In Wisconsin, it has been snowing. Camp was on the receiving end of a huge storm right at the end of February. Our caretaker GREG FUS, was snowed in! Of course, he got out to take some photos. Big snows are great for the lake, so we’re happy! In Florida and Arizona,
pitchers and catchers reported first, and then a few short days later, Spring Training was officially underway. Games are starting soon, and then the season, and then camp. That’s the progression…plain and simple. It’s March, so officially we have about 3 1/2 months to go, but what with Spring Training starting, we’re practically in the home stretch. It is officially time to start getting very excited…if you haven’t already.One of the things that helps us get really pumped for the start of camp is our participation in the American Camp Association’s annual conference. It was in Atlanta this past month, and 3 of us, including MICHAEL BREEN, and JEFF MELROSE, met there for 4 days of campy talk, networking with our colleagues, and buying some cool stuff for camp. I’ve been to more than 25 of these conferences, and each year, there is a little of what I refer to as “cheerleading,” reminding us of not only how great camp is, but in this day and age, how vital camp can be for kids and adults.
For example, while we’ve long been well aware that kids are spending a lot of time with technology, we got some specific data at the conference that was startling. According to a recent study concluded by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average American adolescent spends 53 hours/week in front of a screen. Whaaaaaa?! That’s more than 7.5 hours a day!! Some of that is in school for some kids, but we all know what most of those hours consist of. Does anyone else remember back when we were kids when we would come home from school and change into “play clothes?” That way, we didn’t mess up our good school clothes when we went outside and got dirty! So, is the lack of outdoor, undirected, creative, and active play a bad trend? Yes. Unequivocally yes. Technology is not, in and of itself a negative influence. It is the surrender of the vast majority of our recreational time to technology that is, among other things, indisputably detrimental. Part of the concern is also the content that kids are seeing on those screens. Violence and other inappropriate material is presented in frequency and intensity that is unprecedented in history, AND young kids are just not spared from this. It is, as we parents all know, incredibly difficult to shield our kids from this stuff.
We offer you camp. For this period of time in the summer (too short even at 8 weeks!) we can and we do change the formula. We can control these things because of the nature of our somewhat isolated and uniquely directed environment, so we take full advantage of that and provide an “unplugged” stretch of time for our campers. One of the reasons why we are so successful in this endeavor is that we don’t just avoid technology, but we fill that time with meaningful play, with a time to reconnect to Nature, and with “vital engagement,” all of which are studied and proven antidotes to the injurious effects experienced by today’s technology-saturated kids. Specifically:
- Meaningful play provides unstructured (and therefore more impactful) opportunities for creativity, conflict resolution, compromise, teamwork, independence (specifically in circumstances when play happens away from parents), and more.
- Connecting with Nature is proven to improve cognition, productivity and creativity in children and adults. These are the very things that too much exposure to technology threatens, rendering experiences in Nature the most powerful antidote of all. Additionally, studies have shown that experiences in Nature reduce the negative effects of AD-HD in children and adults, and fosters more kind and calm behavior. Nature is an interwoven component of camp. We’re in it all the time. If it “heavy dews” (it never rains at camp)……we get wet….and we adjust.
- As an interesting side note, an article this past week in USA Today describes a research project that studied 8100 images in 296 children’s books – all Caldecott Medal winners – in which references to natural environments (forests, lakes) versus man-made environments (offices, homes) were tabulated. From 1938 to 2008, those books saw a reduction from having “natural” or animal references in 40% of total images, to just 25% of all images referenced in 2008. So to reach the kids, to connect with them, the authors are feeling the need to reference Nature less often.
- Vital Engagement is a term that describes intense and purposeful interaction between people, and at camp specifically, between campers and counselors. When kids are in front of a screen, their role model is either absent, or is a character on that screen. When kids are at camp, their role model is a real, live person who is there to be a role model! And a child therapist we have known and worked with for years, Bob Ditter, tells us that Vital Engagement is a critical healing component for children who have experienced trauma. For any children, it is purposeful, it flows naturally, and it is waaay better than a television or computer screen.
- Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louve
- The Nature Principle by Richard Louve
- wildernessawareness.org
- childrenandnature.org
- Homesick and Happy by Michael Thompson (publish date this coming May)
We have filled a few of our age groups in both sessions this summer, which is earlier than the past few years. Your enthusiasm is fantastic, and it’s contagious! Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled this past month: MICHAEL GROSS, JACOB KLINE and, after a summer’s absence, ANTON SANDERS of Chicago, IL; BEN & JOSH SKRILL of Tucson, AZ; AARON DEMBSKY of Glencoe, IL; MASON ROSENBERG of Northbrook, IL; GABRIEL ADLER of Santa Monica, CA; CLAY CASTRONOVO of St. Cloud, MN; BEN & JARED BLOOM of Highland Park, IL; and BEN ROBERTS of Houston, TX. Welcome aboard to the following first-year campers who will join us this summer: BEN LITMAN of Denver, CO; AIDAN DOYAL and JESSE MCCAULEY of Glencoe, IL; BRYAN EASLEY of Tucson, AZ; BRIAN BARUCK of Northbrook, IL; and JOEY FLOM, ADAM POGER, and LIAM SIMCKES of St. Louis, MO;
YO PARENTS: There is tons of new information available to you now that Spring has arrived. We're sorry to inundate you with this, but please bear with us and read all the information below. We have posted all of the Spring Information online for you. Please go to your Parent Keylog Page, and there you will find links down the left column. These links take you to very important information. You may notice we have organized the page to help you make sense of it all. The links you need to pay attention to include:GETTING READY FOR CAMP:
*Packing List - This is your guide to the clothing and equipment your son will need for either 4 or 8 weeks with us. Please follow it carefully.
*Order Timberwear Online - A link to the Cloz website where you can buy most everything your son will need, as well as camp logo'd items. If you’d like your son to have his clothing and gear in time for camp, PLEASE PLACE YOUR ORDER BY MAY 1ST!
*Camper Information Form - Good stuff for us to know about your son to help us get ready for him. Also your 2nd (and last) opportunity to make cabin mate requests. THIS FORM IS NOT REQUIRED FOR CITs.
*Activity/Trip List - A 2 page PDF file for you to read or print out and discuss with your son. Get the ball rolling on activities and trips your
camper may be interested in. Remember, there are no activity sign ups until the kids arrive at camp. *Visting Weekend RSPV - If you have a full season camper(s), or CIT, and you plan to join us for our Visiting Weekend, please let us know as soon as you can by filling out this form and submitting it.
HEALTH/MEDICAL INFO:
*Health History Form – You can complete this online, or print it out and use a pen! This must include your son’s immunization history, so you may need to contact his doctor to get a copy of that.
*Clinic Data Sheet – Basic info that the local health provider will need in the unlikely event your son has to visit the doc. If you completed this last year, and none of your contact info or health insurance info has changed since then, you do NOT need to complete a new one.
*Medical Recommendation Form – This form must be printed out and your doctor must complete and sign it. We do NOT require that your son has a physical exam for this form’s data, as long as he’s had one in the last 24 months.
*General Health Care Info – Just good information about our health care procedures. Light reading!
*Health Insurance Card – This is actually not on the Keylog Page, but we do require a copy of your Health Insurance card. If you sent us this last year, and there is no change in your Health Insurance policy (i.e. policy has not changed or expired), you do NOT need to send us a new copy.
CAMPER TRANSPORTATION INFO:*Travel Form - This is an online form to confirm with us your son's method of traveling to and from camp. Please submit this to us no later than May 15th. Please also remember our policy regarding changes in bus travel, "Withdrawal from bus travel within 1 week of travel days will still incur full bus fares. Additions to bus travel within 2 weeks of travel days cannot be guaranteed a seat on the bus."
*Info for Campers Flying to Camp - This is a PDF file with so much information about flying to camp, you need time to digest it. Some highlights:
**Flying is not easy in this day and age. We do the best we can to make it secure, convenient, and affordable. Travel One is our travel agency, and they work hand-in-hand with Delta Airlines. Delta is the ONLY airline flying large aircraft direct and NON-STOP into Minneapolis from all of our camp cities. A few cities do have alternate airlines available to them.
**In cities from which we have more than 15 - 20 campers flying together, Travel One blocks seats on our flights to make sure all of our campers can get on. The airline is interested in making money, of course, so they will not allow such a large percentage of their seats to be blocked off at their lowest fare. To address our needs and balance them with the airline's needs, Delta charges our families from these cities a fare that is an average of their lowest fares (early booking fares) and the higher fares they may be able to charge for later bookings. So it may be higher a fare you can find online. What do you and we get from that?
