Author: Charlie Sommers

As you are getting your kids ready for camp we know that questions will start arise. Here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions we have received in the past month about camp! If you have more questions, be sure to let us know.

 

Does Ranch Camp provide Bar/Bat Mitzvah Support?
We can provide Bar and Bat Mitzvah support at camp. A trained staff member will meet with campers twice during their session, reviewing any study material that they have brought with them to camp and making sure that they stay on-track in their studies while at camp. Personal music devices can be used for their and will be kept in the office.

 

How do you celebrate summer birthdays?
At Ranch Camp, each birthday is a special day. We have our own way of celebrating within our camp community including birthday treats for the cabin and a camp wide birthday celebration. We encourage parents to send packages with decorations and/or party favors for the cabin to help celebrate. The very best birthday packages can be enjoyed by everyone in the bunk!

 

How do bunkmate requests work?
We will do our very best to accommodate everyone. However, due to various cabin sizes, we cannot guarantee bunking requests. You can request bunkmates in your camper applications. We try to honor old friendships, encourage new ones, and create a community in which all can be happy. If you have a particular concern, please email us or call our office.

 

Will you do laundry for campers during the session?
Campers’ laundry will be done once during full sessions. No laundry will be done during Mini Sessions or Baktanna and limited laundry will be offered to TASC, Pack n’ Ride and Teen Village due to their shortened time onsite. All laundry is done on the premises by a trained staff member.

 

Can my child bring their phone/music device/tablet to camp?
Ranch Camp is a screen free environment. We believe strongly in giving our campers an opportunity to connect in person to their peers, staff, and nature without the use of technology. Any electronics that are brought to camp will be kept safe in the office until the end of the session.

Siena Yeh, a second grader at Cole Elementary, wrote a beautiful article (below) regarding her first summer at Ranch Camp. This article was then published in her school’s newspaper! Hmm…do we have a budding journalist in our midst?

Thank you so much for your sweet words, Siena. We’re so happy that you have enjoyed (and are looking forward to) your summers at the Ranch.

“It all started when I packed everything I could to get ready for an awesome sleepaway camp called “Ranch camp.” I packed t-shirts, shorts, pants, long-sleeves, and so on. I felt nervous about camp because it was my first time being away from home at sleepaway camp. Some kids, like me, had “mini camp”. Mini camp is that you get to stay at camp for two (2) weeks.The full session is when you stay at camp for three weeks (3). I was very nervous but excited to go. One of the things that made it easier to go was that my cousins were there, too.

At Ranch Camp, we stayed in cabins with about ten kids, and we slept in bunk beds. There were counselors for each cabin, and SITs (Staff in Training).  I got to have free time, and sat in my cabin and read my letters that I got. I did a swimming test so that the counselors that were testing me to see if I could swim freely, or if I needed a little help. I did the test good! And we got to do horseback riding, and paint on their backs with chalk, then give them a bath and brush their fur. It was fun. Last but not least: THE ROPES COURSE! It looks like a bunch of ropes. They were hanging and I could climb on them. There was a rockwall, a zipline, and something called a ‘moonwalk’ (a bunch of ropes secured on sturdy poles and you walk on them with your hands holding one rope, and your feet walking on a tightrope.) It was so much fun! Another fun thing at camp was Ranch Camp Idol. Each cabin got to compete by dancing to a song that their cabin selected. Ranch Camp Idol was held in a place called “The Mo” where we also had art and music. My favorite part of sleepaway camp was all of the friends there! It was so much easier to make friends than I imagined!

I’m very excited to go back to Ranch Camp this summer, and will stay for the full session. I want to go back again because it was so much fun, and I want to see my friends again.”

In January, we received an email from a parent asking us to consider adding an additional choice for gender on our application. I responded by saying that there should be an additional choice, and that, for three years now, I have been requesting this from the company that makes the program we use (CampMinder).

I took the opportunity to share with this family more about the approach we take towards gender inclusion at Ranch Camp, including several of the programmatic shifts we have implemented over the past three summers. As I was writing, it occurred to me that these are things I want everyone in the Ranch Camp Community to know.

I am proud of the efforts we have made towards non-binary gender inclusion. Until 2016, age units at Ranch Camp were divided into boys’ units and girls’ units. Campers of different genders rarely attended programs together, with the exception of all-camp events and evening programs.

Now, what was once “boys’ village” and “girls’ village” are now “North Village” and “South Village.” Units are grouped by grade. Except for cabin programs, activities are gender-inclusive.

Since 2016, our staff members have completed a training in gender inclusion, for which we brought in the best people we could find. Last Summer, that training was designed and implemented by our Program Director, a trans man who has delivered a similar program to a national audience of camp professionals.

