

A legit Camp turkey. Though this picture is from the summer, we've spotted this bird quite recently. We can vouch it will be spending it's Thanksgiving in Stokes Forest and not on someone's dinner table.

However, you'll notice that the title of this post dwells not just on the upcoming event of Thanksgiving, but the the event upcoming right up after that...our Winter Gathering! Yes, Thanksgiving means our Winter Open House and Summer Camp Reunion is just over a week away.

See the details here, RSVP here, and have a Happy Thanksgiving right where you are (or wherever you're going to be).

Lakeside in Progress: Volume I

We've been dreaming of our Lakeside amphitheater for years now (especially whenever folks in the back rows would have to stand up to see what's going on down front OR when the older campers would accidentally knock over the benches moving up for teen time every single Monday night...you know who you were), and we are thrilled to finally have construction underway!


See the previous post on this here blog for more details on both the project and how to donate to be one of the forty founders of our new Lakeside Fire Ring.

The ancient Lakeside of the good ol' day in 2014. Back when we just had benches on the ground. The stone age. How in the world did we manage back then?

Step one. Get rid of all those benches. Mission accomplished.

Step #2: Now there's a pile of dirt. And a string on the scene! We are underway.

Positioning the very first pieces of lumber on the very first row. (This was an exciting day.)

Who are those gentlemen? Those are Joe, and those are Jeff. You didn't think those benches cleared themselves? You didn't think that lumber moved itself,  that dirt piled itself, or Lakeside measured itself with it's own string, did ya? And our new awesome project sure isn't going to build itself either. Nope, we need Joe and Jeff for that.

When Lakeside is done, you're gonna hear a lot of people saying things like "Wow. Joe and Jeff did a really nice job on this." You can start practicing saying that now.

Building a rustic camp fire amphitheater is work!

Work involving dump trucks!

Work involving tractors!

Work that we think will be well worth it when the project is completed.

As you can tell from the "Volume I" in the title of this post, we'll be keeping you up to date on all the impressive work Joe and Jeff are doing.

Oh, and if I haven't mentioned it yet, we need further funding to help complete this project! If you're interested in being one of the forty founders of Lakeside and want to sponsor a  bench all of you own (complete with a plaque!), please get in touch with the Camp Office.

AND, if you are planning to attend the Winter Gathering, you can get a sneak peek at the project live and in person. (RSVP here.)

Live from Lakeside

A big part of what we do here at Camp is trying to keep things as they've always been, attempting to offer the same classic Summer Camp experience we have since 1951. But sometimes, sometimes we drop that goal entirely and go completely the other direction by trying to improve Camp with something brand-new.

Y'know. Making the best better, if you will.

With that thought, I would like to introduce our new facility improvement at The Lakeside Fire Ring.

The very first steps in constructing our new Lakeside Fire Ring.

WAY back in the old days of 2006, we moved our fire ring from deep in the woods out to the pleasant and hospitable lakeside shores of our dear Shawanni. We are now looking to complete that move by building a permanent tiered seating structure, a 200 seat amphitheater around our fire ring. 

Cool, right? We sure think so.

What you see below is only the beginning of the first row and the first bench, There will be nine more rows behind, each with a half foot raise in elevation so there won't be a bad seat in the house. 

And here's where you come in! We are opening each of our forty lakeside benches for sponsorship. For just $400 you, your family, group or organization could have a plaque on once of these benches and more importantly be one of the forty founders of this awesome project.

Friend of Camp Tyler "T-Nivi" Nivison is heading up a fundraiser for our first three benches. One will be a gift from the Staff of 2014, and two will be dedications to former Staff members Charlotte Lafean and Rob Hart. If you'd like to donate to any of these benches, go to Tyler's fundraising site here. If you (or anyone you know) would like to donate for a bench and become one of the forty founders of our new Lakeside Fire Ring, get in touch with us either online or by calling the camp office.

If you've ever wanted a plaque on Camp, now's your chance! Below is our fundraising letter. Please pass it along to any interested parties. We aim to sell all forty benches to support what will be a new iconic centerpiece of camp.

For more information, to be sent a copy of the letter, or to donate please contact the Camp Office.

