May 10, 2012
Move over, Matisse!
 Cody standing under her drawing | The Rockbrook office is cheering for camper Cody from Georgia, who was recently selected as a finalist for the Atlanta Humane Society’s Annual Art Contest. A whopping 800 submission were made to the contest, and artists ranged in age from Kindergardeners to 12th graders. We are SO proud of Cody’s artistic accomplishment, as well as her humanitarian efforts! Check out her awesome artwork below. Way to go, Cody! |
April 30, 2012
Aromatherapy for Campers?
We saw this the other day and couldn’t help but share it. A company called “Fairtale Wishes” is making an “aromatherapy spray” called “Happy Camper.” The spray smells like grape jelly, and according to the Web site, a child just sprays her pillow with the “magic” spray and the “sweet grape jelly scent will keep homesickness at bay.” The spray is perfect for when campers need “a little dose of home” because it is a “sweet smell that kids love.”
The company makes other scents designed for kids as well: “Super Hero Spray” (peppermint), “Monster Repellent” (Bubblegum) and “Sweet Dreams Spray” (Lavender).
It’s not clear how these different scents work, how effective the smell of grape jelly is when a child is feeling homesick, for example. There are well-tested and well-known tips for handling homesickness at camp, and while they don’t rely on our noses, having a slightly sweet smelling pillow can’t hurt either!
April 13, 2012
Castle Rock Climbing
What’s that red dot in this photo? Amazingly, it’s a Rockbrook camper climbing Castle Rock! You may have heard that Rockbrook is lucky to have a great rock climbing area right on its property, and that this makes it incredibly easy to rock climb while at camp. It’s true, and here’s the proof! You may not, however, have a sense of just how BIG Castle Rock is. Well, it’s enormous… the exposed rock face being easily 250 feet tall.
Our friend Bob Twomey, who is a helicopter pilot and the owner of Wolf Tree Aviation, helped a photographer grab these shots last summer. Bob passed them along to us, and we just had to share.
Ready for some rock climbing? That red dot could be you!
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April 12, 2012
Cardinal Cookies with Katie
This week, everyone in the office experienced quite an Easter treat! Traveling all the way from Florida, Camper Katie and her family spent their Easter weekend and Spring Break in Brevard. Sofie, Sarah, Charlotte, and Frampton got to spend a delicious lunch hour hanging and snacking with Katie, her mom, and her brother. See those cookies below? Those were homemade by Katie herself, including the icing! Take another look and you’ll see that the cookies are shaped after the famous Brevard white squirrel and the equally famous Rockbrook redbird. Katie can whip up some kitchen magic!
 Katie proudly displays her cookie creations. |  A beautifully frosted redbird! |
April 9, 2012
More Reasons Kids Need Camp
Around here at Rockbrook, we’re big fans of discussing why summer camp is so great for kids. There’s no doubt that spending time at camp is super fun and kids love it, but it’s also important for their personal, physical and social development. In so many ways, camp is something our modern kids need more than ever because it provides relief from unhealthy habits. It serves, as we’ve said before, as a “haven” for children. Take a look at some of our recent articles on the benefits of camp.
Over on the Web site What’s Up for Kids, Kathy Alessandra just posted an article entitled, “Five Reasons Your Child Needs Camp.” Reporting information from the American Camp Association and several well-respected studies, the article is a nice reminder of some very significant ways kids benefit from camp.
You should go read the article yourself for all the details, but here are the 5 reasons listed.
- Campers gain positive life skills like “making friends” and “trying new things.”
- Campers stay in motion, enjoying physical exercise.
- Campers have experiences that help them back at school.
- Campers reconnect with nature.
- Campers engage in creative free play.
Of course, there’s a lot to each of these, but perhaps most importantly, this article is another reminder of how rare and valuable a summer camp experience is for our kids. Definitely a great thing!
April 5, 2012
Caroline Rocks!
This week, the RBC office is especially proud of Camper Caroline from New Orleans, LA. A few weeks ago, Caroline called us with a special request. Her Science class was doing a project on rock composition and Caroline wanted to do her report on Rockbrook’s very own Castle Rock! Her project required samples of the rock face, and Caroline wanted to know if we could send her a package with a few pieces of RBC’s signature rock. We happily sent a “Castle Rock Sampler”, filled with different sized chunks of the rock, but we did so on one condition: Caroline had to send us a picture of the finished product.
Well, not only did Caroline send us a photo of her masterpiece, but her parents also reported that she received an A on the project! How awesome is that?! We are beaming with pride over Caroline’s academic accomplishment, and we’re honored that Castle Rock was the subject of her studies. Thanks to Caroline, we know that Castle Rock is a metamorphosed igneous rock called “Gneiss”. Impressive stuff!
Way to go, Caro!
March 23, 2012
Rockbrook’s Harvestmen
Probably the most common arachnid (the class that includes spiders) you see around Rockbrook is this little guy. You probably recognize him as a “Daddy Long legs Spider.” And you’ve also probably heard that they are the “most poisonous spider in the world,” but (luckily!) they are not dangerous because their “fangs are too small and short to bite through people’s skin.” With that kind of reputation, this is definitely a little scary no matter what.
The problem is; it’s not true. Also known as Harvestmen, these little guys do not in fact have fangs or any venom at all. It is true their mouth parts are quite small, so they can’t bite you. Overall, they’re totally harmless. They also don’t spin webs because they lack silk producing glands. It fact, technically speaking they aren’t even spiders! They do have eight legs and are in the same biological class as spiders, but are in a different order. It’s just a big misconception that seems to be repeated every summer at camp.
There are more than 100 species of Harvestmen in North America, and they are particularly common in rich deciduous forests (like Rockbrook!) where there are lots of other small insects, fungi, and plant matter they like to eat. When you’re at camp this summer, keep an eye out for these fascinating, and harmless, forest critters.
March 15, 2012
London Rendezvous
 Rachel (left) and Mary Hollis reunite in London | We’ve blogged before about Rockbrook campers reuniting during the year to remember summers past and to get pumped for those ahead, and mostly, those reunions have been happening stateside. However, Camper Mary Hollis recently went to London and arranged a hangout with former camper Rachel, a London resident. For Mary Hollis and Rachel, this really was a reunion to remember, as the girls hadn’t seen each other since they were eleven years old! Have you had a Rockbrook reunion lately? Let us know about it! Shoot us a message. We can’t wait to hear from you! |