Last summer, a camper came out to his bunk as transgender. It was an ongoing conversation with the child’s parents since he started attending Ranch Camp. After three summers in girls’ bunks, he will now be in a boys’ bunk for 2019. I’m so very proud that Ranch has become a place for people to find themselves in this way.

We have just received the go-ahead to move forward with a capital improvement project for which the first item on the agenda is to have bath and shower rooms in each village that are divided into boys, girls, and a third for family and gender nonconforming campers, staff, and guests. Villages will then be split by age.

Camp Tawonga in CA is offering a gender-neutral bunk option this summer. When they made the announcement, I was proud to be among a community of Jewish camps that are applauding their initiative.

This was a long way of saying that it is not OK that, among the first questions in our application, is one that immediately compromises our vision for an uncompromisingly inclusive community.

CampMinder is working on the issue, which is more complicated than it might seem, because the coding is based significantly on a binary gender system. In a discussion thread on this topic, one camp professional put it this way: it takes a longtime to undo all of the binary-ness in the system. Which is a pretty perfect metaphor for society at large, I suppose…

Shalom u’vracha,

Noah

Session 3, Day 18

Ranch Camp is a place rich with tradition, many of which are songs that are sung on all different occasions. One of the most treasured songs is Joni Mitchell’s “Circle Game,” the melody and dance immediately familiar to anyone who has spent a session here. This song, usually present at every closing campfire, was especially meaningful to the community today. As the song tells the story of a young boy moving through the circles of his life, another circle of Ranch Camp has come to a close.

It’s been nearly two months since the front gate first swung open to accept the first session of campers for the summer. These months have been full of perfect moments, each day a living entity in the minds of those who experienced them, each hour full of meaning, each minute another opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

Now, the last session of campers is getting ready to leave, and not long after them, the staff will as well. Soon, the camp will be empty, and though other groups will be able to take advantage of the beautiful property throughout the year, an essential element of camp will be missing.

But this is not yet the case. The community awoke this morning with excitement and energy to begin the day, the last full day of camp. After the customary walk-in breakfast of Shabbat, the camp gathered in the North Village commons to begin Saturday services. The weather was warm and sunny, a welcome respite from the recent storms, and spirits were high as everyone filed down the stone-lined pathway to Eddie’s corner. The services were some of the most energetic we’ve had yet, spirituality nearly tangible in the air as the entire camp’s voice rose in prayer together for the last time.

It is another Ranch Camp tradition to call up certain groups of people to read the blessing over the Torah during that part of the service. The last reading today was an especially important reading, as it contained the Sh’ma and the V’ahavta. The entire camp stood to read the blessing together, arms around each other and twined around the benches so that everyone was connected. It was another perfect moment, everyone held together physically and spiritually, the knowledge that we stand not just as a community, but as a family, at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

The majority of the day was dedicated to packing, each cabin working together to help out friends and clean the bunks for the next group that will come through the property. As night began to fall, everyone joined once more together by the campfire. The setting sun left the air feeling cold, but hearts were warm as the camp cozied around the fire, snuggled in sleeping bags and blankets. The heat of the fire pushed the chill from everyone’s minds as songs were sung, stories told, and slideshows watched. The open sky faded to black as the community reminisced about the weeks past and the family that was built around the experiences. Everyone, from the newest campers to the longest-standing staff members, has grown in ways that they never thought possible, their responsibility to their community at the forefront of their minds, the hope that they can change the world for the better budding in their hearts.

It won’t be long until morning, when the campers will gather the last of their belongings, and the camp will gather in the commons to say goodbye, together as a group one last time. Everyone will board the buses, and return to their lives outside of camp. But gathered around the campfire, that time seemed so far away. Arms around each other, circled tightly around the fire, the words “Olam Chesed” drifted up from everyone’s lips. At that moment, that song was not just a song, but a promise. It was a promise to their friends and their family, to their community, to Ranch Camp, and themselves. A promise to take what was learned at Ranch Camp and teach it to the rest of the world, to apply it to the rest of their lives, and to exist as their best selves no matter where they go.

Even the most fortunate only get to spend a few weeks at Ranch Camp, a few weeks to have those life-changing experiences. But if everyone takes what they do here and bring it with them when they leave, the Ranch Camp spirit will live on even when camp is not in session, and this indescribable community will encompass its members all over the world – and that is the most any of us could hope for.

Session 3, Day 13

It’s no secret that Ranch Camp is a special place. It’s a community of family and support, made up of people from so many different backgrounds and walks of life. It’s a safe place for campers to explore their identity, Jewish or otherwise, and learn about different cultures in an encouraging and accepting environment. While spending so much time in this incredible community, it can be easy to forget that the community, though vastly important, isn’t the only thing that makes Ranch Camp so special.

