Tuesday & Wednesday

Hello families!

Tuesday started off with an all time favorite breakfast of Bagels & Cream Cheese with tomatoes and avocado on the side. Classes were in full swing and I could hear words of encouragement and support all morning long. So many of your campers have learned how to juggle this session and every time someone juggles three balls- a bell rings! Lunch was the highly anticipated Chicken & Veggie Tender meal with Oven Fried Potatoes and the Salad Bar. The afternoon was full of activities throughout Camp! We had a stream walk in the late afternoon with two counselor leaders- who pointed out the rock formations of the stream, trees of the property, lizards and ripe blackberries along the way! Dinnertime came along and it was Taco Tuesday! We had corn tortillas with all the fixings- and vanilla pudding for dessert! Thank you, Kitchen. Tuesday's Evening Program was Adventure Night- which tied in elements from this summer's musical- Queen Arthur and the Sword in the Moon. It's a night of cooperation through activities working towards a common goal-the night culminated with a trip to the Moon! The Big Top was transformed and we watched hilarious camp-made movies. The last half of the tipis went to the Labyrinth for "Wise Gaias" part two. Wavy and Jahanara guided tipis through, pointing out the different statues that fill the center and the meaning of the shape itself as the sunset filled the valley with it's beautiful glow.

The sky was clear and blue- with a nice breeze on Wednesday morning. Excitement for the Cabar-A started early and campers were eager to rehearse! We had a lovely Breakfast of Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, & English muffins with Jam. Classes switched into Show Mode and your campers signed up for acts they want to be in for the Big Show! Very exciting! We had Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup with chips and apples on the side. Excellent fuel for the afternoon that was full of rehearsals for the Cabar-A. There were plenty of activities all afternoon to balance out rehearsal time and play time!
Dinner was Pulled Pork (& Veggie strip) Sandwiches with Homemade BBQ sauce, Parmesan Zucchini, Baked Beans, and Carrot Sticks on the side. Yum! We had a special "Staff on Stilts" night after Dinner where counselors were able to get on stilts again and re-live their camper days! There were even a few who got up for the very first time. Your campers loved seeing their counselors parading around the Stilt Field! Meanwhile, the Costume Barn, Theater, and Tight Rope area became Show central- costumes were adorned, microphones set up, the ReNewed Stage was swept. Once the conch blew- We headed to the Tight Rope site to start off ze Cabar-A! You all are in for a treat come show day! Acts that went up were:

Tight Rope

Unicycling

Beginning & Advanced Improv

Songwriting 

Calvin & Hobbes

Clowning 

We were all in awe of your campers and laughed so much throughout the evening. Looking forward to the Cabar-B on Thursday! 

Stay tuned for a recap!

Toward the fun,

Leia

Photos from Dinner Circle Tuesday!

Happy Monday!

Hello families,

After a rejuvenating Sunday, week two is off to a great start! Camp is feeling good! We started off with a delicious breakfast of Scrambled Eggs & Bacon, English Muffins with Jam, and juice (with hot oatmeal and cornmeal mush on the buffet). Monday is also the day that the Teen Staff are off- so many of your oldest campers assisted with their duties and helped out at tables alongside counselors at meals. It was wonderful to see them helping out and giving back to the community. Thank you oldest campers! Classes kicked off for the week and campers had a chance to try new skills before honing in on what they will be in for the BIG SHOW! Lots of fun was had and inspiration was everywhere. We had showtime after second period and tipi time before heading up to the kitchen for lunch.

Lunch was a camp favorite of Mac & Cheese, Green Salad, Carrot & Celery Sticks, and the fabulous Salad Bar. Great fuel for the afternoon! The lake was open and it was a Water Slide day! (I happened to be on Slide Top so I got to see your campers ride the slide-very exhilarating!) The cool water was a nice retreat from the warm day and there were smiles all around. Silver was Beach Mop and sang plenty of songs that we know and love. Back at camp there were so many activities to choose from including Aerials and conditioning, Stilts, open Uni track, and Art and of course the Costume Barn was open for COSTUME PARTY dress up!

Camp was a buzz with excitement for the Evening Program! Costumes are reserved in the afternoon, and after dinner is when transformations begin! Dinner was a hearty meal of BBQ Beef, Broccoli, Rolls, and Watermelon for dessert. As soon as the gong rang- almost all of camp headed to the Costume Barn to get ready for the party! Characters started to emerge, the Big Top was set up, Jordan P played some music for a warm up and once 8:00 came around- DJ Jack got the party started! The Big Top was hopping with epic dance moves- favorite tunes to sing along with- a rocking dance contest and ongoing costume contest through out the night. There was also Cartoon Theater on the Stage, Photos and Juggling in the Stilt Field with a few counselors on Stilts in costume dancing! Here are some photos!

It was a most magical evening. After sweet lullabies, we returned our costumes, brushed teeth and drifted off into dreamland. 

Stay tuned for Tuesday's happenings! 

Toward the Fun,

Leia

Photos from All Nations Day!

Happy Sunday!

Hi Families,

Hard to believe the weekend is almost over! Boy was it a smooth one. Yesterday All Nations Day! Our traditional Saturday where the campers spend the morning traversing through a storyline crafted by the staff that also educates and has fun along the way. The storyline of this year's All Nations Day was centered around the idea of scarcity (i.e. the drought in CA, etc) and how if communities shared rather than fight over resources, we'd be able to stretch thin resources further. Of course, this was done through games and creative characters!

