All new campers and their families are invited to attend our annual Kingsley Pines Exploration Day on Sunday, May 20 from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Parents and campers will have the chance to see our camp facility, including activities and locations, cabins, waterfront, and much more. They will also be able to meet the Director and Owners, in addition to other staff members. This is a great opportunity for first-time campers to reduce some of their opening day jitters by becoming more familiar with camp.

Families that are not registered, but would like to learn more about Kingsley Pines are also welcome to attended.

Tours will be going on throughout the afternoon and light refreshments will be served. Also, feel free to invite any friends or family that would like to learn more about Kingsley Pines!

We look forward to seeing you!

Click here for directions to Kingsley Pines.

Wow! We are super excited about all the new activities that we’ll be doing at camp this summer. We know you will be too! Are you curious? Here’s the scoop on what we are adding for this summer.

Paddleboarding is all the rage these days. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, we have purchased several paddleboards for campers to try out. It will be great to look down into the water and see all the fish, turtles, and other cool wonders of nature. Bonus points to campers who find sunken treasure!  Really, you never know. 

As many of you know, we like to go big at camp. Over the years, we have added Giant Jenga, Giant Chess, and Giant Connect-Four. So obviously, we are excited to welcome the new Giant’s Ladder into our family of giant activities. So what is it, you ask?  The Giant’s Ladder is the newest addition to the High Ropes Course. Campers age 13 and up will be able to try out this new element. Two or three people must use a great deal of teamwork to make their way up the ladder as it swings and sways, while they try to climb up the rungs that are several feet apart! Difficult, but wicked fun! (See One in Action)

After many requests from campers over the years, we are very happy to announce that we will be offering Yoga as a regular activity. Yoga is a great way to take a step back and relax while enhancing strength and flexibility at the same time. We are looking forward to seeing our campers amaze us by contorting themselves into some crazy positions. Okay, maybe not at the beginner level, but someday!

 Some of our big purchases for this summer include our very own Dunk Tank and Cotton Candy machine. Nothing quite makes a carnival like munching on some tasty, sweet cotton candy and taking turns trying to dunk the counselors. We will also be purchasing a new Inflatable Rolling Log attachment for the Blob, which had worn out last summer after having been enjoyed by campers for many years.

Get ready for a 5^th period revolution! We are gearing up to offer some very exciting, creative and new options. For those campers who prefer a low-key afternoon activity to do with friends, we will now be offering a Craft Option for EVERY 5^th period. One of the many crafts we will be doing is Leather Tooling- for the first time ever at KP! A very popular craft, we expect that campers will be lining up to create their own personalized wristbands and make a lot of cool gifts for mom and dad.

Get ready for another summer filled with new, exciting activities to try. We can't wait to see everyone!

Only six weeks and counting until we launch into the 2012 camp season! There is a buzz in the air, the grass is turning green and the lake is warming up. Here is a list of all the campers who are overflowing with excitement to return to camp or attend for the first time. If you have not registered, enroll NOW. Don’t be left out! Returning Campers Abbie Langlais Abby Huelsman Abby Matlack Abby Flicker ...

Read More "See Who's Signed Up For Summer 2012"

We are looking forward to having many returning counselors and are excited to welcome our new staff too. Our staff is what makes KP so special! Their love for children, passion for their activities and positive energy spill into every part of camp.  Everyone at camp is about to embark on the best summer of their life. So get ready!

Check out the most up-to-date list of staff for summer 2012.

Counselors Ariella Sklar Agi Plozer Alex Siebenthal Amy Hanson Becca Brenner Becca Otley Bob Skurray Brenna Hatcher Brian Lyke Brooke Johnson Connor Wright Corey Connare Dan McKersie Dave Magill Dee Stewart-Bilby Derek Smith Doug Greer Dylan Evans Emerson Kuhn Elena Ridker Emily Schaefer Erika Mitkus Francesca Berntsen Greg Welsh Griffin Davey Jack Bresnahan James DiRocco Jill Escobar Julie Croll Kelly Thomas Kenny Coles Kym McDaniels Laura Klepinger Lauren Brunson Lauren Distler Lorin Opfer Lehi Cano Logan Mutz Louise Moss Martin Quirk Maureen Dougherty Meebz Boyle Meena Fernald Niall O'Flaherty Nikki Ioannilli Paige Hill Sarah Brown Sask Ryan-Munden Sian Barrow Tre Holloway Victoria Fura Will Shimer

