I recently spent an evening visiting two new campers, and my first stop was in Woodbury, NY.  I got to spend time with Kaylee, who is a current 3rd grader, and will be a Junior Girl at camp for the first time this summer.  Going to camp this summer was all her idea, and she even got to spend the night before Visiting Day at camp last year in the Tour & More program. Kaylee is super sweet, very funny, and clearly she is awesome because we have the same favorite color…green!  She loves to dance, play the piano, and she is looking forward to tennis and cooking at camp this summer.

She is really lucky to have a late bus to school, she only needs to wake up at around 8AM (the same time we wake up at camp) and before she gets on the bus, she manages to eat breakfast and practice piano – she is super dedicated!  She gave me a tour of her awesome room…she really has two rooms, her main bedroom and her “secret room”, which you enter from a small door in her closet, and it’s full of dolls, toys, and it would be a fun place to hang out with a few of your closest friends.  She also showed me her collection of angry bird dolls…she loves them!  Kaylee has a very tall bed, it’s like being on the top bunk (which only counselors are allowed on at camp).  It also has a railing all the way around it, so it’s pretty impossible for her to practice making her bed, but we’ll make sure she’s a pro by the end of the summer!

Kaylee is the youngest of three sisters, and her oldest sister Sam has a lot of years at Canadensis under her belt.  She will be going on a teen tour this upcoming summer, but I hope she knows that camp will always be her second home!  Kaylee will be really excited to receive letters from her sister, and she plans to write home a lot.  Maybe she’ll write a letter about the first time she goes on the ropes course!?  At her day camp, she didn’t like climbing up that much, but she loves the feeling of flying while coming down.  She pretty much loves everything…except homework!  But, she does enjoy school, and in her music class she is learning to play the recorder.

On the other hand, Shawn loves homework, and said her teach barely gives her any!  I had never heard that complaint until I got to hang out with Shawn, a current 5th grader that will be an Upper Inter Girl for her first summer at camp.  She is a very good student, and her favorite subjects are science and Spanish.  She is about to take a French class, and then when she is in 6th grade, she will have to pick a language to focus on.  One thing is clear about Shawn…she wants to go to camp right now!!  She wanted to know exactly how many more days were left until she could hop on the bus and then run into the lake!  We checked out the counter on the website so we could have an exact number, and I showed her this blog which helps introduce the new campers to the Canadensis family!

When we looked at the blog, my paper bracelet DIY was on top, and she wanted to learn how to do it.  It only took her about a minute to learn, and by the time I left she had already made herself a blue and gold bracelet, and she made me one in pink and green (which I’m wearing as I type!).  She and I have a lot in common – she is super crafty, and love crochet too!  She showed me a crochet blanket she is working on, and it’s REALLY good!  It’s pink and white stripes, and she’s doing a perfect job!

When I first met Shawn at Canteen on the Fly, we looked through the photo album of camp photos, and she remembered so much!  She remembered that COALS activity stands for Canadensis Outdoor Adventure Learning/Living Skills.  She’s really excited for the overnight, and that makes me happy because after arts and crafts, it’s definitely my favorite!  She is in her school chorus, so maybe she’ll lead her bunk in some sing-alongs while they are hiking out to the waterfall? She also plays the violin in the orchestra, but I don’t think she’s going to pack it for camp!

Although she will miss her parents, cute little brother and an adorable dog named Marley, she is ready for camp to start!

Behold the cuteness that is Aiden & Sydney!  They are the most adorable 2-year-olds walking around New York City, and they happen to be the children of my very best friend in the world!  I definitely don’t get to see this amazing family enough, but the last time we were together, I asked if they wanted to me to make them a hat like their favorite animal, and although they didn’t spend much time deliberating, Aiden requested a “Nemo” hat, and Sydney wanted a giraffe!  It’s been a while since I’ve done a crochet project for “I Made This Monday”, so I thought this would be a good time to show you how the hats turned out!

1:  Make the basic hat shape, and be sure to get a good head measurement, you don’t want it to be too small or too big (not to many kids want to wear a Nemo hat to high school!).

2:  Make all the appliques/attachments.  The photo above shows you that I had to make the eyes, tail, fins and stripes separately.  I think this gives a better finished look instead of trying to do a lot of yarn changes.

3.  One you have all the appliques, you have to sew them on.  This is probably my least favorite part!

4.  For the “horns” on the giraffe, I wanted them to stand up, so I used a tissue (clean of course!) to act as stuffing and keep them up!