First Snow

This would be pretty if it weren't so outrageous that it was already snowing.

See, look at that! Even the  the climate  is busy at work preparing for our Winter Gathering in three weeks. 

If you plan to attend and haven't RSVP'ed yet please do so! We can't wait for everyone to join us and share camp in the winter time. (And from these pictures, it seems like winter time is now.) 

Winter Gathering

You're invited to our very first ever Winter Gathering!

Mark your calenders! Saturday, December 6th from 2pm-6pm.

This event is free and open to all of our Summer Camp campers and their families. 

It'll be a great chance to have a reunion with your Summer Camp Family and get excited for the 2015 season! When we light our tree near the end of the event, it will mark the official start of Summer Camp registration. 

If you're looking to join our Lantern Family Program for 2015, it'll also be a great opportunity to show off camp to some prospective campers you'd like to bring along.

RSVP by emailing, calling the camp office, or attending the event on our Facebook page.

See you here in less than a month!

***There is no guarantee that camp will be covered in lovely snow like in all these pictures. However, camp always looks this way in the winter in spirit if not in actuality.***

The Classes of MICRO Camp

The way we do classes at MICRO Camp (the Artist Formerly Known As SET Camp) is a bit different than our standard summer camp classes. First off, campers select just one class and take that class for the entirety of MICRO Camp. (Close to seven hours of total lesson plan time!)  This gives campers more time to dive into their subject matters, and allows them to develop more detailed and complex projects. Another difference in that though our counselors assist with the courses, we bring in specialized instructors to teach each class. With these differences, the campers get an immersive experience  with plenty of time to explore some of the classes' big ideas in depth.

But what ARE those classes?

Boy, I'm happy you asked.

Some are camper-favorite SET Camp classes we're bringing back and/or improving upon.

Some are brand-new to MICRO Camp.

As the summers go on, we'll continue to rotate in popular classes from previous years, as well as consistently introducing new courses.

But enough on the distant future. Let's get back to the not-so-distant future.

Not-so-distant as in Summer 2015, and the MICRO Camp classes we're featuring:

Ranger’s  Creature Hunt*

Stokes Forest is a big, beautiful and mysterious place.  Ranger’s Creature Hunt will explore all the different animals that make Stokes their home, as well as a huge range of mythical creatures that could make Stokes their home! In studying the behaviors, characteristics, and habitats of Stokes’ real animals, our students will unlock the possibilities of the creatures of myth and imagination as well.

Aliens*

Students in our brand new Aliens class get to build an extraterrestrial civilization from the ground up! Through various projects and activities they’ll design the physiology of an alien species, the environmental make-up of their planet, the scope of their technology, and the entire history of their culture. The stars (and our camper’s creativity) are the limits.

Crazy Contraptions

A favorite of our science and technology based classes, Crazy Contraptions tests our campers' inventiveness, knowledge, and patience. Using a random assortment of house hold gadgets, junk, and everyday items they must construct an insanely complex Rube Goldberg-esque machine designed to perform a very simple task. They will learn the basics of planes, wedges, pulleys, wheels, levers and screws and have to utilize them all to build their own unique Crazy Contraption.

Super CSI

We’ve revamped our CSI class to add new levels of excitement and mystery! The class will gather clues and deduce their meanings, as well as learn different finger printing , interviewing, and investigation  techniques.  Campers will detect the evidence, unravel the mystery, and discover their inner sleuth.

Chuck It*

Nobody ever gets tired of objects being hurled through the air! Yes, as the name so clearly explains, this class will be about items being thrown, hurled, launched, catapulted, flung, and chucked. Not only will the students construct different kinds of catapults, sling shots, and air cannons, but they will learn the physics of flight by examining the factors of distance, speed, angle and velocity.

Ocean Robotics

There’s only one thing cooler than robots: underwater robots. Campers will learn how scientists use Remote Operate Vehicles to monitor the ocean and use that knowledge to explore the depths of our very own Lake Shawanni. The program will focus on underwater gliders and Sea Perch ROVs.

*- What are these random asterisks! Oh. They're not so random. They notate that these classes would be great for younger campers!

