Happy Dress Like Your Favorite Counselor Day here at Island Lake! You should see some cute photos on CampMinder of your kids all dressed up like many of our staff. It’s always so much fun for our campers and our counselors.

On the weather front, we once again we woke up to beautiful blue skies and perfect morning temps which warmed up to the low 80’s. Some clouds rolled in this afternoon and there’s still a chance of some rain in the next few hours, but so far so good. This summer has been unreal with this fantabulous weather.

Tomorrow is already our 3^rd Lazy Day of the summer. Where does the time go? We’re going to send our campers on a few different adventures. Boys and girls groups 1 & 2 will go to Montage Mountain Water Park. Groups 3 & 4 will go to Sky Zone for a fun day of jumping on trampolines. Please remember that our camp photographer will not be posting photos tomorrow but he’ll try to get pics up as soon as possible Thursday morning.

Today was a very busy day in sports. We hosted our annual 8^th & 9^th grade boys’ volleyball tournament here at camp today.  A few other camps came here to play in an elimination tournament and guess what? We won the entire tournament! Go boys volleyball!  Our baseball fanatics took a trip to Cooperstown today to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. Our avid golfers went to a nearby golf course to play 9 holes this morning. The ILC Open is still running strong on the tennis courts. Lastly, we also hosted a mountain biking competition against a nearby camp this afternoon. Each camper is currently participating in timed trials (it’s 3^rd minor right now as I post this online), one at a time, to see who can ride up and down hills around camp in the best time.

So as to not sound like we’re only all about sports, our theater campers are busy rehearsing and preparing for their upcoming performances of The Wedding Singer and Wizard of Oz. I can’t wait to see these shows at the end of the session. Our dancers are practicing for their end of the session show next week. Our rock band kids are jamming out in order to fine-tune their skills for their show at the end of the session, as well. Our magicians are practicing for their show with card tricks, coin tricks, illusion, balloon animals, and more. Lastly, our circus performers are practicing really hard to become “The Greatest Showmen” at the end of the session. See if you can figure out that pun!

I guess that’s a great segway into tonight’s evening activity. We’re going to have the kids go to the canteen first and then head to the theater for the whole camp to watch the movie, “The Greatest Showman.”  They will then have LTB, Late to Bed, since tomorrow is Lazy Day with a 9:30am brunch.

Oh yeah, I can’t forget the riddle section of the blog. The answer to yesterday’s riddle, as some of you reached out to me and figured out correctly, is a golf ball. Today’s riddle is: Neither bought nor sold but more valuable than gold. I am built but not by hand. What am I?

Abracadabra, today’s special feature is MAGIC! Enjoy and until tomorrow, which will be a much shorter blog since the kids will be out of camp all day for Lazy Day, ILCUTHERE!

Hello ILC Families! Today was another beautiful day in Starrucca, PA with bright blue skies and temps reaching the low 80’s. It was another perfect summer day for sleep away camp. Today was a busy day so lots to share with you, including a special blog tradition, so keep on reading.

Here is the link to our week 2 video. Be sure to check it out. It features activities and our special 4^th of July celebration. https://youtu.be/oCTDZrwoL-I

In ILC sports, our 9^th – 11^th grade girls went out of camp this morning to play in a tennis tournament, which lasted through the afternoon. They just returned and several of our campers made it to the semi-finals as well as the finals. Our 8^th & 9^th grade boys played in a basketball tournament this afternoon out of camp. We also started our annual ILC Open this morning. It’s an in-camp tennis tournament for kids of all ages and all levels. The tournament will be completed with a list of winners to come towards the end of the 1^st session.

The answer to yesterday’s riddle was the letter “T”. Today’s riddle is a bit easier (since even I figured out the answer at breakfast): I can be driven but have no wheels. I can be sliced but still remain whole. What am I?

