Monday Evening June 29th, 2009
Dearest Pony Farm Camp Parents and Families,
Good evening to you! All is ‘Quiet on the Pony Farm Front’. We have had a good day, despite the rain!!!! The kids are happily snuggled in their beds, dreaming of another day of riding and farm fun…but let me begin at the beginning!
After you left yesterday afternoon, we did all sorts of orienting to the farm and the Pony Farm way of doing things. The Pony Farm “Golden Rule” here is to take good care of each other, the animals, and the land. This rule is really our only rule. The rest is just how we all live together. So far, the kids have really lived into this and make friends already. I have watched kids that have been here a long time invite a new camper to come sit with them. I admired how they all helped each other during room clean up or at barn chores. I love seeing them playing and working together. This is how life should be. I once had a friend who told me that he had to live in the world as it was and that I got to live in the world as it should be! I think he was right. I am glad that I get to do this life’s work. It always makes my heart glad.
After the initial staff introductions, they went to the barn to feed their pony or horse, in the rain, of course! Then, while the staff did the evening chores, the kids who had just arrived met with Kris and myself to go over the daily schedule, safety procedures, mail, packages, and meal times. When the staff rejoined us, we had a yummy steak dinner. Lots of kids chowed down and the few vegetarians were happy with cheese and veggies. Dessert was minty cupcakes, even using some of our own home grown mint. Lots of good ‘getting to know you’ chatting took place as the rain fell on the roof.
We then sent the room counselors with their charges on an All Farm Scavenger Hunt. They had to answer 10 questions about different parts of the farm. It is a fun and silly way to get to know the facility and start to get together as roommates. We then had each camper introduce herself by either saying what her favorite trip was, her favorite gift, who she would most like to have dinner with, or what was a ‘fun fact’ that no one else knew about her. Each camper now also has a number so that we will be sure to know that everyone is present and accounted for during the upcoming Temple Games. Following this, we gathered everyone’s ideas as to what they most want to do this session. We tell them that we want to make this their best two weeks of the summer, if not their year. We gathered a mighty list. They would have to stay for 3 months to do it all but it surely won’t be boring, I can promise you that!
We then started Vespers with the Counselors-in-Training telling why they have come back all these many years. I am always moved by what they say. I think the campers also get inspired by their stories of friendship, fun, horses. Its seems like a great way to kick off a good session. We followed this with songs that are special to camp and Goodnight circle. Your daughters are most articulate and verbose! It was lovely with the Vesper Candles burning bright. I am happy to say we had not one sniffle of homesickness last night. Whew, the first night is always the one in which we are most attentive as we put the kids to bed. Each room counselor did a great job. I went around to hug the littlest ones. It was all smiles. We then planned the coming week’s schedule so it would be ready for them to see by morning’s light. It is a power packed week for sure.
Today, I must admit that we were all a little daunted to wake up to pouring rain. Adding MORE water to the already deep mud was of concern. We are such safety freaks that we don’t want anyone slipping in the mud in the rings. Our poor farm manager has literally had to take the tractor and push avenues for the horses to be turned out safely. He also raked the rings twice today to make the footing as good as we could.
However, true to Pony Farm style, we preserved and all ended well. After a number of changes, all the kids are on a happy horse. Before I came down to write this I asked if it was accurate to tell you that the feat had been accomplished and they said a resounding YES! My hat is off to the staff as this is no mean feat in the pouring rain with 48 campers. Jessy and her riding staff can rest easier now that the groups have been formed and the matches made. Match.com has nothing on us!!!!
This afternoon the kids who had a suitable, safe and happy pony or horse either went on a trail ride, played “New Games” or enjoyed the Farm Animals with me. We had all the bunnies, goats, sheep, donkeys and miniature horses out on the lawn. We groomed them, jumped them, hugged them and chased the ones that ‘got away’! I do love this silly and happy time. It seems just like the kind of thing that kids ought to do on a summer afternoon. The kids that did ride were able to ride in the rings that had been raked and in smaller groups. As of this afternoon, there are 8 riding groups with 6 kids in each. With the 8 staff and 11 Counselors-In-Training, everyone gets the benefit of a group lesson with lots of individualized time.
With a good solid intro to Barn Chores and a snack in their tummies, everyone trooped off to do barn chores. They did a super job and were up ready to take their showers in great time. We always know that it will be a good session when the first night of barn chores gets done in jig time.
I was so thrilled that we ate our first peas and salad greens out of the farm gardens tonight. We have been eating our chicken eggs all along, having fresh flowers on the table, and using the herbs in the cooking. However, tonight was the first real meal of farm raised produce. The kids loved the peas and ate all the salad. I was a proud farmer as we have created most of the gardens from seedlings that we grew with grow lights in the basement of the lodge. What fun! There is plenty more to come, too. Pray for sun!
