Parenting Safe Children

16th
Jan. × ’12

Join us on April 18 from 5:30-9pm at the Stapleton MCA Community Room with Feather Berkower!

KEEPING KIDS SAFE

Children are better able to reject unwanted touch and uncomfortable situations when you teach them body-safety skills and actively promote a home and community that is off limits to child sexual abuse. Just as you have empowered your children to stay safe when bicycling, swimming, cooking, or driving, you can also teach your children how to protect themselves in difficult situations. But, the prevention plan starts with YOU.

When you attend the Parenting Safe Children workshop, you will learn very specific tools you can use in your home, school, place of faith, youth organizations, and community to protect children from sexual abuse. Specifically, you will learn how to talk about personal body-safety and boundaries in an age-appropriate, non-threatening way so you can empower children to keep their bodies safe. I use a three-part prevention model developed over two decades in the field. Prevention works!

For more information about, or to register for this event, please contact us at 720-249-2997.

Posted in Director's Corner, Events | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

We’ll Be At the Stapleton Egg Scramble!

16th
Jan. × ’12

We’ll be making hats this year again at the Stapleton Egg Scramble on April 7.

Stop by our booth between heats with your child to make a paper bag hat! We’ll have summer camp info with us for you too!

For more information about this event, please contact the Stapleton Master Community Association.

Posted in Director's Corner, Events | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Summer Planning Tips & Summer Camp Preview

16th
Jan. × ’12

Learn tips and tricks for planning your child’s summer activities, what to ask camps about safety, and how to find the best fit for your child’s success. Directors from Altogether Outdoors Summer Camps will be on hand to answer questions about all camps and assist with summer camp registration. Contact Tommy Feldman at 720-249-2997.

  • Wednesday, 1/18, 7pm to 8pm at the Stapleton MCA Community Room 2823 Roslyn St  Denver, CO 80238
  • Wednesday, 1/25,  7pm to 8pm at Whittier Elementary, 2008 Pine St Boulder, CO 80302
  • More dates TBD in Denver and Boulder in February and March!

We love to connect with our camp families. Please call us at 720-249-2997 if you have questions about this event or about our summer day camps in DenverBoulder, for ages 4.5 to 14, and our resident camp for ages 7 to 16 in the Colorado mountains!

 

 

Posted in Director's Corner, Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Some Web Site Upgrades!

11th
Jan. × ’12

Happy to report that we just updated our web site with a new FAQ page and an easier link to our philosophy. Let us know what else you need and we’ll respond!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Carving the pumpkin!

31st
Oct. × ’11

I tried it last night – and itworked! Just printed the logo on a piece of paper, taped it to the pumpkin and carved away!

Tip: to get that translucent look (see the “camps” part of the logo) just cut through the skin and shave it off. Pumpkin is a very translucent material!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Taking Camp Skills Back to School

29th
Aug. × ’11

It’s back to school season for many campers — what skills did they learn at camp that they can use in school? In this video, Peg Smith discusses the “Three Cs” learned at camp — Confidence, Curiosity, and Character — that parents can help keep alive in their children during the school year.

Posted in Director's Corner | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Final Day of the Summer in Eldorado Canyon!

13th
Aug. × ’11

Our final day was jam packed with lots of fun activities! We started out the day with an EPIC game of Predator Prey, where the Moth, Snake and Owl groups battled for food, shelter, water and prey.  Each group endlessly searched the canyon for resources while keeping watch for other groups that might do battle with them.  During battles, predators get to tag prey and they become members of the other team.  In the end, the Snake group won because of a chance card that gave them special venom to use against the owls.  All in all, the game was a fun way to teach campers about how the web of life works and what happens when humans disturb it.  Hungry campers got to eat lunch all together after the game.  Afterward, groups worked on their shields and made sponge bugs among other things.  For the afternoon, each group got a special treat! South Boulder Creek was running really slow, so campers got the opportunity to creek stomp for the first time this summer! Each person learned about river safety, put on life jackets and got to explore the shallow shore of the creek.  We found an old bit of plate, and a rock that looks like a dinosaur tooth! The day ended with snack, songs and a last day debrief of the summer.  Campers all told the group their favorite memories from the summer, and had a minute of silence to think about what and who they are thankful for.  We sang “On Top of Spaghetti” loud and proud for the final time and said our goodbyes before leaving on the bus.  It was a fun summer, and all of the counselors will miss each and every camper! We hope every one has a great school year and comes back next year!