5.  When all the appliques are attached, you have to weave in the ends of all the yarn so you can’t see the raw edges.

6.  Now the finished product is ready to be mailed to the twins!

Just looking at these hats make me ridiculously happy!

Cara and I have arrived in Michigan!  Each year, we hire a good portion of our staff from this awesome (but chilly in February) state!  We will be on the Central Michigan University and Western Michigan University campuses.  We can’t wait to see some of our 2011 staff members who attend these schools.  In the past, we’ve hired staff on the Michigan State University campus, and also University of Michigan…but since we are visiting so many schools, we had to be selective!  I will always love UMich though – that is where my best friend went to college, and they have the same colors as Canadensis (but they call their colors “Maize & Blue” instead of “Gold & Blue”).  To learn some fun facts about this state, click here.

GO GIANTS!!!

The day after the Giants sealed their place in the Super Bowl, Brian and I went to visit Noah & Rachel in Wynnewood, PA.  Everyone in their family is a HUGE Giants fans!  It was very fun for them to get to celebrate the victory together.  Noah is a current 5th grader, and will be an Upper Inter Boy at camp for his second summer.  He had just celebrated his birthday last month, so we met his “birthday gift” a super cute cat he named Hamlet, that enjoys getting to hang out with their other cat Heidi.  Noah stays really busy with sports, baseball is his favorite…but I also got to see some of his dance moves – he did a great touch down dance for us!

Rachel is a current 3rd grader, and will be a Junior Girl for her first summer at camp!  I first met her at her home a year ago when we came to meet Noah, but she wasn’t too interested in camp then…she even fell asleep while we were there!  In the past year, I’ve gotten to know her on several occasions…she came to the Sixers basketball game, the Jewish Relief Agency volunteer event, and most importantly, she came to the sibling Tour & More Weekend to test out camp last year.  Rachel was at camp on one of the hottest days all summer, so we changed up the regular program and we took all the campers on a golf cart tour of camp, ending with cooking workshop where we made delicious milkshakes – this was her favorite activity of the weekend!

Rachel and I have a shared hobby of knitting/crochet – I got to see some of the projects she made, including a stuffed owl animal, and a super cute scarf.  She’s really good, and she even knows how to make pom poms.  Going to the Handworks Studio is one of her favorite afterschool activities, so I think she will enjoy the Fabric Arts program at camp.   Her number one activity is definitely dance!  She is dancing a few times a week, and even was doing ballet moves during our visit.  She was recently in 12 performances of The Nutcracker with the Pennsylvania Ballet.  She was a toy soldier/bunny – and Noah was there to cheer her on at a lot of the shows.  She is very comfortable dancing in front of a lot of people, so the camp crowds will not be a challenge for her!

Rachel loves a lot of things…corn (good thing because Canadensis campers LOVE the cornman!), carrots, American Idol and Michael Jackson.  She is also very creative, she came up with her own Halloween costume this year, she wanted to be a witch that flew into a wall, so she dressed up as a witch with crutches!  She is ready to try everything at camp this summer, and since she has done an excellent job transferring to a new school this summer, I know she’s going to do great at transitioning to her first summer at Canadensis!

Our next stop was very close by, also in Wynnewood, PA.  We rang the doorbell at Cole & Sophie house, and we were greeted by four amazing and very sweet dogs at the door!  Once we were inside, we got a chance to get to know Cole, a current 6th grader who will be a Freshman Boy and Sophie, a current 3rd grader who will be a Junior Girl.  They are both coming to camp for their first summer, and it was great to see another set of siblings that really enjoy spending time together!

This was one of the most active home visits I’ve ever been on!  Sophie has tons of energy, and was jumping rope while we chatted, and before the end of the night she got me skipping rope too – but she is much faster and more graceful than me!  They gave us a tour of their basement, and they showed us how they can close of the doors to make a Gaga area.  We played a four person round of the game (it’s like dodgeball) and I was the first one out!  We have two dedicated gaga pits at camp, and I’m excited to challenge them again at camp this summer.

I was glad to get my energy up over a great vegetarian dinner – and we discussed the many veggie options we have at camp.  I told them that whatever meal is being served, there are always a few options for the vegetarians like us – some of my favorites are the tofu stir fry, tomato basil mozzarella sandwiches and veggie meatballs! They told us about their favorite things to do, including taking trips to places like Universal Studios and Vermont.  We also talked about favorite TV shows, and Sophie loves Spongebob!  Their afterschool activities include Main Line Girls Basketball, Handworks Studio and some time to play the drums – they have two sets in the basement!

