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Thursday’s blog was written by climbing instructor and 5th grade bunk mom, Laura.

Well our time at Fernwood Cove is fast coming to an end, it doesn’t feel like it was over 2 months ago that I first arrived for climbing staff training and pre-camp. Today was the very last day of focuses for the summer! During climbing we saw the girls challenge themselves on the climbing wall, Jacob’s ladder and the high-5 which was also completed today by Beigette for the first time! Tonight was also the final performance night of the summer which highlighted only some of the amazing talent at camp with singers, guitar players and some fabulous dancers and skits. The whole summer has been a truly rewarding experience, it has been such an honour to have been a part of Fernwood Cove this year. Tomorrow is Banquet which is sure to be another memorable night, highlighting the end of summer 2011. I can hardly believe it is coming to the end. I can only hope that all the girls have enjoyed it as much as I have.

Tuesday’s Blog was written by 5th grade bunk uncle and kayaking instructor, Callum.

Today was another extraordinary day at Fernwood Cove as campers and counselors alike enjoyed the spectacular Maine sunshine. We started the day with great gusto having been fueled by a spectacular breakfast prepared by the wonderful kitchen staff, including my personal favorite, granola. The energy flowed through out the day with kids tearing into their activities with smiles on their faces. As we reach the half way point of the activity week their is some awesome progress and fun being had in focuses, I personally saw some amazing displays of kayaking and sailing today down at the waterfront. Tonight we enjoyed a camp favorite of pizza for dinner, followed up with an amazing newspaper fashion show for evening program. This consisted of counselers and CITS, strutting their stuff on the catwalk, in camper designed creations to every ones amusement. All in all today was another extraordinary day, in the extraordinary world!!

Wednesday’s Blog was written by 8th grade bunk mom and archery instructor, Delaney.

Hi! My name is Delaney and I’ve been at camp for a total of 8 years as a camper, CIT, and now a second year staff member. I’m a student at Colby College and I’m studying History and Dance. At Fernwood Cove, I teach archery and live in Penguin the 8th grade bunk. Today there was a bit of rain or as we call it here, liquid sunshine, but activities continued with as much enthusiasm as an average day at Cove. Tonight was our weekly campfire where myself and both counselors names Scott emceed a long list of counselor and camper led songs. There were tons of screaming, laughing, and dancing. Luckily I’m typing this because I have absolutely no voice. Tomorrow is the last day of regular activities which is a little bittersweet. Nevertheless, us as staff are fully ready to make it as fun as humanly possible.

Sunday’s Blog was written by tennis instructor and 2nd grade bunk mom Charlotte.

The past few days have been so exciting! We took our girls (2nd and 3rd grade) on an overnight trip last night, we had so much fun making smores and singing campfire songs! The girls really enjoyed it all and sleeping in tents, they didn’t even mind the few drops of “liquid sunshine”! We brought them back to camp this morning and went straight to Lazy Breakfast. This is when campers and counselors get to come to breakfast in their pajamas and have a buffet style breakfast filled with lots of yummy things!!! After breakfast and clean-up etc we had senior services which were fantastic, if a little emotional! All the seniors and senior counselors made a speech reflecting on their time here at Fernwood Cove and the fantastic summer they’ve had. Next on the agenda was bunk activities where every bunk does something different. We did tie-dye tee shirts with our bunk which they absolutely loved! We then had lunch which was amazing! We had turkey with mash, green beans and gravy! So good!! Once we’d had extended rest hour we had senior surprise! This is where the seniors organised and entire afternoon of activities for the rest of camp to do with a theme, this time they chose the theme jungle safari! (They introduced the theme in a very cool way too, they hijacked Jim’s dinner time announcement yesterday by dressing up in all sorts of different animal outfits and running around camp. It was very funny!!!) Anyway, there were loads of activities, there was raft building, pin the tail on the flamingo, obstacle course, ropes course, animal mask making and cake decorating! I was lucky enough to follow my bunk around whilst they did all the activities so I got to have a go at everything was brilliant! Tonight’s dinner was also amazing, freshly grilled burgers (grilled by the counselors!)  and salad with watermelon and the cakes we decorated for desert! EP was something that I haven’t done all summer. As an extra addition to senior surprise, the seniors had organised for us all the watch a movie in the chick. To go with the rest of the jungle theme we watched Tarzan! The kids loved it and were awwing and clapping the whole way through! It was so nice and a perfect way to finish off a lovely day!

