Meet Ella, a current 4th grader who will be a Lower Inter Girl, and is coming to camp for the first time this summer!  The first thing you need to know about Ella is that she loves gymnastics!  When she’s not enjoying tons of activities with her bunk this summer, she’ll be “flipping” out in our gymnastics pavilion.  Her favorite event is the uneven bars, and she’s not at all afraid when she has to jump from one to the next (see the photo below!).

She’s an adventurous girl – she has been rock climbing and zip lining and is excited to do it again at Canadensis!  She loves swimming, and recently had the chance to go swimming with sea lions on a trip to Mexico.  Sea lions are sooooo cute, and so is her dog Parker (a dalmatian) but two of her favorite animals are pigs and elephants (maybe because it has her name in it?  “Ella”-phant?).  She also loves arts and crafts, she has done stained glass before and made a nightlight, so I’m sure she’ll love the glass fusion elective!  Ella thought that all the food we serve in the dining hall sounded great, but she was most excited for the guacamole served during tacos, nachos and fajita meals…she said she can eat a whole bowl, and I’m with her on that!

Ella started going to day camp when she was only two years old, and this summer she’ll get to celebrate her 10th birthday at camp with her bunk!  She’s super silly and loves having sleepovers so 7-weeks at camp will be like a never ending party with her friends…but when Ella is tired, she’ll go right to sleep!  She’s spirited and loves to cheer (especially when her parents and running half marathons!) and I can’t wait to see her again at New Camper Bouncing in April!  We are hosting it at Rebounderz in Edison, NJ and Ella’s been there for parties and told me it is awesome!!

A few days after meeting Ella, I went to the United Kingdom with Camp Leaders.  I had mini-reunions with our fabulous returning staff members, and I had the opportunity to sit down new applicants that want to work with the amazing Canadensis campers this summer!  The photo above is a collage of returning staff photos in the middle column, and some of our newly hired staff in the left and right columns.  Here’s a little bit about the returning staff that came to meet me at the fair, and what they’ve been up to…

Issie Olley – G2 & Gymnastics, loves getting messages from her campers, and can’t wait to be back with our youngest kids!  She’s also bringing her friend Kasey to our gymnastics program this summer!

Ellen Egan – G17 & Fabric Arts, has been studying textiles and misses her campers SO much!  She loves hearing from them and seeing photos!

Sam Kaye – B6 & Swimming, he’s been in touch with so many of his camp friends and is thinking camp all the time!

Sam Cutler – B13 & Golf, you also saw him on the soccer field last summer and he been spreading the word about camp to his friends!

Jonty Freeman – B6 & Lake Staff, came to surprise everyone at the fair!  But one of the biggest surprises was his long hair…he said it won’t be cut before he returns to camp!

David O’Rourke – B14 & Hondas, has been working full time at a hotel, but camp is always on his mind!  He misses the Freshman Hill and the hondas shack!

Shane Dell – B12 & Ropes, has already spent 3 years coming to Canadensis, and moving up with his division!  He’s been working in a hospital and is planning a trip Down Under!

Tom Rowley – B2, he’s been busy at university and spreading the word about camp to his friends.  He cannot wait to be back at Canadensis!

Beth Freer – G3 & Gymnastics, will be returning to camp for her third summer and is so excited to be a Group Leader!!

Hello Canadensis…

Happy New Year!  I don’t know when the latest date you should stop saying “Happy New Year,” so I’m still wishing everyone a Happy New Year!  Ha Ha!  By the way, when is an appropriate time to stop wishing others a Happy New Year?

I’m sure everyone is happy to welcome in 2014.  For those coming to camp in 2014, the best part of entering a new year is that we can now say that camp is THIS year and not NEXT year.  Our office is back and busy at work.  We have now “hit the road,” starting a lot of our new staff hiring.  Eric is in Australia.  Matt is in Eastern Europe.  And, Pam is in England.  We know that they will bring back great stories of all the new wonderful staff they’ve hired.  Be sure to check out our Facebook page for instant updates.

Before we got back into the swing of things, we all had some nice time over the holidays to spend with our friends and families.  Jaime and I got some rest and relaxation in, but also kept up with some annual traditions.  Each year, Jaime and I build a gingerbread structure in honor of the holidays.  This year it was a carousel.  Here is a picture of our handy work…

We also spent our Christmas Day going to the movies as another annual tradition.  This year, we saw two really good ones (American Hustle and Saving Mr. Banks).  I really thought “Saving Mr. Banks” was terrific!  In fact, I thought it was the best movie I had seen this year.  If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it as a must see.

