OOOOO, New Bridge!

We have a new bridge! It spans the creek where it runs thru Creekside & Frontier. A troop built it for us for their Bronze award.
WOW!!!

Fall Horse Program

The Horsies went home today.
Thus concludes our fall horse program. Its been a great few months. A bit rainy in spots, but nothing we cant handle :) .
I'd like to thank all of the volunteers who gave their time and energy, we couldn't have done it with out you!

Hello August, Goodbye Camp :(

Camp is officially over for the summer, SAD DAY!
The Staff had a wonderful goodbye banquet last night and there was plenty of crying and hugging to go around. It probably looked a lot like check out day (I think the councelors are more upset about leaving than the campers).
It's been a great summer full of truly unforgettable moments and memories.
Lets do it all again next year!

Week 8 - YEE HAW

Western is what we do best at Camp Maripai and since that's our theme this week we are kicking up our boots, letting down our hair and having a hootin' hollerin' good time.

We kicked things off on Sunday with a campfire (real fire included). Monday as the sun sank behind the mountains the campers prepared for a Gold Rush. With the Riding Instructors transformed into Bandits out stealing gold and Sherriffs trying to set things right in Maripaitown and the campers racing to get rich. Tuesday night we had a hoedown, dancing the night away. And last night after a cookout we watched Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron in our lodge.

The weather has been highly cooperative. We've had some menacing thunder, but so far only a light rain and the only cancelled ativity has been sleeping out under the stars.

Thanks to our end of summer effort to clean out the kitchen we've also had abundant meals with a wide variety of delicious offerings. There was a small mishap with some spicy spaghetti (we still can't figure out why it was so spicy) but it was quickly resolved with non-spicy tamales and sandwiches to replace the main course. Some campers gobbled up the spicy spaghetti and came back for seconds but with the milder options, no camper should have left hungry.

Week 7 - Hola! G'Day! Ni Hao! Bonjour! Guten Tag!

This week we've journeyed "All Around the World" without even leaving the comfort of Camp Maripai. We cheered at the monsoon which has finally arrived and the rain certainly didn't dampen our spirits. Our International Staff have stepped up to share their cultures. On Tuesday we celebrated Columbian Independence Day with our two Columbian staff by feasting on Salpicon, a traditional meal and learning a few facts about the country. That evening we had an international taste testing, we'll let your campers tell you about the variety of foods they sampled.

Iron Chef and Outdoor Eplorer were rained out during their horseback riding time, but despite this they had a grand ol' time.

Our CIT's and WIT's explored their leadership qualities at the Oxford Leadership Program last weekend and then fawned over seeing boys as they visited nearby camps and hosted the Friendly Pines CIT's for a tour of Maripai.

After a highly successful cookout dinner, the whole camp slept out on the field Wednesday night under the stars (no rain!) and we watched the movie Ponyo, a japanese anime version of The Little Mermaid.

Aloha from Week 6!

A Day in the Life of a Camp Counselor:

Each week we get a new bunch of girls and each has their own personality. Everyday waking up is the hardest because you want just five more minutes of sleep but you know that you need to help the girls get up and ready for the activities of the day. Plus you never want to miss breakfast! Flag is always a wonderful site to see. The girls get the chance to put the flag up and to take it down. Everyone gathers together for this ceremony. Next we head over to breakfast and the smell of food always brings people out of hiding around breakfast time. The Administrative Staff, or “Ad Staff”, come out to make sure everything is going as it should. The girls love seeing the Ad Staff and always ask about them. After breakfast it’s off to the Singing Logs where we start the beautiful singing. The girls always have their favorite songs. The Princess Pat, Coconut, and The Wizard are just a few of the songs that they always request. Then, let the activities begin! The girls will be with their units and go off and start different activities: Sports and Games, Arts and Crafts, Archery, Nature, Horseback Riding, and Me Time to name a few. These activities go on throughout the day. Pippa takes charge at arts and crafts and always has a creative idea, Bandana leads the girls into nature to learn all sorts of things, Dimples gets active and teaches the girls some cool games to play, at archery Nala helps girls steady their aim and hit the target, at the barn girls increase their confidence on a horse, and during Me Time girls get some time to themselves to relax, read, journal, and write letters home. Lunch and dinner get squeezed into it all, after a long day of activities the girls are ready for some food. My Choice is a big hit twice a week. At My Choice the girls buddy up and in pairs they decide what activities they want to do. At night, after dinner the girls get to participate with the whole camp in one activity – or an “All Camp”. So far this week we’ve had a Campfire program (minus the fire), Counselor Hunt, and a Luau themed Dance Party. After a long day, it is time to reflect and talk about it all and then head to bed. The girls are as exhausted as the counselors and when the head hits the pillow everyone is out...then the door knocks. A girl needs help with her sleeping bag, or she is homesick, or there is a bug in her cabin, or perhaps they are afraid of the dark. The counselors smile and help the girls. We get them tucked into bed and then the counselors head in that direction. In what seems like a few minutes later, the alarm goes off and the whole day starts once more. The day is new and a new adventure awaits over every hill in the wonderful world of Camp Maripai.

Brought to you by Dragon

Week 5

Overcast skies and cooler temperatures have been filling us with energy this week. With just a couple refreshing sprinkles the weather hasn't effected program, except to make activities a little more enjoyable without battling the heat and sun.

At my choice we made wands, played games, learned basic foreign words, and played dress up. Down at the riding arenas, some campers have overcome fears they had, being hesitant at first and then not wanting to get off the horse by the end!