Monday’s Blog was written by kayak instructor and 5th grade buncle, Keith.

I can’t believe that we are well into the FINAL week of focuses, it only seems like yesterday when the campers arrived at camp! Even though we were expecting some liquid sunshine today, the Fernwood Cove force field stood firm and it was another glorious day down at the waterfront! The campers thought that the evening program was mini courses, the campers had to sign up for all sorts of ordinary activities such as paint watching, grass identification and a lot more!  But we all know that we don’t do ordinary here, we only do the extraordinary! Mini courses were revealed as a joke to the campers and the evening program was a surprise singing performance by song writer Kayla Ringelheim! The campers were gathered at the waterfront as she performed on the lit up deck, with the calm lake and clear skies in the background, and Kayla’s incredible performance, it was … AMAZING! It’s so great to see from a counselor point of view that the girls are still absolutely LOVING camp! It’s hard to believe we only have 6 days left with these extraordinary girls.

Thursday’s Blog was written by photography instructor and 9th grade bunk mom, Cat S.

Another Thursday at Fernwood Cove and Trip Day is upon us once more! After an earlier than usual bunk clean up, all the camper’s headed to the Chick to drop off their backpacks and gathered around the flagpole for the morning’s announcements. The general flow was interrupted by some of our counselors revamping one of Jim’s regular announcements with a dance!! At performance night, the camper’s were taught a dance to reiterate 3 of the most important things we do at camp: Number one, reapply that sunscreen. Number two, drink 3 glasses of water at every meal and number three, use hand sanitizer! The whole camp got involved and then we headed up to breakfast. Following breakfast everyone headed back to the chick to sing some camp songs and await their turn to pack a lunch for the day. I was headed to one of our new locations, Step Falls, with the Senior Flamingo’s and some of our CIT’s. Step Falls is in a spectacular location and consists of natural slides in the rock. With our reliable lifeguards on duty the girls had a great day on the slides and relaxing with their books on the rocks. On the way back to camp we stopped for ice cream, not an easy task with 45 to buy for but our Assistant Trip Leader and Trip Leader did a very efficient job! Now we’re back at camp, Fernwood Cove is feeling a little quiet as we are missing our 8th Grade Penguins who are on their special overnight, as well as our 5th and 6th grades who are also on overnights.  However, despite this we had our individual bunk activities for EP and now the girls are all settled in their bunks, ready for a new week of activities to begin! That’s all from me, I look forward to meeting you all on visiting day!

Friday’s Blog was written by landsports instructor and 5th grade bunk mom, Emma.

Hi, Its Emma again (The Scottish Landsport Instructor). The first time I wrote on this was my first week of camp, thus approaching the end week, a lot has changed. Although still LOVING camp – getting to teach in the *sun shine*, and working with truely fantastic kids. Since last time I have experienced a lot of EPIC things and achieved a lot - a special shout out to my inter camp football (soccer) team for winning a tournament at another camp where they played exceptionally well !!! I am still thinking about my amazing overnight last night for trip day which was great, can’t beat a good hike, especially with some happy camp songs to keep you going up the more challenging climbs, and of course – smores over the camp fire at night. I had never heard of smores before camp, but was soon enough enlightened !!! Today was day one of focuses for the last week of focuses for summer 2011, marking the end of an era !!!

Tuesday’s Blog was written by arts and crafts instructor and 4th grade bunk mom, Lauren.

Tuesday 2^nd August…the camp has been full of excitement today, with the girls signing up for their final week activities and also with an all time favorite of ‘mac and cheese’ for lunch, it really couldn’t have been any better. However cheers and screaming descended over camp when Marran introduced our Tuesday night evening program – Miss Fernwood Cove. The girls raced to dress their ‘bunkles’ in dresses, lipstick and crazy wigs in time for the show to begin. The girls laughed their way through the variety of hilarious singing and dancing acts. The bunk uncles really did put on a great performance, one of the best Miss Fernwood Cove to date!