Tonight they did their Bag skits…a silly game where each room collects 6 items and puts them in a plastic bag. The bags then get passed out to another room who creates a skit around the contents of the bag. The kids get most creative and silly in their skits. It is a real favorite of the kids. We then followed that with our Vespers from half the kids at Homestead. They read a poem together. It was cute and fun. Again, Good Night Circle and singing followed with a peaceful bedtime.
Tomorrow will bring lots of horse fun, riding, trail riding, probably some driving…maybe even swimming if the weather cooperates. Our life guard is standing by to give the swimming tests and the pool is ready. I bet it will be pretty cold though!
I will give you a run down of tomorrow once we have seen them all ride in their actual groups. We have promised them and you that we will ‘not bore anyone, scare anyone or work anyone to death….’ And we mean it. If the kids are in the wrong group, it is not for want of trying….We surely have told them often enough to let us know if its not the right placement.
Finally, before I end, let me tell you that if you want to come to visit this weekend, Kris and I think it is best to come on Sunday from 1 to 4. We will have finished Brunch, gathered laundry and organized rooms for the coming week. Sunday is a non riding day. They will be swimming, tye dying shirts, making bracelets, and playing with the farm animals. You are welcome to join in the farm fun. I think this is a better day to come than Saturday as we will be doing the Temple 4th of July Games and Fireman’s Barbeque. It is a tradition and is such fun. It is hard to know exactly when we will get back from that. We will be riding that afternoon but then you would miss the 4th of July fireworks back home…so, come on Sunday if you want….HOWEVER, please do not feel like you have to come. The kids have plenty to do….Most parents do not come as it is only a two week session….Your child will not be the only one without a parent present so if you live far away or have other fun stuff to do, rest assured she will be fine and well tended….We also have them practice for the Talent Show on Sunday night. Often times the kids whose parents come actually don’t get to go in the Talent Show because they were off getting ice cream….So, you are welcome to come but not expected to come!!!
So, I hope your day is ending nicely. I am still at camp and the kids are all asleep in their bunks. Rest well yourself and know that we are enjoying your children…and tending them well.
All my best, Boo
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
What a Fantastic Week!
Friday June 26th, 2009
Dearest Pony Farm Families…Parents, Grandparents, Sisters, Brothers, Friends….
I smile as I think of you all. I sure hope you read these as I think it helps you be a ‘fly on the wall’ with your kids/sister or granddaughters. We sure are having a great time and love for you to know the happenings at the farm. We also hope you are well and have had a good week yourselves. We all think of you often and miss you…but just a little! It has been non stop action here and let me tell you all about it!
First and foremost, WHAT FANTASTIC KIDS YOU HAVE GIVEN US FOR A WEEK!!!! I swear you have done a fabulous job of raising great kids….not one single tear of homesickness, not one fuss, not one whine, not one complaint…it is a total treat to be with them, to the last one of them. Thank you for making the world a better place because of these children…They will grow up to do great things I know for certain. What an A+ you should get on your parenting report card. We are really going to be sad to say goodbye to the kids that are leaving tomorrow.
Secondly, despite the rainy weather and the mud, we have surprisingly been able to ride every single day and do lots of great outdoorsy, farm things both in the afternoon and the evening. The weather, while not great, has not been a damper on the spirits or the activities. We are grateful for the indoor and a dry bed. I truly don’t know how the tent and canoe camps do it with this kind of weather.
The riding has gone very well. We are excited to have you see the demonstration tomorrow. The kids have all worked really hard learning new skills. I have been so thrilled with the quality of the teaching that has gone on this week. Prior to Staff Orientation week, we hosted a national Certified Horsemanship Certification Clinic here. Five of our riding/teaching staff attended the whole week and became certified. The increase in their lesson planning, task analysis, skill building and teaching is really significant. I am very proud of the teaching that your children have gotten. I hope that you share my feeling when you come tomorrow. I also hope that you enjoy the quality of camp/lesson horses and ponies that we have. We are really proud of our string of mounts for a camp program. We like to think its “top drawer”!
Speaking of the Riding Exhibition and Demo Lesson tomorrow, we would love it if you could try to arrive by 9:30 to 9:45AM. We will have our Community Meeting and review with the kids what they will each be doing. Kris and I will then make some general remarks to you all while the kids are tacking up. We try not to have parents and visiting siblings in the barn while the kids are tacking up as it makes it too crowded. We can show you the week’s schedule and tell you a little about the week. We are also happy to answer any questions you might have. Following this, we invite you to go to see your daughter(s) ride. The Counselors-In-Training will conduct the actual lesson while you gather around the Senior Instructor. She will tell you all about what they have worked on during the week. She can also point out things to look for to parents who might not be ‘horsey’ in their own lives. We think the more you know, the more impressed you will be by the progress your child has made during only one week.
