ALREADY IN THE MIDDLE OF WEEK 5...

Dear All,

We already reached the middle of week 5!  Can you believe it??  We can barely believe how time flies; but, as the old adage goes, 'time flies when you are having fun'! :) And there is no shortage of having fun at Camp Heidelberg this week - or any other week, for that matter! :) 

We fully embraced our theme for the week - Sports Mania - even though we spent a day and a half indoors this week.  The rain however did not stop us from perfecting our aim in archery, making some amazing crafts, playing touch football and working on our Frisbee throw.  We even tried table tennis as well.  

This week we welcomed Wiki (or Katrina) and Sifu NayNay (or Nathaniel) who helped us out while some of our counselors were away.  Thank you for your support.  On Friday, we will also be welcoming 'Moose' (or Lindsay) who will be subbing in for Wiki and Daisy.

We welcomed a few visitors as well this week.  Our CEO, John, and his assistant Shawna came to visit our camp.  They completed a tour of the grounds, and John even challenged one of our counselors in a game of table tennis.  Sifu Naynay: I think John won that game! :)

For the rest of the week, we are looking forward to some amazing games, crafts and, of course, the sleepover.  For the sleepover, we will be welcoming 'Hook' from the A.R. Kaufman YMCA and 'Daisy Jr.' from the Stork Family Y.  In addition, our Supervisor Alex will be sleeping over along with 'Mushu' (or Kelsey, the Site Coordinator at the A.R. Kaufman YMCA) and 'Moose' (or Lindsay).

Thank you for your continued support of our camp.  See you at Camp Heidelberg! :)

Teddy and the Camp Heidelberg Counselors :)

WEEK 4 CAME AND WENT...

Dear All,

It's Friday afternoon, and we have come to the end of week 4 - and to the halfway point of our summer!  Time has flown by so, so fast! It's unbelievable that just a few weeks ago, we were beginning our 2014 camp season.  Looking ahead we are aiming to embrace every and all opportunity to have an exceptional time at Camp Heidelberg! 

And, we just did that this past week!  This week we fully embraced our theme - 'build it up and break it down'!  Of course, we built a lot more than we broke - or so we think - and we all had a tremendous time at the camp. :)

During the last three days of the week we played Gega Ball, worked on our archery skills, prepared skits and then delivered them on Thursday evening, had an amazing sleepover, and learned a tremendous amount from the LIAs who spent Wednesday and Thursday with us.  Thanks to Lefty and Daisy, we also learned how to make slime with corn starch!

Looking ahead, we are gearing up for a week filled with sports, followed by a week of Jr. CSI, a week filled with activities geared towards learning about the environment, and then, during the last week of camp, we will be playing all the activities we really enjoyed all throughout the summer. We hope to see many of our veteran and returning campers soon again.

Thank you for your continued support of our day camp! 

Teddy and the Camp Heidelberg Day Camp Counselors :)

 

CAN A STYROFOAM CUP HOLD A BOULDER; CAN WE BUILD A LATTICE DOME USING ONLY STICKS AND STRING??

Dear All,

Even though it's only Tuesday, we have already fully embraced our theme for the week at Camp Heidelberg.  Yesterday, we spent the day building weight-bearing structures, building the tallest free-standing structure, playing European Handball, refining our archery skills, and playing parachute games.  In the afternoon, we tested our weight-bearing structures, and to our delight, Styrofoam cups and popsicle sticks can in fact hold a relatively large bolder.  See our pictured below.

Today, Tuesday, the BUZZ is that we will be spending the day in the forest building lattice domes out of sticks and string.  Lattice domes - built out of simple materials - were used by pre-historic humans as shelters.  Let's see if we can built the domes - and, let's see how BIG of a dome we can build! 

Please do not forget about the PARENT CHALLENGE!  Any comments - positive and constructive - are more than welcome. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Teddy and the Camp Heidelberg Counselors :)

IT'S 'BUILD IT' WEEK AT CAMP HEIDELBERG!

Dear All,

This week at Camp Heidelberg we are building and breaking - but mostly building - bridges, free standing structure and much, much more.  We are welcoming 72 campers this week - we will have a full camp third week in a row!! How exciting!! :)

This week we are launching a 'BUZZ' section on our blog.  We will be telling you regularly what the latest 'buzz' - exciting story, personal goal set and attained, new game and activity, etc. - is at the camp.  Well, just to tell you, the buzz this morning is that Dyno wants to build boats out of aluminum foil!!  That sounds exciting!!  We must try this!!

