Category: Uncategorized

Bob loves jokes and riddles. Here are some funny ones you can tell your children over the holidays:

Where does a bee wait for a ride?  At the buzz stop.

Why are elephants so wrinkled?  Because they are too big to iron.

Why is England such a wet country?   It has a queen who’s reigning.

What has one head, one foot and 4 legs?  A bed.

What do you call an alligator in a vest?  An investigator.

How did King Arthur finish his education?   He went to knight school.

What goes up but never goes down?  Your age.

What side of a turkey has the most feathers?   The outside.

What has a head, a tail and no legs?  A penny.

What kind of dogs do they let into the library?   Hush puppies.

Why can’t the pony sing a song?  She was a little hoarse.

What kind of dog is never late to school?   A watch-dog.

What time is it when the clock strikes 13?  Time to get a new clock.

What did one toilet say to the other?   You look a bit flushed.

Where do baby cows eat their lunch at school?   In the calf-eteria.

Why can’t Elsa from frozen have a balloon?  She will “let it go, let it go”.

What do science teachers eat after dinner?   Experi-mints.

What do rabbits play at recess?   Hop-scotch.

Why did the lobster get a time-out at school?   He was being shellfish.

What can you hear but never touch or see?   Your voice.

Why did the chicken run onto the soccer field?  The ref kept calling fowl.

How are bus drivers like trees?  They both have routes / roots.

What is the center of gravity?    V.

How many letters in  THE ALPHABET?   11.

Greetings Shibley Nation!

Here we all are again facing the start of the new year, hoping 2022 brings us health, prosperity and a bit more normalcy.  Not too many of us are sorry to say goodbye to 2021. For so many, this was another very difficult year, to say the least.

That being said, there were plenty of joyous times as well. For me, Shibley being open this past summer to welcome our campers back on the grounds alongside their counselors was a true blessing. The benefits of camp for children are immeasurable. Socializing and friendship building are some of the greatest benefits we can offer and foster (and one of the most rewarding for us as well!).

Eliminating screen time, getting exercise, and being close to nature adds so much to a child’s personal growth and development.  We offer the children opportunities to do the things they love. Maybe more importantly, they are encouraged to try new things they never thought they could do. Seeing the light bulb go on in the child’s head when they realize they CAN is amazing to witness. It is our hope to create countless wonderful memories that our campers can look back upon, so they can one day share their love for these activities discovered at camp (and for camp itself) with their own children.

There are various ingredients needed to make a great camp and I spend a lot of my time during the off-season searching for THE key ingredient-STAFF!!!!!  Without great people taking care of our campers, well it’s like eating a brownie without chocolate. I am in the midst of interviewing dozens of candidates as the year comes to a close.  I am always very impressed with these candidates as they think ahead of the curve and hope to find a job for the summer earlier than others.  They avoid the potential stress and angst of finding a last minute position when opportunities are few.

I am also in the midst of reconnecting with old staff to discuss a return to Shibley in 2022.  I love connecting with this population.  It’s especially exciting to hear from staff who are in the midst of their freshman year of college, and see how they are doing and how much they have grown. I recently reached out to a family who sent multiple children to Shibley as campers.  One of the children returned last year as a first year counselor.

My initial call was about a younger sibling returning to camp, not the staff member.  However, mom and I found ourselves talking about the tremendous growth she saw in her son during this experience.  She saw her son grow in ways she never thought possible.  Mom went on and on about the benefits of camp for young adults who take on the role of counselor.  This counselor struggled at first, privately sharing with me he was not sure he would make it through the summer. “Working with kids and taking care of them is really hard work,” he shared with me as we passed each other on the grounds.  But every day I noticed slight changes in this counselor’s demeanor.

At first, he followed the group and took complete direction from his supervisor.  As the days went on, I saw him talking with his campers, then truly engaging with them in an animated manner. Towards the end of camp, this counselor took initiative and gave direction to his campers, encouraged positive behaviors and created great friendships with his boys. He truly became a rock star and a fabulous role model.  I am happy to report that this counselor is returning in 2022!

I end many of my interviews with an idea I believe to be true-I can have a camp that has all the bells and whistles but ultimately if this child’s counselor is lackluster, then all the bells and whistles in the world can’t make the camp experience extraordinary.  A counselor who is exciting, funny, creative and engaging can make a pile of dirt fun and use it to create memorable experiences that foster lifelong relationships.

As I said before, I am interviewing now and plan to assemble and hire the greatest staff ever.  We can always do better!  If you have any candidates in mind, please encourage them to fill out a staff application on our website and I will happily reach back out and invite them for a great conversation and a tour of the grounds. I always like to make new friends!!!

Wishing you all happy holidays and an amazing year ahead filled with love, joy, health and happiness.

Do you ever go into your parent’s attic and look for old family memorabilia? Do you ever find boxes of old photos of the way that things used to look? Vintage clothing that was worn by your great grandmother? Or maybe you discover a piece of furniture that you would like to take and use for your own home. These are the types of things that I am finding in the winter office at Shibley.

As most of you know we move from our summer office down in junior camp to our winter office in the Manor house when the weather turns cold. This house has lots of rooms and nooks and crannies. Over the years, the rooms and house itself has been used for different purposes. It’s been used as a summer residence for staff and mainly as a storage space for t-shirts, activity equipment, sample arts and crafts projects, signs from previous summers’ productions and lots of old camp photos.

