Hey Island Lake families! It’s hard to believe we’re already 1½ weeks into summer. Time sure flies when we’re having fun! All of us here at ILC hope you’re enjoying all of our social media updates so you can feel as if you are part of the excitement at camp this summer. As a reminder, you can find us on the following websites:

1. Daily blogs here on our website
2. Daily tweets on Twitter (twitter.com/IslandLakeCamp)
3. Short videos on our Facebook page (facebook.com/IslandLakeCamp)
4. And of course, our daily photos and weekly videos through your CampMinder account.

Today was Lazy Day so our campers slept in and we had a big brunch at 10:30am. Groups 1&2 (our 6^th grade and younger campers) went to see “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” which they appeared to have enjoyed. Groups 3&4 (7^th grade and up) went to the bowling alley where they bowled, bumper bowled, and ran around playing arcade games. They, too, had a great time.

Tonight’s evening activity is GROUPS! Here’s a breakdown of what everyone is doing: Boys Group 1- they’re putting on an Ugly Fashion Show with girls group 1. I, personally, am looking forward to attending this evening activity to see what creative outfits these kids come up with: Boys Group 2- Cupcake Wars: Boys Group 3- pool party with girls group 3: Boys Group 4- they having an Egg Hunt, Island Lake style.

On the girls side, Girls Group 1- Ugly Fashion Show with boys group 1: Girls Group 2- Minute 2 Win It (just like the tv game show): Girls Group 3- Pool Party with boys group 3: Girls Group 4- Great Imposter game. This consists of each bunk bringing a laundry bag of items to the location where the activity takes place. The group leader will give them the name(s) of a famous person (or people) or hey, even people here at camp, and then each bunk has to pull items out of their laundry bag to dress up like those people and put on a skit to go along with it.

Today we experienced a mish mosh of weather here at camp. We had sun, we had clouds, we had rain, we had more sun,…the sky just couldn’t make up its mind so it kept us on our toes.

Since today was lazy day, I don’t have any special feature photos to post. I promise to be back with more on tomorrow’s blog. We’ll also post pictures from the movies and bowling alley tomorrow on our CampMinder photo page marked with today’s date. Stay tuned and until then, ILCUTHERE!

It was another beautiful day in Starrucca, PA today. We’ve been extremely lucky with the weather so far this summer. The weather gods have been listening to our sweet prayers and are blessing us with warm temps and beautiful skies.

Last night’s Island Lake Idol was a huge success. A camper from each group sang their heart out and you will be shocked to hear who our winner was. It was a little girl from girls group 1! Her name is Alexa W. and she was absolutely AMAZING! She sang so beautifully well that she could seriously be a contender on America’s Got Talent or American Idol for children! The entire camp was in awe by how this strong yet beautiful voice could come from such a young adorable camper in girls bunk 1. At the end of the competition, all of our campers voted and Alexa truly earned her 1^st place trophy. I hope her parents are reading this blog, as they should be so proud of their daughter.

Here at camp today our 8^th and 9^th grade boys lacrosse team played at home against another camp and we won! Go Island Lakers! Our 6^th & 7^th grade boys basketball team played out of camp this afternoon and our 6^th & 7^th grade girls tennis team played out of camp, as well.

Tonight’s evening activity is GROUPS! Here’s a breakdown of what everyone is doing: Boys Group 1- campfire: Boys Group 2- egg hunt (similar to an Easter egg hunt, yet with a camp-oriented twist): Boys Group 3- lower group (7^th graders) will play Gaga; upper group (8^th graders) will watch Beaverhead, an original movie about Island Lake. It was written & directed by our campers and staff many years ago and it has become an ILC tradition to finally be old enough to watch it: Boys Group 4- dodgeball: Girls Group 1- pool party: Girls Group 2- egg hunt (with boys group 2): Girls Group 3- lower group (7^th graders) will have a campfire; upper group (8^th graders) will watch Beaverhead with the boys: Girls Group 4- Minute 2 Win It (just like the tv game show)

Today’s special feature is TENNIS! Enjoy the photos below of some of our tennis all-stars during their majors and minors.

Tonight is LTB, Late To Bed. Our campers will have an extra 30 minutes added onto their curfew since tomorrow is Lazy Day. The camp will sleep in tomorrow morning and have a big brunch at 10:30am. We will have an optional breakfast for those early birds who would like a little something to eat at 8am. Tomorrow, groups 1&2 will go to the movies and groups 3&4 will go bowling for their Lazy Day trips. I’ll give you more details on all of this in tomorrow’s blog. Until then, ILCUTHERE!

