For many of us, the past few weeks have brought sweeping changes into our lives that have radically reduced our interactions with nature. Staying at home is incredibly important right now and we also recognize that it is very challenging! Especially as Spring blooms outside our front doors and beckons us outside. However, our Assistant [...]
“Resilience” is something we talk about a lot at Camp. It’s a skill we strive to develop among our entire community, campers and staff included. It’s a growing edge we at Nor’wester value highly. Developing our resilience often involves participating in new and sometimes uncomfortable experiences. But just like the muscles in our body, our [...]
One of our favorite child development resources is the website Sunshine Parenting, which is hosted by Audrey Monke (who herself is a summer camp director). Audrey recently highlighted a new book by Drs. Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson entitled The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their [...]
New year, new blog! Well, not exactly. Our Summer Blog will continue to provide a window into the camper experience and brief descriptions of camp happenings from June through August. In addition, our Year Round Team will be sharing helpful information and resources to camp families throughout the year via our blog posts. Just another [...]
It’s a time of transition here on Johns Island. Tipis are coming down, twilight is arriving earlier every evening, and shades of orange and red are starting to appear on the deciduous trees. Even as bright sunshine still warms the shore, our minds are shifting towards the coming autumn season. Families participated in several [...]
It’s hard to believe, but Second Session has come to a close. Early this morning, our campers boarded the departure boats and sailed away from Johns Island and towards their reunions with family and friends. We are sad to see them go, but also grateful for the shining month we got to spend with them, [...]
The final weekend of Second Session was one to remember! Cascade Games pitted the Bear and Raven teams against each other in good-natured competitions, and special events filled our evenings. We were also honored to welcome friends from Vancouver Island, as well as some of our Johns Island neighbors and Nor’wester alumni to camp for [...]
What a busy and wonderful weekend we had here at camp! Two full days of visitors, picnics, theatre, Anchor Day activities, and more! Joyful reunions took place all across Johns Island on Visitors' Weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, dozens of families traveled to Johns Island to spend time with their campers. Visitors and [...]
It’s been a busy third week of Second Session! Our Big Trips returned, and campers from those trips have been full of excitement and stories about the adventures they shared together away from camp. But while our oldest campers were off-property making Big Trip memories, our younger campers made some magic of their own here [...]
During Second Session, Tuesday nights are overnight nights! Many of our on-property overnight sites become some of our campers' most beloved spots on the island. One of the key tenets of the Nor’wester experience is our overnights program. Once a week, everyone packs up and heads out for a one- or two-night excursion [...]