Last night a bunk of girls entering 8^th grade decided to throw a B’nai Mitzvah for 2 girls in their bunk who are not Jewish but attended all of their Bat Mitzvahs this past summer. The 2 girls brought dresses to camp for their big night & the whole celebration was hysterical. Female campers from all of the neighboring 8^th grade bunks attended as the kids gave speeches, had a photo montage (someone has a mini-projector), and they had a big dance party. Of course, I had to drop by and take some photos of this classic event. Below are a few highlights:

Today I’m continuing my tradition of asking the oldest girls’ bunk, G24, to come to my office to blog about their summer camp experiences throughout the years. Although we have 3 bunks of girls going into 10^th grade, many of these specific girls started at ILC at a very young age and have circled around girls’ campus from bunk 1 through bunk 24. Here’s what they had to say about their summers at their home away from home. They told stories and gave me quotes:

Shana: So I think it was our G12 summer and we went to Dorney Park. There was the thunder canon ride, which was rapids, and our bunk had to split up because there wasn’t room for us on 1 boat. So I decided to throw my flip-flop from 1 boat to another and Elaina decided to toss it in the river. And then we watched it float away. When we got back to camp we buried the lonely flip-flop behind our bunk. My nickname for the next two years was “Lonely Flip-flop”.

Mackenzie: This story is titled, “The Journey of Mr. Bubbles.” It was a few months before camp and I decided that our bunk needed a new addition this summer. I decided I was going to get us a bunk pet. I couldn’t bring any furry animals so why not bring a fish. It’s not like anyone can be allergic to them. So it’s the day before camp starts and I go to the pet store and I buy a fish. The morning of the start of camp I put it in a water bottle and I put it in my bag to take on the bus. Once we got on the bus I open the water bottle and he was just sitting with Montana and me the whole time. We get to camp and we try to slyly set up the bowl and introduce him to the whole bunk. Everyone came into the bathroom so the surprise was ruined but it’s 2 ½ weeks later and he’s still thriving. We even made a video about him.

Camp Pranks 2016- we teepee’d Matt’s office porch so he put our beds on the picnic tables. We then spray chalked and shaving creamed “16”, our bunk number, all over his office windows. He then screwed our bunk doors shut. We then saran wrapped his entire golfcart. He then took our shoes and our mirrors and made us bow down to him in front of the camp to get them back. We then had a truce for the rest of the summer.

Spider Club- when we were in G12 we had to all pick up a spider behind our bunk in order to overcome our fear of spiders. We then named ourselves the “Spider Club”.

“Because we get to do stuff we never have the opportunity to do at home and we get to form bonds with people that you wouldn’t get at home, it makes camp different. You live with them 24/7.” –Jessica

“No phones!” –Elaina (Note: They said they love not being connected here at camp!)

“It’s been such an amazing 7 years. I can’t believe this is our last summer.” –Mackenzie

“At camp no one is afraid to hold back. Everyone just always has a great time. We get to just go for it. It’s a no judge zone. Each day we get to make good memories. We get to be crazy together. It’s a little bubble. Island Lake has become such a special place for all of us over the past 7-8 years. It’s the sweetest escape. You get to make a new home and a new family.” –all of the girls

I hope you enjoyed hearing what G24 had to say. Tonight’s evening activity is our super duper much anticipated 1^st session SOCIAL! An outside DJ comes to camp to spin some tunes in the gym and get our campers up and boogying all night long. Ok, perhaps they don’t call it “boogying” anymore, but ya know what I mean. Our girls love to get dressed up and do their hair and make-up for the socials. You should see how cute our little girls look! On the boys’ side, if they shower, comb their hair, and put on a clean shirt then we consider that a win.

Today’s special feature is the G24 BLOG! Sari and Olivia missed the fun while they were out of camp playing in the tennis tournament. Disclaimer: Ignore my finger at the top of one of the photos! Enjoy a few photo highlights below and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Today was literally a “Sun”-day Fun-day here at Island Lake! Beautiful blue skies, temps in the upper 70’s, low humidity…who could ask for better? Our campers are all settled into their majors and continue to try out next exciting activities for their minors. To show you what a “Sunday Funday” we had here at camp, I took a variety of photos from activities all around the 18462. They’re posted at the bottom of this blog. I apologize that I couldn’t capture every department but over the course of the summer I will do my best to hit them all up.