Wednesday’s Blog was written by kayak instructor and 5th grade bunk uncle, Keith.

Today was another amazing day at Fernwood Cove!  The day started off a bit cloudy, but the clouds soon cleared and the bright sun came out which made it perfect conditions for kayaking! The bravery and determination was oozing out of the girls on the last day of focuses as they gave 100% in everything they did, especially completing Eskimo rolls! The evening’s program was performance night, and what a memorable performance night it was. The whole camp was treated with a variety of performances such as guitar, dance and theatre acts! Everyone did a fantastic job, the Chick was a sea of smiles and laughter throughout the entire night!  Everyone is so excited for trip day tomorrow, which I’m sure will be another memorable for the campers at this extraordinary world!

Sunday’s Blog was written by dance instructor and 2nd grade bunk mom, Jen.

It was another beautiful day here at Fernwood Cove!  The weather lately has been absolutely amazing and just perfect for a day of fun Carnival activities.  The day started out with the highly anticipated “Sunday Lazy Breakfast” which is when the girls get to sleep in at least an extra hour and eat breakfast in their pajamas.  Then the Eighth graders shared a wonderful service with us based on the theme of individuality.  They did a great job and I was very impressed with their poise in front of such a large audience!  We spent the rest of the morning with our bunks doing various activities.  My bunk played some team building games until lunch, we had tons of fun and laughs. The theme for Carnival today was Superbowl Sunday and it was planned entirely by the 7th graders.  After rest hour today everyone got to play various football themed games and visit various carnival booths including Field Goal Kicking, Ice Bath (Dunk Tank), Face Painting, and of course the most popular Slip and Slide!  By the end of the day we sufficiently tired everyone out, myself included.  We had a picture perfect barbeque picnic outside by the flag pole and ended the evening with a camper talent show.  The girls all did so well and I can only imagine how far their talents will take them!  It’s amazing how after knowing them for less than two weeks, they can make me such a proud bunk mom!  It was a truly Extraordinary Day!

Monday’s Blog was written by painting instructor and 8th grade bunk uncle, Scottie.

Hey All! The second week of focuses is well under way, and Arts and Crafts is as busy as ever. The sheer number of kids signing up for arts and crafts is an overwhelmingly amazing feeling. We say here that a week is like a month, and a month is like a year… due to our crazy busy jam-packed schedules. But it’s so hard to believe that we’ve all been here for around 2 months! Another stunning day at Fernwood Cove, busy focuses and inter-camp competitions are in full swing, and as counselors we can all see that the girls are LOVING camp. Graffiti projects and abstract art are NEARLY complete a day early! Banksy and Picasso would be proud! Creativity is oozing out of these girls! The stained glass mosaics are glistening, the NEW star shaped candles have an overwhelming cinnamon scent, the fashion drawings are very 2011, and everything every art department is churning out are fantastic. It’s hard to believe we only have two weeks left with these extraordinary girls.

Friday’s blog was written by sailing instructor and 6^th grade bunk aunt, Marlee

Today was another adventure on island pond road as any other day is. The day’s are flying by as crazy. Today was the first day of the 2^nd week of focuses. So new faces and new things to learn and a lot of new adventures for the kids and the counselors. The morning was a good one. A little bit of wind and a little bit of sun. Before lunch the sky changed. There where rumors going around that a wanger banger (thunder storm for the rest of America) was on its way to camp. The expectations were high after lunch during rest hour. But nothing really happened just a little bit of liquid sunshine.  As we do in Fernwood cove we just keep on smiling and go on with all the amazing activities. It’s Friday night so dinner is no surprise anymore in the 2^nd week. It’s PIZZA!!! Evening program was campfire. We enjoyed the warmth of the fire and some wetness from the liquid sunshine. But the singing from the top of our longs warmed us up pretty good.

Saturday’s Blog was written by climbing instructor and 6th grade bunk uncle, Craig.