We hope you all had a great 4^th of July! Our holiday was pretty fantastic here at Island Lake. Ending the night with the firework show was an awe-inspiring topper to an amazing, spirited, fun-filled day. Check out yesterday’s daily photos to see how much fun our campers had.

Today was a busy day for many of our Island Lakers. We had our 1^st session trip to Cooperstown, NY for campers interested in the Baseball Hall of Fame. We took a busload of children there to learn about the history of baseball, learn about its players, and our campers participated in some interactive games.

We also took some children on a climbing trip to Prompton State Park in Honesdale, PA. At the park they repelled, took a top rope climb, and crawled to the top of a tunnel, all while belaying safely. Our climbing campers had a great time on this trip.

Our athletes participated in lots of sports tournaments yesterday and today, as well. I’ll list both days’ sporting events since I didn’t have the opportunity to post yesterday’s games in the blog due to all that went on for the 4^th of July. Today our 8^th & 9^th grade girls went out of camp to participate in a volleyball tournament. Our 7^th grade boys are heading out of camp to participate in a tennis tournament this evening. Yesterday our 8^th & 9^th grade boys played in a tennis tournament out of camp. Our 8^th & 9^th grade girls played basketball at another camp along with our 8^th & 9^th grade boys’ baseball team. Lastly, our 4^th & 5^th grade girls played in a soccer match out of camp yesterday. Now that camp is in full swing, lots of sporting events are happening on a daily basis.

Our mountain biking department is hosting a new event for all of our Island Lakers called “Triathlon Tuesday.” Groups 3 & 4 had the opportunity to compete against one another during the minor this morning and groups 1 & 2 competed this afternoon. If we have a great turnout then we’ll continue to offer this exciting event on a weekly basis throughout the summer.

A couple of days ago our all-star archers competed in an ILC Shootout. This event took place during the minors and was the boys vs. the girls. They competed to see which team (boys or girls) could earn the highest score by combining each camper’s points with the shots that they made. The boys won the competition overall. Two MVP’s were announced at the completion of the event. The boys’ MVP was Griffin B. and the girls’ MVP was Sophia E.

Tonight’s evening activity is the ILC Idol Finale! A champion will be chosen from the top performers of each group on both, the boys’ side and the girls’ side. We’ll know later tonight who the new 2016 ILC Idol champion will be. After evening activity tonight we have ETB, Early to Bed. I can’t tell you how excited I am for our campers to go in early and get a good night’s sleep tonight (Ok, I won’t lie,…I’m also excited to get a good night’s sleep myself!).

Today’s special feature is THEATER! This session the younger kids are performing “Oklahoma” and the older kids are doing “Zombie Prom.” These photos are from rehearsal, as well as a couple of kids working back stage. Enjoy and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Happy 4^th of July! I hope you’re all enjoying your holiday as much as we are here at Island Lake. Our campers have really gotten into the patriotic holiday spirit as they are 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 absolutely beautiful! We had mostly sunny skies with temps in the upper 70’s, which is perfect for our cookout for dinner.   Tonight we will be in the upper 60’s to low 70’s for our fireworks extravaganza. We make the 4^th of July very special for our campers and staff here at Island Lake. I’ll list for you all that this day entails. Let’s start from the beginning,…

At breakfast this morning we started our 4^th of July with Matt’s annual speech about how the U.S. beat the Brits to become our own nation and how now we are all very good friends. Our British staff stood at the front of the dining room to sing 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!”

Next highlight- MUSIC LUNCH! I played the part of “DJ Wendy” and I spun tunes in the dining room and the kids had an amazing time singing and dancing to the pop music. Everyone joined in on the fun and didn’t want to leave for their next activity. You can view photos and a video of our music lunch here in this blog. There will be lots of additional Music Lunch pictures in our daily summer photos today, as well.

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

Next highlight- CANTEEN will follow rest hour and then as the sun sets, we’ll put on a short ROCK CONCERT on girls campus for all of our campers and counselors to enjoy. We’ll also send off some SKY LANTERNS into the air, which always makes the camp “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 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.