One final tradition for me and Jaime was going to Madison Square Garden to see the annual Phish concerts.  Most years, they play four nights there.  This year, we hit up three of the shows.  New Year’s Eve marked the final show for their 30th Anniversary Year as a band.  Pretty cool.  Over the course of a few nights, we ran into Aaron Stutz, who helped run Evening Activities in Summer 2013 and former camper and counselor Adam Scharfberg.  Here is a picture of the New Year’s Eve show from the stage with more than 100,000 balloons coming down from the rafters…

While on his break from college, I met up with 2012-2013 Freshman Boys Group Leader Max Hecht for breakfast at a diner in Long Island.  Here is a snapshot…

We also had a fun time last weekend babysitting our nephews Harry (2 years old) and Dylan (6 years old).  The weekend included an amazing trip to the Liberty Science Center, which had some cool new exhibits.  Here are some photos…

Here are some great pictures we’ve received over the past few weeks that we wanted to share with you…

Some great home visits to report in this blog…

In Syosset, NY, I saw Alexa and Jack Lagnado.  Jack is back for his 4th summer at Canadensis and will be in the Freshman Boys division.  He is excited that his sister will be joining us at camp for her first summer as part of our Lower Junior Girls division.  Currently in the 6th grade, Jack has been playing on a travel basketball team.  In the Spring, he will be playing intramural baseball.  This past fall, he also played flag football on his team the Seahawks.  Jack is also a big fantasy sports fan and he was excited to tell me that his fantasy football team made it to the championship game this year.  When he gets to camp this summer, he is looking forward to being on Freshman Hill and his trip to Cooperstown, Color War and basketball.  As for Alexa, who is in 2nd grade, she participates on a gymnastics team for the Hot Shots gym.  She also plays indoor and outdoor travel soccer.  Alex likes to perform on stage, draw, craft on her rainbow loom and is even currently writing a blog of her own with some of her friends.  In her first year at camp, she can’t wait to try gymnastics, cooking, climbing wall, soccer, being in the camp show and making new friends.  Here is a pic…

In Montclair, NJ, I got to hang out with Dayton Friedberg, who is currently in the 4th grade and will be a Lower Inter Girl in her first summer at Canadensis.  Dayton likes music and even plays the guitar.  Right now, she is playing basketball.  In the Spring, she will be playing softball.  Dayton likes to bake and has even taken a cake decorating class at the Sugar Flower Cake Shop.  Dayton is really excited to go to camp this summer.  When she arrives in June, she is really looking forward to trying things like waterskiing, mountain biking and all of the evening activities.  Here is a photo…

In Bellmore, NY, I spent some time with Alyssa and Jenna Feig.  Alyssa, now in 3rd grade, is back for Summer #2 as part of the Upper Junior Girls division while Jenna, currently in 1st grade, joins us for her first summer in the Lower Junior Girls division.  Upon arriving at their house, the girls filled me in on an amazing family trip they took over the holiday break to California and Mexico, where they both had the opportunity to swim with the dolphins!  As even seen in my last blog, Alyssa coincidentally was on the same flight to California with one of her bunkmates from last summer, Samara Green.  Alyssa told me all about how she is still involved in dance and doing both jazz and tap this year.  In the Spring, she will be performing in a show.  She is also looking forward to the Reunion in a few weeks.  At camp, she is excited for cooking and fabric arts.  Jenna let me know that she also takes dance classes, but in hip hop and jazz.  Jenna is part of a Daisy troupe (which is the Girls Scouts name for that age group), which does activities like zumba and yoga.  Jenns also enjoys doing arts and crafts and reading Junie B. Jones books.  At camp, she is ready to try the banana boat, the water slides at the pool and making s’mores.  Here is a picture…

Also in Bellmore, NY, I got to meet Morgan Galdamez, who is in the 3rd grade and will be joining us at camp for her first summer as part of our Upper Junior Girls division.  Morgan is definitely a girl that likes to do a little bit of everything and is certainly busy all year long.  She enjoys gymnastics, where her favorite thing to do is back bends on the bar.  She plays piano and will be performing at a recital in the Spring.  She also plays the violin and recorder.  She takes ballet and tap classes.  She plays soccer.  She likes to sing.  And, her favorite color is hot pink.  This summer at camp, she is really looking forward to all of the evening activities, gymnastics, cooking and making new friends.  Here is a photo…

In Melville, NY, I saw the Krasin sisters, Marlee and Ava.  Marlee will now be a Lower Senior Girl in 2014 as she returns for her 5th Honor Jacket Summer.  She also can’t wait to have her sister Ava at camp for her first summer, who will be in our Lower Junior Girls division.  Now in 7th grade, Marlee takes hip hop and tap classes.  She is also competing in match play tennis matches.  She can’t wait for the camp reunion next week.  At camp this year, she is really excited for Senior Choice, canteen every night and her trip to Lake Placid.  As for Ava, currently in the 2nd grade, she takes gymnastics and tennis lessons.  She was also on a basketball team that went undefeated this season.  In the Fall, she plays soccer.  In the Spring, she plays softball.  When she comes to Canadensis, she is ready to try the climbing wall, Color War and the trip to Dorney Park.  Here is a pic…

In Villanova, PA, I really enjoyed seeing Brooke and Aidan Bednoff.  Brooke is back for her second summer while Aidan joins us for his first summer.  Brooke, who is currently in 5th grade and will be an Upper Inter Girl in 2014, has been very involved with many dance classes including hip hop, jazz, lyrical and ballet.  In the Spring, she will have several dance competitions.  Her team also includes other Canadensis campers.  Brooke has seen many of her Bunk 8 camp friends from last summer since camp ended and wanted to say “taco” to them (apparently, that is an inside joke).  Brooke is super ready for the camp reunion.  When she returns to camp, she is looking forward to cooking, dance, waterskiing and the banana boat.  Aidan is currently in the 3rd grade and will be an Upper Junior Boy this summer.  He is currently in the PVJSA Basketball League, playing on the Rutgers team.  In the Spring, he will be playing baseball, although he also trains for baseball in the Winter months.  He also plays soccer and golf.  Aidan is a big fan of WWE wrestling and his favorite wrestler is CM Punk.  Just last week, he even got to attend a WWE live event.  When Aidan gets to camp, he is really ready to try the quads, zipline and waterskiing.  He is also excited for Color War and the fact that he doesn’t have to match his clothes.  Here is a snapshot…

Some final notes for this blog.  I got a really cool e-mail from a camp dad, Dan Beyda, whose daughters Ali and Katie go to camp.  Apparently, Dan is going to be a contestant on the upcoming season of “Worst Cooks in America” on the Food Network.  Click here to see a preview of the season.  As the contestants are walking, Dan is the one in the back row wearing a light blue collared show.  The series begins Monday, February 17.  We will all be watching!  Good luck, Dan!

Finally, I thought this was cool.  Here is 128,000 dominoes on a trip around the world!  Enjoy by clicking here.

All the blogging for now…

Camp Reunion on Sunday, January 26 at The Funplex in East Hanover, NJ.  Can’t wait to see all of our campers and staff from Summer 2013!

Have a great day!

-Brian

Working full time for Camp Canadensis means that every season has a completely different feeling, and the kinds of things we are working on vary widely!  To generalize, in the Spring we are fine tuning the details for an amazing summer, in the Summer we work day and night to make camp magical for every child, in the Fall we get to reflect and begin planning how to top the prior summer, and in the Winter we travel!  That means now is the time of year when all of us in the winter office take to the roads and sky to meet as many of our campers and staff members as possible in person.  Eric has been traveling in Australia and New Zealand, Matt has been traveling in Eastern Europe, and later today I’ll be heading to the United Kingdom to interview staff applicants.  In February, Brian, Cara and I will be on more than 15 college campuses – we truly believe that nothing replaces the face to face interaction and vibes you are able to get with in-person interviews.  Camp is way too personal to hire staff only by phone!

In addition to meeting our staff, we will be traveling to meet our families!  All the way back to our founder, Bill Saltzman, visiting campers in their homes before their first summer at camp has been a hallmark of the Canadensis experience.  We love the opportunity to focus on one child at a time, get to know their interests and to form a relationship with the entire family.  This winter, Brian, Eric and myself will travel thousands of miles to meet with our new 2014 campers, and when we do we will “introduce” them to you on our blogs – so keep checking back!  If you have a child coming to camp for the first time, call us to schedule your home visit, or we will be giving you a call to get a date on the calendar soon!

Today, I wanted to introduce you to Sydney, she is currently in 5th grade and will be an Upper Inter Girl at camp this summer!  She lives in Bala Cynwyd, PA, is a veteran of our Tour & More Weekend overnight program, and she is a triple alumni!  In the photo above, she is with her mom, Tracy Chalfin, and grandmother, Connie Creed – both are alumni of Canadensis!  Sydney will be turning 11 at camp this summer and her mom was reminiscing about how much fun camp birthdays were!  Apparently, birthday girls used to get a delicious frozen chocolate cake…and although we keep a lot of traditions at camp, the cake Sydney will be getting this summer will be fresh baked, and vanilla!  In addition, Sydney will get to pick a special birthday activity for her bunk, she’ll be serenaded by the entire camp at Morning Line Up, and have several other extra special treats during the day.