With so many young campers (everyone here right now is 2-5th grade) we've been surprised at the lack of homesickness. Sure, the campers miss home and a few have been a little sad at bedtime but they perk right up in the day and are courageously becoming just a little more independent.

Last night we had our cookout, the girls in each unit working together to prepare their dinner. After that the entire camp laid tarps out on our field, under the stars, and we watched Shrek 3, where the princesses take matters into their own hands to help save the day.

It's been a great week and it's not even over. In just a little while we'll all gather together at the all-camp fire circle for a little last night camraderie around our "flashlight fire".

Thanks for sharing your wonderful girls with us!!

Week 3

Week three is in full swing and the kids are so excited. We have campers that are leaving on Friday and campers that are staying a whole extra week!

Earlier in the week we had an all-camp "Dutch Auction". It went well, with the girls bringing all their interesting things to the lodge to score points for their unit. Last night in main camp cookout was filled with burritos and hotdogs, the girls did great cooking. We watched Toy Story 2 on the field under the stars, after dinner was eaten and the kids were ready for bed. Some slept out on the field while others hiked out to our Primitive area to spend the night in the woods. Our hiker Chic group enjoyed a hike out of camp to Wolf Creek Campground and spent the night in a tent before heading back to camp. Archery has been going well with lots of campers hitting the middle, Otter is excited for them all. Dimples has been leading the girls in many games of kickball and Bandana has been hard at work with the girls in our garden. All the staff and campers enjoyed our CIT/WIT Hunt for all camp, (its like a giant game of hide and seek) they had to answer questions about the past to get clues to the next CIT/WIT. The barn has been keeping busy with trail rides and many lessons. We are looking forward to closing campfire tonight where the campers will be showing off in skits.

Avast Thar Ye Landlubbers, it be Pirate Week!

Sitting in the office tonight, catching up on boring office-y things I can hear the delighted shrieks of campers competing in a camp wide "Pirate Booty Hunt". Through the darkness they search the field and woods for treasure, and stealthily they must secure their plunder without notice by the most fierce counselor pirates who would take it for their own.

Energy levels are high with the wonderfully temperate weather we've been having and everyone is in good spirits having been set free after our Pirate Prisoner Dinner - everyone attempting to eat with hands shackeled together by bandanas. It was a roaring good time.

At "My Choice" today campers picked from a variety of activities. I joined with several other staff to teach some line dances for our Pirate Bash tomorrow night and while we cleared the room attempting an old school twist, they flooded in for Miley Cyrus's "Hoedown Throwdown" and the "Cupid Shuffle".

So far this week is off to a great start. Besides all the fun activities, we had a very special guest appearance at our campfire last night as 3 deer chose that moment to casually stroll past, catching everyone's attention. It was a magical moment as the girls watched the deer with wide-eyed wonder. And did I mention we had a real fire? No burn ban yet thanks to a wet spring!

Week 1 - 100 Happy Campers

It's cookout tonight. While the girls are busy in their units learning how to cook over a fire and prepare a delicious meal under the watchful eye of camp counselors, I thought I'd take a quick moment to share the fun we've been having.

Yesterday we welcomed in 100 campers for our first summer session of 2010. Some girls were a little sad to see their family wave goodbye for a few days, some were a little shy as they met their cabin mates, and a few felt the little pang of homesickness on their first night away from home. But today I have seen 100 smiles. I have heard the laughter of 100 girls being silly in the way that only a group of girls at camp can be silly. I have seen new friendships being forged and I have recieved warm hugs. I have heard the twang of an arrow being released from a bow and the cheer of Greenwood campers as they celebrated each others success at archery. I danced with the girls in Hilltop, sang with the girls in Pinetree, and delighted in the wonders of bubbles with Creekside. And just a little while ago I watched as Frontier campers excitedly prepared to ride horses, some for their first time ever. I've shared wonderful conversations about families, pets, school, and favorite camp activities over delicious meals.

And so I can officially report that we seem to have 100 happy campers!

Almost There!

Alright! The weather has been warm and sunny the past few days, perfect for getting into the camp spirit. The staff are all up here, getting ready for an awesome summer with new games and new songs. Just two days until campers arrive and we can't wait!

The past few days have been getting busy getting ready for camp. The open house was a blast and just got us even more fired up for camp starting. We'v also turned the music up for a dance party, and passed out crazy props for a very entertaining skit night. Tomorrow we're going to be going around and getting a chance to try out archery, nature, sports, and arts and crafts. Then all we have to do is wait for campers to come!

It's been an exciting week, but we can't wait for camp. We look forward to seeing everyone this summer!

Summer Camp Countdown!

It's been quite a winter at Camp Maripai. We've had a ton of snow and our creek is happily flowing as the blanket of white melts into the life giving waters of spring. With just 73 days until the first campers arrive at Maripai, many exciting things are taking place to make this summer better than any summer we've ever had!

We've added some new, exciting programs at all grade levels and some of them even feature the new Girl Scout Journeys! This year we really want to help parents understand the impact of camp and how summer camp helps girls achieve the outcomes of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Did you know that just one week at camp can have the same impact as an entire year's worth of participating in a troop?!

With so many exciting things going on, we've also built ourselves a new summer camp website, within our Council's website. You can check that out at www.girlscoutsaz.org/summercamp. Part of this new website is a listing of all the exciting program we are offering this year. You can even filter your results by grade, camp, dates, and session length so you'll only get the results YOU want! Financial aid and scholarships are available and our programs are open to all girls, not just Girl Scouts. We want every girl to have the opporunity to participate in camp!