Teen Leadership Program Lauren Barnes - Teen Leadership Director Becky Nemchick - Teen Leadership Counselor Dave Robb - Teen Leadership Counselor Administrative & Program Alan Kissack - Director Jean Spindler - Program Director David Wagner - Asst. Program Director Dan Emmons - Boy’s Campus Head Angie Cole - Girl’s Campus Head Carl Lonsdale - Waterfront Director Geoff Fisher - Program Aide and Transport Coordinator Ginny Lambaise-Mitchell - Trip Director Patrick Kelly - Trip Director Katie Crouch - Waterskiing & Wakeboarding Director Nicole Gaunt - Photographer Emma Deans - Multimedia Director Beatnik Gordon - Dining Hall, Awards & Nature Caitlin Kelly - Office Staff Deborah Cleaves - Accounting Assistant Kate Miesle (Staff Orientation & Family Camp Only) Health Center Lisa Sanford - Nurse Supervisor Nancy Adler - Nurse Heather McConochie - Nurse Erin Doherty - Nurse Assistant Kelsey Naruse - Nurse Assistant Food Service George Viglakis - Food Service Director Ian Root - Cook Tugce Arugun - Prep Cook Suzi Dickson - Prep Cook Julia Fekete - Prep Cook Anton Goloviznin - Prep Cook Jacob Mellor - Prep Cook Stacy Skyba - Prep Cook Cameron McKague - Stocking & Inventory Assistant

Some of you may have heard that our longtime waterfront director, Bob Windrow, will not be returning this year due to education obligations. Bob has been with us longer than almost any other staff member in the history of Kingsley Pines. It is with great appreciation that we thank him for giving us 16 amazing years as a camper, counselor, assistant waterfront director, and waterfront director.  During his time at KP, Bob has supported the camp community in countless ways helping to create a safe, respectful environment where both children and staff felt comfortable being themselves.  I think he held our deep and abiding admiration not for his physical strength (which was clearly unsurpassed), but for his inner strength. 

Most impressively, Bob is a very modest person and you may not believe it, but he generally preferred to stay out of the limelight...for the most part.  Although he was certainly (and infamously) capable of telling 40 minute stories, like “Bobo the Clown”, his real strength was listening.  One of his most important contributions to camp was simply his willingness to give you his time and lend an ear, free of any judgment.  Whether he just met you or had known you for 10 years, he was happy to help.  So it seems very natural that his chosen profession, (which he is currently studying) is in fact, counseling.  Bob was unmatched in his ability to be straight-forward, respectful, honest and fair to those around him.  He was a true team player, willing to help out anyone with anything to support the greater good.

Sometimes we toss around the phrase “role model” with a general idea of what it is supposed to mean, but not a clear definition.  A role model has integrity.  A role model is a respected member of a community who puts the needs of others before themselves.  A role model is always dependable and hardworking, they see the bigger picture.  A role model helps to keep people on the right track as well as guide them to make good decisions and help them build character.  This is the sort of person campers and staff aspire to be and we are so glad to have had such a shining example for them to look to for so many years.

We wish Bob much happiness in his new career and hope he will keep in touch!

Lisa and I are ecstatic to announce the newest member of our family and part of the third generation of the Kingsley Pines Family.

Brooke Pellerin Taylor was born on April 9, 2012. She weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 ¼ inches long. She is healthy, happy and eagerly awaiting her first summer at camp.  Brooke’s big brother Timmy (now 5 ½) is pumped to have a little sis and “can’t wait until she can play!”. We look forward to introducing Brooke to everyone and we are excited to be seeing you all very soon.

You will soon receive the parent handbook that will contain everything you need to know about preparing for camp.  With so much information to read through, we want to share with you a few important things that sometimes get lost in the shuffle.

Arranging Transportation to Camp
This is VERY important:  One of the first things you should do after registering your child is to login to your account and complete the transportation form.  We are currently reserving busses and vans to pick-up and drop-off campers at the airport.  To do this we will need to know your child’s transportation plans NOW.

