This past weekend we managed to finish putting in the carpet. Getting the underlay to adhere to the floor was one of the most difficult parts, because the concrete was bumpy and sandy, even after sweeping and vacuuming.

Laying the Underlay

Now it looks like this:

The final phase is to tile the counter, finish the shelves and organize the rest of our stuff. The finishing touches will be adding Cait’s generous loan of her loveseat & coffeemaker! Anyone have a microwave they could donate? 🙂

The Project

It all started because we needed a proper camp office – for two reasons. Last year we held our pre-camp meetings in the Perth Library, and were continually “shushed” (despite the fact that we were *ahem* often the only ones there). So first of all, we needed a proper place to make noise and create without fear of shushing.

Secondly, the paperwork and supplies for camp are quickly overrunning my house. There are no rooms left in our home (except maybe the bathroom) that are safe from the papers, and camp-related magazines, and art supplies, and promotional material, and… I think you get the picture.

The Space

Attached to my grandfather’s old barn is what was once a workshop. In the years before I inherited the place it became somewhat of a dumping ground for the various things that various tenants hadn’t bothered to get rid of. And so we come to the before picture:

Before Phase 1

The really sad part about this picture is that we had actually taken quite a few things out before I realized that a before picture should be taken for posterity. So it was actually much worse than this.

Phase One

Phase One was to clear out all the junk. This took most of Sunday afternoon. It was not my favorite job. The dust was incredible and my sinuses were very displeased. However, we managed through and the junk is now temporarily in a pile on the lawn under a tarp until we can make a dump run. Here’s what the space looks like at the end of Phase One:

After Phase One

After Phase One

Now we can see the floor! It’s amazing. Stay tuned for Phase Two, in which we will be covering the floor in fabulous grey indoor/outdoor carpeting from Home Depot (at a discount because we were quoted the wrong price!)

Mikayla

We love our returning staff! Mikayla came to us as a late hire last summer, and quickly became a special part of our team. She is generally known as one of our “cuddliest” counselors and can often be found with at least two sprouts campers sitting in her lap! She also has a very competitive sports background (especially hockey) and will be attending an Emergency Responder college program in the fall. Mikalya will be working as a Sr Counselor in our Junior (Sprouts & Shoots) unit this summer. Welcome back Mikayla!

The 2011 MKDC Camp Calendar!

Finally, here it is! Our Summer 2011 Calendar is now finalized and ready for your downloading & printing enjoyment! It will look great on your fridge. 🙂

You will notice that all our Fridays have “?” marks on them. MKDC Friday events are carefully guarded secrets and will be fun surprises for our campers. Three of these will be Colour War days, and the others will be other exciting all-day events. You’ll have to be there to find out!

Download the 2011 Camp Calendar Now!

Cait - Arts Counselor, Unit Leader, & Marketer Extraodinaire!

Cait was first introduced to the wonders of MKDC last summer as our arts counselor, after performing with me in Orion Theatre Company’s production of RENT. After throwing her in the deep end of camp life in 2010, I think she just might be on her way to becoming a “lifer” – she’s been helping me with planning for summer 2011 since back in January!

This year, Cait will be returning to MKDC in a new dual role of Sr Arts Counselor & Unit Leader. In addition to leading the arts portion of our programming, she will also be overseeing all of the staff & campers in the Senior Unit. She will make sure that schedules run smoothly and that all of our older campers are happy and healthy. She also has some GREAT top-secret ideas for colour war! 🙂

During the spring months, Cait will be assisting me with various marketing activities, so you’ll probably see her at our spring community events.

Welcome back, Cait! Give’r!

I don't have any staff shots from this year yet, but here's a fun one from last summer! (Those are laser tag guns by the way)

One of the biggest pieces of our summer puzzle is now complete! After many weeks of e-mails, applications, interviews, and reference checks, MKDC’s team for summer 2011 is now chosen and ready to go! I couldn’t be happier. Our campers are so lucky! In addition to the many awesome returning staff from last year, we also have some newcomers on board that I just know will bring fabulous new ideas and energy!

If you just don’t want to wait until camp to meet my amazing staff, please come and visit us at Maple Fest on April 30th, or at the Perth Bike Rodeo on May 15th. We will also be holding our annual MKDC Open House on July 2nd. The countdown to summer is on!

Stay tuned in future blog posts for individual introductions of each of these amazing people!

Jr Unit Staff (Sprouts & Shoots)

• Ian Jenner – Unit Leader
• Mikayla Henry – Sr Counselor
• Cassie Sharp – Jr Counselor
• Colleen Cosens – CIT

Sr Unit Staff (Heartwood Sports & Arts)

• Cait Morton – Unit Leader
• Hope Kamerman – Sr Counselor
• Hanna Fournier – Jr Counselor
• Dakota Henry – Jr Counselor

image from thereptilerainforest.com

We love to plan special events and guests! This summer, during Week 2, I am excited to announce that we will be visited by the Reptile Rainforest Roadshow. The show will include over 15 live animals, feeding demonstrations, baby reptiles, and even some animals that our campers and staff can touch! Cool!

From the Reptile Rainforest website:

The Reptile Rainforest Roadshow™ presents a unique opportunity for attendees to get up close and personal with various misunderstood creatures, such as lizards, turtles, frogs, scorpions, and of course, snakes – All in a safe, and controlled situation!

Which creatures will you be most excited to meet?

Marbles a photo by maplekeydaycamp on Flickr.

One of the things we love to do at camp is bring back some of those “lost” games that today’s kids aren’t as likely to know about.

Today, some of our boys learned to play some simple marble games during siesta. What fun!

LIT Liam & LIT Rory – Honorary Princesses

Being silly and weird isn’t just the campy thing to do. It isn’t just about having fun. It’s also about feeling comfortable with who you are, and sharing that feeling with the people around you.

When I hire new staff, part of the interview process is finding examples of how the candidate has created elements of fun in their everyday lives. How are they spreading happiness and laughter? It’s all about attitude. If you are too shy or embarrassed to let your silliness out, you miss out on a lot of fun.

These two LITs in the photo above are a great example. LITs work with a different group each week, and these two boys happened to be working with groups of girls when their counselors planned a princess party. A lot of 13-14 year old boys would have asked to join a different group for the day… not these guys! They made crowns and dressed up so that they could be princesses too, and enjoy the party alongside the campers. They had a great time – and the little girls loved it!

By having the confidence and positive outlook to say “yes” to silly situations, we generate our own fun. This is something I hope our campers will learn to do too.