It's Week 7 . . . what happened to the summer?

We spent so long tracking down the pictures from Willy Wonka's factory that we have been neglecting our duties to keep you filled on on everything that's been going on-

- Week 5 found us all stretching our acting and musical talents to prepare for our Camp Show- which turned out AWESOME! From our Mohawks rendition of Row, Row, Row Your Boat complete with boats, sailors, fish and sharks to our Cayugas reworking of Black and Yellow into Blue and Purple, the camper were great. And for the first time ever, our Sports camp participated in the show with an amazing "opera" about their counselors. Keep posted for a video of the Cayuga performance!

- Video Killed the Radio Star spent two long weeks making their incredible movie, "The Last 4". Again, keep posted for a copy of the video.

-Dancing on the Ceiling danced their way through an excellent Camp Show performance and their entire week.

- Our first session CIT's rapped up their session with quite a few lessons and a celebratory breakfast for lunch of pancakes and bacon! Thanks, Mr. Pat and Ms. Kacie!

- We continued to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Mill Grove, as seen with Ms. Erin's teens and their adventures with canoeing.

- We also beat the heat with water balloons, games, sprinklers and when all else failed, just the hose.

Alright, that's half an update, stay tuned for pictures of our trip to Crystal Caves, which were a glorious 54 degrees when it was 102 outside and the epic all-camp game of Capture the Flag!

Camp Phoenix Radioactive? See below for details.

The word is out...there is "NO LOCKOUT" at camp. There will be football this summer!

Cheerleaders are flippin' over the good news!

No, there is no radioactivity at camp, but Mad Science of New Jersey showed the Apaches, Braves & Kinders a number of "cool" & "hot" experiments as the clouds rolled through the skies. The rain pushed the groups inside later in the afternoon, but the morning was spent playing with dry ice and fun and games at camp.

Dry ice shower/ The smoking table

Dry ice in water/ You need gloves for this experiment!

Playin' with fire/ Do not try this at home!

The Halfway Point

We only have 5 weeks left of camp! It's hard to believe. It has been a wonderful and exciting summer thus far. The counselors have been fantastic (even in the heat) and look forward to the last 5 weeks. Just a couple of reminders for you as we sprint towards the start of the school year (yes, I said it).

- There are still spots available in our Before & After School Program in the Phoenixville Area School District. If you would like to register, please do so at the Phoenixville Y front desk.

-Please be sure to tell us how we are doing via our electronic Camp Questionnaire that will be sent to your e-mail. We want to hear from you! If you would like to be sent one, please provide your e-mail address to us if you have not already.

-Lost & Found is discarded every Friday afternoon. If your camper(s) is missing anything during the week, please be sure to stop by the camp office and look at the hodge podge.

-Let the counselors know what a great job they are doing. We have averaged over 500 campers during the summer thus far and it has been overwhelmingly hot. They work very hard to make sure the groups are having fun while being safe. It's a tough job...and they love to do it!

Week 6 Beating the Heat!

The heat index reached over 100 degrees three times this week. The groups had plenty of indoor activities to hold their attention and everyone looked forward to their swim time. It was a crazy and lazy week of camp! The Apache campers performed a weekly skit in their groups earlier in the week and then created "recycled robots" to round out the week. Please enjoy some of their creativity pictured below!

At Long Last . . . Evidence from inside the Factory

Alright so as long promised here is a visually recounting of our Charlie and the Chocolate Factory obstacle course (aka- the day your campers came home super dirty and insisted that it wasn't dirt)-

First, Mr. Nick readied the campers with instructions and enthusiasm and the aid of a now broken megaphone.

After being sorted into their groups, the race started with a run to the pit of gobstoppers to find your very own golden ticket.

They then headed off to sort golden eggs to make sure that they didn't have a dud.

The final lap had them searching through the river of chocolate to discover the new ultimate gobstopper that Willy Wonka had only just invented.


Some of budding chocolatiers took the challenge more seriously than others . . .

And finally, it was a trip through the Wonka Wash . . .

And so our obstacle course ended with some tired and dirty chocolatiers. . .

We're Off to See the Wizard!

Performing Arts did a wonderful job with their performance of "The Wizard of Oz." The house was packed and families had a great time. Great job campers and staff! Please enjoy some pics of the show below!

Heat Advisory!

The dog days of summer are upon us! Due to the expected hot/humid weather this week, Camp Phoenix will be rotating the groups indoors/outdoors throughout the week. Please be sure to put an ice pack and plenty of fluids in lunch packs.

Stay cool!

Camp Phoenix Drop-Off & Pick-Up

Parents please be advised that cubside drop off in the morning runs until 8:45AM. On heavy traffic mornings we have gone until 9:00AM to accomodate. Staff must take attendance at 9:00AM SHARP and be out of the building to allow for classes. Anytime after 8:45AM you must park your car and sign-in your child in the camp office.


Pick-up begins at 4:00PM. If you wish to pick up earlier than that you must provide a note in the morning and we will have your child in the office at that time for sign-out.

**To reduce the possibility of high traffic, please remain in your cars during these times. If you must exit your car, please pull into an available parking space.

Our main concern is the safety of the children and we appreciate your patience and cooperation during these times.

Family Carnival

FAMILY FUN!!!

Thank you to all of the families that participated in last night's Camp Phoenix Carnival. We had a great turnout and the staff really enjoyed hanging out with every family that attended. We hope you had a wonderful time and so many appreciate your donation to the Y-Cares Campaign. The Y is all about family and last night it showed.