Following the group lessons, the kids will then regroup and do carriage driving, vaulting or jumping in specialty groups. They have had such fun doing the different things of camp that we love to give you a taste of what they have learned other than on the horse! We expect the whole Exhibition to end about noonish. We ask that you bring a picnic lunch to share with your child(ren). We will all have a picnic together on the front lawn, hopefully with sun shining on us! We will provide food for any and all kids staying over for next session so do not worry if you are not coming as we will take good care of your kiddo. (We even plan to have a Pizza Night tomorrow with everyone getting her favorite kind of pizza.) I think it is a safe bet to plan to leave by 1ish….Although, we sure won’t be glad to see you and your daughter leave. It has been such fun!!!
Speaking of fun, the Treasure Hunt/Hunter Pace was very well received by all. I actually was in NYC for a night to help my daughter move from the Upper East Side to Gramercy Park. The troops here set up a fun Treasure Hunt with clues to go to the next station. The kids were divided into 6 teams. They got all the clues with a little ‘help from their friends’…resulting in everyone getting a treasure trove of ice cream from the lovely dairy farm right down the road. After a fun trail ride, they all came back for lunch and to get geared up for the camping trip.
I had a crew of kids that were dying to go on this trip. Due to the threat of thunderstorms and lightening, Kris and I both thought it best to camp nearby instead of up on the mountain. We also checked out our usual site and the gentle little mountain stream over which we cross with all of our stuff, was a raging river. We would have washed whole children down the mountain side if we had gone there!
So, we ended up happily camping on the front lawn of the Homestead. We put up the tents in jig time and moved all our sleeping gear in. The food was ready for us and that too got set up ready for the campfire. We left the farm for our adventure and started by getting afternoon treats at the local little store. We then went to the Wilton Falls, a great big waterfall with fun swimming hole. This is a favorite of all of us ‘locals’ and a spectacular sight when it has rained a lot. Munching our snacks, we then ventured out onto the spray of the rocks in front of the water fall and helped each other cross the rushing water. The kids then jumped off a little rock outcropping and had a fun quick swim across the little pool. It was mighty cold so they didn’t stay in long! Following this little hike and swim, we came back to our camp site and started playing with all the farm animals. The kids brushed, hugged, grazed, and generally loved on the baby donkey, the lambs, the goats and the minis. We didn’t even get to the rabbits they had such fun!
After a long and leisurely time doing this, we started our camp fire and roasting our hotdogs and dinner. Much munching later, everyone was filled to the gills and ready to do the obstacle courses with the animals. They jumped, ran, went over a bridge and generally had a blast with the miniature horses. As darkness descended, we put all the animals away except for the one favorite goat. It was then S’More time…Curiously, the goat that was with us loves graham crackers. I don’t know who ate more of them, the goat or the kids!
Once everyone had eaten her fill, we all sat around the fire and the kids told massive stories, minus any ones filled with Ghosts…I don’t allow ghost stories in the dark!!! You surely have characters for children! They were great stories and well told, complete with accents. Several songs rounded up the night which was finished up with a lovely Good Night Circle with all of us holding hands around the fire and remembering all that we were thankful for in our lives.
Amid shooting stars, the fire flies and quiet whispering, the kids quickly fell asleep. I sat and watched the fire burning and reflected on how lucky I was…I too fell immediately asleep upon hitting my sleeping bag, flanked by staff and dogs!
As it turned out, it was good we were not up on the mountainside. The lightening and thunder struck about 2AM…Luckily, I got all the kids right into the Homestead, my old house, and we all went right back to sleep on the floor and the couches…so, I felt lucky not to be 2 miles away from camp with a bunch of ponies tied to a tree in the dark!
Meanwhile, ‘back at the ranch’ the kids had lessons and horse activities all afternoon and then did barn chores in good order. They had a nice dinner and then played all sorts of games for Cascino Night. This was preceeded by the Chocolate Game which is a fun game with dice, hat and mittens…Each person gets to eat as much chocolate as she can with a fork and knife….until someone else gets doubles on the dice. It is a real camp fav, for obvious reasons.
Today, the kids have done their morning lessons to prepare for their Exhibition for you tomorrow. They have also written their Candlelight message to read around the Bonfire tonight. We will do this with torches burning and as a great way to begin to end our time together. I always look forward to Candlelight as it is sooo sweet how much they come to love each other, their ponies and being here. It makes all the work, planning, care, energy…even sleeping on the hard ground well worth it!