Today has been yet again another fantastic day a camp! Sun shining from start to finish. The second week of focus’s started yesterday and everybody is getting into the swing of things! Im the climbing instructor here at Fernwood Cove and this year ive been so impressed with the effort each and every camper has put in to acheiving their own personal set goals at the climbing wall, whether it is getting further than they did last time, or getting to the top using a certain color, to setting their own incredibly hard route! ive been told that this effort and determination is mirrored in every aspect of camp life in all activities and above all else contributes to one fantastic spirit here at Fernwood Cove. Tonights evening program was ‘The Onion’ this is a game where all the campers get dressed in 5 layers and are awarded points for certain clothes that they happen to be wearing. As you can imagine this was hilarious the kids love it!

Wednesday’s Blog was written by 7th grade bunk mom and sailing instructor, Lizzie.

Hello all! Today was another fabulous day at camp. It started out with watching all the counselors found guilty during counselor hunt jumping in the lake, which I enjoyed immensely. What started out as a fairly chilly and wet morning brightened up in the afternoon with a lovely offshore breeze which was perfect for sailing! This evening’s evening program was performance night. The entire camp was treated to a PLETHORA of acts including dance, theatre, guitar and singing. I was amazed in what these girls can achieve in just five short focuses! There was a giddy and hyper vibe about camp as I walked up to the office tonight, possibly due to the sugar buzz from the performance night candy, but more likely due to all the girls loving their time here at Fernwood Cove! I must sign out for now – hope all you parents are having a fantastic summer and not missing your girls too much – I look forward to meeting you all on visiting day!

Thursday’s Blog was written by dance instructor and 6th grade bunk mom, Ayla.

I LOVE TRIP DAY!!!! At camp, this outburst would usually be followed by a “I LOVE TRIP DAY TOO!” Not only was it our first trip day out of camp, but it was also one of the most beautiful days that we have had at camp so far this session with blue skies and the sun shining! After breakfast the girls headed to the Chick for songs and were then called out one trip at a time to go back up to the Feeder to make their bag lunches. At around 10am, my trip headed out on a bus to Crescent Beach, which is actually one of my favorite trips. Every summer that I return to camp, I seem to forget how amazing the shoreline of Maine really is. Today was especially fantastic with barely a cloud in the sky once we were there. So after scouting out a good spot for the girls, the counselors settled down the canopy and beach toys and had everyone apply that sunscreen! The girls played in the ocean which was entertaining to watch considering after about 10 minutes the girls were all freezing. There was a constant cycle of run into the water, play, run out, dry off in the sun, and start the cycle all over again. Some girls made sand castles and collected rocks and some read in the shade provided by the tent. So at around 3pm we left the beach to go grab some ice cream and came on back to camp. A very relaxing and fun trip day and looking forward to another amazing day to come!

I am just realizing that it has been a few days since I last blogged – my apologies for that…here we go – here are the updates!!!!

Sunday’s blog was written by sailing instructor and 7th grade bunk uncle, Ross.

A Fantastic day at Fern wood Cove was had by all! Lazy breakfast was definitely welcomed by many and enjoyed in pajamas with many a bowl of lucky charms being eaten. Following this the 7^th grade services kick started the day with Sisterhood chosen as the theme. It was a well received theme and of course a lot of good things to say about it and what we all value at Fernwood Cove. To round off services the famed song by band Sister Sledge “We are Family” was sung with a great reception from all. The afternoon hit with more sunshine coming our way and outdoor bunk time commenced with everybody enjoying different activities. My bunk Sandpiper had a blast of an afternoon out on the pontoon boat in the sunshine. There was lots of swimming, photos and laughs all around. We stayed out on the water until lunchtime came and we reluctantly arrived back to shore, further pontoon trips were promised with the success of this one. After lunch it was a senior’s takeover and we were thrown into a green and white war, the theme this year being Greek Olympics. There was the slippery canoe, a Spartan assault course and many more activities being run all over camp including an ancient Greek fashion show. This took us up until dinner with everyone having a great day so far what could top it….But of course a massive dance party hosted again by our senior’s staged on the tennis courts. It was a great way to finish the day and everyone got their dancing shoes on and will surely sleep well tonight.