Sophie also gave me a tour of her newly remodeled room – her father had surprised her with a redesign while she was at school!  The purple walls and carpet were the same, but all the furniture had been shifted.  A lot of the artwork on the wall was her own personal work, art is one of her favorite activities.  She has a special “tea party” area of her room, and she is taking care of some baby cactus, which have a prime location on her desk.  Luckily, cactus don’t need a lot of water to survive, so she won’t have to worry about them while she’s off having an amazing summer at camp!

My hiring trip has begun!  I’m in Arizona until Sunday, and I will be hiring camp counselors on the campuses of University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University!  I went to college at U of A, so it will be great to be back on campus, and I’m even meeting with some girls who are in the same AEPhi sorority that I was in!  An added bonus of this trip is that my parents live in Phoenix, Arizona – very close to the ASU campus.  Arizona is absolutely beautiful…if you want to learn more about the state, click here.

This was a super easy project!  And, now that I’ve bought a quart of chalkboard paint and have a lot left over, I plan to use it on a lot of random items!

Supplies:

1.  Chalkboard paint from Home Depot – it’s already on the shelves mixed.  My quart was less than $15.

2.  Paint Brush – I prefer the foam brushes, they are less messy!

3.  Something to turn into a chalkboard – I used a baking tray that was old with stuck on grease, and just wasn’t something I wanted to use for baking anymore.  Some other ideas are a…picture frame, vase or wall!

To Make It:

1. Get your parents permission!

2.  Cover your workspace so you don’t drip on the floor.  For indoor projects during the winter, I use an old flat sheet.

3.  Paint the area that you want to be able to chalk up in the future.  The paint goes on very thin, so do 3 or 4 coats.  Give each coat 5 minutes to dry before painting the next one.

4.  Let it dry overnight, and in the morning, start writing messages with chalk!  It will wipe off easily with a damp paper towel.

As shown above, I’ve used my tray to serve sushi!  This was right before the last Giants game – so excited that they made it to the Super Bowl!  It’s going to be an exciting game on Sunday!

Carly in 2011 and 2004 - She's a camp lifer!

Carly Fleischer

Hobbies when you’re at home: Soccer, Track & Field, Pole Vaulting, Gymnastics, Playing French Horn, Robotics, Photography, Hanging out with friends

Years at Camp: 8 going on 9

One fun fact about you: I love photography and took over 3,000 pictures last summer! This summer I will be helping out the Media Team so look for me around camp with my camera in hand! 🙂

Favorite Camp Activity: Soccer!

Favorite Camp Memory: Every single one of the 40 days of Color War I’ve experienced in my life.

Best Advice for a First Time Camper: Enjoy and cherish each and every second of camp, this will become your favorite place in the entire world.

What you’re most excited to do this summer: Leading Color War as a CIT!

One thing you’ve never done at camp that you’re going to do this summer: Become a positive influence and role model for younger campers.

If you could plan your own perfect camp day, what would it look like: Late wake up, bagels for breakfast, and hanging out on the amphitheater or by the lake with my best friends in the world!

Last week, I went on an awesome trip to Westchester, NY, where I met a lot of ladies who will be spending their summer at Camp Canadensis!  My first stop was in Rye Brook, NY, where I got to hang out with Lisa and her girls.  Lisa grew up at Camp Canadensis, and will be returning to camp for her first summer on our staff team.  She will be the Office Manager this summer, so at some point you might get to chat with her on the phone!

Dylan is a current 1st grader, and will be a Lower Junior Girl.  She didn’t get to come up and visit camp this summer, so even though she doesn’t know what it looks like, she can’t wait!  Dylan loves to dance, and her favorite is hip hop.  She also likes to dress up, and she was wearing a special outfit for me, including a skirt!  She loves the days when she doesn’t have gym class, because it means she can wear Uggs instead of sneakers.  However, she is excited for all the camp activities…even the sports!  She is most excited for swimming, and she was very happy to hear about the new pool we are building.  She is going to be celebrating her birthday at camp this summer, and she was happy to hear that she could enjoy pizza party with her bunk on the back deck for dinner!