This afternoon, we will be practicing the Specialties for the Exhibition. This will include carriage driving, vaulting, and jumping, lots of jumping….Showers will follow barn chores and our delicious last dinner together will start with all of us dressed up.
We will then greet you with open arms tomorrow, despite wishing our week was just beginning instead of just ending. We will be sad to see our first troopers leave… We really have enjoyed them…However, I would like to mention that we have had a zero minute cancellation from an incoming camper who has gotten “cold feet”. We would like to replace her if one of your kiddos would like to stay on. Let us know by emailing Kris at krisatpf@hotmail.com. Hopes this works out for somebody!
I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Hurry up and get here with your picnic. We have lots of fun things to show you. I hope you will be impressed. Until then, stay well.
Most warmly,
Boo
Dearest Pony Farm Families…Parents, Grandparents, Sisters, Brothers, Friends….
I smile as I think of you all. I sure hope you read these as I think it helps you be a ‘fly on the wall’ with your kids/sister or granddaughters. We sure are having a great time and love for you to know the happenings at the farm. We also hope you are well and have had a good week yourselves. We all think of you often and miss you…but just a little! It has been non stop action here and let me tell you all about it!
First and foremost, WHAT FANTASTIC KIDS YOU HAVE GIVEN US FOR A WEEK!!!! I swear you have done a fabulous job of raising great kids….not one single tear of homesickness, not one fuss, not one whine, not one complaint…it is a total treat to be with them, to the last one of them. Thank you for making the world a better place because of these children…They will grow up to do great things I know for certain. What an A+ you should get on your parenting report card. We are really going to be sad to say goodbye to the kids that are leaving tomorrow.
Secondly, despite the rainy weather and the mud, we have surprisingly been able to ride every single day and do lots of great outdoorsy, farm things both in the afternoon and the evening. The weather, while not great, has not been a damper on the spirits or the activities. We are grateful for the indoor and a dry bed. I truly don’t know how the tent and canoe camps do it with this kind of weather.
The riding has gone very well. We are excited to have you see the demonstration tomorrow. The kids have all worked really hard learning new skills. I have been so thrilled with the quality of the teaching that has gone on this week. Prior to Staff Orientation week, we hosted a national Certified Horsemanship Certification Clinic here. Five of our riding/teaching staff attended the whole week and became certified. The increase in their lesson planning, task analysis, skill building and teaching is really significant. I am very proud of the teaching that your children have gotten. I hope that you share my feeling when you come tomorrow. I also hope that you enjoy the quality of camp/lesson horses and ponies that we have. We are really proud of our string of mounts for a camp program. We like to think its “top drawer”!
Speaking of the Riding Exhibition and Demo Lesson tomorrow, we would love it if you could try to arrive by 9:30 to 9:45AM. We will have our Community Meeting and review with the kids what they will each be doing. Kris and I will then make some general remarks to you all while the kids are tacking up. We try not to have parents and visiting siblings in the barn while the kids are tacking up as it makes it too crowded. We can show you the week’s schedule and tell you a little about the week. We are also happy to answer any questions you might have. Following this, we invite you to go to see your daughter(s) ride. The Counselors-In-Training will conduct the actual lesson while you gather around the Senior Instructor. She will tell you all about what they have worked on during the week. She can also point out things to look for to parents who might not be ‘horsey’ in their own lives. We think the more you know, the more impressed you will be by the progress your child has made during only one week.
Following the group lessons, the kids will then regroup and do carriage driving, vaulting or jumping in specialty groups. They have had such fun doing the different things of camp that we love to give you a taste of what they have learned other than on the horse! We expect the whole Exhibition to end about noonish. We ask that you bring a picnic lunch to share with your child(ren). We will all have a picnic together on the front lawn, hopefully with sun shining on us! We will provide food for any and all kids staying over for next session so do not worry if you are not coming as we will take good care of your kiddo. (We even plan to have a Pizza Night tomorrow with everyone getting her favorite kind of pizza.) I think it is a safe bet to plan to leave by 1ish….Although, we sure won’t be glad to see you and your daughter leave. It has been such fun!!!
Speaking of fun, the Treasure Hunt/Hunter Pace was very well received by all. I actually was in NYC for a night to help my daughter move from the Upper East Side to Gramercy Park. The troops here set up a fun Treasure Hunt with clues to go to the next station. The kids were divided into 6 teams. They got all the clues with a little ‘help from their friends’…resulting in everyone getting a treasure trove of ice cream from the lovely dairy farm right down the road. After a fun trail ride, they all came back for lunch and to get geared up for the camping trip.
