Category: Uncategorized

As we recently wrote about HERE, parents and friends are always asking us, “What do you do all year?” The previous post focused on what is happening inside the full-time office. Out in the rest of camp our amazing facility team is always working to make camp safer and more fun. They also keep our buildings and grounds looking great all year round for off-season events, tours and the upcoming summer.

Our Lego and Music rooms, also used for before & after care, have been totally renovated. Our team gutted this entire side of the building attached to our summer office. When they are finished there will be two separate large rooms so multiple groups can enjoy this improved space. The Lego room is now larger and will include additional toys, games and books for our junior campers.

The bathrooms for those program areas are also being completely redone.

Our biggest update for this year is what we are doing down in junior camp. We are making more space for our Junior campers to run and play. The Car Wash (it should be called the Kid Wash) is being moved closer to the pools so more of our campers can use it on regular basis. Once we break ground, I will update the blog with more pictures.

The Shibley Fun zone, an adjoining wall and fencing have all been removed in preparation for the rest of the project.

This corner will be a new wide-open play area for our youngest campers to enjoy during Summer 2020.

The facilities team has been working since the last bus left camp in August and they won’t stop until it’s time for camp. Make sure you tell them how great a job they are doing when you see them next. Our beautiful and unique facility just keeps getting better!

Probably one of the most important things we do at Shibley is to teach the campers to swim and be comfortable in the water.  We consider swimming a necessary life skill.  I personally started my own swim instruction at Shibley at age 4 and continued through age 12.  I started from the beginning at a pool made for my size and continued on to reach the card level of Junior Lifesaver, which was the highest camper level.  As an adult I continued my swim education by taking the Water Safety Instructor Course, the Lifeguard Training Course, the Lifeguard Management Course and the Nassau County Lifeguard Certification test.  I then worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor at Shibley for many years which I really enjoyed doing.

Why is being able to swim and be comfortable around the water so important?  The ability to swim for recreation is just a lot of fun and is a social thing that you do with family and friends throughout your life.  I remember as a child creatively building things in the sand and then playing in the ocean waves. Then as a father I can remember doing the same beach things with my son.  We spent hours and hours together playing in the water and creating all kinds of sand structures.  Those shared memories with my son are priceless.  He also learned to be a good swimmer at Shibley.

Swimming laps is also great exercise for the heart and easy on the body as opposed to the pounding of running on the legs.  It is an activity you can do from a young age all the way up to a very old age.  Being adept around pools or the ocean is also a safety issue.  You never have to worry about falling in because you are a good swimmer.  Plus as a good swimmer you have the ability to give aid to someone else who may need help in the water.  It is just a very valuable and necessary skill to have throughout your life.  If you become a lifeguard, it is a great summer job to have as well as a very rewarding kind of job.  Lifeguards are always in demand by the camps, schools, town pools and parks. Teaching others to swim is just such a satisfying experience because you are giving to others a lifetime skill that will keep them safe and that will also give them a lot of pleasure.

READ MORE ABOUT THE SHIBLEY SWIM PROGRAM

Greetings Shibley Nation!  Happy 2020 to all.  We have officially turned our attention to Shibley Fun Days as well as other Winter/Spring events that will bring our Shibley family together.  This past Sunday, we hosted our 1^st Shibley Fun Day and each of the two sessions we ran were filled to capacity with campers and parents. We separated the children into 3 age groups and rotated each group from a Tae Kwon Do class (Visit our friends at Tiger Schulmann’s of Manhasset) to an arts and craft project to a free play room.  Campers met and made instant friends with other campers who will be with them in the Summer.  Parents mingled with other parents, some who were first timers also and some veteran parents who shared the great experiences their family has had at Shibley.

These off-season events are so important, especially for our younger campers and their parents.  You and your child have the opportunity to get to know us and our staff on a more personal level. You get to see us in action and we get to see your child in action; how they behave and react to certain situations. Every time you sign your child up for an event and step onto the Shibley grounds, we become more and more familiar to your child and with your child.  When the Summer finally arrives, your child will see familiar faces and places when they step off the bus at camp.  We want your child to have a seamless transition when his/her first day of camp begins and what better way to then to take advantage of all the off season events we offer.  Our goal is to become family even before camp begins.

We have 2 more Fun Days offered, one on Saturday, February 8^th and the other on Sunday, March 15^th.  We will have a Spring break event in April and a Spring Festival in May.  We will also be taking our annual pre-camp outing to Citi Field on Sunday, May 3. In June, we will invite our nursery and kindergarten campers to a pool party and to take a special bus ride around the neighborhood so children can get comfortable doing both things that will be a big part of their summer experience.  We will also give you the opportunity  to come meet your children’s Group Leader and counselors the weekend before camp begins.

