Icing on the Cake

Magic Show banner

We all come to camp prepared to work with children. We think, ‘Psych 101 taught me stages of development- check. My education and public speaking course taught me effective teaching techniques- check. Living on my own taught me healthy conflict management skills- check.’ Good to go, right? Not quite. Camp is about expanding on your knowledge during staff training and learning how to put it into practice with children, and it never hurts to have a little extra icing on your cake.

What does “icing on the cake” mean exactly? Working at camp requires a pretty strong set of toes because you are on them all the time. Children have figured how to keep things fun, exciting, and unpredictable for camp counselors. In order to return the favor, you should have a few tricks up your sleeve. In addition to learning all you can about the stages of development, respectful behavioral management, and  effective activity teaching techniques- you may need just a little more uumph to keep your campers in engaged.  Read on for a few ideas of how to put the icing on the cake:

Fun Facts:

Introducing fun facts into conversation is a very effective tool for reaching campers. Incorporating new information that surprises your campers during meals, at bedtime, or during rainy day activities will keep things fresh and exciting. Your facts will be met with wide-eyes, giggles, and very interested campers.

Here are a few examples provided by Science Kids and National Geographic Kids:

-Even when a snake’s eyes are closed, it can still see through its eyelids.

-Cats use their whiskers to check whether a space is too small for them to fit through.

-Teddy Roosevelt had snakes, dogs, cats, a badger, birds, and guinea pigs as pets while he was in office

-FDR was the first president to ride in an airplane

Magic Tricks:

Now this one is a bit “tricky” (pun certainly intended). It’s very easy to go over-board with magic tricks, but it does not take much to incite wonderment in kids.

PBS Kids takes up step-by-step through a fabulous trick to perform with your campers.

The Disappearing Salt Shaker (You’ll need a salt shaker, a dime, a napkin, a table, and a chair)

1. Begin by stating that you will make a dime disappear by rubbing the salt shaker over it.

2. Cover a salt shaker with a napkin and put your hands over it.

3. Place the salt shaker, now covered by the napkin, on top of the dime and say the magic words, “zooma zooma zoom- make this coin leave the room!” and then take the napkin with the salt shaker off the table. The coin is still on the table. Now pretend that you are disappointed because the coin didn’t disappear and the trick has failed.

4. Then, while the napkin and the shaker are off the table, open your hands and let the salt shaker fall into your lap. The napkin will still look like the salt shaker is in it. Then say, “let me try that again.”

5. Now place your hands over the “shaker” and say the magic words, “zooma zooma zoom- make this coin leave the room!”

6. Push down the napkin, and it will seem like the shaker has fallen through the table!

7. You campers will be amazed!

Jokes and Riddles:

Jokes and riddle are classic and match the spirit and pace of camp- fun and sweet!

Take a look at a few of our favorites also provided by PBS Kids:

Q: What do puppies eat at the movies?/ A: PUPcorn

I was wondering why the baseball was getting bigger and bigger and then it hit me!

Q: Where does a duck go when he is sick?/ A: The DUCKtor

Q: How do you make seven even?/ A: You take away the “s”

With all this icing and all the cherries on top, it’s important to remember, however, that the most important thing to your campers is the cake- that’s you!

Yoga and Camp

children's yoga

Camp provides so many wonderful opportunities for girls to try new things- whether it’s creative, athletic, or adventurous. Our counselors spend quite a bit of time preparing to become experts in the instruction of our camp activities. Often time this preparation can be quite a process! One of our fabulous cabin counselors, Mallory, recently received her Yoga Instructor Certification. She recounts her experience and how she plans to use her new knowledge in the future below:

“I literally did yoga from before sunrise to after sunset on many occasions (6am to 8:45pm…CRAZY!), but I loved every moment of it.  We learned to adjust students, come up with class themes and sequences, learned to sing/chant in sanskrit, and worked on some fun arm balances.  We got to do a kids’ yoga class, a chair yoga class, a prenatal class, a mommy-baby class with sandbag babies, and more!  I tried a lot of different styles of yoga (Bhakti, Jivamukti, Ashtanga, Anusara, Viniyoga, and Kundalini) with a lot of AMAZING teachers! We ate a lot of weird green smoothies (avocado, dates, walnuts, banana and chocolate, anyone?) since we were always doing yoga…I’m super excited to begin teaching yoga and figuring out how to incorporate it into my future science/public school teaching!”

We are very proud of Mallory!

Counselors On Target

Archery at camp

This past summer, our staff meetings focused on the personal and professional development of our counselors. We explored positive leadership qualities, relaxation techniques, and several other topics meant to equip our staff with all the tools they needed to best serve their campers. One article that drove our staff’s performance last summer was Stephen Wallace’s Letters From My Campers- A Counselor’s Guide to Mentoring Youth. The article provides simple, yet powerful principles for the profession. Here are a few our favorites from Wallace:

Relaxing at Camp
  • Communicate information
  • Have a sense of  humor
  • Clarify expectations
  • Be relaxed
  • Be a good role model
  • Show leadership
  • Have fun with your campers
  • Model responsible behavior
  • Discourage foul language
  • Teach fair play
  • Supervise for safety
  • Show a knowledge of each camper
  • Be fair to all campers
  • Encourage campers to try new things
  • Foster self-confidence
  • Be patient
  • Be vigilant

Rockbrook in The New York Times

In our last blog post we shared some interesting information about the history of Farming at Rockbrook.  During our research on the history of the farm, we also found a fascinating news article from The New York Times about The Carriers bringing the first motorized tractor to the area saving the farming season with their new machine.  Mr. Carrier was in the automobile and tractor business down in SC, and that is how he came to Brevard in the first place. H.P. Clarke, founder of Rockbrook Farm and father of Nancy Clarke Carrier (camp founder) ordered an automobile from Mr. Carrier’s dealership.  While delivering the car, Mr. Carrier met Nancy Clarke and their romance began.  They would eventually marry and Mr. Carrier would relocate to Rockbrook Farm.  It is during this time that Mr. Carrier joined Mr. Clarke in his farming business and eventually purchased the tractor that would come to serve such an important role in farming of the French Broad River Valley.