I had a crew of kids that were dying to go on this trip. Due to the threat of thunderstorms and lightening, Kris and I both thought it best to camp nearby instead of up on the mountain. We also checked out our usual site and the gentle little mountain stream over which we cross with all of our stuff, was a raging river. We would have washed whole children down the mountain side if we had gone there!
So, we ended up happily camping on the front lawn of the Homestead. We put up the tents in jig time and moved all our sleeping gear in. The food was ready for us and that too got set up ready for the campfire. We left the farm for our adventure and started by getting afternoon treats at the local little store. We then went to the Wilton Falls, a great big waterfall with fun swimming hole. This is a favorite of all of us ‘locals’ and a spectacular sight when it has rained a lot. Munching our snacks, we then ventured out onto the spray of the rocks in front of the water fall and helped each other cross the rushing water. The kids then jumped off a little rock outcropping and had a fun quick swim across the little pool. It was mighty cold so they didn’t stay in long! Following this little hike and swim, we came back to our camp site and started playing with all the farm animals. The kids brushed, hugged, grazed, and generally loved on the baby donkey, the lambs, the goats and the minis. We didn’t even get to the rabbits they had such fun!
After a long and leisurely time doing this, we started our camp fire and roasting our hotdogs and dinner. Much munching later, everyone was filled to the gills and ready to do the obstacle courses with the animals. They jumped, ran, went over a bridge and generally had a blast with the miniature horses. As darkness descended, we put all the animals away except for the one favorite goat. It was then S’More time…Curiously, the goat that was with us loves graham crackers. I don’t know who ate more of them, the goat or the kids!
Once everyone had eaten her fill, we all sat around the fire and the kids told massive stories, minus any ones filled with Ghosts…I don’t allow ghost stories in the dark!!! You surely have characters for children! They were great stories and well told, complete with accents. Several songs rounded up the night which was finished up with a lovely Good Night Circle with all of us holding hands around the fire and remembering all that we were thankful for in our lives.
Amid shooting stars, the fire flies and quiet whispering, the kids quickly fell asleep. I sat and watched the fire burning and reflected on how lucky I was…I too fell immediately asleep upon hitting my sleeping bag, flanked by staff and dogs!
As it turned out, it was good we were not up on the mountainside. The lightening and thunder struck about 2AM…Luckily, I got all the kids right into the Homestead, my old house, and we all went right back to sleep on the floor and the couches…so, I felt lucky not to be 2 miles away from camp with a bunch of ponies tied to a tree in the dark!
Meanwhile, ‘back at the ranch’ the kids had lessons and horse activities all afternoon and then did barn chores in good order. They had a nice dinner and then played all sorts of games for Cascino Night. This was preceeded by the Chocolate Game which is a fun game with dice, hat and mittens…Each person gets to eat as much chocolate as she can with a fork and knife….until someone else gets doubles on the dice. It is a real camp fav, for obvious reasons.
Today, the kids have done their morning lessons to prepare for their Exhibition for you tomorrow. They have also written their Candlelight message to read around the Bonfire tonight. We will do this with torches burning and as a great way to begin to end our time together. I always look forward to Candlelight as it is sooo sweet how much they come to love each other, their ponies and being here. It makes all the work, planning, care, energy…even sleeping on the hard ground well worth it!
This afternoon, we will be practicing the Specialties for the Exhibition. This will include carriage driving, vaulting, and jumping, lots of jumping….Showers will follow barn chores and our delicious last dinner together will start with all of us dressed up.
We will then greet you with open arms tomorrow, despite wishing our week was just beginning instead of just ending. We will be sad to see our first troopers leave… We really have enjoyed them…However, I would like to mention that we have had a zero minute cancellation from an incoming camper who has gotten “cold feet”. We would like to replace her if one of your kiddos would like to stay on. Let us know by emailing Kris at krisatpf@hotmail.com. Hopes this works out for somebody!
I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Hurry up and get here with your picnic. We have lots of fun things to show you. I hope you will be impressed. Until then, stay well.
Most warmly,
Boo
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Update From Summer Camp at Pony Farm
Dearest Moms and Dads and PF Families,
Whew………the rain has stopped and all the kids are on the right horse and in the right group. That is a real feat with the puddles and mud! Your kids have been terrific and good spirit abounds at camp. They were such troopers yesterday riding despite the rain that it is a nice reward today to ride under cloudy skies. Tomorrow promises to actually be sunny and bright.
Also, I am happy to report that we have had not one drop of homesickness. Everyone is so spunky and fun. I just went around to each room to check on how everyone was getting along. In every single room (this being rest hour), I saw happy kiddos that were forging good solid friendships. I thought you all would like to know, especially first time parents. Card games, finger knitting, letter writing, listening to music, chatting and gentle reading were the activities at hand during this quiet time in the middle of the day.
