Tie dyes are always in fashion!

One craft at summer camps that’s always popular is making a tie dye t-shirt. It’s certainly a classic thing to do, and while you might think of swirls and colors on shirts from the 1970s, tying and dyeing cloth is common all over the world. For example there is adire tie dyeing in Nigeria (Africa), shibori dyeing in Japan, and mudmee dyeing in Thailand, just to name a few.

In the Rockbrook craft activity called “Hodge Podge,” the girls use rubber bands to tie up the cloth. Folding, twisting, bunching, pinching, and wrinkling the material you make all sorts of different patterns. Then with the rubber bands, you keep everything tight. The tighter the fold, the more resistant to the dye that part will be. That’s part of the creativity involved— deciding what to make tight (resisting the dye) and what to leave loose (taking on the color of the dye). Plus, there’s the fun of picking what colors to use, and in what areas. With so much variation, it’s neat to see how each shirt turns out different.

Riding in the Mountains

Girls from Florida looking for horse camps often find Rockbrook. In fact, there’s a long tradition of Florida kids coming to the mountains to ride in the summer. Of course, the cooler climate is one reason, but it’s also because Rockbrook is known for its horseback riding program. Amazing horses, excellent instructors, and top notch riding facilities all combine with the main summer camp program to make Rockbrook a popular horse camp choice even in Florida. Besides, it’s really not that far away! Here’s a map to see exactly where we are.

Hey, Let's work together on this.

The summer adventure program at camp includes the challenge “low ropes course” portion of Rockbrook’s Alpine Tower. This is a series of obstacles and events where girls, instead of climbing, enjoy different group initiatives, cooperative games, and other summer adventure activities designed to challenge everyone to work together and accomplish some task. It might involve everyone balancing, or swinging on a rope, or walking a log, but it will certainly require some real problem solving and cooperation. The fun and adventure comes from being together and experiencing the power of teamwork when faced with a challenge. Pretty cool stuff!

Knitting Camp Girls

“Like your hat Maddie.”

You get to make some pretty cool stuff when you come to camp… like this hat for instance. Maddie knitted it when she first got to camp last summer, and from then on was rarely seen without it. It’s true; knitting has become an increasingly popular activity at camp. The Rockbrook girls are learning that knitting isn’t all that difficult (once you master the basic stitches!), is really a lot of fun, and is so satisfying when you see what you’ve made. It’s the kind of thing that you can then continue after camp at Home. It can become a life-long hobby!

P.S. That’s Looking Glass Falls in the background.

It's Archery!

A classic thing to do at sleep away camps— learn archery —and for girls at Rockbrook, it’s very popular. Whether you’re 6, 16 or somewhere in between, using a bow and arrow, and getting good at it, is really fun. A big part of it is learning all of the equipment (e.g., the bows, parts of the arrow like the “fletching,” the protective gear like the “bracer” or “arm guard” and the “tab” or “finger guard”) and then the important shooting techniques and form (like how to aim for example!). But of course, with practice, hitting the bullseye of the target, that inner yellow circle, is the ultimate challenge. Getting a bullseye is also great because then your name is announced in the dining hall, and everyone cheers for you. You’re part of the RBC Bullseye Club! Awesome!

Making Real Friends at Camp

And these aren’t your casual friends. At camp you’ll make the absolute best friends of your life, the kind of friends you’ll always stay in touch with. That’s because camp is a place where you can be who you really are. No need to pose, no need to worry about who is or isn’t nice to you; just relax. When you’re honest and open, you’ll find the kind of true people who are easy to like and who will like you too. Whether you’re a kid, a teenager, or a college student staff member, at Rockbrook you’ll make the most awesome camp friends.

A Crazy Camp of Grannies

A bathrobe
A wig
A couple of hair curlers
Lots of powder for all over
Glasses, preferably small ones on the end of your nose
Pillows or other stuffing for certain areas
A walking cane
Loose, baggy nylon stockings
Big puffy slippers
Really red, and a little messy, lipstick
A scratchy or frail sounding voice

“Put them altogether, and you’ve got a Rockbrook…” Well, a granny of course! And not just one, but a couple of hundred! It’s one of our favorite special evening programs at camp— to get dressed up like old ladies and play bingo. “Granny Bingo.” The thrill of the game, the awesome prizes, the costumes, and all the laughing. Sure it’s silly, it’s crazy, it’s goofy, but it’s also excellent fun.

Kids Camp Riflery

Another fun activity for kids at camp is riflery. It’s one of those traditional camp things to do… to learn how to shoot a rifle and aim very carefully trying to hit a target. At Rockbrook, we shoot .22 caliber rifles, at first from a prone position (lying down, that is!), but later, for the more advanced and experienced, a sitting position. Girls can earn NRA ranks too— Pro-Marksman, Marksman, and so on. Like most things, as you practice a bit, you get better at it, and pretty soon you find you’re enjoying it more and more. Riflery at a kids camp? You bet!