And, we are re-introducing the second annual PARENT CHALLENGE at Camp Heidelberg.

PARENTS: For every comment and suggestion you make on our blog regarding our camp, the blog itself or any other aspect of our day camp, you will earn no less than 200 points for your camper's team.  We will tally the points on Thursday evening during the campfire.  (You do not have to attend the campfire to gain the points.)  We are looking for your input into the different aspects of our camp in order to serve you and your campers better.  Please feel free to share any ideas you may have with us, and we will reward your camper's team with a substantial  amount of points! :)  (Please note that you will need a GMAIL account to comment on our blog.  Alternately, please give your comments to our staff at the sign-in/out table.)

Thanks so much for your continued support of our camps. 

Teddy and the Camp Heidelberg Day Camp Staff :)

AND THAT IS A WRAP FOR WEEK 3! :(

Dear All,

Week three came to a close in the midst of a 'Gega Ball' tournament, several rounds of board games, archery and trips down to the pond for a few more pond explorations.  On Thursday night we also enjoyed new skits during the campfire, and watched 'Despicable Me' afterwards.  Some of us enjoyed a number of rounds of board games as well.

Next week we are 'building and breaking' structures and things - most likely building more than breaking! :)

Thank you so much for you continued support of our day camp! 

Teddy and the Camp Heidelberg Camp Staff :)

MANY RECORD ARE BEING SET AND ATTAINED

Dear All,

It seems like week 3 at Camp Heidelberg is just flying by!  There were - and still are - many records to set and many records to break; and all of us are in the midst of doing our very best to surpass our goals we set for ourselves. 

One of the activities we have been really enjoying this week is 'Pond Exploration' - with the help of 'Mr. Heidelberg' himself, Al.  He was kind enough to provide us with a few tips with regards to which living beings live in the natural habitat around us.  Our goal then was to find as many of these creatures as we could - and to set a few records!!  And, that is exactly what we did.  Please see our pictures below. 

But, we also continued to work hard on setting - and surpassing - individual goals as well.  Records are being set in hoola-hooping (1 hour and 12 minutes without stopping), in hand stands, in hand stands against a wall, in basketball shooting competitions, and many other events.  We will chat about these later tonight, during the campfire.

We were also visited by our friend Katie, from the Guelph Y, who lead us in activities dealing with youth gambling.  She is an old friend - and supporter of our camp - and it is always so exciting when she visits us.  See you again in August, Katie! :)  

And, speaking of the campfire: the PARENT CHALLENGE is still on!  There are many, many, points to be earned - and simply by commenting on our blog.  We would love to hear from you! :)

Thank you all for your continued support of our camp.  Hope to see you tonight at the campfire!! :)

Teddy and Camp Heidelberg Counselors :)

WEEK 3 - LET'S MAKE AND BREAK RECORDS!!!

Dear All,

Here we are - it is week 3 ALREADY! This morning we began our adventures of making and breaking records at Camp Heidelberg.  The campers, Brian - the volunteer - and our staff began the week with much enthusiasm and energy in hopes of breaking records, making friends, and having an unforgettable time at our beloved day camp. 

This morning we began our day with team cheers and forming groups based on the individual choice of each camper.  Later on we worked on our archery skills, tried the '50 meter scream' activity, played some basketball and wondered down to the pond in the hopes of finding - and naming - as many living things as possible.  And, to our wonderful surprise, we made some quite unique friends: we met Spencer, the salamander, and Donna, the dragon fly! (See their pictures below.) 

Tomorrow afternoon we will embark on a group-by-group quest to find as many living things by the pond as we can find!  Each team will gain 50 points for each living thing they can find and properly name.  We would like to thank Al, or 'Mr. Heidelberg', for a great rubric which will help us during our task. 

And, speaking of teams and points, we are introducing the second annual PARENT CHALLENGE at Camp Heidelberg.

