December 2nd, 2009
There are well over 5,000 summer camps in the United States. There are traditional camps, sports camps, girls camps, boys camps, riding camps, academic camps, wilderness adventure camps, clown camps, surf camps, day camps, overnight camps…you get the idea. So the question is not how to find a camp, but how to find the best camp, or better, how do I find the right camp for my child? Here a few a few ideas that we found helpful when we sent our own children to camp.
- Involve your child in the decision. A child who is adamant about not being at camp be slower to experience the best parts of camp. A great counselors will eventually win over just about everyone, but campers with some degree of buy-in will be the happiest soonest.
- Make the final decision yours. You need to be even more excited about the program than your camper. If you are uncomfortable with a camp then keep looking. My parents were camp directors so when they sent me to camp they chose two camps that they trusted. They then handed me the brochures and let me decide. It was a great mix of involving me while keeping control of the process.
- A lot of campers feel more comfortable going to camp with a friend. This is fine; it may help with pre-camp jitters. However, after the first several hours most children have made friends with every child in their cabin. Simply put, camp is not school; we live together so close friendships form very quickly. You should certainly consider where your child’s friends go to camp, but do not limit yourself to those camps alone.
- It’s all about the counselors! Look hard at how the camp hires staff. How many were former campers? How many return each year? How many are hired through international staffing services? Ask about their grades, where they go to school, what interview questions they are asked. If you choose the right camp your camper will be there summer after summer for many years and a great staff will become a wonderful part of their growing up.
We’ll try to add to this list over the next several weeks, but if you cannot wait then please call any time. We love camp and would be happy to help you find the best fit for your camper.
Sincerely,
Adam and Ann
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November 12th, 2009
“How do you find your camp counselors?” is one of my favorite questions from parents. Yesterday we hired two more Merri-Mac Counselors in Training. (Laura S. and Kelly J.). These are graduated campers who are ready to make the transition to staff. Throughout both interviews I was struck by how much confidence I have in them both. I think there are 2 reasons for this.
Training Camp Staff
First, we know them very well. Over their eight years as campers we have watched each develop a sense of adventure and leadership as they worked their way through White Feather ranks and then into tribal offices. We have worked with them as they have developed their activity skills, with Laura becoming a strong kayaker and dancer and Kelly excelling in canoeing and backpacking. And we have seen them display an exceptional ability to care for other people. In other words, camp has prepared them to be great counselors.
Second, because they love camp they want others to love it too. This means that they will almost certainly be the among the hardest working staff we can find because doing the things that it takes to make Merri-Mac great does not feel like work to them. So Laura will not just want her campers to love kayaking, and Kelly will not just want her love backpacking, they will want them each to love kayaking and backpacking at Merri-Mac.
Of course we also hire first year girls to be counselors, and they bring something equally important. First, the expand our applicant pool, helping us measure our level of professi0nalism with the training they have received in other places. They also help us look at camp through fresh eyes, evaluating which parts of the camp tradition are the most important. Every now and then it is our first year girl that has the best idea of the summer. When this happens we know we have a Merri-Mac girl for life.
From This Haven…
Adam and Ann
Posted in Summer Camp Staff by Adam | (0) Comments
October 27th, 2009
Tucker Inn
So we are expanding our beloved Tucker Inn and in a place ruled by tradition the first question everyone asks is why? The answer is simple: we want our girls to have a little more elbow room. The more complicated part is the reason so many campers ask the question.
We are made to live life together. Tradition is the place where that community extends past a single generation. In other words, our girls from the 50’s (who came for a visit this week) are part of the community because we still sing the same songs, cheer for the same tribes, and do both in the same Tucker Inn. My favorite part about this is that once you are a Merri-Mac girl you are part of the tradition, the community; you are an insider.
So don’t worry, we’ll be very careful in the way we make additions to Tucker Inn. We’ll take good care of it because it is the place where so many of our girls have fallen in love with Merri-Mac.