So here is your homework -PLEASE open up and read your emails from us.  Then sign up for as many off-season events as you can.  We are here for you and your child. We want your children to have the Summer of their lives, and feeling at home and comfortable on day one is a key ingredient to that end!  We hope to see many more of you next month and leading up to the Summer.

Here’s an A to Z list of things Stefanie is thinking about for the New Year:

Arizona – go on vacation when it’s cold here in New York

Be More Active- keep moving!

Cook More

Dream Bigger

Exercise Often

Find More Time to Spend with the People that Matter

Give Back to Those in Need

Health (mental & physical) is a priority

Improve in everything

Joyfulness – find the joy in whatever you are doing

Keep in Touch

Learn a New Skill

Meet New People

Noah’s First Birthday

Organization – keep it all together

Peace for the world

Quit Procrastinating

Read More

Shibley Summer 2020!!!!

Try New Things

Understand where others are coming from

Volunteer for something new and worthwhile

Watch Less TV

eXcel in all that we do

Yoga to relax and keep the body strong

Zealous- be zealous when attempting to accomplish anything

At Shibley Day Camp we have music playing throughout camp all day long. Music is important and can have an impact on how we act and feel as we move through our day. Starting in the morning, as the staff prepares to welcome our campers and the buses pull in, music can be heard in Junior and Senior Camps. Staff that welcome the campers off the bus and guide them to their bunks are singing, dancing & smiling. Their positive energy flows immediately down to the campers as they step off the bus and dance their way up to see their friends. Our hope is that any negativity that may be a part of their lives outside of camp is wiped away by the positive vibes of camp…and music is a big part of that.

Another great result of playing music all day is the connections that are formed through knowledge of songs, artists and pop culture associated. Children hear songs that they have heard their parents listening to and see their counselors enjoying the same music. Parents play songs in the car and children are reminded of where they were at camp when they heard that song today. Campers realize they enjoy the same artist or watch the same movie or show that a song may come from and they bond over that shared interest. Counselors and leadership staff of all ages bond over their favorite classic hits and what they currently enjoy on the radio.

It’s also fun to include songs that have been performed in camp productions, at Senior Sing, in talent shows, and in our big end of summer Olympics competition. A dance party is likely to break out in the pool, at arts & crafts or in the middle of a kickball game if the right song comes on at the right time.

Of course, Halloween Day has its’ own playlist (Ghostbusters Theme, Monster Mash, This is Halloween) as does the Shibley 500 (lots of songs by the Cars and from the Pixar Cars movies) and our other Shibley special events.

I’ve listed below just a few of my favorite songs to include on our camp playlists. I know I will be adding some new songs from Frozen 2 (who else can’t get those out of their head?) and we are always looking to expand the playlist. What songs would you like your children to listen to throughout the day at camp?

• We Belong Together – Randy Newman – Toy Story 3
• Can’t Stop the Feeling – Justin Timberlake – Trolls
• Little Bit O’Soul – Musical Explosion
• Beautiful Day – U2
• This is Me – Keala Settles – The Greatest Showman
• Good Day Sunshine – The Beatles
• Kikiwaka – Bunk’d theme song
• Count on Me – Bruno Mars
• A Cover is Not the Book – Mary Poppins Returns
• Don’t Worry Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin
• We Rock – Camp Rock
• Yoda – Weird Al
• You’re My Best Friend – Queen
• You’ll Be in My Heart- Phil Collins – Tarzan
• The Climb – Miley Cyrus
• Stand By Me – Ben. E. King
• Sunny Afternoon – The Kinks
• Paradise – Coldplay
• Best Day of My Life – American Authors
• Happy Together – The Turtles

All year long our amazing facilities team works throughout the day to make our camp safer, more fun and more beautiful. This winter they are working on (and almost done with) a few projects we wanted to share with you.

New roofs are going on a handful of bunks in Junior Camp.

We have expanded last year’s JG1 bunk to accommodate our growing population of campers in Junior Camp.

New stairs leading up to the SG1 and SG2 bunks (The Commons) will allow the campers to get up and down from their bunks faster and easier. That means more time at each activity!

Our Lego and Music Rooms are getting a facelift. We are redoing the bathrooms, putting in new walls and updating the interior of that side of the building to match the beautiful summer office it is attached to.

We have more projects planned this winter and spring and we are excited to update you via blogs and social media, but more excited for you to come see the renovations in person as we get closer to camp.

Stay warm!