This afternoon they have each selected from among 8 activities. The most experienced two groups are having a jumping lesson now that the rings have dried out and been raked. They went on a trail ride this morning to give the lesser experienced kids the drier rings. The other kiddos are going to do the agility course with the farm animals, or vault which is gymnastics on the moving horse, or Natural Horsemanship, or “Time with your Horse”, AKA braiding, trimming, brushing, painting their hooves with glitter, or grazing them with picture taking galore, or a walking trail ride for the littler ones, and finally bareback riding in the ring. Each kiddo has selected her favorite one of these activities and they are soon to be off doing this.
Tonight, the girls are going to do a Fashion Show by Decades. They work very hard to dress up like many of us did in the 60’s. They love this and all are so creative, judging from the Bag Skits of last night.
Wednesday will see more lessons and a whole raft of other activities. They are gearing up to do either a Treasure Hunt or a Hunter Pace (depending on riding levels of experience) on Thursday morning so lots of trail rides will be offered. We also will have the Pony camping trip on Thursday night. We have the menu planned, the tents at the ready, and the kids signed up….and the food bought…S’mores being a definite staple of the food! So, we are gearing up for that and also for the many other things that will be offered here at the farm so that the kids who don’t want to camp are busy and happy!
So, I end as I began, by saying that you have great kids…To the last one of them, they are getting along well…riding well…loving their ponies….hugging their staff and generally having a great week. The time is flying by…Thank you for sending them to us. We are having a blast and even getting over the mud!
Warmly and with a smile, Boo
Whew………the rain has stopped and all the kids are on the right horse and in the right group. That is a real feat with the puddles and mud! Your kids have been terrific and good spirit abounds at camp. They were such troopers yesterday riding despite the rain that it is a nice reward today to ride under cloudy skies. Tomorrow promises to actually be sunny and bright.
Also, I am happy to report that we have had not one drop of homesickness. Everyone is so spunky and fun. I just went around to each room to check on how everyone was getting along. In every single room (this being rest hour), I saw happy kiddos that were forging good solid friendships. I thought you all would like to know, especially first time parents. Card games, finger knitting, letter writing, listening to music, chatting and gentle reading were the activities at hand during this quiet time in the middle of the day.
This afternoon they have each selected from among 8 activities. The most experienced two groups are having a jumping lesson now that the rings have dried out and been raked. They went on a trail ride this morning to give the lesser experienced kids the drier rings. The other kiddos are going to do the agility course with the farm animals, or vault which is gymnastics on the moving horse, or Natural Horsemanship, or “Time with your Horse”, AKA braiding, trimming, brushing, painting their hooves with glitter, or grazing them with picture taking galore, or a walking trail ride for the littler ones, and finally bareback riding in the ring. Each kiddo has selected her favorite one of these activities and they are soon to be off doing this.
Tonight, the girls are going to do a Fashion Show by Decades. They work very hard to dress up like many of us did in the 60’s. They love this and all are so creative, judging from the Bag Skits of last night.
Wednesday will see more lessons and a whole raft of other activities. They are gearing up to do either a Treasure Hunt or a Hunter Pace (depending on riding levels of experience) on Thursday morning so lots of trail rides will be offered. We also will have the Pony camping trip on Thursday night. We have the menu planned, the tents at the ready, and the kids signed up….and the food bought…S’mores being a definite staple of the food! So, we are gearing up for that and also for the many other things that will be offered here at the farm so that the kids who don’t want to camp are busy and happy!
So, I end as I began, by saying that you have great kids…To the last one of them, they are getting along well…riding well…loving their ponies….hugging their staff and generally having a great week. The time is flying by…Thank you for sending them to us. We are having a blast and even getting over the mud!
Warmly and with a smile, Boo
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
First Official First Full Day of Camp!
Dearest Moms and Dads, Family Friends and Extended Family Members,
Big Salutations from all of us on this first day of our 38th year of Pony Farm’s summer camp!!! It gives me great pleasure to write this first Blog of many. I love recounting all the fun things that we do here at the farm. The kids are so great and we surely have a staff to be proud of this summer. It is a Camp Director’s Dream.
First of all, thank you for bequeathing your children to us. They are such a bunch of ‘cutie pies’. It makes our job so easy when they all listen as we tell them about their riding groups or horse care…go to bed when we ask…get up when we ask... and generally just enjoy camp. So far everyone is getting along famously. It is always my job to ask each kiddo how things are going. The last one so far the answer is “Its great here.” Or “Everyone is so nice.” Or “I love my roomies already.” Or “My pony is the greatest.” These are all music to my ears, of course. We tell them that it is our goal to have this be the best week of their summer, if not their year. We are working hard to make it so! Thanks for parenting such good kids.