1. All of our kids are together and on flights that work for our schedule to arrive at camp at a reasonable time and depart fromcamp at a reasonable time.
2. All of their baggage is pulled from their flights and loaded onto one designated carousel that our staff uses to retrieve our bags. So far, we have lost ZERO bags this way.
3. Our travel agents alerts you of any schedule changes, flight changes etc.
4. For the return trip home, our campers are pre-checked-in with boarding passes issued before they arrive at the airport. That means no standing in line at the ticket counter with 100+ kids.
5. Also for the return trip home, our campers' baggage is checked in behind the scenes and loaded on their flights. Again, no standing in line to check 200+ bags.
**The travel document details the Unaccompanied Minor program. It is a valuable service that is not cheap, making it even more important that our families collaborate to share that cost.
**The reservation form for Travel One is also included. Print this out, complete it, and return it to Travel One as soon as possible. Fares will go up as the time to fly approaches. You can also make your reservations by calling Travel One at (800) 245-1111. Our agent is Marie Gunwall.GENERAL POLICY INFO:
*Unplugged Policy – Pertaining to all that stuff above. NEW THIS YEAR!! YOUR KIDS CAN BRING THEIR VIDEO-CAPABLE IPODS TO CAMP! Yes, you read that correctly. Upon their arrival, we will ask for the iPods (in a required sort of way), and we will disable all functions on the iPods except for music with our own locking code. When the boys leave camp to go home, we will give them the code to unlock the iPod and enable the other functions. This way they can keep their iPods, have their music in the cabins, and we’re still pretty darned unplugged. No videos, no apps, no Internet, just music and happy children! WE STILL DO NOT ALLOW IPADS OR E-READERS.
*Packages Policy – Unchanged this year. You can only send reading material like books and magazines. Unplugged ones!
YO OLD GUYS: If you will complete 7th grade or older this summer, you may be eligible for one or more of our "Big Trips" this summer. You've certainly heard older campers talk about these trips a lot during prior summers, so you know how special they are. Next month we'll send you a letter that will note what trips you have already completed, and what trips you are eligible for. Have a look, and if you'd like to pre-register for a big trip that you are (or soon can be) eligible for, you can do that from our website. The link for that is here.
We also want to remind you this one last time that if you will complete 8th grade or older this summer, you are a candidate to be a Big Brother for a new camper. As we noted last month, if you would prefer NOT to be a Big Brother, that's fine, but you need to let us know by March 15th. We will begin making Big Brother/Little Brother assignments after that, so we can send those assignments out in early April. Thanks very much.
YO STAFF: There is another camping conference that takes place in the Chicago area from March 8th - 10th. If you'd like to attend, please let us know right away. We will pay for the registration fee at the conference for you. You will be responsible for your own lodging and food while you're there. More information about the conference is available by clicking here.
NEW THIS YEAR: Thanks to the web-programming genius of our very own AARON ZEMACH, you guys can now complete your Staff Health History forms online! You’ll still need your immunization history from your doctor, but think about how much easier this is than using one of those old-fashioned pen-things and paper-stuff. It’s all online and accessed from your Staff Keylog page. Whoah…are we slick?!
We also want to remind you of the training opportunities available to you this summer. These include Lifeguard Training certification, challenge courses to renew your LGT and/or First Aid and/or CPR for the Professional Rescuer. Remember, your LGT certification is NOT VALID unless your CPR Pro is current. CPR Pro must be renewed every year or 2 years, depending . How do you sign up? Log in to your Staff Keylog Page, and click the "Extra Training" link. Please do this as soon as you know you can make those training dates.
You read for this? We expect that we are going to have a grand total of 3 first-year cabin counselors this summer. Three!! That’s out of 53!! Amazing! Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who will be with us again this coming summer:
JOSH BOLING: Josh is 23 years old, and has enjoyed spending his first year out of school working and living in Park City, UT with Timberlane folks Wes Hieb, Greg Cooper, and Chad Byler. Josh is greatly looking forward to his 3rd year at camp where he will again be a Trip Leader.
AUSTEN DRAPER: Austin will be 24 years old this summer and he joins us from Tyne and Wear in the United Kingdom. He is currently a Gunner in the 101st Regiment of the Royal Artillery and is excited to once again bring his training to our riflery range. In his 2nd year at camp, Austen will be a cabin counselor and will head up our Riflery program.
