House In The Wood 
Camp & Retreat Center
Delavan, Wisconsin
Camper Page

Home  |  More Information  |  Jobs  |  Retreat Center  |  Calendar  |  Friends & Supporters  | 
Facilities & Services  |  Questions  |  Directions  |  Camp Map  |  Contact Us  | Camper Page | Parent Information 
FREE Favorite Retreat Center Recipes  |  News Archives | NEW Year Around Staff | NEW Site Map

Dear Campers: 

Please read this with your parents and then discuss this page together.  We want you to feel comfortable when you come to camp for the first time.  If you have any questions, please ask your parent to call the Settlement.

Where will I live and sleep?
You will live in a wood cabin.  The cabin has a large main room with beds and dressers, a bathroom with toilets and sinks, and a counselor’s room.  Cabin groups use the shower house located a few steps away from their cabin.  You will have a bed of your own and a dresser next to your bed for your clothes.  Other clothes can be kept under the bed or hung on a hook above your bed.  Wet clothes are hung outside on the clothesline to dry.  The large main room has eleven beds.  Some beds are bunk beds.  There is also space in the center of the cabin to sit on the rug and play board games.

Your counselor also has a room in the cabin.  Sometimes you may have four counselors in your cabin.  You may also have LIT’s in your cabin.  LIT’s are our special teen campers.  They will help you while you are at camp.

At night, when you go to bed, your counselor will tuck you in your cozy bed, turn off the lights and then read you a story.  After the story, your counselor will leave the cabin.  Then a special counselor called a nighthawk will make sure you are all right until your counselor returns for the night.  Sometimes, it is scary at night.  It is darker at camp than it is in Chicago.  And sometimes, the animals, like raccoons, frogs and bugs make strange scary noises.  The nighthawk will be there to make sure you are safe.  We always keep a light on at night in the bathroom so that you can see. 

What will I eat?
You will eat three meals and two snacks a day.  Food is served “Family Style” which means that the kitchen serves food in bowls and on plates.  Cabin mates then pass the bowls around and everyone puts some on their own plates. If you are still hungry, the kitchen will give your table seconds.  We have many good cooks in our kitchen. Meals are different each day.  Some meals for lunch and dinner are: hamburgers, hotdogs, barbecue chicken, pizza, ham, meatballs, submarine sandwiches, soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, turkey and fixings, and tacos.  At lunch, we always have bread, peanut butter, and jelly; and at dinner we always have a salad bar.  Our breakfast may have: juices, fruit, pancakes and sausage, french toast, scrambled eggs, toast, muffins, or hot cereal.  We always have cold cereal as well.  Snacks in the afternoon are usually sweet.  Snacks in the evening are always fresh fruit and water. 

Before the meal, we always sing a short song.  After the meal, cabin groups clean up their own tables.  They take the dishes to the kitchen, wipe off the tables and benches and sweep underneath their tables.  At breakfast and lunch, cabin groups sit together.  At dinner, you “sit-where-you-want” in the dining hall. 

Who will take care of me?
You will have at least two counselors.  If you are in our youngest cabin you may have three counselors.  One or maybe two counselors live in the cabin with you.  Your counselor will help you get to know your cabin mates, show you where everything is, tell you what you will be doing and help you be happy at camp.  If you hurt yourself or you feel sick, you will visit the health house where the health counselor will help you.  If you get in trouble at camp, you will visit the office where Ms. Val or Ms. Toni will talk with you to work out your trouble.  There are other counselors at camp to help you do other things as well.  You will never be left alone.  A counselor will always be nearby to help you if wanted.

Who will be my friends?
You will be in your cabin with nine other boys or girls your age.  You may already know some of the boys or girls from the Settlement or your neighborhood.  Other boys and girls will be new to you.  The very first day, your counselor will play games with you so that you will get to know your cabin mates.  Some of the boys or girls you meet may become your best friends while at camp.  Your cabin counselor will make sure that all cabin mates work to get along in their cabin group.  If you have a friend or family at camp who isn’t living in your cabin, you will see him or her many times a day at free times and all-camp activities.  Remember, every one in your cabin was once a new camper just like you. 

What will I do?
You will have a fun-filled day from the minute you get up at 7:00 in the morning until you go to bed.  Our youngest cabins go to bed at 9:00 and our older cabins go to bed at 10:00. During the day, you will have many activities with your cabin group.  You will go to swim lessons in our big lake to learn how to swim better.  You will learn how to use our boats.  We have rowboats and paddleboats for our youngest campers.  We have canoes, kayaks, and sailboats for our older campers.  You will attend a nature activity and visit with the bunnies at the nature center.  You will also go on walks to look at birds with binoculars, find animals, look at the plants and explore the lake.  You will go to a crafts activity.  Your cabin will learn new crafts.  All cabin groups also get to cookout one meal over a real fire and sleep overnight in a tent that they just learn to put up themselves.  When you tent out, you will also roast marshmallows over a fire and go on a nightwalk with your flashlights.  The stars at camp are very beautiful and on a clear night you can see the Big Dipper in the sky.  Each cabin group also gets to decide what they want to do together.  Sometimes the cabin decides to swing on the tire swing, go for a walk, have a picnic, play basketball, volleyball or soccer or just hang out in the their cabin. 

You will do other activities as well.  Every day you have free swim, where you can decide what you want to do in the water.  Morning games are fun.  Everyone plays a huge game together using the entire camp.  You will have a hobbytime period where you choose what you want to do from five different choices like arts and crafts, basketball, soccer, running, cooking, or drama.  You will also have free time every day when you get to decide what you want to do.  In the evening, you will do an activity with everyone at camp.  Activities include things like: campfires with singing and laughter, drama like performing a fractured fairy tales, movies with popcorn and soda, art fairs, and Christmas in Summer.

 Sometimes we have special days.  Sunday, you get to sleep an extra hour and you have free time almost all day!  You will also be in our variety show on Sunday.  You and your cabin mates entertain us with your best act in singing, dancing, comedy or drama.  On our last day we have a special theme and you will get to do special activities.  In the evening, you will have a social hour and a formal dinner where everyone dresses up and puts their best manners on. 

Of course, it’s not all playing at camp.  You and your cabin mates will be responsible for keeping your cabin clean.  Not only will you make your own bed and straighten your belongings, but you will clean your cabin as well.  Your cabin counselor will teach you how to clean the bathroom and sweep and mop the floors.  Everyone will have a chance to do all of the different jobs in the cabin.  Your cabin group will also be responsible for cleaning an area of camp that everyone uses like shower house, the dining hall, the recreation hall, or the pavilion, where we meet for singing and picnics.

 You will also take daily showers and brush your teeth.  Every day you will have a rest period in your cabin.  This will give you some quiet time to talk to your cabin mates, write letters, read, or nap. 

Suppose I miss my family?
Everybody misses his or her family and friends.  You may also miss your pets, toys, house and favorite food.  Sometimes when the missing is very bad, you may feel like crying.  It helps to remember that your family wanted you to come to camp to play, meet new friends, and have fun in a safe place.  You can take your mind off “missing” by having a good time at camp with your new friends.  You may still miss people or things but it won’t feel so bad.  I hope you have a good time at camp.  

Take care, Ms. Val
Camp Director

top
Fun Links

top

House In The Wood Sunset Puzzle
(move your mouse over a piece adjacent to the blank one to move it)

top