Yesterday’s Rookie Day was FANTASTIC! We had almost 30 kids who experienced a day in the life of an Island Laker for the very first time. A special thank you to our group leaders and CIT’s who worked very hard with these kids to make their day so special and memorable. We hope they will be amongst our 2019 new recruits.

This morning a little girl from bunk 2 went up to Matt and told him that she had a dream last night that her horse, Gunther, turned into a unicorn. Well, you all know that here at Island Lake we make dreams come true, right? During 1^st minor, our horseback riding staff and campers actually dressed Gunther up and turned him into a unicorn! Here are some pics for proof!

In sports news, our 8^th & 9^th grade girls played lacrosse here at home this afternoon. We won by a score of 18-11. How awesome is that?

For those of you who are wondering what the answer was to yesterday’s riddle, it’s ECHO! Thank you for those of you who reached out to me. Here’s today’s riddle for your enjoyment: I can travel from there to here by disappearing, and here to there by reappearing. What am I?

Tonight’s evening activity is GROUPS. Here’s a list of what everyone is doing: GIRLS: Group 1- campfire & s’mores; Group 2- Spa Night with boys group 2 (this should get very interesting. Nails, hair, make-up galore!); Group 3- crazy games in the gym with boys group 3; Group 4- campfire with boys group 4. BOYS: Group 1- capture the flag; Group 2- spa night with girls group 2; Group 3- crazy games with girls group 3; Group 4- campfire with girls group 4.

Today’s feature is SUNDAY FUNDAY! Enjoy this medley of photos of your kids busy having a blast here at camp. Until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Happy Rookie Day! Today we had almost 30 future Island Lakers come to camp and receive the royal ILC treatment. They experienced activities, dined with us for lunch, received a special magic show during snack break, and had a big pool party at the end of the day. These children made friends with other rookies, in addition to our current campers. Some rookies are younger siblings of our campers and some rookies are the first in their family to get a taste of what Island Lake has to offer.

We had beautiful blue skies today, the temps were much cooler, and no humidity to hold anyone back from having fun. The afternoon temps hit only in the low 70’s. What a difference from a few days ago! Our rookies chose from a variety of activities all around camp while our campers continued with their majors and minors today.

Last night our pioneering campers had an overnight up at “tent city.” That’s one of the highest points in camp with an area all cleared out for them to pitch tents, build fires, make s’mores, tell stories, and get a good night sleep under the stars. They returned by breakfast, as well as our overnight river trip campers. Those who went on the river trip raved about their experience. Some of the girls had the funniest quote I’ve heard in awhile, “We thought we were going ‘glamping’ and then found out that we were camping!” Gotta love pre-teen girls, huh?

In ILC sports our 8^th & 9^th grade girls played basketball at a nearby camp this afternoon. Spoiler alert: They won with a score of a lot to a little! Go Island Lakers!

When Oliver, our program director, makes up the daily “ILC MORNING NEWS” for the kids to read when signing up for their minors at breakfast, she likes to add some fun riddles for the kids to figure out. She doesn’t post the answer until the following day. I already asked her for some help with yesterday’s riddle so I didn’t want to push it and ask her for today’s answer. Can any of you figure out this riddle (without looking it up on google, Siri, or Alexa!)? If you can figure it out, please email me the answer at wendy@islandlake.com. Here’s the riddle: Be sure to shout for its answers are weak, but there is no language it cannot speak.

Tonight’s evening activity is a camp-wide fav: Mr. & Miss ILC! This is a special one for the books. The girls’ bunks dress up male counselors and the boys’ bunks dress up female counselors to look, act, and perform as the opposite gender. Mr. & Ms. ILC is a light-hearted, fun pageant and quite an entertaining show for everyone involved, including our spectators. It’s all about being in the audience to enjoy this evening activity.