Posted in Eldorado Canyon 2011 | Leave a comment

Climb on!

11th
Aug. × ’11

Today, the Juniors took a trip into Eldorado Canyon again with all the other campers! After singing the Hippo Song and the Donut Song (Shave and a hair cut- shampoo!), we put on lots of sunscreen before walking down to our rock climbing spot. Everybody gave rock climbing a try, and did a rockin’ job! When we weren’t climbing, we worked on pipecleaner and popsicle stick creations. Time flew by; soon it was time for lunch. During lunch, Betsy told us the story of Shockdee and his wife, Serafina. We spent quite a lot of time looking for signs of the two of them. Someone even heard Shockdee calling for his wife. Ask your camper-they were all entranced by this Eldorado  Canyon mystery! We took a restful bus ride back to base camp, where we heard two bird stories: Egg Drop and Stellina. Next, we played before mixing our very own gorp for snack.

See you back tomorrow for the last day of camp for the summer!

Posted in Boulder Junior | Leave a comment

Rockin’ Thursday

11th
Aug. × ’11

Today was a fantastic day!  The Juniors joined us in the canyon for the day.  They sang songs with us, then headed out for some climbing.  We continued our morning ritual with a fun and hilarious game called Hog Call; campers were quietly told an animal they were to imitate, then all closed their eyes and, with their “bumpers” up and the counselors for boundaries, slowly walked around, making their animal noise, and trying to connect with other campers making the same noise.  They had a blast!  After this energizing start the cabin groups met.  While one group worked on a little team-building to prepare for climbing, two other groups went for an adventurous hike!  All the groups had a great time climbing with Rainbow, the guide, at Supremacy Rock.  The campers all worked hard to climb the rock face and offered each other encouraging words and support.  After climbing, the groups all worked on crafts and planned their shields.  We finished off the day with play time and, of course, songs.  It’s hard to believe the session, and the summer, are almost over, but we are certainly filling the last few days with fun!

Posted in Eldorado Canyon 2011 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Thursday-Horseback Riding, Scooby Doo!, and Closing Campfire

11th
Aug. × ’11

Hi! While I have the chance, I thought I would go ahead and blog about what we’re doing at camp today. We began our day with some delectable oatmeal breakfast, and then headed out for some horseback riding! Every camper filled up their water bottle, slathered on some sunscreen, and then we all headed to the stables to get our mounts and ride! Campers enjoyed watching the very cute stable kittens play while they waited for their horses, and then hopped on and hit the trail. Every camper got fitted for a helmet to wear while riding, and put their water bottle in a sling hanging from the saddlehorn–as one camper pointed out to me, it’s perfect, because you get to both ride AND drink water!

After horseback riding, we’ll head back to camp for some divine lunch and a nice calm rest hour. Campers will have the chance to read, rest, relax, and talk quietly with their cabin-mates if they wish. After rest hour, we’ll all meet out on the Commons, where Program Director Jen will lead us in a giant game of Scooby Doo! There is a ghost at camp, and all of the campers are the detectives. Working together, they must find and assemble the clues to the mystery–who is the ghost, and what is he/she searching for?? Once the campers get the ghost what he/she is missing, they will have successfully cooperated to win the game!

After Scooby Doo!, we’ll head to the pool for a quick swim, and then will head to the camp gym and game room for some free play–campers will get to make one last GORP order, and will have a chance to start one final lanyard, piece of jewelry, or hemp bracelet. They will also play those final games of basketball, soccer, foose-ball, air hockey, pool, and ping-pong! After our free play, we’ll all wash our hands and head to Grizzly Jack (the camp dining hall) for our final dinner as a camp. I’m sure it will be absolutely delicious! After dinner, campers will have a chance to change into warm clothes, and then we’ll head down to the fire ring to roast some marshmallows for s’mores. After making s’mores, we’ll end our last night of camp with closing campfire–campers will have a chance to acknowledge the friends they have made, the new activities they have tried, and the ways in which camp has been a special and meaningful place for them. We’ll close with some quieter evening songs, including “All My Life’s a Circle” and “Taps,” and then will head back to our cabins to brush our teeth, shower, and have our closing cabin candlelight ceremonies. After the cabin candlelight ceremony, campers will head to bed for one last night of restful sleep, surrounded by their camp friends. I think it’s going to be an amazing last full day of camp!

Posted in Sleep Away Camp | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment