The Final Four | August 9, 2022
To my families of this amazing session,
It’s finally here, the final week of camp that hold some of the biggest programming Timberlake has to offer. We always Go Big or Go Bigger, but there in something insanely magical about what we choose to do for our campers. We call it lovingly the Final Four!
Event 1: Spy Night
Our first big event will be Spy Night, our biggest All-Camp-Game (ACG) of the summer. A group of camper spies try to smuggle secret messages into the Upper Lodge while eluding the rest of camp who are trying to catch them. Spies dress up in outrageous costumes and come up with devious plans to try to avoid capture, all played as the evening turns to dusk near the end of each summer.
Event 2: Harvest Day
Food doesn’t just come wrapped in plastic. It takes planning and hard work to take tiny seeds and transform them into an amazing meal. Our campers work all summer in the Barns & Gardens, waking up early to milk the cows and working under the hot afternoon sun to weed. On Harvest Day every camper helps take everything out of the garden. Potatoes carrots, and so much more will be carefully harvested and washed.
Event 3: Harvest Meal + Final Cabin Appreciations
Our dinner was made of items completely from our F&W gardens (check out the Instagram for pictures!) and is one of the most humbling things we do. Following that magic, cabin groups split off to have one final camp adventure together and share appreciations with each other. A quiet closing before the raucousness of the Final Four
Event 4: Banquet 
The most over-the-top adventure we offer. From Zombie Apocalypse with real fire to TL Before Time with dinosaurs roaming camp, we have always tied big spectacle to our final banquet. We also transform the lodge into something unrecognizable – a medieval jousting arena, a haunted mansion, an underground bunker, and a beautiful enchanted forest to name a few. Fun fact: we have used a throne first used in Alice in Wonderland banquet from 2009 in almost every single banquet since! The theme is a secret to the very end!
After the excitement of banquet we hold our final ceremony. Starting in our Upper Lodge, our campers will silently proceed down to the Catamount Bell, where we will circle up and share appreciations for Timberlake itself. It is always full of so many emotions, especially our oldest campers who will be finishing off their final summer at Timberlake (at least, until they come back as staff!).
So much between now and the end!
Camp magic for real, y’all
Second Session is (Already) Epic, Y'all! | July 31, 2022
To my families of this amazing session,
Second session has begun! The second session always has a distinct feel to it. The days are a bit cooler, camp systems feel a bit stronger, and activities are a bit more adventurous. Staff feel both more confident having a session down and feeling the melancholy of the summer end in sight (We’ve been here since mid-June!). Camp magic is happening, and here are a few highlights:
Kids are having fun, y’all.
So. Many. Activities. Everyday.
- Quest for Spinach – a large All-Camp-Game we played on the BDC soccer field full of zany rules. Inspired by the TL classic song “Quest for Spinach.”
- Hot Sauce Making – For an afternoon activities campers made hot sauce that they used for the next few days on their meals!
- Made a salad out of what they found in the garden – the very first Barns & Garden activity had campers running around the garden and learning what’s in it to prepare a salad for a panel of salad judges!
- Drum Stalking – In Outdoor Living Skills campers walked blindfolded through
Kids are working purposefully, y’all
- Barn Chores - so many campers are
getting up at 6 AM to help with barn chores– clean animal pins, feed the animals, milk the goats, and more - Working on our new barn – building on the momentum of session 1, walls are goingup and we’ll be starting on the second level soon!
- Cleaning dishes and setting tables before every meal. Somehow chores are better at camp!
- Restocking the sawdust and sweeping our Kybos (Our composting toilets!)
Kids are building community, y’all.
In addition to Big Fun and Big Work, we talk about Big Feelings as we work to build community.
- All campers went through a session on Boundaries discussing our rules that help keep campers safe and how to find an adult they can trust.
- Each morning we’ve been sitting in Silent Meeting, a time of silent reflection each morning.
- On the first night cabins created cabin contracts and discussed all the TL traditions and routines our new campers need to know.
Kids are eating well, y’all.
When the food isn’t good, camp isn’t good. The food this summer has been spectacular. Some meals in the last few days have included:
- Pumpkin muffins, English muffins, scrambled eggs, bacon, and yogurt with melon. Tofu scramble and vegetarian sausage for alternatives.
- Fried rice with carrots, snow peas, eggs, Bok choi, sautéed greens and Teriyaki chicken.
- Bake potato bar with ground beef, grilled corn and vegetables, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and salad using greens from our garden.
We’re keeping an eye out for our picky eaters and making sure they are eating. All campers also get snack every afternoon, and these have been things such as sesame sticks, popsicles, and fruit.
Camp feels great. Campers are making friends, exploring activities, and learning to live simply in the woods. Keep the letters coming, they love receiving them, and be sure to check out our Instagram in addition to the Smugmug account.
Camp magic for real, y’all
Until next time,
W
Summer is Epic, Y'all! | July 5, 2022
To my families of this amazing summer,
The summer is just beginning for us. The days have been (surprisingly!) sunny, the evenings cool, and the vibes great.
Kids are having fun, y’all.
So. Many. Activities. Everyday.
- Banana Tag – Like Freeze tag, but sillier!
- Low Ropes – balance, teamwork, and creativity needed to make it through our low ropes course!
- Broom Hockey – Summer hocky with brooms and crates!
- Dungeons and Dragons – A multiple day campaign written by one of our staff just for our campers!
- Friendship Bracelets – great color combinations, and so much focus!
- Skipping Rocks – A classic, and feels oh so summer campy.
Kids are working purposefully, y’all
- Working on our new barn – putting up siding and working on second floor joists.
- Cleaning dishes and setting tables before every meal. Somehow chores are better at camp!
- Restocking the sawdust and sweeping our Kybos (Our composting toilets!)
- Building fires, raking trails, and preparing our large field for our weekly talent show called Council Fire
Kids are building community, y’all.
In addition to Big Fun and Big Work, we talk aboutBig Feelings as we work to build community.
- All campers went through a session on Boundaries discussing our rules that help keep campers safe and how to find an adult they can trust.
Each morning we’ve been sitting in Silent Meeting, a time of silent reflection each morning. - Campers have shared their talents and cheered others on at Council Fire, a weekly talent show set underneath a gorgeous Vermont sunset.
- Campers have publicly appreciated each other at our Beading Ceremony.
Kids are eating well, y’all.
When the food isn’t good, camp isn’t good. The food this summer has been spectacular. Some meals in the last few days have included:
- Mac n’ cheese, Spinach, Watermelon & Ribs. Pesto Pasta & Veggie Meatballs for alternatives
- Brisket, Spinach, Mashed Potato, Coleslaw, Cornbread. BBQ Tofu & Vegan/Gluten-Free cornbread for alternatives.
- Eggs, Sausage, Sweet Potato hash, Apples Homemade Pumpkin Muffins. Tofu scramble, gluten free muffins for alternatives.
We’re keeping an eye out for our picky eaters and
making sure they are eating. All campers also get snack every afternoon, and these have been things such as goldfish, popsicles, and fruit.
Camp feels great. Campers are making friends, exploring activities, and learning to live simply in the woods. Keep the letters coming, they love receiving them, and be sure to check out our Instagram in addition to the Smugmug account.
Camp magic for real, y’all
Until next time,
W
Something Really Special | June 28, 2022
To my families of this wonderous 2023 summer. 
My staff seriously can’t wait to meet their future campers.
Your current amazing and wonderful kids are in for the best summer yet at Timberlake.
This is year 15 for me, and I can say with complete honest and knowledge this is the most diverse, thoughtful, and wonderous staff I’ve ever worked with. Every camper deserves a champion, to see themselves reflected in my staff. Half of my counselors identify as BIPOC and nearly 30% of my entire staff identify as LGBTQ+. Every kid should find a place of belonging at Timberlake, the team of 2023 is ready to make that happen from the moment our campers step on campus.
My staff continue to bring me joy, make me laugh, and just marvel in what’s to come.
They sing so loud and energetically as we learn all the camp’s favorites.
The ask incredibly thoughtful questions during our
morning “Kid Chat” where we teach behavior management, how to teach, how to counsel, and the realities of the “middle school brain.”
Our kitchen is thriving and giving us meals I hadn’t realized was possible at camp. Recently we had mofongo. At CAMP. Seriously.
They are working with purpose as we set up camp: putting the docks in the water, sweeping everywhere, prepping all the trails, and brushing off the cobwebs of winter.
Since June 11th, our staff have been so busy with joyful play and purposeful work:
- Using my experience as a teacher, they learned about “the teacher stare,” how to give super clear directions, and a middle school brain that feels all the emotions and struggles to make decisions;
- They did the hard work of discussing and learning about the identities of our community as we work to be ready for each camper that comes through our door;
- They learned about the unique needs of each of our campers and how to listen empathetically when campers do things we might not want them to;
- My leadership team has participated in a book group discussing how to coach our staff and provide as much proof of support as we can;
- Each staff member earned their Woodsman: they can work with axes and knives, build fires, hang tarps, and figure out the right knot;
- They leanred what it takes to make amazing fun programming and to take a meh idea to Timberlake Canmp Magic level.
The brewing camp magic is palpable. Camp Magic is real. It’s not Santa Clause real, or Houdini slight-of-hand real. It’s as real as the algebra I used to teach, although with a certain je ne sais quoi that is difficult to understand when not experienced and near impossible to describe when it is. Camp magic is what keeps us coming back to this special place each summer.
Camp is an essential “3rd place” in the world of education. If school and home are the primary realms of learning, camp (along with after school programs) fulfill a crucial opportunity to grow. Camp teaches skills that school and home can’t always accomplish, those that are only accessible when a camper strikes out on their own and discovers what they are capable of.
Training is almost done and soon the firepits will be surrounded by exciting kids. Each summer is magical in its own right, but this one feels like something pretty great. I know it’s going to be the best one yet.
Camp magic for real, y’all.
Peace,
W