Session Two's Boo Blog

       I write this blog to you, Dear Parents and Family Members, with a great big smile on my face and happiness in my heart.  I was the lucky one to get to play with your kids all afternoon yesterday, followed by watching the PF Talent Show last night, and preceded by seeing the kids at the horse show on Saturday…I have so much to tell you about and it is ALL GOOD!

            You have the dearest, sweetest, most hard working and delightful children!!! It has been our pleasure and honor to have them with us at Pony Farm this session.  We have not had one drop of homesickness, one unpleasant word, or one fuss between kids.  They have been good as gold and just plain fun all week long.  The weather has been less than ideal for a summer camp with major outdoor programming!  With threatening thunderstorms, rain and kind of dreary clouds, it has not dulled our sprits in the least.  They have been gung-ho for anything and everything offered to them, from lessons, to swimming in the rain, to evening activities galore, to even riding in the rain.  They smile through it all and have a ball.  They are a tribute to you and good parenting.  Thank you for bequeathing them to us this summer.

            Starting with the horse show prep and planning, the kids really worked hard.  They took their lessons seriously. I hope you share my observation that all the kids have made good progress during their first week of lessons this session. I watched kids compete in classes who had arrived a few short days before unable to steer or trot in a group. Trotting merrily along, posting and keeping their distance, to the last one, the girls did well in the show.  Others jumped around courses that the rain had prevented them from really working to perfect. With excellent perseverance and determination, they did course after course, both with jumps and trail obstacles.  I also loved the care and attention to detail that the teaching staff demonstrated with each kiddo.  It is no mean feat to receive a bunch of kids on Sunday afternoon and have them sorted out on the right mount, in the right classes and with the right coaches all in five short days!  This staff managed this with ease and fun. I was so proud of them all, kids and staff, alike.

            I was also delighted with the four kids who chose not to compete. For one good reason or another, they wanted to cheer on their friends and help staff the show rather than compete.  They helped pass out ribbons, helped me run the trail classes, clapped and encouraged, and generally were just plain pleasant to be around.  PS. They did get special kudos that night, I promise!

            So, with a happy show under our belt, followed by a fun, silly movie called Madagascar, they stumbled off to bed, happy but tuckered out.  The next morning they popped right out of bed for more fun and time together on a farm.

          Sundays is always my most favorite day of the week because we do not do the structure and formality of riding lessons and barn chores.  We just get to be together and enjoy the farm. 

               We get to be human “beings” instead of human “doings”! Typically, it is in the sun, but true to the weather pattern hanging over the farm this week, it was under cloudy skies with pretty good humidity.  After rooms were cleaned, laundry organized and a nice leisurely breakfast eaten in shifts, time to play in the pool, with the farm animals, and do arts and crafts began.  Everyone passed the swim test with ease and free swim was enjoyed by many.  Still others wanted to chat as they made bracelets, read books, chatted while watching the sheep graze, jumped the miniature horses, or just looked at the world go by.  I love watching the gaggles of girls overflowing with giggles. I think that this day is how the world ought to be in more places!

            After taking a dip myself, a bunch of us harnessed up Mike and Ben, our two newly donated Haflinger ponies, and started off on a leisurely hay ride down the road.  The kids were all able to go together, about 10 at a time.  We did two happy trips, with several kids helping do the actual driving of the pair of ponies.  We chatted and sang and admired the woodsy scenery.  I recalled once when one of the campers looked up at me on a similar afternoon of fun and said “You know, Boo, if more people traveled like this, there would be less wars.”  I have to say I am in total agreement with this little wise one!

            The kids then gathered in their rooms and in small groups to begin rehearsing for their Talent Show.  With multiple ‘acts’ on our list and great anticipation, we had a quick Sunday night dinner including chicken and mashed potatoes!  With the rain coming down, we all trooped off to the Indoor Arena for the highly awaited Talent Show.

            Skits, songs, gymnastics, Obstacle Courses, more dancing and singing, and even some Live Stand Up Comedy, it was a high time for us all.  It is a real tribute to your parenting and many miles of carpooling to and from lessons that these kids are so talented and versatile.  To the littlest one, they can stand up and ‘strut their stuff’ in front of the entire camp community without a hitch. I finally had to corral them to go back to the lodge for our Good Night Circle and Vespers after nearly two hours of fun and frolic.