Many campers’ lives during the school year, fulfilling as they may be, are man-made. With televisions and smart phones, cars and school buses, flashing lights and electronic music, they are surrounded by the technology of the advancing world. For some, the time they’ve spent at Ranch Camp is the longest they’ve had to step away from this environment and into the natural world. Though we still rely on the luxuries of electricity and running water, the landscape is sculpted by the surrounding nature. It’s a unique and fascinating experience to live in a place where you might see a deer a few yards from your cabin when stepping out in the early morning, or to feel water evaporating off your shoulders in warm rays of sunlight as you walk back from a shower.

After these last few rainy afternoons, the clear blue sky and gentle breeze were more than welcome. Each cabin made their way to degel, the morning circle, sneakers sinking into the damp dirt and sand, the sweet smell of wet grass mingling with the delicious scent of breakfast potatoes drifting down from the Chad. This morning’s verse of Shiga’on was especially energetic, voices ringing throughout the Inner 40.

Once breakfast was finished, everyone threw themselves into the morning’s activities with gusto. Some groups took the trek down to the ropes course, the view of the surrounding forest stunning from the top of the zip tower. Others strapped on helmets for a bike ride through the Outer 400, the wheels kicking up fresh dirt on the natural trails. Still others took a dip in the pool, flexed their archery skills, mounted horses, or practiced Israeli dance, the songs of which reverberated around camp, adding a joyful soundtrack to the day.

The Chad reverberated with cheers during lunch, the ruach (or spirit) of the camp soaring through the roof. This was followed by Menucha and then two daily chugs, giving the kids more freedom of choice than usual. After the last few afternoons inside, the chugs were, literally and figuratively, a breath of fresh air.

As the sun began to lower in the sky, the pink and orange clouds a Colorado staple, the camp split up into the three different units: Chalutzim, Metapsim, and Toshavim. Usually, the evening program is a camp-wide activity. Tonight was an exception, as each unit ran their own program, each vastly different but similar in that they fostered teamwork, creativity, and a feeling of support within the unit.

By the time the sun had completed its descent past the horizon, the programs had come to a close and campers were tucked in their beds, tuckered out from the full day. Each and every camper had experienced camp to the fullest, learning and growing, stretching their comfort zones, trying new things, and having a blast throughout. Some may say it’s not possible for anything to be perfect – but perfect is the only word that can describe days like these.

Session 3, Day 12

Each day at Ranch Camp is an amazing and memorable day – even the days that do not go exactly as planned. Every so often, especially later in the summer, the skies will open up and a rainstorm will put outdoor plans on hold. Today was one of those days, but this did not put a damper on the spirit and energy of the camp, as everyone adapted quickly and were able to engage in entertaining and meaningful activities despite the torrent outside.

Though the morning was run as usual, clouds covered the sky by the afternoon, and by the end of menucha a drizzle had begun. Instead of regular planned chugs, each unit met in a different area of camp to take the extra time to finish up what they had begun during the evening program the night before. This evening program, a new one this summer, was made even more meaningful by the experience the campers had on Israel Day. Feeling more connected and in tune with the country, each unit gathered together to make care packages to send to Israeli children who are staying in bomb shelters. The campers sent materials for games as well as handwritten instructions for creative ways to pass the time, and each package included notes from the campers wishing them luck and safety.

After their packages were complete, the camp spend the time indoors hanging out with each other, making friendship bracelets, reading books, playing games, and getting to know the kids in other cabins and units. Once the rain had let up and it was safe to do so, everyone went back to their cabins to relax until dinner, now only about half an hour away – though the afternoon plan had been quickly switched around, it didn’t stop everyone from having fun, and the time had flown by quickly.

By dinnertime, the storm had passed, and everyone was itching for something active to do after a satisfying but sedentary day. Luckily, the evening program was Candyland, a brand new, never before seen by Ranch Camp, scavenger-hunt-board-game-competition extravaganza! Each cabin worked as a team to roll a die six times, with the goal of getting each number once in order to collect the largest variety of candy. Depending on which number was rolled, the cabins ran around camp to collect their candy. But this candy was not for eating – after a set amount of time, the camp gathered back in the Chad, and used their collected sweets to build the best candy castle they could!

Though the staff work hard to plan out an engaging, exciting session, some of these plans can be overshadowed by unpredictable events – in this case, usually weather. This is why rainy-day plans are always in the camp’s collective back pocket, ensuring that no matter the situation, everyone will continue to experience the incredible opportunities that Ranch Camp provides.