Last night on Opening Night we started with introductions from all the staff. Hearing how long everyone had been here made me so proud. It is easy to lose track of time but to hear that young people of today have been coming to Pony Farm for 8 year, or 11 years, or even as much as Jamie for 20 years and Kris for 31, sure makes me feel lucky! The kids listened intently as they tried to memorize all the names. We then moved on to how to feed the ponies and horses. Everyone trooped down to the barn with their buckets, boots and sponges. With all the ponies’ dinner in place, the kids then came back to the lodge to meet with Kris and I for a more formal introduction to the day in the life of camp. We talked about everything from dinner time to bed time to how we sorted out the horses. They were good as gold.
Once the staff came up from turn out and quick barn chores, we had dinner together. Staff mixed in with the kids so that everyone had a ‘buddy’ for sure on the first night of camp. We want everyone to feel welcome. After a yummie dinner with the ‘raindrops still falling on our heads’, they played a fun Scavenger Hunt all over the farm. Each room of girls joined with their staff to go on this expedition all over the property. They had to go as quickly as they could while still getting the right answers to all 10 questions and working together. We have found that this is a fun and energetic way to start getting to know each other. Most everyone found the right answers and got to know the farm a lot better. Luckily there was a break in the rain so they didn’t get too wet.
We then gathered and the kids introduced themselves to each other. We stress the importance of getting along and knowing each other, especially all names from the first day forward. We then wrote up a whole list of fun things they were eager to do during this week. They are a gung ho bunch…The list is too long for me to report in detail but you can see the schedule we made for the week when you come on Saturday.
This list making was followed by bedtime routines and ‘what ifs’ for night time. They all seemed genuinely up beat as we started singing songs by candlelight. The counselors in training did Vespers, our quiet reflection time of the day. It is moving to hear why they come back year after year. I think it sets a nice tone for the whole week. Following the singing and Vespers, they tiptoed off to bed. Each set of room counselors ‘tucked’ them in bed…I got to visit each room and ‘sit for a spell’ with them. I love this one on one time with each room. So often I am talking with parents or organizing something that I cherish my time with the girls. It is why I started this, after all!
We are happy to report that not one kiddo was homesick or worried on the first night. Bedtime went smoothly and without incident. I was here until about 10:15 and then tottled down to my little Cottage where I, too, slept soundly!!! The kids all slumbered through the night, and were up and ready to start their exciting first day when I got to camp at 8AM. The drizzle does not daunt these darlings!!!
The riders were each grouped in four biggish groups for their Evaluation Ride. We take a good deal of time and effort to match the right kiddo on the right horse and in the right group. Several staff went around to see each larger group and decide how to split them into smaller units of 4 to 6 children. We mostly made good matches but did do some switching. After lunch and rest hour, the girls will be told what groups they are in and what horse/pony they will ride. This afternoon we will then try the final matches and groups to make sure we did it right. Even after today, the kids can still change if the kiddo or the staff feels it is appropriate. We are committed to making sure that the kids are correctly and safely mounted, as well as placed in the appropriate group so they each learn a lot without being over faced or bored.
They will then learn how to do barn chores, take nice warm showers and have dinner together. We will then enjoy an all camp favorite… Bag Skits…a silly skit game where each room gets 6 items together and puts them in a bag. These bags are then spread around to other rooms, each of which needs to create a skit using all 6 items. For some reason unbeknown to me, they adore this game…It does get the rooms collaborating and creative, so its all good with me. I love seeing the results. Tonight, Rooms 1 and 2 will do their vespers and then we will end with more new songs. “Good Night Circle” will follow where the kids remember all the good things that happened during the day. It is a sweet and peaceful way to end the day.
The kids voted to go on a camping trip with the ponies on Thursday night…and to have the Hunter Pace too as the big main events. We have tons of other activities but they most wanted to do this so, Please push the right weather buttons so this can happen. I especially love the pony camping trips…
Mostly, I thank you for trusting us with your treasurers….We are all working hard to make this a most memorable time. Will write more tomorrow but knew you would want to know how the first day was going…Until then, stay well and enjoy some fun yourself!!!
Warmly, Boo
Big Salutations from all of us on this first day of our 38th year of Pony Farm’s summer camp!!! It gives me great pleasure to write this first Blog of many. I love recounting all the fun things that we do here at the farm. The kids are so great and we surely have a staff to be proud of this summer. It is a Camp Director’s Dream.