Today’s feature,…patriotic campers at MUSIC LUNCH! Have a wonderful 4^th of July and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Today was another beautiful day in Starrucca, PA! I have a surprise for you later in this blog, but first things first, details on today’s intercamp games. We hosted 2 Wayne County tournament games here at ILC this morning. Our 8^th & 9^th grade boys played in a basketball game and our 4^th & 5^th grade boys placed in a soccer match. We’re engaging a variety of our athletes of all ages to now play in a variety of sports against nearby camps.

At lunch today we were treated to a special “magic lunch”. Our magic department brings a large illusion trick into the dining room for our up and coming magicians to perform for all of their peers. Let’s just say, today’s trick had something to do with beheading and a guillotine.

Tonight’s evening activity is our big 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”, 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 we’re lucky they’ll shower, comb their hair, and put on a clean shirt. Our campers are literally going to put on their Sunday best!

And now for my big surprise,…I brought G24, our oldest girls, here into my office so they could blog for you!!! These campers have grown up with us here at Island Lake and some of them have been campers for what is now their 9^th summer. They’ve earned their spot in the oldest girls bunk and they take great pride in being this summer’s Girls Bunk 24. With that said, here they are:

8 days, 11 hours, 3 minutes and 32 seconds and we can tell this is already going to be the summer of our lives. Camp is our home. Growing up here over the years have been the most amazing experiences of our lives. We love camp so much and when we are not here, we’re longing to be back at 50 Island Lake Road. Almost every summer we can remember has been spent at camp, we can’t imagine a summer without it. Not a day goes by throughout the year when we are not thinking about camp. Knowing throughout the year that we always have a place to go, where the people are absolutely amazing, where your bunk turns into your brother/sisters not just for the summer but, for a lifetime. Now that I’m in the oldest bunk, I know what it means to be an Island Laker. Camp has taught me to be kind, loyal, supportive, and respectful. The place, the people, the memories and everything in between has changed me forever. Island Lake will always have a piece of our hearts.

“From my first summer on the bus, looking up at all the oldest campers seeing how excited and how in love they had fallen with Island Lake made my curiosity reach to a new level. You wonder how can someone ever be so excited and amazed by coming to a camp. Well I have to admit, I have to admit, I have fallen madly and deeply for Island lake.” –Zoey Korogodsky

“Island Lake is such a wonderful camp and has given me an amazing five years. I am so sad that it’s already close to the end, but I’m so over the top grateful to have gone to Island Lake. Thank you to everyone for giving me a great experience.” –Lacie Foreht

“For the past nine years when someone asks me what my favorite memory is, I say Island Lake” –Alix Goldman

“Camp has taught me so much, especially to not be messy” –Ellie DeGeorges

“At home, every one of my conversations revolve around camp.” –Ryan Bell

“I can’t believe 7 years have gone by and every summer has been better than the last” –Audrey Flammang

“Dear ILC, I love you. Thank you for the best summers of my life” –Issi deCastro

Immediately after typing this blog, the girls had a fun, happy-go-lucky photo shoot out back behind my office. They are seriously the most respectful, sweet, fun, kind, genuine, bubbly, warm-hearted group of girls we’ve had here at Island Lake and I’m proud to have watched them grow up at camp with us.

I hope you enjoyed reading all that our Girls Bunk 24 had to say about their lives and experiences at ILC. Tomorrow, the 4^th of July, is going to be SO MUCH FUN here at camp! From music lunch to a dinner cookout to a huge firework display, I may be biased but I have to say, our camp celebrates the 4^th of July like no other! You’ll just have to wait to hear all about it. Until then, ILCUTHERE!!!!!

Hello Island Lake parents! Can you believe we’re already 1 week into camp? Time sure does fly by when we’re having fun. And fun is indeed what you’re children are having here at ILC so far.

Today was partly sunny but pretty chilly in terms of summer weather. We hit highs only in the upper 60’s to low 70’s but hey, that’s perfect weather for sports. And speaking of which, today we had several intercamp games in and out of camp. Our Island Lakers did very well and even won some of their tournament games against other camps. Here’s a run down of sports that took place today:

1. Girls 4^th & 5^th grade basketball out of camp this morning
2. Girls 8^th & 9^th grade soccer this morning here at camp
3. Girls 6^th & 7^th grade softball out of camp this afternoon
4. Boys 4^th & 5^th grade tennis out of camp this afternoon

Tonight’s evening activity is a new one here at Island Lake called “Field Night.” Contrary to what all of our campers may think, tonight is not “Revival Night” (an ILC all time favorite evening activity that we surprise our campers with every session. More details to come regarding Revival at a later date.). Field night is similar to “field day” at your children’s schools. Here’s how it works:

Our campers will start at a variety of stations to participate in events such as the 3-Legged Race, Egg & Spoon Relay, Water Balloon Toss, Water Pitcher/Cup Relay, Unlace & Re-lace a Shoe, and the Hula Hoop Race. Campers will rotate to each station with their bunks to participate in each event.