These items have accumulated over many years and it appears that very little was ever thrown away. Some people might look at this and think nothing of it (or run the other way)… but not me…. I investigate these rooms and see history, inspiration and supplies!!  There is a treasure trove of things to use at camp, show off to alumni and hang around the manor house.  I love taking a walk down memory lane to discover items that tell stories of Shibley’s past.

The old camp photos are the best. By the look of the clothing, lots of these pictures were taken in the 1970’s and 80’s. The pictures show bunks that are red and white. The campers’ t-shirts are blue and white and staff didn’t even wear a staff shirt! There are pictures of activities like the hay jump (where kids literally jump in a pile of hay) and the “golden gate bridge” which was an original playground for junior campers where the junior adventure course now sits. There are signs for a nature trail that started up in senior camp and winded its way down into junior camp. I even found pictures of staff that are still here!!

So many things were different. So much has changed over the 91 summers that Shibley has been around. And while the bunks and logo might look different than they did in the 1930’s and some of the activities may have changed, there is one thing that will always remain. Shibley is a magical place where everlasting friendships are made.

There are 39 days of camp each summer so here are 39 great pictures with captions from Summer 2021. If you have a better caption…let us know!

Shibley is not just a place that you go to for two months over the summer and forget about for the next ten months of the year. One of my favorite things about Shibley is that the fun does not end just because the summer does. Sure, we are not at camp every day, but like an evergreen tree, Shibley is here all year long. We have events in the Fall to bring us all together to enjoy the facilities and the beautiful Fall foliage.  In the Fall and the Spring there are birthday parties and family events occurring on our grounds virtually every weekend.  We might pop up at a Fall Festival at your elementary school or spend some time in a city park making beaded bracelets with campers and catching up. We also host zooms (story time, show and tell, scavenger hunt, zumba, etc.) over the winter so we can see familiar faces on our screens when it’s too cold to gather at camp.

I’m sure that you have all heard the saying “living ten for two”. It’s a phrase that you might hear a camper or former camper saying. When you are a true camper, you think about summer every single day. You are pushing through the school year so that you can get to the prize at the end…a summer at Shibley!! All that you think about is being at camp, seeing your old friends, making new friends, and participating in every fun activity. The minute that camp ends you are immediately talking about the next summer. Every summer, my kids cry on the last day of camp. They miss their counselors, their friends, the green giant, etc!! For the next month all I hear from my three little campers is “why do we have to go to school? I just want to be at camp!!”
This is why I love Shibley so much.

Your Shibley Family is always thinking of you. We love to see you at our off-season events, and we love bumping into campers around town and hearing what your family is up to. I hope that everyone is off to a great school year, and I would love to hear from you!! I can be reached all year long at hayley@shibleydaycamp.com

Read my previous blog about using children’s books to promote our GREEN values all year long…turn your children into everGREENs!

In the blink of an eye, one of the most challenging summers I have experienced during my tenure at camp has come to an end.  That being said, it was also most certainly one of the most rewarding!

During this most unique and challenging summer, there were various trials and tribulations that we faced head-on with grit, resilience and tenacity.  We knew that in order to have a successful, healthy summer, we had to tackle new ways to program groups, hire & train staff, create efficient & safe bus routes, prepare food, and most importantly, keep your children safe through vigorous health and safety protocols.

We had an AMAZING STAFF this summer, but filling every possible position was difficult.  So many “would be” counselors decided that after 15 months of isolation, they preferred to relax this summer with friends rather than taking on a job. Totally understandable! Some “would be” counselors who felt that they had missed out on career internships the summer before felt that they had no choice but to find one this summer to bolster their resumes, so we lost that pool of applicants as well. Little do they know that working at camp is the best internship of all!

In addition to working around COVID, this summer, we faced 3 separate brutal heatwaves without the convenience of being able to retreat to the friendly confines of our indoor air conditioned facilities.  I recently attended a professional development day with my Long Island colleagues from other camps and one director described his staff as “warriors battling intense heat, rain, mental health and exhaustion.”

The stars of our show, as always, were the campers! This summer we had a higher percentage of new campers at camp than ever before. We were also thrilled to welcome our returning campers, many of whom we did not see for two years! Wow, did they get big! You could tell from the start that many campers (new and old) were extremely anxious being thrust into this nurturing but highly stimulating environment.  After all, many were home all year in remote learning education models with limited social interactions. So, as you might expect, socialization skills were rusty, group dynamics were overwhelming for many, and separation from parents/caretakers, especially for our younger campers, was difficult to say the least. But as each day passed, you began to feel and see those meaningful friendships forming, campers exhaling with ease, and the genuine sounds of children happily at play.

So what are my takeaways from summer 2021:

• We all survived (and thrived!) and we are all stronger for it!
• Many protocols and changes we implemented will remain in place because they made camp safer, more efficient or more fun!
• Camp continues to be a safe space for campers to be nurtured, loved and accepted.
• Unlikely heroes stepped up big time and filled the staff gaps.
• We continue to face the unknown, but one thing we do know is that we have a team here that will go the distance to find the solutions that will keep our camp community healthy, safe and joyful.

Shibley Nation…..WE DID IT !!! We made a positive impact on the lives of our children and gave them a summer they will never forget. We thank you all (staff, parents, colleagues, friends, etc.) from the bottom of our hearts for your support and appreciation of all we did in 2021!