The kids enjoyed the moonbounce and also drenching the CIT's in the dunk tank. There was flour in the air with the penny cut. Some fish found a home with a handful of lucky campers. Our face painting station was keeping our artists busy all evening. We handed out loads of goodies such as lollipops and prizes at a handful of games. Kids also had a great time creating treats of their own. The balloon stomp in the rain was a fantastic way to round out the evening. Our staff had a blast with all of you and we hope you enjoy the pictures below.

Week 4 at Camp Phoenix went fast. The rains finally came and pushed some of the groups inside, but that did not put a damper on a few biking trips and fun to be had. Performing Arts did a fantastic job all around with their rendition of "The Wizard of Oz," which closed out the week on Friday evening.

Remember!!! Next Wednesday, July 13th, we will be having our Camp Phoenix Family Carnival from 7:00PM-8:30PM in the Bradley Thomson Gym. Tickets will be 25 cents apiece and all proceeds will go to the 2011 Y-Cares Campaign. There will be plenty to do for the young ones and parents/guardians will have a chance to meet some of counselors. See you there!

Into the Realm of the Unreal- Week 4 in a nutshell

We dove into Week 4 with the promise of monsters, adventures, and everything of our own making with Only in Your Dreams week! Even though it was a short week, we packed in five days worth of projects and excitement. Here are some of our goings-on-
-Our Oneidas worked diligently in their groups to create some truly amazing Cardboard Creations that included an award-winning Monster Truck and some almost sea-worthy boats.
- Our Mohawks pillaged our arts and crafts supplies to build whatever came to mind whether it was right in front of their eyes or right out of their unconscious.
-Mr. Nick pulled a trick on everyone when he promised an all-camp that sounded more like a lecture and then started a pie fight down in the water play area. Everyone went home a little sticky (and perhaps a bit smelly from the whipped cream)!
- Our campers were hot in pursuit of some hiding counselors during our Counselor Hunt on Tuesday afternoon- no one escaped without having their picture snapped in some unusual hiding spots through camp.
- We also played some awesome traditional Y games like soccer and dodgeball, except this time the ball was over three feet wide!
- Ms. Maggie and her team of educators might have taken a few bets during our class on worm races as we learned about these friendly, crawling invertebrates.
-Our insect-obsessed Wild World-ers were super successful with their nets and guides as they gather friends of the six and eight-legged variety.
- Camouflage was filled with not only the best game in the world (you'll have to trust us on that one) but a look into the world of outdoor living with knot tying, bear bags, and even a cook-out or two.
- Act Naturally exercised their drama muscles as they prepared for their performance coming up this week.
- Day Trippers explored far and wide and claimed that they had the best time in camp (still a matter of debate).
- I dream of Michelangelo continued to astound with everyone of their creative endeavours and One Big Holiday gave them a run for their money while still doing exactly what they pleased.
- Our 100% Mess Obstacle Course was rained out on Thursday afternoon but don't worry that pool of Ooblik is going to go to good use during our Barefoot Obstacle Course next week!
Alright on to Week 5 as we turn our eyes towards the Broadway lights with New York, New York week. Don't forget the camp show at 6:15 on Thursday night!

Week 3 Flew By

So Week 3 has come and gone and while it went so quickly, we did have time for some awesome moments-
- Our Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Obstacle course was a hit- complete with pits of gobstoppers(or ball pits) and a river of chocolate(or kiddie pools of pudding)! Stay tuned for pictures of this messy challenge.
- Our campers got to try their hand at creating literary masterpieces of their own while creating their own stories and sharing them with their groups.
- Gingerbread houses were created throughout camp and then promptly eaten.
- Our Easy as Pie culinary experts worked their way from s'mores on Monday to Tacos in a Bag and Grilled Corn by Friday.
- Our CIT's became First Aid and CPR certified at Phoenixville and continued to do an awesome job working with various groups around camp.
- Camp STRONG visited us for the first time this summer on Friday- trying out archery for the older campers and a turn in the bouncy castle for the younger ones. Each group swung by arts and crafts to create their group flag which they will display throughout the summer at Roosevelt.
- Sports camp tried their hand at archery as well as they explored Alternative Sports.
- Ecologically friendly crafts were all the rage for Change the World and Teen Leaders.
- Our budding engineers and artists in Useless Inventions took apart everything in their path from computers to microwaves and toys to build robots and sculptures alike.
- When I dream of Michelangelo continued to create some amazing art work while they too looked for supplies wherever possible.
- We sadly bid farewell to Mr. Victor on Friday, as he was flying to New Zealand for a semester abroad on Saturday but we treated him like a king- literally providing him with a crown (albeit made of cardboard), scepter, and cape as he ruled as King of Skits at Thursday's all-camp. While it was sad to see him go, the skits were amazing!!!
Well that's all for us for now- even though it's just a piece of what went on. Keep posted for more pictures and goings-on but for now, we are busily trying to figure out how much cornstarch it will take to have a pool of ooblik big enough to walk on for our 100% Mess Obstacle Course on Thursday afternoon!!! (Don't worry if you're confused about what I just mentioned- there will be pictures.)

Paperback Writer

Camp Yumka campers had fun playing Quidditch playing postitions such as Seekers, Bludgers, Beaters and Chasers.