Session 3, Day 11

The sunset tonight marked the ending of the second Shabbat of the session, what would in other sessions be the last Shabbat – but, as one of the many upsides of a longer session, the Session 3 campers get to experience three Shabbat celebrations at camp. No matter how many Shabbats anyone may have the chance to experience, it’s immediately obvious that this time at camp is like no other. With each Shabbat, the camp community grows stronger, and the songs and prayers become more meaningful.

This week’s Shabbat celebrations began Friday evening, as the entire camp gathered in the South Village commons before filtering down to the pavilions for services. The services here are spirited and lively, keeping the kids engaged and making sure they know what is going on. Services this week began with a dance lead by the Chalutzim unit to a popular Israeli song, to wake everyone up and instill energy into the rest of the service. With hand motions, clapping, dances, and the opportunity for campers to help lead prayers onstage, there was never a dull moment.

As the hour began to wind down, the community moved together to the Chad for a traditional Ranch Camp Shabbat dinner – soup, vegetables, chicken, and of course, babka (or chocolate challah) for dessert. Full and satisfied, the camp moved locations once again, the last time for the night, to the basketball court. Israeli dancing, or rikkud, is one of the most anticipated parts of Friday evenings. As the sun set over the camp, the spotlights kept the court bright, and as the rest of the property quieted into night, the camp’s voice rose as one for a last song circle.

Saturday, to continue the night before, is usually a more relaxed day at camp, with a lot of cabin time and an extended Menucha to rest and store energy for the rest of the week. After a late wake-up and walk in breakfast (the food, bagels and lox, another tradition), the camp gathered in Eddie’s Corner for morning services. These, too, are very interactive, with another dance to start the day, campers onstage to present the prayers and act out this week’s Torah portion, and a game at the end to help campers learn more about Israel.

After a restful day and a beautiful Havdalah service to separate Shabbat from the rest of the week, campers and staff alike felt content, joyful, and satisfied, ready to begin the second week of Session 3, ready to spend the next week in a place of family and community.

Session 3, Day 8

One of the most important things at Ranch Camp, something that can send a camper’s summer from good to fantastic, is the dynamic of each specific cabin. While each staff member works hard to ensure that the campers know that their cabin is their family, they’re not the only ones with the power to set the tone. Each cabin family consists of campers, staff and SITs, or Staff in Training.

The SIT program at Ranch Camp is one of the most unique programs offered here. Not quite old enough to be staff, but old enough and responsible enough to take on more challenges than the average camper, many camps struggle to figure out what exactly to do with kids entering their junior year of high school. In the past few years, the SIT program has evolved to fit their specific needs, prepare them for the demands of being staff, and give them an environment in which they can become the best versions of themselves.

One such change, implemented only last year, is that the SIT sessions don’t line up exactly with the 3 regular camp sessions. Session A begins halfway through Session 1 and ends at the end of Session 2, and Session B begins halfway through Session 2 and ends at the end of Session 3. This has multiple benefits, such as preparing the prospective staff members for being away from home for a longer period of time – the most beneficial of these being that, for the first half week of their stay, SITs don’t live in cabins with campers. The time is used instead as a sort of training week, showing them the ropes of camp and giving them valuable tools they can implement when working with children. When they do move into cabins, SITs are more prepared to be an active part of the group.

SITs are an important part of camp for the campers as well. Though staff members are the first line of support, it can be exciting and refreshing for campers to be around an authority figure who is closer to their own age, and who can relate to them in a different way. They can also bridge the age gap between staff and campers, bringing the entire cabin closer as a unit.

However, it’s important to remember that SITs are still campers, and though they have responsibilities, they have their fair share in the fun of camp as well. With onegs (or evening activities), group bonding activities, and other programs, SITs get the best of being staff and the best of being campers. They also get the opportunity to shadow a specialist during the morning activities, so that they can bring their passions to camp as well.

Though SITs live in cabins and go to activities, their unique status at camp can leave them feeling separated from the rest of the community. To remedy this, another exciting change has been added to the SIT program this year – a SIT Mentor, or “Sentor,” program. Each SIT is paired with a staff member that is neither in their specialty or their cabin, a mentor who can help with situations with an objective perspective, provide advice or solutions, or even just lend a listening ear. These last few nights, SITs and staff mentors have had the chance to introduce themselves and get to know each other for the first time.

There are many things at camp that keep people coming back year after year, new programs and activities to look forward to, trips to go on, and the advancement through the three units. The SIT program is one of those things, a valuable experience for those enrolled in the program and an exciting goal for those who are continuing their Ranch Camp experience.

