Camp Life

It All Happens In a Place Called Vermont

At Songadeewin, campers spend their days immersed in the natural wonder of New England’s spectacular Vermont. Here, wild mountain footpaths lead from our cabin doors to untouched forests filled with wildlife and nature’s mysteries. Hidden lakes welcome canoes to crystalline waters that reflect skies so clear and blue they seem like something from a dream. By day, hawks and falcons soar over nearby cliffs. At night, the cry of loons and the call of owls echo through the dark as the awe-inspiring Milky Way spins overhead and the sweet scent of pine summons peaceful sleep.

This is the place our campers call home. And they will keep it in their hearts long after summer’s last sun sets.

Activities

An Entire Summer’s Worth of Fun Every Single Day

From our private beach to the mountains at our doorstep, from our Council Fire Ring to our Arts Village, from our Dining Hall to our cozy cabins and classic tents, there’s so much going in a single day at Songadeewin.

We’ve packed 60 acres of woods, beach, and playing fields full of amazing things to do. Best of all, every camper gets to design her own days and pick from a daily menu of fun that includes:

Activities on the Water: Canoeing, Kayaking, Swimming, Diving, Sailing, Rowboating, Paddleboarding, Exploration 

Activities in the Arts: Drama, Dance, Arts & Crafts, Ceramics, Fiber Arts, Singing 

Activities on Land: Basketball, Softball, Soccer, Archery, Tennis, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Riflery

Exploration: Nature, Hiking, Rock Climbing, Yoga

Life at Songadeewin

A Day in the Life of a Songa Camper

Each Songadeewin day is designed with the purpose of allowing girls to take safe risks, learn new skills and expand their horizons while freeing them from the stresses of school and daily life, and allowing their imaginations roam!

Morning

The day begins with the sound of the “gong” which serves as the camp alarm clock. When the gong sounds, campers can take a morning dip in the lake before breakfast! At 8am, we gather in the dining hall to eat a hearty and healthy breakfast.. After this nutritious start, the entire camp convenes at the Council Fire Ring for a song or two and the day’s announcements. Campers pick a morning activity, then return to their cabins and tents for a daily cleanup before heading to the flagpole to raise the camp flag. Next, it’s off to the day’s first activity! Though not all activities is offered every day, there’s always plenty to choose from and our rotating selection of activities  ensures that no two days are ever alike.

Beach activities might include swim lessons, raft and tower diving, or even underwater exploration! Campers who pass our swim and safety tests can take out a canoe, kayak, rowboat, sailboat, or paddleboard. Back on shore, campers choose from things like dance, drama or singing. They might play a game of soccer or practice  yoga. Or they can get creative in our Arts Village, which offers ceramic and fiber arts programsAfter morning activities comes free time for a swim or a shower or just playing with friends.

Afternoon

We eat lunch at 12:30, followed by a rest hour, and then we regroup for afternoon circles, where campers select a second activity. When the second  activity ends,  we have a snack and free time for girls to practice paddlingwork on arts projects, participate in our daily 1 mile running club loop, or do anything else they’d like.

Evening

After dinner, we hold evening activities which might include an all-camp campfire, small-group cabin night activities,  games with your Grove, dodge ball, floor hockey, or flashlight tag. On weekends, we hold the much awaited  ‘Saturday Spectacular’, written and designed by campers with staff support. The Spectacular is an entertaining evening of music, skits, drama, laughs, and surprises!

Free Time

In addition to the many activities, we structure plenty of supervised free-time into each day so that campers can relax and make their own fun. During free time, girls can be found plating tetherball, swimming in Lake Dunmore, swinging (and singing!) with friends, shooting hoops, making friendship bracelets, or simply reading a book.

At every turn, we make sure two critical things are happening: the first is that girls live in continual close contact with nature. Rain or shine, we’re focused on erasing all barriers between our campers and the natural world. We also encourage  our campers to share their ideas, to take charge and run the show, to find and use their “tall, strong, Songa-woman voices” through built-in leadership opportunities that present themselves at every turn from daily activities to special events.

Tripping

Adventures of Lifetime

Songadeewin is the only summer program for girls in the eastern U.S. to combine traditional camp-based life with extended wilderness travel. These extraordinary adventures lie at the center of the Songadeewin experience and form the crucial foundation of our work to build strong hearts, able bodies, and eager minds.

At Songa, whether by foot or canoe, everybody “trips” during their stay. Our tripping program is progressive with younger campers heading out into Vermont’s legendary backcountry for three or four days, while our oldest trippers venture north into the Canadian wilderness for 17 days.

As girls grow up, our trips present increased challenge and opportunities to work and learn together as part of a small group and team. From paddling and hiking to setting up camp and preparing dinner, our trips involve real work and that’s the point. Trips are an outdoor ‘laboratory’ where cooperation is a must, and each camper’s own capabilities are tested and grown in a slow process designed to build personal confidence, critical teamwork skills, acceptance of new ideas and perspectives, and that essential quality called grit.

Girls return from trips with far more than indelible memories. They bring home a concrete sense of genuine achievement and a newfound personal strength that can only come from being a part of something bigger than themselves and authentic experiences in the wild.

Nutrition

Our food service works with us to ensure fresh, healthy meals.

At Songadeewin, our delicious and nutritious meals provide the fuel that gets our bodies going and gives us the energy we need for an active, engaged day. But our mealtimes are hey’re also a chance to make new friends and strike up a conversation with someone new.

Three times a day, the entire camp gathers in our gorgeous Fraser Dining Hall, which sits on the north end of the great lawn. Here, we eat family style with overflowing serving bowls and platters passed between hungry campers and staff alike. Every meal features options to meet most dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, and dairy free. Breakfast offers a fresh fruit, yogurt, and granolabar, and lunch and and dinner feature a full salad bar with a wide range of toppings and sides. Twice each week we have a full-camp cookout on the shore of Lake Dunmore with hotdogs, hamburgers, tofu pups, veggie burgers, salads, and sides

Ceremonies & Events

Savoring the Traditions of Summer

Tradition plays an important role at Songadeewin. It’s the glue that binds generations of campers together and the rock to which we anchor our hearts in a sometimes turbulent and uncertain world.

At Songa, our traditions stretch back over 90 years and have grown to encompass many ceremonies and celebrations that add an extra dimension to our days and weeks each summer.

In July, our campers celebrate Valentine’s Day and plan our annual Carnival, an eagerly anticipated day of special games and activities that the girls create, organize, and host themselves. In August, it’s time for Halloween, a spooky night on haunted summer shores. Midsummer finds us embarking on our annual Songathon,  a unique and spirited relay race, which includes every activity we do at camp from archery to tent-pitching. We drag our sleeping bags out onto the great lawn for a monthly Movie Under the Stars, and we recognize fourth-year campers on Old Timers Day, which charges these camp veterans with writing a new camp song for everyone to share, completing a service project as part of their summer experience, and being honored at a special campfire. And, of course, no stay at Songadeewin would be complete without a Candlelight ceremony, a special evening where campers reflect on the camp ideals they’ve learned and the many close friendships they’ve made.