Madison is a current 4th grader, and will be a Lower Inter Girl.  I first met her during Tour & More weekend last year – she was actually my sidekick for an hour, we went around camp and she took photos for the website, and did a great job!  She is also a big dancer.  She is really excited about the art program and ceramics – she showed me some of the projects she had made, including a super cute cupcake.    She loved going on the banana boat around the lake this summer, and she can’t wait to do more lake activities this summer, including the summit.  She loves matzah ball soup, and she’s excited that we have it for dinner on Friday night.  I can’t wait to see the girls again at New Camper Bowling on March 25th!

My next stop that evening was in Scarsdale, NY, with two sisters who are new to camp this year!  They are going to be coming to Canadensis with their Philadelphia based cousins Luke & Sam.  Morgan is a current 5th grader, and will be an Upper Inter Girl.  She has some prior camp experience, so she knows all about color war and the goofy things we do at camp.  Haley is a current 2nd grader, and will be a Lower Junior Girl.  She is very excited to go to overnight camp, and do all of the activities!

I met up with them on a night after they got home from ice skating practice.  They are on Team Image, which is a synchronized ice skating program – and they practice a few nights a week!  They have very cool uniforms that have their name on it – and they both really love skating.  They are really excited for the lake activities this summer, and they are glad that we don’t have any age restriction on the motorized water sports – all age groups get to go tubing and water skiing if they want to!  They are also really excited for the evening activities – specifically “crazy night” and “minute to win it”.

Morgan has been in a few plays before – she has played a “Grandma”, and she also has played the role of Sharpay in High School Musical.  She might try out for the Canadensis camp show, and she suggested that we consider doing Peter Pan.  Haley stays really busy, and on nights when she doesn’t have ice skating, she likes to have playdates with friends.  The girls recently got back from a vacation to Hawaii – how cool is that?

We hung out with their dog Rosie, and they asked a lot of questions about Color War breakout – I told them how we keep it a big surprise!  I also told them about how things work at camp – including the 8AM wake-up time (they were happy about that) and the mandatory 3 letters home each week (we check to make sure it’s happening!).  They asked about camp food, so I went through a bunch of camp meals like tacos, cheese-steaks, bbq, pizza, pasta bar, grilled chicken, etc – and they gave almost everything a thumbs up!  They do NOT like quinoa though (one of my personal favorites), so I told them they should avoid Miriam’s delicious quinoa salad with crasins on the salad bar, and they’ll be just fine!

My last stop of the night was in Larchmont, NY.  Stella is a current 4th grader, and will be a Lower Inter Girl for her first summer at camp.  Her cousin Zoe is also coming with her, and she knows a TON about camp already because her mom, Laura, was a camper when she was growing up.  I met Stella this summer when she came up to spend the night with Tour & More, and it’s been fun to see her throughout the year at Canteen on the Fly, and now at her home visit!  We gave out white shirts to all the campers that came to visit Canteen on the Fly, and checkout the awesome way that Stella styled hers…as you can see in the photo above, she colored her shirt in, and even drew some of her favorite camp activities.  She drew the banana boat on the sleeve, because getting to do that on the lake was one of her best Tour & More memories!  When her mom was at camp years ago, the lake wasn’t as exciting as it is today – the main thing she remember is the ski-doodle – which was a “merry go-round” that helped you learn to waterski!

Stella is a really fun and sporty girl who loves anything neon!  Her favorite sports are soccer, basketball and hockey – but not tennis.  She is definitely willing to try and do anything at camp, so maybe she’ll come home with even more favorite sports.  She really can’t wait to go horseback riding, and she is very excited to put together an “MTV Night” dance with her bunk – it’s an evening activity that we do every year.  Stella has an awesome memory, so she remembered seeing “Graffiti Night” in the camp video, and she’s also excited to get to decorate her t-shirt and glow in the dark!

She does a lot of after school activities, including hip hop dance and Hebrew school.  She’s the first kid I’ve ever met that actually like going to Hebrew School!!  She gets to walk there with friends, and she has a cell phone she can use to stay in touch with her family.  She is already thinking about the activities she wants to do in the future, and she plans to be on the high school track team.  She is a great big sister to her brother and baby sister, and since her father is originally from Italy, the family gets to travel there very often!  They will be going to visit when she gets home from camp, and she has so many cousins over there to play and practice her Italian with.  She gave me a great tour of her bedroom, and showed me her “Nerds” candy blanket (even thought it’s not her favorite candy).  Stella must be very sweet because her mom said the mosquitoes love her…we are going to have to make sure we apply the bug spray a lot this summer – we don’t want bites slowing her down on the soccer field!