Today’s special feature is ROOKIE DAY! Below are a variety of pics of our rookies participating in Island Lake activities. Enjoy and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

We’re baaaaaack! ! Today we’re back to our majors and minors after celebrating a super fun 4^th of July holiday here at camp and then spending an amazing Lazy Day out of camp yesterday. Groups 1&2 went to Sky Zone, group 3 went to Montage Mountain Waterpark, and group 4 spent the day in Ithaca. The weather was beautiful with no rain in the forecast. Ithaca was pretty hot but the kids had the opportunity to swim in the gorges so they enjoyed cooling off. Our campers at Montage also stayed cool with the waterpark attractions. And our Sky Zone kids, well, they had air conditioning!

Below is a link to a video of a talented camper, Trey, taking a dip in the Ithaca water:

Camper Diving Board Flip

This morning we woke up to some rain but it was over by the time Matt finished his wake-up call. The skies were pretty dreary at the start of the morning as the temps made their way to the upper 60’s. Luckily by lunchtime the sun started peeping out and by afternoon we had the perfect summer day with lower humidity and temps in the low 70’s.

Today is our first session overnight river trip for all of our canoe and kayak enthusiasts. A group of campers departed this morning for a fun trip down the Delaware River. Tonight they will camp out under the stars (in tents) at nearby camp ground. I’m looking forward to receiving feedback tomorrow from these kids regarding how fun this trip was.

In ILC sports our 8^th & 9^th grade girls softball team played a nearby camp this morning. Our 4^th & 5^th grade boys basketball team also played a game here at home this morning.

Tonight’s evening activity is the finale of ILC’s Got Talent! Our performers will take to the stage to sing, dance, do stand-up, etc. for the entire camp to enjoy. It should be an entertaining evening for all. After evening activity we have ETB, Early to Bed. These kiddies need a good night’s rest (as do their counselors!). Have a good rest of your Friday and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Happy 4^th of July and Happy Birthday America! I hope you’re all enjoying your holiday as much as we are here at Island Lake. Our campers have completely gotten into the patriotic holiday spirit, all decked out in their red, white, and blue clothing and accessories. They look amazing! You’ll have the opportunity to see for yourselves in today’s daily photos, as well as below in this blog.

To add to all the glory that this holiday brings, the weather today was partly to mostly cloudy and temps went up to the low 80’s. Tonight we will be in the mid-70’s for our fireworks extravaganza. We’re hoping that the rain will stay away. We make the 4^th of July very special for our campers and staff here at Island Lake. I’ll list all that this day entails. Let’s start from the beginning,…

At breakfast this morning we started our 4^th of July with our friends, the Brits, standing in front of the camp in the dining room singing their national anthem. The rest of us then sang the Star Spangled Banner followed by the chant, “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!” Our kids were pretty enthusiastic singing the national anthem considering it was the morning and they had just woken up prior to breakfast.

Next highlight of the day- MUSIC LUNCH! I played the part of “DJ Wendy” as I spun tunes in the dining room. Ok, truth be told, I just hit the play button on my ipod with a pre-made music lunch play list. In any case, the kids had an amazing time singing and dancing to the pop music, camp alma maters, and US themed songs. Everyone joined in on the fun and didn’t want to leave for their next activity, 2^nd major. You can view photos of our music lunch here in this blog.  I posted a ton! There will also be lots of music lunch pictures in our daily summer photos today.

Next highlight- COOKOUT for dinner tonight! Burgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, watermelon, cupcakes, and more were devoured at supper. Our campers enjoy dining outdoors for our cookouts.

Next highlight- CANTEEN will follow rest hour instead of our usual evening activity prior to canteen. We do this so that we can put on our firework show once the sun sets. After canteen and prior to the fireworks our rock shop staff and campers will put on a ROCK CONCERT on girls campus. We’ll also send off some SKY LANTERNS into the air, which always makes the campers “Oooooohh” and “Aaaaaaahh”.

Next highlight- our huge FIREWORK extravaganza! We pride ourselves in having a fantastic firework show. Our neighbors on the lake even come outdoors to enjoy watching our show because it’s so entertaining. Our campers all sit together on the hill to enjoy this traditional Island Lake event. We’re looking forward to another great show.