            As all the girls and staff gathered around the Vesper Log ablaze with Candles and sang their hearts out, I settled back in my rocking chair, convinced that I was the most blessed person on Earth.  Hearing their sweet voices sing the line-up of favorite camp songs, and listening to all that they are thankful for during Good Night Circle, surely puts a pleasant spin on a week of hard work to get it all right.

I must say these days and evenings of simple enjoyment and celebration convince me that the world will continue in good ways.  With this much talent, compassion, ‘can do’ attitude and willingness to be a contributing part of a team, how can it not.  Thank you for bringing up such dear and caring children to be leaders for tomorrow!

Today, the kids will be swimming with the horses and having lessons. Tomorrow will feature an All Day Drive with members of our Driving Club.  More lessons will happen throughout the week as they negotiate jumping courses, the Hunter Pace, bareback, field trips, lungeing, vaulting, carriage driving, horsemanship and stable management…the list of activities goes on and on! It is never a dull minute, thanks to the enthusiasm of your kids.

We look forward to showing off their skills to you this coming Saturday. While we will be SAD to lose many of this session’s campers, we are eager to have you see what they learned and experience the camaraderie that has thrived this week.  Please plan to arrive between 9:30 and 10AM on Saturday, with a picnic for your family and your guests. We will serve refreshments and dessert. The girls will ride in their regular riding lesson with the Senior Staff explaining what skills have been honed and answering your questions.  This demo lesson will be followed by Specialties, which are the various other equine activities like riding or vaulting which took place during our session together.  This all wraps up about noon and its picnic time for all.

We will gather on the front lawn of the lodge to enjoy a last meal together.  Two members of our Touchstone Board of Directors will do a Mission Minute to tell you about the unfolding of the farm as a not for profit, including the exciting future to come. This will be short and sweet but we hope you will enjoy hearing what is in store at Touchstone Farm, home of Pony Farm, for future generations.  You can plan to leave by about 1 or 1:30…following your camper(s) saying good bye to staff, fellow campers and their ponies…I hope you can plan to stay for it all.

            Until then, please know that we are thrilled to be with your kids. We will work hard to make every hour special. We truly want to “Build Foundations which Last a Lifetime….” for your children.  See you on Saturday and thank you for sharing your children with us. It is a real treat.

                                                                                    Sincerely and warmly,

                                                                                    Boo…Founder and Spirit Keeper!

Writing Your Camper

Kate Margolese currently directs an introductory overnight program for 7 and 8 year olds at Camp Wohelo in Raymond, Maine in the summer where she has spent 16 summers as camper and counselor.  Her two daughters love returning to summer camp year after year.  She has experienced first hand the mix of emotions in sending a child to camp from watching their confidence grow as they take on new independence to missing the daily parent-child interactions.  When she finds time at camp, she writes on her blog, Summer Camp. In our high tech world, there are few places where a handwritten, or even typed letter, is so treasured as at summer camp. Following a few guidelines can turn a mundane recounting of your daily routine into a letter that your child may even prize as much as a package. Okay, any letter is unlikely to be elevated to package status, but at least you can create a memorable missive to your summer camper.

Print
Supposedly students are taught to read and write cursive in grade three. Yet in most cases, opening a letter and discovering cursive is about as appealing as being served broccoli for breakfast and likely to be pushed aside just as quickly. For camp letter legibility stick with printing.

Be Colorful
We all like eye candy-- make your letter visually appealing. Use multiple colors of ink, decorate the margins, draw pictures occasionally in place of words. You may even feel like a kid again as you write.

Write Conversationally
You are chatting with your child not writing a memo to your manager. Use playful expressions, interrupt yourself, get off topic, meander.

Topics are Irrelevant
Unless you parachuted from an airplane and landed in a coconut tree on your commute to work, you don't need to recount your daily routine. Tell your child about the dog in the supermarket or how you had to retrieve your car keys from the garbage. You may want to know your child's schedule and every interaction, but he just wants to get a letter and know you are thinking of him. Laughing out loud while reading is a huge bonus, hearing about the traffic on the way to work, not so much.

Stay Positive
Especially if this is your child's first experience away from home, you want to stay upbeat. No need to mention how sad you are without her celebrating the fourth of July with you or how you are counting the days until she is home. It is fine to let her know you love her, but you don't want her worrying how you will manage without her at home.

