Camp Life

When you first arrive

Arrival At Camp:  Laurel Hill State Park Camp Ground 1 opens at 12:00 noon on Sunday for campers. Please arrive as close to this time as possible. It is important to have enough time to check in, find your cabin, unpack and get yourself settled before Laurel kicks off at 3:00 p.m. Once Laurel begins, there is a full schedule of activities before and after supper, so you will not have a chance to get back to your cabin until dark.

The People of Camp

Big Folk (adults 18+): Adults are participate in Morning Worship. They have the opportunity to attend the Lecture/Presentation each morning or accompany a Children’s Program. Free time is available in the afternoon. In the evenings we invite everyone to Family Worship before Evening Group. We end the day with Vespers.

Tall Folk (completed 6th grade through starting senior year) : Teens have their own group that meets daily. This is a time for them to get to know the other teens with fun activities. Active participation in the teen group is highly encouraged. There will be free time! We expect teens to observe curfew, and be up in the morning to follow the morning schedule, including participation in morning worship and programs and doing their chores. We invite teens to come to Family Worship and Vespers, if they wish.

Short Folk (ages 4 y/o through completed 5th grade) Participate in Morning Worship and get to enjoy the Children’s Programs. (See below for more info) They will have free time in the afternoon to spend time with their own family and play with friends and make a fairy house!

This year we are starting something new! “Family Worship” that anyone can participate in (read below to learn more). After Family Worship, kids ages about 6 y/o through completed 5th grade will attend their own group. This will be held at the same time as the evening adult group and when Small Folk (ages 0-5ish) head to their cabins. Each year the evening programming for this age group varies dependent on the ages of campers.

Small Folk (ages 0-3): We welcome Small Folk to be apart of camp as much as possible! There might be some kid activities they can participate in. You are welcome to bring them to adult lectures with you. We will have babysitters available during Vespers.

Worship Services

Morning Worship: The entire camp comes together to sing a few songs and enjoy a short interactive worship experience often involving the theme of the day. This is followed by camp announcements with a transition to the next morning activities.

Programs

Morning Lectures/Presentations Every morning after morning worship, Lectures start. Lectures may follow the theme of camp or be a relevant subject. If you are interested in leading one morning, let us know on registration. Teens are welcome to attend.

Children’s Programs (Teens are welcome to participate)

We have options for Morning Activities, for example:

1. A physical activity, such as games on the basketball court,

2. A hike around the trails in the park, and

3. A craft or art project held in the dining hall or outside

All adults are expected to help one day with children’s programs. During registration you will select which day you would like to help. If you have ideas and/or supplies, bring them.

Wednesday Night Pizza, ice cream and a night of fun! Talent Night has been a Laurel tradition dating back many decades. The friendly environment brings even the shiest campers out of their shells. Anyone in camp is welcome to participate!

Groups

Big Folk Groups: Some of the strongest friendships formed at Laurel came out of these small groups! Groups happen in the afternoon and evening. Parents usually are split so one attends the Afternoon Group and the other in the Evening Group. This allows a parent to be available for their family. During registration you will have a chance to select what style of group you would like to attend and if you prefer afternoon or evening groups. The group options are:

• Sharing Group - take turns sharing about your spiritual journey.

• Spiritual Growth Group - the Group will follow a curriculum from a book on some aspect of spiritual growth.

• Meditation Group - Meditation and reflection are the main focus of the group.

• I want to be in a group, but do not have a preference; they all sound great.

• I am opting out of being in a small group

Tall Folk Groups: Teen groups often have an activity. For example they may go to the lake or go on a hike. They may chill around the fire pit and do a group activity. Usually teen groups are in the afternoon.

Short Folk Groups: Kid groups are in the evening. All kids are expected to go to Family Worship. Immediately after the service, group leaders will collect their kids for the Kid Group. Kids groups end at 8pm

Meals

Meals are made by our amazing cook Angela and her team. Meals start on Sunday evening and ending Friday with lunch. Breakfast has both hot and cold options. Lunch is sometimes hot and sometimes cold, but always yummy. Snacks are provided for kids mid-morning and afternoon. Dinner is fabulous! Our cooks do their best to accommodate special diets. Please make sure to listen your dietary needs during registration.

There is a shared refrigerator in the dining for you to keep your own food. Space is limited and only cooks are allowed to cook in the kitchen. A microwave is available.