There will be a 7-minute time limit at each station to complete the events. When the horn sounds, it will be time for our campers to move to their next station. Most activities are timed; therefore the bunk that finishes first, wins. There will be 1 winning bunk per age group. The winners will receive 50 points towards Bunk Cup (To read more details about Bunk Cup, please see my blog on June 26^th). Our campers are having an absolute BLAST with Bunk Cup this session so it ties in well with tonight’s Field Night evening activity.

Today’s special feature is ARTS & CRAFTS! Enjoy the photos below. Tomorrow I have a special treat for all of you on my blog. Stay tuned and until then, ILCUTHERE!

Happy July 1^st! Today we’re back to our majors and minors after spending an amazing Lazy Day at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom yesterday. Our campers had such a fantastic day at Dorney, both on rides of all sizes and in the water park. It was the perfect day, weather-wise, for a trip to an amusement/water park. We took the kids in the nice coach buses so it was an easy trip to/from Allentown, PA. Hopefully you’ll receive wonderful feedback from your children in the form of letters, telling you all about this fun-filled day out of camp.

Today we woke up to partly cloudy skies and temps in the upper 60’s. The weather has been a bit odd and quite mixed, ranging from sunny skies to drops of rain here and there, with temps in the low 70’s. All activities took place, as the rain was very brief and next to nothing in accumulation of any kind.

We had our first intercamp game today! Our cute little 5^th grade boys went out of camp to play basketball at a nearby Wayne County camp. Go Island Lakers!

Tonight’s evening activity is GROUPS! Here’s a breakdown of what everyone is going to do here at camp: Boys Groups 1 & 2- they will play Capture the Flag together; Boys Group 3- they will play a fun game of Dodgeball (or 2 games or 3 or,…well, you got the idea); Boys Group 4- they are having a Campfire with girls group 4. And on the girls side: Girls Groups 1 & 2- they will play Gaga together in our fab Gaga pit; Girls Group 3- Cupcake War (I’ll explain more in a moment); Girls Group 4- they will have a campfire with boys group 4. Cupcake Wars is pretty basic. The activity consists of every camper receiving their very own cupcake to decorate however they choose. It will be a bunk by bunk competition so the bunk with the best looking cupcakes wins. “What does the winner get” you ask? Why, bragging rights but of course.

Today’s blog feature is a medley of photos from our trip to Dorney Park yesterday. Enjoy the start to your 4^th of July holiday weekend and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Hi Island Lake Parents! Our campers are well rested after a night of ETB and now we’re all preparing for a fun day at Dorney Park tomorrow. We’re excited for a day of sunshine, rides, rollercoasters, and relaxation in a great big amusement and water park. Tomorrow there will be no blog, nor will we be posting daily summer photos photos, but we’ll make up for it on Friday. I’ll tell you all about Dorney in Friday’s blog and we’ll post lots of pictures from the amusement/water park on CampMinder with our other daily photos.

Speaking of pictures, today we will be posting bunk photos. I hope you enjoy seeing your happy child along with his/her bunk of kids. Our campers seem to love their counselors, and this is greatly apparent just by looking at our pics. However please remember, these pictures were taken in a quick moment of time. If it’s not the most flattering photo of your child, do not fret over it. It doesn’t mean that anything is wrong; rather, we just didn’t take a photo of your child at his/her best moment.

Today was mostly cloudy and the temperature rose throughout the day from the 60’s to the low 70’s. It was perfect weather for outdoor sports/activities. It’s amazing how quickly the temperature has changed here at camp over the past several days. Our first day, opening day, was sunny and around 80 degrees whereas now it’s cloudy and in the upper 60’s. Tomorrow we’re supposed to have beautiful sunny skies with temps in the mid-80’s in Allentown, PA (home to Dorney Park).