Jokes, Riddles and Humor
If you are still stuck for what to write, find some jokes, riddles, puzzles or puns to include. Letters don't need to be long or newsy. They do need to arrive and let your camper know you are thinking of her. 

http://www.acanewengland.org/families-public/smore-about-camp-a-blog-for-camp-families/writing-your-camper

Camp Testimonial - The Power Of Camp

Dear Camp Families,

I got this e-mail from a camp family over the weekend.  I wanted to share it with you as a testimonial as to what camp can do for campers both involving ponies and not.   Camp is very powerful and very important for children.  Hopefully this e-mail will serve as a reminder.  I read this at my Monday morning staff meeting and tried not to cry.  

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Best,

Becky

Dear Becky;

I wanted to write to you today to express my gratitude for the time my camper spent at Pony Farm; she talked about all her adventures, non-stop the entire 2hr+ drive home! In addition to having had a complete blast with camp and all the wonderful activities you have to offer, my camper is now trotting independently. We now have with us a completely different rider than we sent just one week ago. For the first time in a year, we were able to ride together in the indoor this morning at her request. She became my ‘instructor’ and led the warm ups, and then we played follow the leader and Simon Says. She then asked to go on a trail ride, without being ponied. She and Jazz did a fantastic job even trotting out in the open at her request. I can’t begin to explain what a transformation this is. I am sure this new confidence gained will carry over into other areas of her life as well. Please pass along my appreciation to each of her instructors as well as the rest of the staff for a transformation week we could have only hoped for.

Warmly;

A Camp Mom

Session Two, We Welcome You!

Dear Camp Families,

It is so wonderful to have all your campers here!  We have returning campers, first time campers, and even second generation campers!  A wonderful mixture of girls! 

It has been a busy three days so far.  On Monday morning I met all your beautiful daughters.  In the morning the girls did their trial rides.  We want to make sure that we have the right camper, on the right mount, in the right lesson group! By Monday afternoon, we only had 3 out of 32 campers doing re-rides.  The rest were matches made in heaven.  I talked to every camper at lunch and they were all happy with their mounts, or there was a plan in place to achieve their happiness.

Monday afternoon we offered horsemanship to those campers who might have needed a little refresher course or a little extra help in learning how to tack up and/or lead their pony or horse.  We want to make sure we set our campers up for success, especially when they are here for 2 weeks.  Another afternoon activity option was slip and slide, which you can see pictures of on Facebook.  Their fourth afternoon activity option was obstacle courses with the minis.  Many campers gravitated towards this option probably because Boo was involved with it.

On Monday night, before dinner, a rain storm rolled through Temple NH.  Some of the campers took this opportunity to run around and wash their hair in the rain. 

We played Bag Skits on Monday night.  Each room is given about 15 minutes and a bag to put 5 items in the bag.  When the time is up, they are called out to the main room.  Then we switch all the bags around and re-give each room a bag.  (They don’t wind up with the bag they filled with their 5 items.)  Then the campers have a set amount of time to come up with a skit using all 5 items.  These skits are hysterical to see.  I love the creativity that goes into each skit.

It is hot here, but the girls are doing great with the heat.  Drinking plenty of fluids and not complaining at all about the heat.  The weather is supposed to break today.  We have a fun week planned ahead of us!  On Saturday is the horse show, come by if you can!

