Author: Angie Wenzl

One inescapable fact about life at Towering Pines is its immersive outdoor quality. Around here the complex forces of nature, the rich textures and tones of natural beauty, are our daily companion. In every direction, there is something wonderful, something that can fill you with wonder, waiting to be noticed. Lakes glistening from the sun’s rays, angular rocks covered with moss, tiny insects scurrying across the ground, ancient pine trees towering above— we are surrounded by the mysteries of the […]

It occurred to me at a recent staff meeting that there is something very important happening here at TP. It goes beyond what one would normally expect in a summer camp experience, and it’s been going on since the beginning of the camp’s inception. It’s not something you can find just anywhere (which is another reason that Camp TP is so unique!). I know you are waiting on the edge of your seats to find out what this very “important” […]

As I sit here in my camp “office,” which by the way has an amazing view of Lake Nokomis, I reflect on the fact that we’ve been at camp now for a little over 2 weeks. I realize now more than ever, that one of the remarkable things about camp is that it presents a unique environment in which campers get to make many choices for themselves. The best part is that they get to do so within a structured […]

You may be familiar with the idea that kids should be encouraged to go outside of their “comfort zone.” At camp, there are many chances to do that. It’s almost inevitable, in fact. New activities, new people, new food, new weather— life at camp is very different from the “comforts of home.” For most children, all that newness is bound to be challenging in some very unexpected ways, especially when it occurs without one of the main sources of comfort […]

The value of routine is something that camp always impresses upon us. The reason we have schedules and activities is that these things give us some stability, a framework, to build our experiences and skills around. We need to have that structure as a reference from which to venture out. Once the foundation is in place, campers are more open to challenging themselves with something new or different. It is this disparity that brings all the growth to light. We […]