When I was over during winter break, she and I talked a lot about crafts, and she showed me some of her recent projects.  She had done a cool “melted crayon” art project (like this) and showed me a skirt and slippers she had recently sewn at the Handworks Studio!  She attends Penn Charter School and the ceramics and art projects that she’s made in class were really awesome!  She enjoys a lot of different activities, including ice skating and rhythmic gymnastics.  She was about to go to a gymnastics exhibition and her uniform was super cool with flames all over it…it sparkled and looked like you could cook s’mores off of it!

In addition to be super flexible on the gymnastics mat, she has a ton of camp spirit!  One of her friends taught her songs and cheers that are sung in the dining hall, and she can’t wait to do the cup song with her friends while waiting for a meal this summer!  Over winter break, she got to spend some time with her family in NYC, and she was really looking forward to a visit to Dylan’s Candy Bar, so I’m sure Sydney will love the canteen (where we keep the candy!) at camp!  Can’t wait to see her enjoying everything this summer!

It’s 2014, and that means camp is only months away!  I celebrated the new year out in Arizona where my parents live, and I enjoyed all the amazing weather and outdoor activities.  One of the highlights of my trip was getting to visit the awesome family above!

This is Dylan, and he’ll be a Lower Junior Boy at Canadensis this summer.  He’s currently in 1st grade, and has SO much energy…his bed time is later than mine!  I brought them the Canteen on the Fly shirts, and he did an awesome job designing and coloring his in.  Dylan loves having sleepovers with his friends, and he can’t get enough soccer!  He even has a remote control soccer ball, so he can play indoors.  He’s up for any sport and really likes basketball and baseball too.  He’s excited for all of the food at camp, including noodles in the dining hall – but he’s most excited for the candy at the canteen!  I told him all about the special days like carnival and super hero day and he’s excited!  He won’t be sleeping late on special days though – he gets up early!

We ate M&M cookies, and played this super fun game called “Boom Boom Balloon”.  It was so much fun – you roll a dice, and then have to push a certain amount of sticks into a balloon without popping it – so silly!

It was wonderful catching up with his big sister Jaden, who will be an Upper Inter Girl at camp, and this will be her second summer.  Things are very academically challenging in 5th grade at the Phoenix Country Day School, but when we hung out she had just gotten back from a vacation in NY (where she saw some camp friends!) and a cruise to the Caribbean.  Thoughts of school work were far from her mind, but she showed me a video for the school and it looks like they have an amazing art program and beautiful campus.  Jaden was one of the stars of our Seussical the Musical production, and since camp ended she was in a production of Law & Order: Fairytale Unit.  She has so many great memories from the summer, and can’t wait to be back!

In the midst of all the fun we were have in Phoenix, Dave and I took a trip down to Tucson, Arizona – we went hiking and visited the Biosphere 2.  Along the way we also stopped at an ostrich farm that had a ton of different animals to feed and interact with.

Of course, they had a lot of ostriches – I learned a ton about them, and I was most impressed with how strong their eggs are.  You can stand on one without it breaking!

I gravitated towards the deer in the petting zoo – the ones that live at Canadensis during the summer always run away, but these guys were all excited to have a snack with me.

My favorites on the ranch were definitely the goats!  I know this photo looks quite strange, but I’m a HUGE animal lover, and I promise that the goats were really happy and able to go wherever they wanted…they just stick their heads in these holes to try and get a treat from you!  Now, I can’t believe I’m posting this next photo…but you are encouraged to feed the goats by putting a pellet in your mouth and leaning in…it’s called a goat kiss!

Another trip highlight was playing bingo with my parents!  I blog about my love of bingo pretty frequently, but it was so fun to take my mom for her first experience.  She is a dedicated, life long mah jongg player (she let me play with her group of friends for the first time ever this trip!) and although we didn’t end up winning at bingo, we still had a lot of fun and some heart pounding moments when we were one number away!  I don’t think she’s as hooked as me, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be going back on my future trips!

One last thing I have to share…at the New Years block party we attended, they had motorized stuffed animals you could rent and take on a spin.  They are just amazing!  Happy New Year everyone, can’t wait to see you at camp later this year 🙂