Best,

Becky

What the World Could Learn From Summer Camp

http://www.campparents.org/newsletter/0903/article2 By Matthew Carroll In the summer of 2008, I decided to work as a counselor at a traditional American summer camp in upstate New York. This trip to New York started out as a journey of procrastination and meditation, but quickly turned into a journey of discovery. I'd finished University only one week before and had no idea what my future would hold; I thought that a couple of months working in a camp would assist me in my pursuit of avoiding the real world. It was exactly this mission that made me realize something — camp was not the real world. It first hit me on the first day of camp when everyone was dressed the same — white T-shirt, shorts, sneakers, or flip flops. Kids were dressed the same as counselors; counselors were dressed the same as kitchen staff; and office staff were dressed the same as the head counselors. You couldn't distinguish the kids whose parents had saved up for months to send their kids to camp from those who had spent the spare change of a week's pay. Everyone here was truly equal. While the campers and American counselors recited the Pledge of Allegiance on the opening day, the international staff looked on in silence. Different faiths and different cultures were respected and tolerated. Coming from Northern Ireland this was not only a novelty but something that impressed me. People of all faiths were observing Jewish culture with respect, while back home in Northern Ireland Christians struggle to tolerate the cultures of other Christians. Camp was about the basics. Mobile phones were banned; Internet access was limited — even electric fans were banned (as kids didn't have their own personal fans in the interest of fairness, counselors couldn't either). A strong emphasis was put on keeping camp tidy. If you saw litter on the ground, you picked it up and put it in the bin. Kids were banned from watching television except for special "movie nights." The surprising thing was that the kids didn't seem to miss it. Bringing down the veil of technology led to more open conversation between friends, better networking, and unlikely friendships. During rest periods, I was amazed to see the main campus was absolutely heaving with games of stickball, basketball, tennis, or catch. Older kids played with younger kids; brothers played together; twenty-one-year-olds challenged eight-year-olds to games of chess . . . and lost. Kids were able to play outside in a safe environment the way they used to. Today, with so many concerns about crime, it's very hard for parents to let their kids go outside to play after breakfast and for them to return after dinner. But, at camp kids are safe. Everybody knows and trusts each other. At camp there are no locks on the doors. Kids and counselors leave iPods®, PSPs, books, and toys in their empty bunks all day and know those things will still be there, exactly where they were left. It is this sense of community that made me fall in love with camp. At camp, you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together in your division, otherwise known as your family for two months. Camp meal times are a place for conversation, joking around, dares, games, and occasionally songs. Campers and staff feel completely relaxed, and there is no shame in doing embarrassing things for other people's entertainment. So what can the world learn from camp? In short, to let kids be kids. We should be sending children to camp, allowing kids to get the exercise and the fresh air that is so vital to growing up. Camp allows children to spend time with their friends and develop the social skills that are so vital, instead of sitting inside in front of a television set. Adults can also learn that work doesn't have to be work, it can also be fun. Camp taught me that even though modern technology has opened up so many opportunities for us it can also trap us. Anyone who has worked at a camp will agree that you won't understand camp without trying it. Without trying it I wouldn't have learned as much as I have. Matthew Carroll is twenty-three-years-old and is originally from Coleraine, Northern Ireland. He is a graduate of Queen's University Belfast with a degree in French and German. He has previously worked and studied in France, Germany, and the USA. He most recently worked as a division leader at Camp Scatico in Elizaville, New York.

Camps encourage and inspire their campers to learn new skills and to explore new interests.

Camps encourage and inspire their campers to learn new skills and to explore new interests.

Aly Raisman Camp

We are inspired by this camp yearbook clip of Aly Raisman who was encouraged at summer camp to think about the future and to dream big, and by this segment onAly’s first-ever gymnastics meet, which happened at summer camp.

Camps also help build skills and deepen interests campers already have. Being at summer camp provides children with opportunities to invent and re-invent themselves, to take safe physical and emotional risks, and to grow into their own potential.

HOW?

• By creating an intentional community and a sense of belonging.
• By surrounding campers with counselors who are role models and excellent teachers.
• By encouraging campers to bust out of their comfort zones—to have confidence in themselvesas they try (or try again) something that is new or difficult—sometimes both.
• By offering experiences, adventures, and opportunities not available elsewhere.
• By helping each camper grow as a contributing member of the group.
• By taking children seriously and taking their dreams seriously, too.

Aly Raisman Beam

A message to Aly from New England’s summer camp world: Congratulations! People all over the world are full of pride—but that’s an understatement here in New England!  Countless campers are inspired by what happened in London during these Olympic games and by what you’ve achieved personally. New England cannot wait to welcome you home this week!

ACA New England sends a big shout out to the thousands and thousands of counselors and camp staff who have encouraged their campers to dream big at camp this summer.  As the summer camp season of 2012 winds to a close and children prepare to transition back to the classroom, we acknowledge the uniquely major role that summer camp plays in children’s lives. Summer camp experiences complement and reinforce learning that happens at school and at home. Camps are partners in a most complex and amazing process—helping children to grow up. Summer camp experiences not only encourage dreaming big, camp is the perfect place to pursue those dreams!

