YMCA Camp Silver Beach First Summer Guide Book

YMCA Camp Silver Beach First Summer Guide Book

Welcome! So you are coming to YMCA Camp Silver Beach this summer! We are excited you are joining us. At CSB we have lots of cool traditions, activities, and special events. Reading this book will help you know the ins and outs of camp so you can rock it like a seasoned pro. Page 3: Start at the Beginning Page 5: Where do I belong Page 6: Win the Cup Page 7: Day in the Life Page 9: Fun in the Sun-- You Choose! Page 10: Level Up Page 11: When the Sun goes down Page 12: Staying in touch 2

Start at the Beginning Decorate Your Car The fun starts before you leave home! Decorate your car with Camp Silver Beach or Bust and you ll earn house points (learn more in Win the Cup )-- if your car is the best, you ll win even more points. Check in at the Dining Hall Once you re at camp, take your parents to the dining hall for check in. After stopping for paperwork and a head check (the nurses check your hair), you ll visit the Silverware Store to stock up on CSB gear. If you can t get something now, no worries, it s open at check out too. Meeting Your Counselors After check in go meet your counselors. They ll help you move into the cottage where you have your first big choice picking your bunk! Don t worry, you ll mostly just sleep there and you ll have fun with whichever one you pick. Once your bunk is set, it s time to say goodbye to your parents. Sometimes this is easy, but for some campers it s hard. If it s hard for you don t feel bad, remember you re just saying see you later! Your parents want you to have a great time at camp, and you definitely will. Soon you ll be talking to your cabin mates, making new friends, and forget any sad feelings. That brings up the best part of camp making new friends! While some people come with a friend or sibling, lots of kids come by themselves. Either way you re definitely going to make friends with loads more people-- just be yourself and talk to your cottage mates (not too hard, right?). Before Dinner The first day is short but important! You have a swim test and camp meeting before dinner. The swim test decides if you need a life jacket at the pool-- no big deal. You ll swim one length of the pool and tread water. If you pass you get a swim band that you leave on all week (even for showers!). If you don t pass, don t sweat it. You still get to swim and a counselor can help you with your swimming during the week if you want. At your camp meeting you will meet your head counselors. They re in charge of making sure you have a great week, and they care about you a whole lot, so make sure you say hi anytime you see them! They will also lead you in cheers and songs at meals. Girls and Boys Camp are two of the biggest rivals at CSB, so you ll cheer against each other a lot. 3

Dinner and After Supper Hour Before you know it you ll go to dinner. Meals at camp are easy and different every day! You ll wait in line to get food remember to say please and thank you! Then, you ll go with your cabin to your table (it s the same all week). Be sure to check out the salad bar each meal for cool things to add to your plate. Chances are cheers will break out after dinner. If you don t remember the words just play along, you ll get it soon! Be as loud as you can when it s your turn, and quiet and respectful when it s not. After dinner you ll get to take a few quick pics with your cabin, then play games on the field with friends (we call this After Supper Hour) until it s time for opening campfire. Opening Campfire and House Sorting When After Supper Hour is over, head to the amphitheatre (by the dining hall) for your first evening program: opening campfire! Kick back, relax, laugh, and have fun watching counselors do silly songs and skits. This lasts for about an hour, then it s time for sorting. That s right, just like Harry Potter. You ll get sorted into one of our four houses and head off for your house meeting. A lot like your camp meetings earlier, at your house meeting you ll learn all about your house cheers, traditions, and secrets. Taps, Devotions, and Lights Out At your house meeting you ll learn one of our longest standing camp traditions-- taps. Every night you and your cabin will get in a circle and sing taps (lyrics below). Then it s time to head back to your cabin for the night. If it s not too late your counselor might give you a little bit of flashlight time (so make sure you pack one!) and then it s time for lights out you ve got big day ahead of you! a Taps: Day is done, gone the sun From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky All is well, safely rest God is nigh *whispers* goodnight Camp Silver Beach 4

Where Do I Belong Boys Camp and Girls Camp Our biggest camp Main Camp is made up of Girls and Boys Camp. This is where most people start (and probably where you are!). Girls and Boys Camp each have 12 cottages and kids from 8-16 years old. Some kids stay more than one week, that means they do weekend camp with other kids staying longer, or do a Two Week Session and stay with the same kids for the whole time. TAC (Teen Adventure Camp) TAC is for rising 9th graders and above. TAC stays in the Family Cabins (F-Cabins for short) for three weeks. They do lots of normal activities, so you ll see them around, but they also do their own special activities, like field trips or skill sessions to get really good at activities. LDP (Leadership Development Program) LDP is for rising 11th graders. LDP teaches teens to be better leaders, and helps prepare them to be counselors. LDP is also three weeks, though they are on field trips for a lot of the second week. They don t do many of the same activities as Main Camp, but you ll see them around a little bit helping out at activities. Ski School/Specialty Camp All camps (except LDP) have the option of doing Ski School or Specialty Camps. Not everyone does them, your parents decide before camp. If you are doing a speciality camp there are times you ll go with a small group to do special activities instead of land or water. Your counselors will keep track of if and when you do this, so don t sweat it-- they re super fun, but so is everything at camp, so don t worry if you re not signed up! 5