Daily Expectations for Campers

Chores: Last year we updated how chores were assigned and how people participated. Instead of a rotation of chores throughout the week, adults and teens now can choose ONE chore for the week and work with the same group of people. During registration both adults and teens will have the opportunity to select their top three choices and they will receive their assignment on the first day of camp. Younger children are welcome to go sing with the music director during chore time or they can help their parents with their chores.

In addition to chores it is expected that each adult will help with running the children's activities one time during the week, which means they will miss the adult lecture that day.

This year we are trying something new. We are inviting any camper 12 + to be a Vespers babysitter. This is considered a chore and takes the place of completing a chore any other time of the day. Being a vespers babysitter means you will not be able to attend Vespers. We have an earlier “Family Worship” (new this year) that will be just after Evening Circle that all are welcome to attend. Babysitters will check in with the family they are sitting for before Vespers. It is up to each family to set the expectations of when parents will return to relieve the sitters.

Camp Jobs: While camp jobs are not mandatory for campers to do, we highly recommend signing up for camp job as this will help the camp run smoothly. Learn more about Camp Jobs.

It is very important to contribute your share. Please make this a priority.

Curfew: All campers who have not completed 6th grade are expected to be in their cabins no later than 9:30 p.m. The Dining Hall is closed at 11:45 p.m. All other campers are expected to be in their own cabins by 12:00 midnight. These are limits; you may set earlier times for your family.

The Campground

Laurel 2023 will be held in Camp 3 instead of Camp 1, due to construction in the campground. Please note that cabins are a little farther away so make sure to bring a day bag for things you will need. There is one larger shared cabin in Main Camp that is available for those with accessibility restrictions.

Cabins: : The cabins are rustic, and have bed frames with springs or plywood. Most cabins have eight beds. The camp supplies very basic foam mattresses upon request, please be sure to include your mattress needs in the registration form. We highly recommend bringing air mattresses to use instead. The nights are unpredictable (often quite cool), so come prepared, warm blankets or sleeping bags are best.

The cabins have lights and electricity, but you will need to bring flashlights or battery lanterns to get to your cabin or the bathroom at night. You are welcome to bring a fan for the cabin. Don't keep food in your cabin or you will attract animals! Some campers bring a rodent repellant that plug in to the wall to help discourage mice.

Bathrooms: The camp has a large main bathroom with showers: a men's side, women's side and a handicap-friendly family bathroom. Please bring a container (a pail, basket, bag...) to hold bathroom necessities, as you will only have a small share of shelf space to store them. The bathrooms are cleaned every morning at Chore Time and items out of place will be taken to the Lost & Found.

Laundry: There is an enclosed indoor laundry room at the main bathroom and it will be busy so you may want to bring enough clothes to last the week. The kitchen has first priority use of the laundry. Please bring your own laundry soap. Be prepared for hot, chilly, or rainy weather. Rain coats or ponchos are great for getting to different activities in the rain. Some people like to bring some clothesline for hanging wet towels, etc., at their cabin.

The Lake: The lake is located within walking distance of camp. Swimming is allowed and boat rentals are usually available. Families are welcome to go to the lake during free time. Going to the lake is NOT a morning program option. If taking a non-family minor to the lake, please have 2 adults (18+) present. Any minor going to the lake MUST HAVE PARENTAL PERMISSION.

The Last Day of Camp

Camp ends of Saturday again! We heard you! We too missed our 7th day last year! We were able to not only get our 7 days of camp, but the extra day for staff to take down camp.

The last day of camp is more relaxed and not rushed. We have a new schedule for Saturday that allows us the morning to close the Word, say goodbye in our small groups and to our friends, a quick lunch and finally, time to both clean up camp and pack bags in the afternoon. Closing Circle will be around 3:00 pm.

Departure: It has always been understood that people need to take care of themselves, and departure is no exception to this. But we have found in some years that too many people have been availing themselves of an early departure, which has proven to be unfair to those who remain! Please plan to stay until 3pm, to contribute your share at closing.

Miscellaneous: We suggest bringing your own easily identified mug for coffee or tea. (You will be responsible for keeping track of it.) If you play a musical instrument, and would like to share your music, please bring it. You might also like to bring a camp chair for sitting outside. If you have games or projects you'd like to share with the camp, please bring them. And don’t forget window covers for your cabin! Old sheets work great with tacks! Learn more of what to bring with the Packing list.