(Top photo: Buzzfeed.com, Bottom photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

http://www.acanewengland.org/families-public/smore-about-camp-a-blog-for-camp-families/summer-camp-is-all-about-dreaming-big-just-ask-olympic-gold-medalist-aly-raisman

A Boo Blog - The First of the Summer!

                                                                                                Thursday June 20^th, 2013

Dearest Parents and Grandparents,

            Oh my, where does the week go???  I guess time truly does fly when you are having fun!!!  And…fun we have had. The weather has proved to be great especially yesterday and today.  What could be better than bright skies and sunshine with cool temps, no bugs and TERRIFIC kids!!!  I feel like the luckiest person in the whole world to be a camp director at Pony Farm with your kids and a super staff.  I love every minute of it.

            As Becky has told you, we have had a power packed week.  It is good you have raised gung ho kids as they have been ever ready to do the fun activities and riding.  We sure have hit the high spots…games galore at night, Pony Dress Up and Spa, Pair and Triple Jumping, Driving the miniature horses, field trips to see the Budweiser Clydesdales and the Wilton Falls, Catch Riding, Free Ride, Trail Rides…you name it, we have done it.  This is of course only the backdrop to the riding lessons each morning.  On Monday morning the Horse Match List arrived with Andi, our Equine Manager and Trainer, who was responsible for getting all the wonderful horses for camp.  She was organized and ready to roll to meet her new charges.  All but a couple of matches were right from the start.  By Monday afternoon, everyone was on an appropriate pony or horse that would both challenge them and give them a good ride so they could focus on their own position and finesse in the saddle.

            From Tuesday on, we have had each group of between 3 and 5 riders learning good, solid riding skills and a progression to make it successful. We have spent a lot of time in Orientation for both Counselors-in-Training and the Riding Instructors on teaching a group riding lesson and making each minute count.  We have also carefully selected the teaching staff to make sure that each instructor is well versed in the level of riding at which she is teaching. We have then paired this with a weekly riding meeting with our two year around teachers who are very experienced and riding lessons each week for all the teaching staff.  It is our sincere hope that you see good solid progress when you come to see your daughter ride on Saturday!!!

            I have just spent the morning organizing three of my favorite activities of all. They are the Pony Camping Trip for tonight, swimming with the horses tomorrow and our closing ceremony called Candlelight tomorrow night.  With packing lists galore for the girls, food and ponies, we will head off this afternoon to go on our weekly overnight.  I can’t wait to see them cooking over the fire, telling stories by moonlight and tip toeing off to bed under the canopy of tall trees. This year we will be camping on the land behind my house.  We are working on setting up a permanent camp site near the pond by my house. It should make it fun and easy to get there with the feeling of being out in the woods.  Staff, kids and I are all psyched for this adventure.

           

            We will also be having our wonderful camp photographers with us today.  They will spend the day with us and go through all the activities with the girls.  Each girl will also get a picture of her with her own pony or horse.  They will then put them all on a CD which will be available for purchase on Saturday.  We hope you will think this is a treat to see camp in action.

            Tomorrow is another highlight for all the girls. We will be taking half the group at a time to go to swim at a local pond.  We select four or five of the horses who really enjoy going in the pond and swimming around.

            Then, on Friday night we will all get dressed and shined up for Candlelight. This to me is one of my most favorite parts of camp. We gather around a fire or some candles, depending on the weather, and sing our favorite songs learned over the week together. The kids each bring something they have written about what they learned during the week.  These are so beautiful and moving.  Over the years, these musings from the kids have kept me going through thick and thin.  What they learn and how much they love it makes me think all the work of creating the farm over the last 42 years has truly been worth it.

            I hope Saturday will dawn bright and sunny so that we can greet you between 9:30 and 10AM. We are eager to chat with you about your treasure.  Then, we will all go to the riding rings so that we can watch them ride in demo lessons. I am so eager to hear if you thought she has made progress.  Do bring a picnic so we can all eat together.  We will also have some of our wonderful board members here to give you the larger vision of the farm.  Camp is not all that we do here at Touchstone Farm, home of Pony Farm.  I hope you will enjoy our brief Mission Moment!

            Until then, know that we are all happily going from one fun thing to the other.  Here’s to camping trips under the stars, healthy kids loving their ponies, staff doing their jobs and one little farm where the ‘world is as it should be’….

            As they say, “Wish you were here” to enjoy the fun with us.

                                                                                    Most warmly, Boo