From The Mail Bag:
Mary Grace B. was in town recently and got to see Mary Page at school. She wrote, “Hey Merri-Mac! I miss all of y’all incredibly and I can’t wait to go back to camp next summer for 6 weeks again. I had the best summer of my life this summer at camp and I can’t wait to have an even better one next year! I think about camp everyday and all of the great times I had. Just remember SEMINOLES ARE GOING TO WIN THE BANNER!” Speaking as an Iroquois I’ll just say, hmmm. We also heard from Claire P., “Hey Merri-Mac! This past weekend I took the train up to Washington DC to visit Katherine A. We had a great time on Friday night, and talked to lots of camp friends. Oh and I saw Goldie, (Seminole spirit stick) as well 
. Then on Saturday we hung out with Courtney (Dreams Begin counselor) at Katherine’s house! I am so happy that I’ve made such great Merri-Mac friends and it was wonderful to see them during the year!”
From This Haven…
Adam and Ann
Posted in News by Adam | (0) Comments
October 8th, 2009
IMAGE CAPTION – Camp is looking beautiful in the Fall.
There is a lot happening in our little corner of the NC mountains. The Tucker Inn expansion is exceeding our expectations (it is going to be beautiful), Anne is in NC meeting new camp families, and Adam is in South Florida doing the same. We would love to invite your friends to join us too so send us an email with any friends’ addresses you would like us to mail brochures to.
Black Mountain Expeditions is picking up momentum. We have some Spring Break trips lined up climbing in Joshua Tree, CA and have added a 1 week NC Adventure. Care to join us for a Wilderness Leadership Adventure?
Fall is falling at camp. It is in the low 70’s each day and low 50’s at night, so Lake Doris is starting to get cold but we are already putting our eye in it warming up in June!
From this Haven…
Adam and Ann
Posted in News by Adam | (0) Comments
October 2nd, 2009
IMAGE CAPTION – Merri-Mac is looking nice in the Fall.
It has been quite a week. We’ve hired lots of CIT’s and a few JC’s. You can go to the Merri-Mac Facebook page for a full accounting. We’ve also been busy with a new expansion to our beloved Tucker Inn. Don’t worry, it will just give us a little more room to move around while we eat and sing!
We’ve also begun taking applications for our Mother/Daughter weekend in May. We are hoping that this will be a good chance for a pre-camp reunion. We’d love to have you join us so check it out!
Adam is on the road, seeing camp families in Georgia and Florida. Last night he saw Kate S. in Tampa, and before that it was Laura and Julia K. in Ocala and Elizabeth W. in Valdosta. Tonight it is the Bogdhans in Winterhaven and then down to St. Pete to see the Frees. It has been a great trip so far and we are looking forward to having a lot of their friends join us.
How Well Do YOU Know Merr-Mac?
We’ve created the first Merri-Mac Trivia Quiz! If you score above a 93% on the quiz, take a screenshot of your score and send it to annearcher@merri-mac.com, and she’ll send you a great prize! (You must be a camper to win the prize, but we encourage everybody to test their knowledge!)
Seven new Merri-Mac hires!
We are happy to announce that we’ve hired back seven Merri-Mac girls: Clare S., Abby G., Christina H., Kate M., Melinda R., Olivia H., and Haley F.!! Congratulations, girls.
From The Mail Bag:
Nurse Paige and Andie K. joined us in Valdosta but before that they wrote saying, “We are settling into school life, but Merri-Mac and Timberlake are never far from our hearts. The kids regularly talk about how much fun they had and they have pumped up their little brother and sister to come next summer! And then fun doesn’t stop with the kids…..this big kid loved being a camp nurse and considers her two weeks at camp the highlight of the summer! Missing those beautiful mountains and more beautiful people!” Sarah L. wrote to say “I miss all the camp ladies tremendously! I was so privileged to be the Seminole Med Man and I’m so happy that we were able to win the banner. I miss all of my friends and hopefully will see all of y’all next year!” From Hannah we hear a hearty “Congratulations to the new cits. I just wish I could live at Merri-Mac all year long. I miss my tribe as normal and I miss my friends. It stinks because I have to wait almost one more year till I get to go back.” Next Kathy G. wrote to say, “I already can’t wait to come back next year! I started the second grade and began competing in my first gymnastics meets. I will be traveling across my state (Alabama) as I compete. So far, I have come in third in all-around in my division! I have also been writing my new friends from Merri-Mac. I am looking into attending the Mother/Daughter weekend at camp. I hope to see my friends there!”
Great Camping!
Adam and Ann
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