Welcome Session 1 Campers!

Session 1 starts now! We’re so excited to welcome our Session 1 campers to camp today! This session we have campers coming from as far away as Mexico, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates as well as representing many states! Of these campers…

96 are 1st-time campers at GAC

180 are returning campers

64 are 3-year campers

12 are 5-year campers

and 4 are 10-year campers!

We are so excited for the next 2 weeks that will be spent hiking, singing songs, waterskiing, campfires and so much more! Make sure to keep up with everything going on at camp through our News section and the Campanion App!

What are we eating this week? Check out the Session 1, Week 1 Menu

Session 1 Plus – Shaver Week Has Begun!

Yesterday, we welcomed an awesome group of campers for Session 1+, which starts with a week at our Shaver Island Outpost camp. Among this group of campers, there are ten 6-year campers, two 5-year campers, and one 10-year camper.  Four campers are from outside of California.

They’re going to enjoy an action-packed week of waterskiing, wakeboarding, and kneeboarding on our island outpost in the middle of Shaver Lake. They will get to sleep under the stars after spending fun-filled days on the lake! How lucky they are!

June Shaver Specialty Menu

Want to learn more about June Specialty? Click here.

June Kindness Calendar

Happy June and the start of GAC 2024! Here are some great ideas of how we can be kind to others this month. Enjoy! You can download a printable version here!

May Kindness Calendar

Hello everyone! It’s a new month so that means new opportunities to show kindness to those around us! Click here to download the printable version.

Our Favorite Read Aloud Books

At Gold Arrow Camp, the tradition of reading to campers every night holds a special place in the daily routine. After roasting marshmallows around the campfire and getting ready for bed, counselors read a book aloud to their campers. Even our oldest campers enjoy this nightly practice! 

Reading builds empathy, and is a powerful tool for helping campers develop kindness and compassion towards one another. Reading ignites camaraderie and conversation as campers think and talk about the situations and challenges the characters face. Many campers share with us that listening to a story in their sleeping bags is one of their favorite parts of the day. 

Five Tips for Choosing a Great Read Aloud Book at Home

  1. Start a series! Many counselors choose to read the first book in a series to their campers. While some of the books are larger (and cabin groups are not always able to finish the book), many campers report that they’re going to read the rest of the book when they get home, or read the next book in the series. A series offers continuity and an opportunity for campers to invest in the characters, setting, and plot. If you are trying to encourage more reading at home, one strategy is to start reading a series together. A child might choose to finish reading the series on their own. When I was little, my mom read the first three Harry Potter Books to me aloud. After reading three books together, I read the final four installments independently as they were released. Starting the series together helped me invest in the characters and made me excited for the new releases!
  2. Use online resources to find books that align with your child’s interests. Goodreads and Common Sense Media both offer reviews and ratings for children’s books. Goodreads also provides a fun way to start a “Reading Challenge” and set a reading goal for the year. At Gold Arrow Camp, we use Common Sense Media to guide counselors towards the perfect age-appropriate books.
  3. Visit your local library or bookstore, and involve your child in the selection process to foster ownership!
  4. Choose a book that has been made into a movie, and plan a family movie night when you finish reading the book. This is a great way to engage in discussions about a story, and talk about changes made from the book to the movie version.
  5. If your child is older and wants to read independently, find a time to read together as a family, or start a family book club and read the same book at the same time. In Michelle Borba’s book Unselfie, Borba recommends looking at your child’s required reading list for school and picking up an additional copy for yourself!

Our 2023 Counselors’ Favorite Read Aloud Books

Bears (Grades K-2)

Tigers (Grades 3-5)

Lions (Grades 6-8)

Eagles (Grades 9-10)

Schoolhouse Rocks 5K on May 19

Join GAC Runners at the Schoolhouse Rocks 5K (Menlo Park) on Sunday, May 19

Join the GAC Runners for the Schoolhouse Rocks 5K in Menlo Park! We’re thrilled to be back to help support the Menlo Park – Atherton Education Foundation at this great event. We’ll be at the expo before and after the race, so please come and see us. The race starts at 9:00 AM, and we’ll be taking a group picture with all of our GAC friends and families at our booth at 10:15 AM.

Information and registration available here.

 

April Kindness Calendar

Take a look at our April Kindness Calendar to spread kindness! Every day is a great day to show people around us that we care! You can download the printable version here.

Teaching Teamwork

“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” -H.E. Luccock

In this competitive, self-focused era, learning to be part of a team is a valuable skill that is not often taught to children (or adults!). Kids participate on many sports teams, but often that experience does not end up being a lesson in teamwork. Instead, sports teams often become a competitive experience of trying to get the position or play time they want as an individual.

One reason for our focus on non-competitive activities at GAC is so that kids can learn new skills without feeling the pressure to win or be the best. We also want kids to learn to be part of a team (their cabin group) and be better team members. The experience of living with a group of diverse people in a cabin group is the first lesson in teamwork that campers learn. Campers learn to work together to keep their living area organized, do daily clean up, and get to where they need to be (meals, activities, etc.). They also learn to support and encourage each other and help each cabin member do their best at each activity.

During the first few days of camp, each of our cabin groups goes through a “Team Building” program led by our trained ropes course staff. During a variety of games and activities, the campers learn to work together to accomplish tasks that they can only perform as a group. They learn about listening, leadership, and how to work through conflicts. The communication skills they learn at Team Building are used throughout camp. Lessons like taking turns when talking, sharing leadership, and planning before doing are all teamwork skills that campers can take home with them.

April Parent Coffee

“Why Campers Can be Homesick AND Happy”

Are you worried that your child will struggle adjusting to being away from you and away from home at camp this summer? Come discuss the discomfort some children experience being away from home and parents and how you can help your camper not only work through separation anxiety but end up confident and happy about future away-from-home adventures (like college).

March Kindness Calendar

Hello everyone! It’s a new month so that means new opportunities to show kindness to those around us! Click here to download the printable version.