 

Session 1, Day 7

It has now been a week since the first day of Session 3. Seven days in which Ranch Camp has already become a home to many, and cemented its place in the hearts of those who are returning. In only those seven days, the bonds between campers have been created quickly and strongly, and kids have grown in ways they may never have expected.

In any other session, the kids’ time at camp would be halfway over. This is what makes Session 3 so special, the thing that sets it apart from the others – instead of two weeks, the kids stay at camp for 19 days. Though an extra five days may not seem like much, it allows for a much wider array of programming and activities that the other sessions, though special in their own right, don’t have time for. This was especially apparent today, as this was the first special program day of the session – Israel Day!

During Sessions 1 and 2, the Israel Day festivities took place only in the afternoon. This session, Israel Day was, as the name should suggest, a full-day affair. After a breakfast of shakshuka and pita, the campers willingly put their usual daily activities on hold to travel around to different stations, designed to help the kids learn about and connect to the country that seems to some so distant. Throughout the morning, campers participated in activities that taught them about the language, geography, and culture of Israel. They played games, won competitions, flexed their artistic muscles, and even got a chance to make their own pita.

Lunch was just as exciting as breakfast – tahini chicken, another new food that was surprisingly popular. Feeling full and refreshed, the camp was excited to jump into the afternoon’s activity – not the regularly scheduled chugs, but a camp-wide game. A combination of Mission Impossible and Ranch Camp Idol, it was reminiscent of some popular evening programs, but with an Israeli twist. Cabins worked together to find the Israeli counselors hiding around the campus. Once located, they dressed them up in funny costumes, and then took some time to choreograph a dance to a song. However, these were not just any songs, but songs that are popular in Israeli, another way to help kids connect to the foreign culture. The dances were incredible, each group’s unique, a display of their own personalities.

But Israel Day was not yet over. With spirits high from the performances, the campers retreated to their cabins to prepare for the shuk. Each cabin created their own product to sell at the traditional Israeli market, ranging from friendship bracelets to hot chocolate, hair braiding to paper pet adoption.

This is one of the more popular evening programs, and once there, it’s easy to see why. With their monopoly-money shekels, each camper was able to choose what they wanted to buy. Not only did they get a taste of financial responsibility and the opportunity to choose what they spent their money on, they also got to see the effects of their hard work as campers from other cabins came to their table in excitement.

It was a full day, filled with activity and fun, and everyone fell asleep quickly, worn out but with smiles on their faces. Israel Day is always fun, but the fun is only a part of what makes it so important. It is a day to help kids and staff alike connect with a country that is such an important thing in the lives of many Jews, but something that can be difficult to relate to in such a political climate. At camp, kids can ask questions and learn about Israel without judgement, and focus on the culture, geography, and history of the country in an environment of acceptance and support.

Session 3, Day 5

For many campers, as it has been in other sessions as well, the evening programs are the most memorable of Ranch Camp activities. Though most of the programs are the same from one session to the next, the people involved (especially the campers) make each individual program as different as night and day. Even the campers who have been here for years can count on every night being a new experience.

These past two nights have been no exception – in fact, they may have been the most unique and exciting evening programs of the summer.

Tonight’s evening program was Ranch Camp Idol. It’s a rainy day program, not used every session, but always in programming’s back pocket in case of inclement weather. This, however, does not mean that it’s not as exciting as the other evening programs. After dinner, the camp split up into cabin groups to choreograph dances to songs of their choice before meeting in the Mo to perform them.

Ranch Camp Idol is such a special activity in part because the majority of the night is created by the campers. The dances they create exemplify the ways they have learned and grown in just these few days, working together to support their fellow campers and using their creativity to think outside the box. This show was particularly special. Each cabin’s performance was evidence of their connections to each other, and the support that the kids had for each other without prompting from staff was inspiring.

On the day before, Saturday, Ranch Camp was honored to welcome the band Nefesh Mountain into the community, a Jewish bluegrass group from New York. They first lent their musical talent to Havadalah, the closing ceremony of Shabbat, making the ceremony stand out from weeks past. The camp then migrated to the Pavilions, where the band put on a concert to be remembered.

This particular kind of music was new to some, and the younger kids particularly were unsure of what to expect. It did not take long for the uncertainty to vanish, as the group was welcoming and inviting, engaging campers of all ages and ensuring that everyone was enjoying themselves. As the music rose to a crescendo, the entire Ranch Camp family danced together, close to the stage and on it, not just a concert but a celebration of Judaism, community, and especially family. It was a perfect moment, a feeling that transcends words, full of the knowledge that this group of people is not only connected by a common location, but by the values and human connection that makes our family whole.