Monday’s blog was written by sailing instructor and senior bunk mom, Rosie.

Monday July 25^th, what an awesome day at Fernwood Cove!! The weather has cooled down, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing. Today was the third day of focuses for the girls, the sound of laughter filled Fernwood Cove today! This evening we had an evening program called mini courses. The campers get to sign up for all sorts of activities which are not taught as usual focuses. These activities include water aerobics, silly putty making, learning welsh, salsa dancing, ice cream making and a lot more. I was assigned to swim to the island. We had 8 girls, it took us about an hour, but the sense of achievement when we got there was unreal. A little about myself- My name is Rosie Carter, I am a Flamingo bunk mom, and I work in the sailing department on the waterfront. I have been at Fernwood Cove for three summers now and graduated from Durham University in 2010, with a BA (Hons) in Sport. This past year I have been working at Dulwich College Prep School, London. I am very interested in a career in teaching, the spirit and family vibe that exists at Fernwood Cove only enhances this wish. I feel very privileged to be able to spend the summer with your daughters and I am looking forward to meeting you all on visiting day.

Tuesday’s blog was written by kayaking instructor and 4th grade bunk uncle, James.

Hello folks! On this fine evening I am sitting down in the office writing this epic blog, covered in green paint and grass stains from the glories evening program ‘THE COLOR WARS RELAY!’ which involved brilliant team work and loss of voice due to very loud chants of encouragement. We had an immense day. We joined forces with the canoers and came up with an awesome  game of kayak and canoe Quidditch. It was a very bonkers ball game in the water instead of the air because we were in kayaks and canoes instead of broomsticks. I am the buncle for 4th grade bunk hummingbird and absolulty loving it. Last night my bunk went on a sneak out to the gym which was a massive success - the girls had a great time running about with their head lights on, and taking turns jumping and flipping into the foam pit. The only hard part was getting them back to their bunk, they were so full of energy they could have run about all night! This session is nuts and i wish it could be longer then three weeks.

After an incredible session 1 – session 2 has arrived and the summer is off to an incredible start!!

Friday’s Blog was written by fabric arts counselor and 4th grade bunk mom, Stacey.

Today has been an awesome day! The first day of focuses went well even though the weather was scorching hot – record weather for Maine and the summer so far! I teach fabric arts, and we had to take some of our focuses down to the waterfront as the fabric arts room was literally like a sweat shop but we took hold of it and it was great fun and the girls loved it. We did water aerobics and joined in with some swimming too. Tonight’s evening program was great! It was outdoor bunk time and the whole of 4^th grade went to the water front and played what’s the time Mr.Wolf, fish, ship, shore and did some more water aerobics. It ended with a huge splash fight and singing campfire songs in the lake!! Everyone had a great time and before we got out we witnessed a beautiful pink sky which the kids loved and got pictures of. Finally, we went back to Whimbrel and got into our pajamas and I read Harry Potter to the girls in the bunk with my ‘Hermione’ accent which the girls keep going on about as I’m from England. So far this session has been fantastic and the group of girls are amazing – roll on the rest of the summer!!

Saturday’s Blog was written by arts and crafts counselor and 4th grade bunk mom, Kat.

Today was the kids second day of activities – everything seems to be going really well and settling in great! Today has been an absolute SCOOOORCHER of a day where we definitely were all drinking our three glasses of water at meal times! I’m teaching arts and crafts this summer and today I was specifically doing graffiti art, landscape painting and candle making, trying to take the classes outside as much as I could! For dinner tonight it was tacos on the menu, a Fernwood Cove favorite! After dinner evening program started; the campers were lead to believe that a new activity of “King’s Castle” was starting, however all counselors knew that in fact a Counselor Hunt would be going on! This involves all counselors hiding around camp dressed up where the campers have to try and find them.  If found the counselors go on trial in front of a jury – the Flamingos! Here it will be determined whether or not they are found guilty. If guilty a punishment of jumping in the lake will happen on Monday morning! I was lucky enough not to be of been found tonight – phew! Overall today has been a great day – bring on lazy Sunday morning tomorrow!