So that's the class selection for 2015.  Choose carefully. Choose wisely. And choose quickly, because we only have 20 spots in each class for our first summer of MICRO Camp. 

Introducing: MICRO Camp

The new and exciting changes just keep on coming for the 2015 season because SET Camp is now...MICRO Camp.

MICRO Camp keeps everything that's great about SET Camp, but throws in a little bit more creativity, and a little bit more of our classic summer camp fun.

If you just looked at the name MICRO Camp and thought to yourself "Hey! With all those capital letters, that better be an acronym that stands for something!", worry not. You won't be disappointed.

Make, Imagine, Create, Research and Originate are the core virtues in  all the exciting classes we offer at MICRO Camp. Plus, it's MICRO cause it's just like a week at summer camp...only a little smaller. Campers stay for 3 nights and 4 days, residing in the cabins with our counselors, and participating in a bunch of our summer camp activities at the very beginning of the season.

Plus, it's a lot of fun to say. Out loud. MICRO Camp. Try it!

For real. Say it now. MICRO Camp!

Come on, just say it out loud. It'll be fun, I promise.

Wherever you are.

Especially if you're reading this on your phone in a public place where it would be socially unacceptable to just blurt out "MICRO Camp!" If that's where you are, definitely say it out loud.

Did you try it?

MICRO Camp!

Fun, right?

Now say it five times fast.

Now you can stop saying it, you've done your part. (Besides, people are beginning to stare.)

Later this week, on this very blog (what a coincidence) we'll be announcing the classes offered for MICRO Camp 2015.

M.I.C.R.O Camp promises to be a great experience for campers who are into all sorts of crazy science and technology, first time campers who want to give summer camp a try, and campers who already love Lindley G. Cook and just can’t get enough camp.

The Final Themes: The First Themes.

This past summer, campers heard whispers of what Session 2, 2015 might have in store for them.

Well whispers isn't quite right.

They didn't here whispers.

They heard roars.

Yes they heard roars echoing through the forest and discovered giant tracks in the mud around Lake Shawanni, because dinosaurs are finally coming to Camp.

---

Session 2: JURASSIC WEEK 
July 13th-18th

Giant egg hunts. Fossil excavation hikes. Assembling the bones of brand-new species. Cave-person campfires. Create your own pre-historic creature.

And of course, the emergence of the greatest dinosaur of them all: THE DINO-CAMP-ASAURUS.

Get ready. Jurassic Week is going to be awesome.

No pictures yet exist of Dinosaurs on Camp, so we had to make do.

A Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-DINO Grandchild.

A yet to be discovered ancient Camp creature.

Baby Pterodactyl? Maybe?

Exactly. Roar.

Oh, never-mind. We do have pictures of a dinosaur on camp, I forgot. He's right here. Just think...finally. An entire week devoted to Velcro.

-----

And finally first, we're at first finally...Finally. First. Kicking off the summer, with session one, we have our very first EVER:

Session 1: VIKING WEEK
July 6th-11th

An all-time favorite event of our long-time campers is our weekly Thursday Night Viking Dinner, and now we're doing the unthinkable...an entire VIKING week. 

Vikings (in the camp sense, while not strictly historically accurate) are wild, crazy, and inventive. Viking week will showcase all of those traits, especially with our all-new lake activity. It will also feature  different variations of Viking Dinner (each one completely different with separate rules and guidelines) every single evening! Oh, and there will be horned helmets. Lots and lots of horned helmets.

What better way to kick-off Session 1 2015 than by taking the concept of Camp Viking to the extreme?

THIS IS WHAT ALL OF VIKING WEEK WILL LOOK LIKE ALL WEEK LONG. (Only cleaner. We will all be significantly cleaner than this.)

There you have it! The dates and themes of Summer 2015. We can't wait to see your here.

Now that they're all announced, you can finally stop "staying tuned."

KIDDING!

Keep staying tuned!

On this very blog we'll be announcing our new twist on SET Camp, new off-season events, and a brand new slew of classes for 2015! So keep staying tuned!


The worst thing you could do is miss something by stopping staying tuned!

So don't. Not stay turned. That is.