Sports don’t stop for the holidays! Today our 4^th & 5^th grade girls played basketball here at home this afternoon. Our 8^th & 9^th grade girls played soccer here at home as well. I had the opportunity to check out the soccer game for a little while and I have to tell you, we have some talented players on this team. I’m also proud to share that our 8^th & 9^th grade girls won their soccer game, 6-1. Go Island Lakers!

We threw in yet another surprise late this afternoon during 3^rd minor. What is normally our most anticipated, most secretive evening activity that every child thinks they can predict the break out for, we decided to trick them and do in the late afternoon. “What was it?” you may be asking yourselves. Why here’s a hint: it takes place down at the waterfront. All parents of returning campers or parents who are Island Lake alumni should know exactly what I’m talking about. Those of you who are new to ILC will for sure hear about this activity when your child returns home. Oh ok, I’ll tell you. It was Revival Night!!! I’ll let your children tell you all about Revival when they get home from camp.

As a reminder, tomorrow is our Lazy Day. Groups 1&2 are going to Sky Zone, group 3 is going to Montage Mountain (waterpark), and group 4 is spending the day at Ithaca. I’ll be on the Ithaca trip where the kids will swim in the gorges and then spend a couple of hours at Ithaca Commons. There at the Commons they will have lunch and do some “Ithaca is Gorges” t-shirt shopping. Since we’ll be out until dinnertime, I’m going to forego posting a blog tomorrow. I’ll fill you in any lazy day gossip on Friday, along with some photos.

Today’s feature: Patriotic campers at MUSIC LUNCH! I hope you’re all having a wonderful 4^th of July. Until Friday when we resume our regular camp schedule, ILCUTHERE!

Hi ILC families! We’re now fully into our 2nd week of camp so I’d like to share a link with you to view our week 1 video. It’s a culmination of opening day, majors/minors, and special events. Some of you may have already seen the video via our link on Facebook but feel free to share this link with your family and friends. It’s worth the few minutes to feel like you’re a part of the ILC experience. https://youtu.be/uCbgARiY-Ew

Last night at the end of evening activity we had an unexpected drop in the temperatures, some crazy wind, followed by a big thunderstorm. Instead of letting everyone mosey on up to the canteen at their leisure we called them by group and then had them return to their bunks. Once the storm hit we kept a group in the canteen until it passed. We sent the remaining campers back to their bunks for the night once it was safe for them to leave. Hey, nothing like an impromptu ETB!

Buzz around camp is excitement for tomorrow’s 4^th of July festivities. We have some great annual traditions planned such as our morning breakfast speech, music lunch, dinner cookout, and then an outdoor rock concert and huge firework display at sunset. It’s always fun seeing everyone dress up in their patriotic colors to represent their countries, Americans and overseas staff. I’ll fill you in with more details tomorrow. I’ll also blog photos of the kids at music lunch all decked out in their red, white, and blue.

I’m happy to report that the temps cooled by 10 degrees today in comparison to yesterday here at camp. The high was in the low 80’s (which now feels cool!) with partly cloudy skies, which made the sun less strong.

Today in sports, our 6^th & 7^th grade girls went out of camp this morning to play in a soccer game. Our 4^th & 5^th grade girls also went out of camp this afternoon to play in a soccer game.  I don’t usually find out who won the games when I blog but spoiler alert:  I found out that the 4th & 5th grade girls beat the other camp 4-2.  Woohoo!!!

Tonight’s evening activity is ILC’S GOT TALENT! Yup, you guessed it. It’s just like America’s Got Talent but we’ve limited the audition pool to just our campers. (wink wink) Tonight is the preliminary rounds within the groups. Later in the week we’ll have a final round for the entire camp to enjoy.

Today’s special feature is COOKING at the Bistro! During the majors they made sesame noodles (only sun butter, don’t worry, and we made sure no one had any allergies). During the minors they made magical mystery mugs (individual chocolate chip cakes for each child). Cooking is very popular here at camp but between you and me, I think many kids just like the end results,…the eating part!

Have a great evening and until tomorrow when we celebrate our nation’s independence from our fellow Brits on the other side of the pond, ILCUTHERE!