First of all, thank you for bequeathing your children to us. They are such a bunch of ‘cutie pies’. It makes our job so easy when they all listen as we tell them about their riding groups or horse care…go to bed when we ask…get up when we ask... and generally just enjoy camp. So far everyone is getting along famously. It is always my job to ask each kiddo how things are going. The last one so far the answer is “Its great here.” Or “Everyone is so nice.” Or “I love my roomies already.” Or “My pony is the greatest.” These are all music to my ears, of course. We tell them that it is our goal to have this be the best week of their summer, if not their year. We are working hard to make it so! Thanks for parenting such good kids.
Last night on Opening Night we started with introductions from all the staff. Hearing how long everyone had been here made me so proud. It is easy to lose track of time but to hear that young people of today have been coming to Pony Farm for 8 year, or 11 years, or even as much as Jamie for 20 years and Kris for 31, sure makes me feel lucky! The kids listened intently as they tried to memorize all the names. We then moved on to how to feed the ponies and horses. Everyone trooped down to the barn with their buckets, boots and sponges. With all the ponies’ dinner in place, the kids then came back to the lodge to meet with Kris and I for a more formal introduction to the day in the life of camp. We talked about everything from dinner time to bed time to how we sorted out the horses. They were good as gold.
Once the staff came up from turn out and quick barn chores, we had dinner together. Staff mixed in with the kids so that everyone had a ‘buddy’ for sure on the first night of camp. We want everyone to feel welcome. After a yummie dinner with the ‘raindrops still falling on our heads’, they played a fun Scavenger Hunt all over the farm. Each room of girls joined with their staff to go on this expedition all over the property. They had to go as quickly as they could while still getting the right answers to all 10 questions and working together. We have found that this is a fun and energetic way to start getting to know each other. Most everyone found the right answers and got to know the farm a lot better. Luckily there was a break in the rain so they didn’t get too wet.
We then gathered and the kids introduced themselves to each other. We stress the importance of getting along and knowing each other, especially all names from the first day forward. We then wrote up a whole list of fun things they were eager to do during this week. They are a gung ho bunch…The list is too long for me to report in detail but you can see the schedule we made for the week when you come on Saturday.
This list making was followed by bedtime routines and ‘what ifs’ for night time. They all seemed genuinely up beat as we started singing songs by candlelight. The counselors in training did Vespers, our quiet reflection time of the day. It is moving to hear why they come back year after year. I think it sets a nice tone for the whole week. Following the singing and Vespers, they tiptoed off to bed. Each set of room counselors ‘tucked’ them in bed…I got to visit each room and ‘sit for a spell’ with them. I love this one on one time with each room. So often I am talking with parents or organizing something that I cherish my time with the girls. It is why I started this, after all!
We are happy to report that not one kiddo was homesick or worried on the first night. Bedtime went smoothly and without incident. I was here until about 10:15 and then tottled down to my little Cottage where I, too, slept soundly!!! The kids all slumbered through the night, and were up and ready to start their exciting first day when I got to camp at 8AM. The drizzle does not daunt these darlings!!!
The riders were each grouped in four biggish groups for their Evaluation Ride. We take a good deal of time and effort to match the right kiddo on the right horse and in the right group. Several staff went around to see each larger group and decide how to split them into smaller units of 4 to 6 children. We mostly made good matches but did do some switching. After lunch and rest hour, the girls will be told what groups they are in and what horse/pony they will ride. This afternoon we will then try the final matches and groups to make sure we did it right. Even after today, the kids can still change if the kiddo or the staff feels it is appropriate. We are committed to making sure that the kids are correctly and safely mounted, as well as placed in the appropriate group so they each learn a lot without being over faced or bored.
They will then learn how to do barn chores, take nice warm showers and have dinner together. We will then enjoy an all camp favorite… Bag Skits…a silly skit game where each room gets 6 items together and puts them in a bag. These bags are then spread around to other rooms, each of which needs to create a skit using all 6 items. For some reason unbeknown to me, they adore this game…It does get the rooms collaborating and creative, so its all good with me. I love seeing the results. Tonight, Rooms 1 and 2 will do their vespers and then we will end with more new songs. “Good Night Circle” will follow where the kids remember all the good things that happened during the day. It is a sweet and peaceful way to end the day.
The kids voted to go on a camping trip with the ponies on Thursday night…and to have the Hunter Pace too as the big main events. We have tons of other activities but they most wanted to do this so, Please push the right weather buttons so this can happen. I especially love the pony camping trips…
Mostly, I thank you for trusting us with your treasurers….We are all working hard to make this a most memorable time. Will write more tomorrow but knew you would want to know how the first day was going…Until then, stay well and enjoy some fun yourself!!!
Warmly, Boo
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