After a nice lunch of quesadillas, black bean soup and salad, we said goodbye to the Teen Campers that were only here for the first session and the rest of the afternoon ran as usual. The lake was open, aerials and stilts class was held and everything was just smooth.

Last night, we had another Fire Circle. Wavy told a brilliant story by the fire, staff members Jose and Jordan P performed some Led Zeppelin and campers did skits, stories and songs. The evening was closed out with some brilliant West African drumming by Osayande.

Today is our big sleep in day... well, mostly for the staff. Yours truly was up at 6:00am and down in the Big Top ready to host Sunday Morning Cartoons with supervisor Zoe for the early birds. It's a long standing Camp Winnarainbow/Wavy Gravy tradition to air Simpsons on Sunday mornings (carefully selected episodes of course)... and imagine half the camp in their sleeping bags bundled up by the tv in the early hours. In the back of the Big Top, there's usually a pretty large crew of kids with their Magic the Gathering cards getting some big games on. Then we do a casual buffet breakfast and afterwards, it's BIG TIPI CLEAN UP time! We clean up all of camp - each tipi, the areas around the tipis and the older campers get assigned a specific section of camp to tidy up. The two best cleaned tipis win a special treat from Wavy. We also feature a Lost & Found Fashion Show showing off the latest found fashions and then Wavy does his biggest Morning Reading of the week. Then it's on to lunch and the usual afternoon activities that the staff host all over Camp. To wind down the week and keep it mellow, Sunday's evening program is Movie Night and this session's feature film will either be the Muppet Movie or the Fantastic Mr. Fox.... still to be decided!

The weather is perfect and not too hot, not too cold and it's been a real pleasure having your kids this week. Next week, we prep for the Big Show! Looking forward to telling you more about it.

Thanks,
Timmy

Teen Camp Post #1

 For the Teen Camp families- here is an update from Elizabeth:

Today is Thursday August 6th, the fourth day of Teen Camp 2015! This morning Wavy Gravy informed us that August 6th is "the day of unique happenings." I'd say that every day at Camp Winnarainbow is full of unique happenings, so Wavy's premonition is bound to come true.
     This session started just like any other: counselors excited for the session to begin, campers nervous and excited to be away from home. By day four everyone seems to have found their groove, and the Teen Campers have had some time to get to know each other. On the first night we gathered at the kitchen to establish agreements for the rest of the session. We heard goals for improving circus skills, and for making Teen Camp a safe space for open conversations and for getting to know one another.
     The daily Teen Camp schedule has us weaving in and out of the rest of Camp's activities, so we enjoy special workshops and hangout time in addition to the usual "unique happenings" in Camp. In a typical day, Teen Campers wake up in their tipis (Ultra Violet or Purple) and walk to our outdoor kitchen for hot cocoa (though our teens tend to sleep in past cocoa time for some extra zzz's), songs and breakfast circle, and breakfast. After cleaning our tipis and getting ready for the day, we either join all of Camp for Morning Reading and warmups, or we host our own exclusively for Teen Campers. For example, on Tuesday we gathered in the Big Top to hear life stories from our "creative director" Zappo, and poetry from journaling extraordinaire Blake. Zoe (who works as a yoga instructor during the year) led us in some stretchy and meditative warmups. Then we went on a nature walk up to the Plateau to set the tone for the session. We found an old Labyrinth, practiced walking mindfully, and we were so quiet that we were approached by a mamma and baby deer! We formed a circle around the labyrinth and talked about the theme for this year's Teen Camp, which is "Finding your path, finding your voice." Campers and counselors alike shared stories about the paths they are on. Some paths were professional, some introspective, and others spiritual.
     Every morning Teen Campers spend one of the two class periods in Teen Camp specific class options. So for one period they choose from the usual options (songwriting, tightrope, and juggling seem popular among the Teen Campers), and then in the other period Teen Camp gathers to choose from a more selective palate of options. Yesterday we offered Journal Making (which involves a lot of collage and re-purposing of old notebooks), and Improvisational Dance. Today we offered a class to work on your "elevator pitch," and a class in Qi Gong. Every afternoon during free time Teen Campers gather to the "Teen Zone," a hangout spot on the East Bay Stage that is equipped with a couch, mats, journal making materials, and snacks galore.
    Tonight is the Tornado of Talent!, where campers are invited to showcase their skills for the rest of camp. This afternoon campers prepared their acts for the Rainbow Stage, and the performance is about to begin. The Costume Barn is currently flooding with activity as performers perfect their costumes. Some Teen Camper acts to be featured tonight include singing, hula hooping and yo-yo. You too can be suuuucked up in the Tornado of Talent!

Some "Unique Happenings" and tidbits from the session thus far include:
1.  Rain! We were all stunned to be graced by some shy droplettes on Tuesday afternoon
2.  Ultraviolet and Purple tipi members continue to rake in "strokes" (which are how we recognize out-of-the-ordinary and extraordinary camper doings), proving to be strong role models for the rest of the community.
3. Last night Teen Camp stayed for the beginning of Fire Circle, then slipped away to the Big Top for a Love Strategy (inspired by Patch Adams from Session B) workshop. Most of the campers were able to successfully push themselves out of their comfort zones for the workshop, which was really beautiful to see. We then walked to the field for some star gazing, followed by a walk through the big labyrinth led by Wavy Gravy and Jah themselves.

Towards the fun!
- Elizabeth

Pictures pictures pictures!