Am I getting too repetitive if I say that today was another beautiful day in Starrucca, PA? We woke up to temps in the low 70’s and we quickly hit the low 80’s by late morning.   This afternoon was a blistering high of about 90 degrees with lots of sunshine. It’s incredible what a temperature difference we have up here versus where you live, huh? I hear it’s a lot hotter and it hit triple digits south of us here in the Pocono Mountains.

Today was another busy day with sports. We hosted the Wayne County volleyball tournament here at ILC for our older girls. They played fantastic games and guess what? They won the entire tournament! GO ISLAND LAKE VOLLEYBALL GIRLS! Here is a photo of the winning team. We are very proud of them.

In other sports our 8^th grade and older kids played tennis this morning out of camp. Our 4^th & 5^th grade boys played soccer here at home this morning (before it got too hot out). Our 6^th & 7^th grade boys had a baseball game here at home in the early afternoon as well.

In my office today were 2 young campers, 1 returning and 1 brand new to ILC this summer. They have something they’d like to tell you:

“Island Lake is the best place for kids. I LOVE the people here and the bunk is really nice. WE LOVE ILC!!!” –Aubrey, 9 years old, returning camper (I know her mom is reading this so I hope I just made her day!)

“I love camp. This is my first summer. Everything here is awesome. The science program is great. Tennis is really fun although it’s right in the sun.” (She’s a poet in her spare time!) –Imogen, 8 years old. Aren’t our campers cute?

Tonight’s evening activity is GROUPS. Here’s a rundown of what everyone is doing. GIRLS: Groups 1&2- pool party; Group 3- bunk videos for a near future ILC Film Festival; Group 4- slip ‘n slide water fight (with boys group 4). BOYS: Groups 1&2- kickball (& surprise water fight); Group 3- kong pong; Group 4- slip ‘n slide water flight (with girls group 4).  Notice a theme here? Lots of water activities to keep the kids cool.

Today’s special feature is SCIENCE & FISHING! Enjoy these photos and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Happy Canada Day to our Canadian staff and any of you who may be from our neighboring country! We had another beautiful, hot day here in the 18462. We probably broke a record for the number of kids who signed up for free swim at the lake and pool for minors. It’s good to see kids staying active but also staying hydrated, using sunblock, and taking advantage of the water.

Today was Sunday Fun-day here at ILC. I know you look at the pictures and watch the short videos to see all of the activities that take place on a daily basis, but sometimes you don’t know the nitty gritty specifics so I figured I’d share some of them with you. For example, in arts & crafts today amongst the usual ceramics, woodworking, and photography for the minors we also offered red, white, & blue tie dye (since our big holiday is approaching), pop art, bunk decorations, dream catchers, henna (you should see how cool our campers’ look once this is finished!), screen-print, and emoji necklaces. A lot of these activities vary on a daily basis. We offered a great deal more than this in art today but those specific activities stood out to share with you.

Here are some other unique activities we offered today amongst the usual: dance- choreography and strength on the lawn; cooking- they made pierogies, pizza (we have a pizza oven), and yesterday they made chocolate lava cake (yum!); science- giant bubbles & communication engineering; magic- escape artistry; pioneering- hunting for Sasquash (say what???); theater- theater games; sports- sports monsters (for the little ones) & lots of tournaments today.

Speaking of sports tournaments, we had a plethora of them today so here is rundown: 6^th & 7^th grade boys basketball played out of camp this morning, 6^th & 7^th grade girls basketball played here at camp in the early afternoon, 6^th & 7^th grade boys soccer played here at camp this afternoon, and 8^th & 9^th grade boys soccer went out of camp for a game this afternoon. We’re keeping our kids active for sure!

Tonight’s evening activity is groups. Here’s the breakdown for you: GIRLS: Group 1&2- spelling bee; Group 3- speed dating (with boys group 3); Group 4- speed dating (with boys group 4). BOYS: Group 1- campfire (did somebody say s’mores?); Group 2- pool party; Group 3- speed dating (with girls group 3); Group 4- speed dating (with boys group 4).

Today’s special feature is HORSEBACK RIDING! Enjoy the pics below and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!