Win the Cup What are Houses? At CSB we have four houses, yup, just like Harry Potter! You ll be sorted and learn all about your house traditions, cheers and secrets. What is the House Cup? It is awarded to the house that earns the most points at the end of every week. Then, at the end of the summer, the Overall House Cup is awarded to the house that has earned the most points for the summer! This is a very prestigious award, and one of the biggest at camp. How Do I Earn Points? There are a few ways. First, earn levels throughout the week (see more in Level Up ). The more levels you earn the more points your house gets. You also earn points by doing good things for people and being helpful. Lastly, you earn the most house points on House Day! What is House Day? House day is one of the best days of the week. Wednesday you ll spend the day with your house and dress in your house colors (if you don t know your house bring a little of each color). You ll eat meals, cheer, and do activities with your house. Half the day is on land and half on water, but instead of normal activities, you ll be in a group with all different ages and work together to earn house points. House day, best day! The Four Different Houses Osprey: Yellow Pine: Green Blue Crab: Blue Firefly: Red 6

Day in the Life 8:00am Breakfast Rise and shine at 7:00am and take care of a few quick chores. Nothing too hard, just keep the cabin neat and tidy to compete for Cleanest Cottage. Then head off to breakfast and start out the day strong. 8:45am CSBN After breakfast head to the Amphitheatre for flags. Then enjoy CSBN (AKA Camp Silver Beach News). CSBN will explain any special activities for the day and might even have some funny game shows! 9:00am-12:00pm Morning Activities After CSBN you ll go to morning activities, either land or water. Check out Fun in the Sun-- You Choose! to learn more. Either way remember to wear your sunscreen and drink lots of water! 12:30pm Lunch Come back to your cabin after morning activities and cool down for a few minutes before heading to the Dining Hall for lunch. Be prepared for lots of cheers! 1:30-2:30pm Rest Period After lunch head back to your cabin for Rest Period. Don t worry, it s one of the best periods of the day. Cool down, read a book, or take a nap, and get a little down time before the afternoon. 2:30-5:30pm Afternoon Activities Whichever activities you didn t have in the morning, you ll have in the afternoon. Three more hours of fun in the sun! 6:00pm Dinner Meet at your cabin and head to the dining hall with all your cabin mates for dinner. After Supper Hour/ Evening Activities Depending on the day you will go to after supper hour or straight to your evening activities. For after supper hour head to the field to hang out, play games, and build up your Gaga Ball reputation (you ll learn all about Gaga on your first day). Otherwise head straight to your EP for the night and get going! Devotions/Shower/Bed After taps you ll head to your cabin. Hop in the shower, then it's time for devotions. Devotions happen every night and are a more serious time. They are a big part of what makes camp so special. After devotions you might have a little time to write letters or read, and then it s lights out! 7

Fun in the Sun-- You Choose! Activity Splits At camp we have two types of activities: land and water. You ll spend half the day on each. Where you go in the morning and afternoon depends on which cabin you re in. For the most part, the activity splits are divided into the older half of camp and the younger half of camp. Land You ll be on land with half of camp, boys and girls, who are all pretty close to your age. You have three one hour sessions each day. That means that every day (except House Day) you get to choose three different activities! Some activities like tower, zipline, and skatepark, are busier than others. If there isn't room don t worry! Just head to another nearby activity, wait it out for a session, and head back. You ll be one of the first kids there and get your chance. But remember, don t run! Stay safe, and enjoy all the activities camp has to offer. Water Water is a little different. You still get three hours but 1.5 hours are at the pool, and 1.5 are at the bay. Pool: the pool has lots to offer. You can go down the Wet Willie, earn levels in swimming, or just chill out. No matter what you choose to do, you re sure to have a great time. Bay: if you had fun at the pool you re going to love the bay! There are a ton of activities: sailing, banana boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, and free swim; are all awesome options, and there are many opportunities to earn levels. You have two sessions at the bay each day.. Lots of kids get in line at banana boating and sailing, so you might not be able to do them every day. Just remember that if you re respectful, kind, and caring, you ll definitely get your chance to go during the week! 8