Henry N. Carrier of Brevard North Carolina
The New York Times, September 12, 1920

The article states that:

When Mr. Carrier took over Rockbrook and became a farmer, he carried his auto-traction interest with him.  He had his car and his truck, and he got a couple of tractors.  He sold one tractor to the town of Brevard for street and road purposes, and then the French Broad River got busy.  It flooded the valley three times before May 1.  Farmers who had lost their crops in the bottoms before began to despair.  Not a grain of corn was planted in the whole valley, but then came a few precious days of dry warm weather and the tractor got busy.  It plowed up whole fields in the time when a team of mules had previously covered only acres.  It ran from sunrise until after dark, without a whimper.  It carpeted the young green valleys with mighty areas of rich dark brown.  The sound of its chug-chug as it sturdily turned its wide furrows from river’s bank to mountain side, echoed back from distance coves and told the wondering mountaineers that a new era had dawned on the French Broad.  Excerpt from The New York Times, September 12, 1920

Isn’t it interesting that this bit of news made it all the way to The New York Times?  Mr. Carrier really did save the day!  It is said that not only did he lend out the tractor to local farmers, he also traveled with the tractor to teach his friends how to use the new gas powered machine.

From Plow to Tractor
Transition from plow to Tractor, The D.H. Ramsey Special Collection

Notes From the Field

Margaret Mead, a leader in the field of anthropology, dedicated her life to studying the interactions of cultures foreign to the western world. Your work as a new camp counselor closely mirrors that of Meade and her colleges.

A Cultural Study at camp

You begin your “field work” by leaving your own comfortable world and entering into a culture you know very little about. Of course, you’ve completed as much research as you can- you’ve explored the camp’s website, spoken with the directors, and perhaps have even made contact with others who have worked in the camp community. Even with all this preparation, you’re still unsure of what you are about to encounter.

Upon arrival, you take vigorous mental notes. Everything is new to you. Even the “jargon” doesn’t fit into your own catalog of words- “Be-Bop”, “Dog-Trot”, “Hi-Ups”. You have no meaning to attach to these words just yet.

The interactions among members of this community is conduct that you have experienced in your own culture, but not to the extent as it is observable here- the girls are so friendly and encouraging to one another. No one seems to be concerned with make-up or physical appearance. Girls spend the majority of their time laughing and playing. They conduct their lives in a noticeably carefree manner.

Within three months, you have become fully indoctrinated by this new community. Your work is brave and tireless. You have transformed something enigmatic into something comprehensible.  Although your work may never be published or studied in its own right, you will, like Margaret Meade, change the world.

Favorite Place in Nature

Place in Nature Child Essay

When 8-year-old camper Sarah was asked recently to write about her “Favorite Place in Nature” for her Science and Social studies class, she chose Rockbrook. She wrote about and illustrated what she loved about camp this past summer. Sarah’s mom passed it along to us, so we’re glad to share it with you.

“Have you ever wanted to go to the mountains? Have you ever wanted to smell a fresh summer breeze? Have you ever just wanted to let go and have fun? If so, I have the place for you! There are a lot of different activities like archery, horse-back riding, and mountain climbing. There are two mountains called Castle Rock, and Mt. Rockbrook. If you like to just relax, than the creek is the place to go. There you can have shoe races or just hang out. I went to the top of Castle Rock. There were these exotic plants that I never saw before, and I am a total plant lover. I stayed for sunset and it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. I saw the cutest bunny in the world! The sun was beautiful. When my Dad picked me up, I didn’t want to go home! Rockbrook is a memory that I will never forget.”

Favorite Place in Nature

What’s your favorite place in Nature?

Rockbrook Farm and HP Clarke

Did you know that before Rockbrook was a summer camp it was well known in the area as a working farm?  Henry P. Clarke, the father of Nancy Carrier, camp founder, was a well respected farmer in Brevard.  After doing some research we have found that Mr. Clarke bred chickens, shorthorn cattle and even raised dogs.  There was a large garden plot, muscadine grape vines and a dairy that was run by a family member of Mr. Clarke.  When Rockbrook was founded in 1921 the farm provided all of the food and meat for the whole camp!

chicken yard at Rockbrook Farm

The chicken yard at Rockbrook Farm

While researching the history of the farm, we came across Mr. Clarke’s name in several publications.  We learned that Mr. Clarke operated a kennel called Brevard Kennel.  Here is a snippet from The Field Dog Book:

Dog boarding listing
From The Field Dog Book

We also discovered an interesting advertisement in the back of The Country Gentlemen Magazine for Rockbrook Farms Shorthorn Cattle.  Check out the ad as well as a birthing record of two of the cows Lady Mell and Minerva.

Cow announcement
Birthing Record, 1900

It is clear that Mr. Clarke was a man of many talents! In our next blog we will share a great article about Mr. Clarke “saving the farming season” with his new modern tractor.