Here’s some exciting news in the works: this session we are going to once again host a camp-wide favorite amongst our kids,…ILC Idol! Tonight’s evening activity is the ILC Idol’s preliminary rounds.  Each group will have individual auditions to see who will move forward to our camp-wide ILC Idol Finals next week. Oh, I should probably tell you what ILC Idol is, huh? Well, think American Idol goes to Island Lake and, well, there ya go! In the spirit of the beloved classic, American Idol, we are going to do our own rendition of this show for evening activity. That’s it in a nutshell. Stay tuned for updates as ILC Idol gets under way.

Today’s special feature is COOKING, SCIENCE, & VIDEO! We’re looking forward to a fantastic time at Dorney Park tomorrow. Until Friday, ILC U THERE!

Hi Island Lake families! Although the weather gods were not very nice to us yesterday, this morning, or late this afternoon, the sun broke through on occasion throughout the day. Rain came back to haunt us during snack break (after 3pm) and pounded on us during the latter activities of the day. Neither rain nor cloudy skies have affected your children’s experiences here at camp. Today we also started taking bunk photos and I promise we’ll post them on CampMinder as soon as they’re complete, probably tomorrow afternoon.

The talk around camp is Thursday’s Lazy Day trip to Dorney Park. Everyone is getting very excited for a fun day in the sun at the park! They’ll have the opportunity to go on rollercoasters, smaller rides (especially for the younger kids), and a super big water park. Last year’s trip was a huge success so we’re anticipating the same for this summer.

Tonight’s evening activity is the Bunk Cup Opening Ceremonies. Our campers are getting so into Bunk Cup and I, personally, am very excited to see the videos, flags, and plaques that our campers have created these past couple of nights during evening activity. Points have started being given out during activities and bunk challenges are taking place. Today at lunch, girls bunk 1 and girls bunk 2 had a dance off.  Girls bunk 1 took the points as the winners. We love all of the camp spirit going into Bunk Cup thus far.

This evening, after evening activity, we have our first weekly ETB of the summer. ETB stands for “early to bed”. That means there is no canteen and the kids go straight back to their bunks after evening activity to get a good night’s rest. With so much running around these past few days, they can all use an ETB night (as can I!).

Today’s special feature is the climbing wall, the giant swing, and the ropes course! Below are photos from all of the above. Enjoy and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Happy first day of majors and minors! The day started off sunny but by lunchtime the inevitable rain came rolling in. I guess it was only due time before we were going to get wet. The rain didn’t stick around for all that long but the skies stayed pretty grey the rest of the day.  It’s all good though,…the kids’ spirits are still high and activities continue on regardless of the weather.

Show rehearsals have started, rock bands have been formed, and dances are being choreographed. Kids are walking around doing magic tricks, making all sorts of arts & crafts projects, and some campers are becoming little chefs in cooking. They’re flying in the air on the giant swing, as well as on the circus trapezes. Kids are learning to use the half pipes in our skatepark from beginners to advanced and science experiments are being created by children of all ages.   Sports and tennis went on per usual this morning and they just took place in the gym this afternoon until the rain stopped. We’re so pumped for all the action going on here at Island Lake, rain or shine!

Tonight’s evening activities are GROUPS once again. Our campers will continue to work on their Bunk Cup flags, videos, and plaques.   I have to tell you, our campers are getting so into Bunk Cup this summer and it’s amazing! Bunks such as G1, the little girls, are challenging older boys bunks to fun activities such as friendship bracelets! Some girls bunks have also challenged one another to a dance off. I, personally, am very excited to see the Bunk Cup Opening Ceremonies tomorrow night. More info to come once this takes place.

After evening activity tonight our campers will be off to socialize at the canteen and gym once again. We also opened a TEEN LOUNGE this summer for our campers who are entering 9^th grade and older (boys and girls group 4 and CITs). They’ll have access to a television with a satellite dish, a soda machine, and couches to hang around and socialize on. The teen lounge is a good alternative to hanging around in the gym and the canteen every night. Our kids seem excited about it, too!

To summarize the first few days here at Island Lake, I can honestly tell you, our camp parents, that our campers are having so much fun here forming everlasting friendships with one another and learning so many skills in their activities. We couldn’t be happier for all of them!

Today’s special photo feature is SPORTS. Here are a few of the activities that took place this morning, prior to the rain setting in. Some of the group pictures are children doing Mojo Fitness, and these photos took place once they returned from their run and were stretching.  Enjoy the pictures and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!