PARENTS: For every comment and suggestion you make on our blog regarding our camp, the blog itself or any other aspect of our day camp, you will earn no less than 200 points for your camper's team.  We will tally the points on Thursday evening during the campfire.  (You do not have to attend the campfire to gain the points.)  We are looking for your input into the different aspects of our camp in order to serve you and your campers better.  Please feel free to share any ideas you may have with us, and we will reward your camper's team with a substantial  amount of points! :)  (Please note that you will need a GMAIL account to comment on our blog.  Alternately, please give your comments to our staff at the sign-in/out table.)

Thank you for your continued support of our day camp. 

Teddy and the Camp Heidelberg Staff :)

WEEK 2 COMES TO A CLOSE!

Dear All,

Week 2 came to a close way too quickly!  The last two days of the week seem to have flown by in the midst of all kinds of fun and exciting activities.  On Thursday we tried our hands - and feet  - at a brand new game called 'Orbit'.  We further perfected our lacrosse skills and prepared our groups for the campfire, which was a huge success.  At the campfire we sang songs, acted in skits and welcomed staff from other sites, staff from previous years, and we also welcomed our former supervisor Kaitlyn as well. 

Today, we competed in an 'egg drop' challenge, some of us played 3-on-3 basketball against the counselors, played soccer and worked on our archery skills.  After a delicious pot-luck lunch we played 'Gega ball' and 'Camouflage' and saw a number of staff and two campers get schmucked with whipped cream. 

By the time we got back to the Ys we were just so, so exhausted, and were definitely ready for the weekend.

Next week please stay tuned for the launch of our 'PARENT CHALLENGE' involving this blog!  Parents will be able to help campers - and their counselor groups - gain much needed points just by following our blog.  Please stay tuned for further information!

Thank you so much for your continued support of our day camp, and we are wishing you a great weekend.

Teddy and the Camp Heidelberg Counselors :)

P.S.: Enjoy our pictures from the last two days of the week.

A VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE WEEK!! :)

Dear All,






Yesterday and today we continued our quest for 'fun and fitness'.  And, yesterday not even a downpour or two could stop us!  Although we spent the afternoon indoors, we still managed to play soccer, have three-legged races, shoot a few bullseye and prepare an awesome craft or two.  We even tried out the land skis in the morning at the Y, and build an very tall structure out of straws-and-connectors.   






Today, our day consisted of learning lacrosse skills and playing a game or two of lacrosse, having 'egg on a spoon' team challenges, fine tuning our archery skills and making duct-tape wallets, purses, and other accessories.  It was quite cold in the morning so we built a campfire to keep us warm.






In the afternoon then we had a tug-of-war tournament.  All teams put maximum effort into the competition.  We even saw the counselors compete as a team - gloriously, I might add - being beaten only by Lefty's group which won the tournament!  Teddy thinks that there might have been a rule violation - apparently Dyno and, earlier, Stix' shoes might have been made slippery by a few campers causing these counselors to fall during the competition - so there might be a rematch during the campfire tomorrow evening.  Stay tuned for the final 'call' on that one! :)






And so we are looking forward to our second sleepover of the season.  Permission forms and pot-luck sign-up sheets are available on the sign-in/out tables.  We also have maps available as well. 






Thank you so much for your continued support of our day camp.  See you tomorrow at the campfire! :)






Teddy and the Camp Heidelberg Staff :)

ONTO WEEK 2 - AND 'FUN AND FITNESS'!! :)

Dear All,

This morning we began our quest for 'fun and fitness' at Camp Heidelberg.  In the midst of some mist, wet terrain and later sunshine, we played European Handball, challenged each other - and other teams - in 'Tug of War' competitions and even tried a four-way 'Steal The Bacon'.

Please stay tuned for this week's team names, activities, and, of course, information about the campfire and sleepover on Thursday evening. 

See you all at Camp Heidelberg,

Teddy and Camp Heidelberg Staff :)

 

WEEK 1 IN PICTURES... :)

Dear All,

This past Friday, week one came to an end!  It was a very successful week, and all of us - campers, volunteers and staff included - learned a tremendous amount! 

We would like to take this opportunity to share the week with you - in pictures!  Please enjoy them below! :)  

We also hope you enjoyed the activities, the campfire, the sleepover, and, not the least, the staff 'Schmucking' at the end of the week.

Thank you for your support, and hope to see all of you again this summer - if not sooner, then during this week, while we partake in some 'Fun and Fitness'! :)

Teddy and the Camp Heidelberg Camp Counselors :)