Level Up What are Dog Tags? Dog tags are camp s way of rewarding all of your hard work at the end of the week. We have lots of different dog tags but many are earned through activities. How Do You Earn a Dog Tag at Activities? By earning levels at different activities throughout the week. Every activity has four levels that get harder as you go; blue, yellow, red, and green. You have to earn each level in order. If you earn the same level at seven activities, you ll get that color dog tag at the end of the week. If you can earn the same level at ALL the activities you earn an officer dog tag. Level Book On Sunday you will get a book that explains everything you have to do for each activity level. Some of the Different Dog Tags Camp Has to Offer Blue: earn 7 blue levels Yellow: earn 7 yellow levels Red: earn 7 red levels Green: earn 7 green levels Character Counts: one camper at each activity who embodied the core values all week. Sunshine: one camper at each activity who was a ray of sunshine. Cleanest Cottage: the boys and girls cottage that earned the highest score for cleanest cottage. Honor Cottage: the boys and girls cottage that exemplified the core values, became particularly tight, and stood out. Honor cottage is a really big award! Honor Camper: A lot like honor cottage, this award is given to one special camper who stood out during the week. Weekend Warrior: given to each kids who stays for stayover-- if you re coming for more than one week, this is for you! Ski School: if you do ski school, you get this special dog tag at closing campfire! Rainbow: the hardest of all dog tags, the rainbow dog tag is a BIG DEAL. If you get your rainbow dog tag it means you ve earned every level at every activity on camp. Only a handful of campers have ever done it will you be next? 9

When the Sun Goes Down & Theme Days What are Evening Programs (EPs) Every night is something different, each more fun than the last. Your counselors might call these EPs, otherwise known as Evening Programs. Weekly Schedule Sunday, Opening Campfire: Every Sunday we have Opening Campfire, which we explained in the Opening Day section. The counselors put on a show, and you sit back and relax! Monday, Big Game: Camp will transform as you join in a world of Star Wars, Mario Kart, Disney, or another theme. Work with you cottage to solve problems, earn items, and save the day. We will email the theme for your week as we get closer to summer. Tuesday, Big Show: Head to the amphitheater for fun and craziness. Will your counselor get slimed, dressed up as a super hero, or will we have a lip sync battle? No matter what it will be a good time. Wednesday, Ice Cream Social : Get dressed up for a theme, go to the dining hall, get a bowl of ice cream, and dance the night away with your friends. Thursday, Cottage Night: This isn t like other EP s, it s just with your cabin. Your counselors work hard all week to come up with a super fun night which means it s always unique. Friday, Closing Campfire: Closing campfire is your time to shine. Every Friday we have Closing Campfire, which is your chance to show off your talents and watch your fellow campers shine. Special Events Every day we have some different silly themes-- some themes need your help to keep going, and some you ll see whether you knew about them or not! Bull Moose Monday : on Mondays counselors can only drink with their left hands. If you see a counselor drinking with their right hand, say BULL MOOSE, OO OO OO, AH AH AH and they have to turn their shirt around backwards! Tie Dye Tuesday : go to Arts and Crafts to create a masterpiece of your own. Bring something white and Cotton or buy a shirt to dye at the Silverware Store Wednesday House Day : see above. Thursday Bay Day: sign up at Environmental and you could go to water during land activities to learn all about our beautiful Bay. Fishing Friday : sign up for the lottery and you just might get to go fishing! 10

Staying In Touch While you re away you might want to keep in touch with your family-- no worries! There are lots of ways to stay connected and share all the fun you re having. Letters From Home Your parents can send packages, letters, and even emails! Letters are passed out at lunch or dinner. You ll pick up packages at the office after lunch or dinner to take to your cabin. Make sure there are no peanuts, or your counselors will have to take them until the end of the week-- camp is a nut free zone! Email is the quickest way for your parents to send a letter. They can send you a message to campers@campsilverbeach.org with your name and cabin number in the subject line. We will print a copy and get your letters to you at lunch or dinner so you can stay in touch! Letters to Home You re welcome to send a letter anytime you want, so long as you bring some envelopes and stamps and know your address. Letter may take 3 or 4 days to get home, but we have a plan. On Tuesdays you write a letter home on a sheet of paper that camp will EMAIL to your parents! How neat is that? Your parents will get your letter the very next day. No Phone Calls One things Camp doesn t allow is phone calls. Camp is a special experience, and you need to be all in. Phone calls and technology would take you out of the moment and we definitely don t want that! Camp is short and you ve got to appreciate every moment. Homesickness Homesickness at camp is completely normal-- lots of people have felt it. If you feel homesick it s nothing to be ashamed of! If you think you might get homesick talk to your parents before you come to camp; bring some pictures from home, a favorite stuffed animal, or come up with a plan for writing letters and hearing from your family. If you do feel homesick at camp talk to your counselor! They ll have great advice and are always willing to talk. Remember, camp is a very special place and you don t get to be there for long! 11

After reading this guide, there are several ways to ask any questions about your stay at CSB. Message us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campsilverbeach/ Email us: info@campsilverbeach.org Call us: 757 442 4634 Also check out CSB on instagram to see the counselors, camp activities, and more! https://www.instagram.com/campsilverbeach/ 12