NORM DUDEK: Norm is a proud retiree in Lac du Flambeau, WI, spending his winters driving busses for the Lakeland school district. Norm is very excited to join us for his 2nd summer at camp as our driver, making sure our hearty campers and trippers get to and from their trips safely.
RYAN ELIAS: Spending his freshman year at the University of Arizona, soon-to-be 19 year-old Ryan will be joining us for his 11th summer at camp. When not hanging out with Timberlane Tucson folks, Ryan is busy studying and making ski trips out to Colorado. He will again be a cabin counselor and Ryan will step up this year to be Co-Director of our Waterski Program and help out with Rock Climbing.
EMILY JONES: A 20 year-old sophomore at Indiana University studying outdoor education, Emily will be joining us for her 20th (THAT’S
RIGHT—20th!) summer at camp. Emily is so thrilled to return to her home-away-from-home, building upon her success from last year as she joins us once again as our Sailing director. KATHY LEVERTON: All the way from South Africa, Kathy is spending her 7th summer at camp—an incredible feat for an international staff member! When not at camp, Kathy works as a facilitator at outdoor adventure camps, leading various wilderness trips throughout South Africa. She is 27 years old and will be returning once again this summer as a Trip Leader.
JEREMY SUTTON: Currently a sophomore at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, Jeremy is studying both history and political science. At 19 years old, Jeremy is joining us for his 9th summer at camp and, after spending a year playing for his university’s baseball team, Jeremy will be returning as our Baseball director and will be a cabin counselor.
KAYLA WANDSNIDER: Originally from Milwaukee, WI, Kayla is currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin—Lacrosse studying biology. Kayla works at her school’s recreation center renting out gear, leading trips with college kids, and, “trying to get people outside as much as possible.” Kayla will be taking her years of backpacking, canoeing, and kayaking experience to camp once more in her 3rd year as a Trip Leader. She is 22 years old.
The few, but the very proud. We’ve been interviewing some great folks for the past many weeks, and we continue to do so. Say hello to the following first-year staff member who has joined us this past month:ERIC BROWN: From Dover, OH, 26 year-old Eric is joining us for his 1st summer at Timberlane. He currently works as a robot technician and press operator but his true passion is camp and bike-riding. He has worked for several years at a camp in Ohio as a counselor and a mountain-bike instructor. Putting his 14 years of mountain-bike-riding experience to amazing use, Eric is thrilled to join us as our director of Mountain-Biking, in addition to being a cabin counselor.
We’ve had our last 3 reunions of the “off-season” including our LA group, our Tucson group, and our Atlanta group. So we want to say thanks to all of the hosts who allowed us to meet with our camp buddies in their homes (and/or Whirlyball facilities) over the winter. We appreciate the warm hospitality we have felt at the 10 different camp reunions we have held this winter. Phew!
In Los Angeles, BRYAN BERKOWITZ is playing tennis and plays basketball on his school team. His school science class was filmed for a TV show that showcased his teacher who had won an award. HENRY LOVETT is all tennis all the time…7 days/week. CHARLIE LOVETT is playing basketball now, having finished up soccer season. Baseball season starts soon! GABRIEL ADLER developed a passion for graffiti art this summer after learning
about it from his counselor, MICHAEL DUMENCIC. He has taken that passion and run with it, and his parents let him go crazy in his bedroom in his new house. Check out the photograph we’ve included. Amazing stuff! He is also playing basketball. ASA SAPERSTEIN is a budding young song-writer, and actually composed a beautiful song with Gabriel Adler. We’re not sure if it is rated for young audiences….In Atlanta, SAM PAWLAN is playing drums and baritone in his school band. He’s also become a top-notch moon walker. JACKSON PAWLAN is singing and taking voice lessons, wrestling, and he’s into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Here in Tucson, JOSH SIEGEL is playing lacrosse. BEN SKRILL is a rapper and had a role in his school’s rendition of “Mac Beth.” JOSH SKRILL is getting ready for baseball season. BRYAN EASLEY is in advanced math and is way into Yugioh. In Orlando, FL, IAN SETZER is playing in his school’s band and hoping to play goalie for his lacrosse team. In Chicago, JACK BARUCH got into the Diablo sticks this summer, and he’s been keeping at it. He’s also teaching himself lots of yo-yo tricks….a man of many talents! 
In Tucson, DAVID ARTZI was recruited to wrestle at N. Kansas State University. He graciously declined in favor of attending the University of Arizona. DAVID LANGEBARTEL will also be a freshman next fall at the U of A, and he is working at Pappa John’s and going to school. Up in Scottsdale, ROSS KRULISKY finished the high school soccer season and has been involved in community service projects for National Honor Society. Down in Celebration, FL, JEFF MELROSE has just completed a major renovation on his house there, and he is teaching those crazy 5th graders. In Orlando, VICKI SETZER has been working as a school nurse and quilting like crazy. In Milwaukee, BEN LEVEY applied to volunteer at a Hispanic charter school. Chicago finds SCOTT WOLF directing a play at Northwestern entitled “Rabbit Hole.”
The Juice
A special section from Michael Breen
Whenever I talk to old camp buddies about Timberlane, they invariably ask me what what’s different about camp these days. I always explain it’s the same as it ever was and yet better than it has ever been. However…that’s not totally true. There is one thing I miss a lot from my days as a camper—boom boxes. You see kids, there used to be this magic box that counselors would drag all the way from their dorm rooms; they would insert a shiny disc called a CD into the enchanted box, press a series of buttons and the most magnificent sounds would flow throughout the campgrounds. Yes the nineties were a glorious time for the boom box—bands like Guster, Dave Matthews Band, Jamiroquai, Ben Folds Five, The Beatles, and The Grateful Dead to name a few ruled the air from the far-reaches of the senior village all the way down to Chippewa cabin. We loved the boom-box so much we would even dream of forming our own bands just so one day we could hear our music come out of that magical box (in fact, one summer we formed the Mystery Omelets…but, as none of us played a single 
instrument we quickly disbanded). This was how we shared and listened to music. I miss boom boxes. I miss learning about music through them. BUT, as I mentioned before, camp is the same as it ever was and yet better than it has ever been. We still learn about new music at camp. However, we have traded in the cold, mechanical boom box for something much more warm and personal: Matt Rodin, Ryan Bronston, Ricky Jacobson, Jonah Rawitz, and the other dozens of brave souls at camp who share their musical talents at camp every summer. In a time when music has become more insular than ever (iPod headphones are becoming natural appendages), we are so fortunate to share music at camp through so many talented individuals. Thank you to our living, breathing boom boxes and all the joy they bring to us around the campfire.
And now, some juice:
· You are a second session camper and a silence spreads throughout the lodge as the meal draws to a close. It is eerily quiet—until, the mood is broken by Joey Pawlan and Colby Sharlin shouting from Chippewa table, “Doo doo do do do doooooo….” The entire camp responds in unison, “CHARGE!” Suddenly, you are shocked to see Colby jump onto Joey’s back as the two (as commanded) charge through the lodge and barge outside through the doors. You cannot stop laughing until several minutes later when it is time for announcements.
-Michael Breen
BRAVO TO OUR MARCH BIRTHDAY BOYS: Alexander Echt - 3/1/1999, Kyle Fox - 3/1/1993, Brett Miller - 3/1/2004, Christian Norfleet - 3/1/1998, Dillon Berlin - 3/4/2002, Jacob Lurie - 3/5/1991, Scottie Mutchnik - 3/5/1997, Eddie Rosenblum - 3/6/1996, Alex Wise - 3/7/1998, Harris Lerner - 3/14/1999, Spencer Coplan - 3/15/2002, Jonathan Bloom - 3/20/1999, Sam Jaffe - 3/20/1999, Brian Strain - 3/22/1981, Alexander Kuperman - 3/25/2002, Ryan Gersowsky - 3/26/1995, Daniel Calvillo - 3/27/1997, Matt Rodin - 3/27/1992, Joe Berns - 3/28/2001, Brandon Cramin - 3/28/1996, Joshua Kohn - 3/28/1996, Aaron Berkowitz - 3/29/1996, Michael Bloom - 3/29/1996, Adam Rubin - 3/29/2000, Greg Cooper - 3/30/1987, Zach Coplan - 3/31/2000. Phew! This has been one newsy newsletter. Have a great month, everyone. Get out and enjoy the warm spring weather! We’ll write you again soon.
Benches up,