Such a large number of our campers arrive by plane that we need to be well-prepared in advance for opening day and we need your help to accomplish this.

Label Every Item Your Camper Brings to Camp!
Label Everything. Clothes, shoes, towels, water bottles, etc.… We cannot stress this enough:  Label Everything.  We want your camper to leave with everything they brought with them to camp.  When labeling items, be certain to write your child’s last name and first initial.  Of course, their full name is always best if you have the space.  We are including a permanent marker with our forms to help you not forget.

Helping Your Child Pack for Camp
You will be happy to see that we have a handy-dandy list of recommended items to pack, located in the parent handbook.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at any time and we would be happy to provide more insight.

Being prepared for camp is as much about knowing what to bring, as knowing what NOT to bring.  We ask that you also carefully follow the list of items we ask campers NOT to bring to camp.  One of the most important life skills we can pass on to our children is a healthy respect for the rules of the community in which they live and we hope that you will support us in our effort to do so.

Opening Day & the Art of a Quick Goodbye
If this will be your child’s first year at camp and you are worried that they may get a little homesick, our goal is to get new campers involved in activities as soon as possible.  The sooner they are making friends and having fun, the easier it will be for them to make the transition.  So in the interest of assisting campers to integrate quickly, we recommend that parents help their camper move in and then say a quick goodbye.  It may be difficult to walk away from your child if they are upset, however, a prolonged goodbye does not help and can often make it more difficult to calm a camper down enough to join the rest of the group.  If you need any assistance or moral support, our counselors are ready to help you in any way possible.  Sometimes a little distraction is all that’s needed!

Help Plant the Seed to Promote Individuality and Independence
Encourage your camper to make the most of their camp experience and choose the activities they are excited to try, even if that means that they may not be taking the same activities as their friends.  Camp is an opportunity for children to find their identity and explore new activities. Choosing to take only activities that their friends are in can inhibit a camper from making that progress. Help us provide your child with a richer camp experience by suggesting they make a goal of trying a few activities on their own.  We want our campers to gain a greater sense of independence and feel confident and comfortable making choices for themselves which may be different than those of their peers- which we are sure you would agree, will prove to be very beneficial as they enter adolescence.

Give Us the Scoop
If there is anything that we should watch for or be aware of concerning your camper, please tell us.  This background information is very important and will help us provide a better experience for your child.  Some examples of things we should know about may include: the illness or passing of a family member, medication holidays, moving, or other recent life events or life changes that may be on your child’s mind.

Closing Day Festivities
We hope that you will attend our closing day festivities on the last Friday of the camp session. There will be an art show in the lodge, a musical performed by campers in our theater program, a slideshow, banquet and a final council fire.  At council fire, campers are commended and recognized for exemplary behavior, good character and personal growth that they exhibited during the week.  At this time, campers will also receive any awards that they have earned while at camp.  Officially, Saturday is our designated day for campers to leave camp, however, many parents (about half of those who arrive by car) choose to leave with their children on Friday night.

As an outdoor residential camp in the woods of Raymond, Maine, it only makes sense that we promote a sense of environmental awareness and responsibility within our campers.  In our continuing efforts to make camp greener and minimize our environmental impact, we have taken the following steps:

Composting Program
We are very pleased that our composting program has grown so tremendously over the years.  At every meal we place compost buckets for campers to put any of their compostable food or compostable plates and utensils in.  Each day there is a cabin assigned to supervise composting and make sure that only compostable items are put in these buckets.  Our kitchen staff also contribute by filling their own compost buckets with any trimmings from fruits or vegetables.  Our maintenance department then empties all of these buckets on the compost pile.  They also deposit all of the grass clippings, leaves, and other landscaping trimmings from camp onto the pile as well.  They maintain these piles throughout the year and use the finished compost on our flower beds and in various other areas of camp.

Energy Conservation
As part of our effort to conserve energy, we have completely made the switch to using only energy-efficient light bulbs in all of our buildings. Campers are also reminded to turn off the lights when they leave their cabin and that is even something our campus heads check when they are conducting daily cabin inspections.

We have also begun to convert our older hot water heaters to tankless models, which are much more energy-efficient and effective.

Zero-Sort Recycling!
Last summer,  we were very excited to introduce our new zero-sort recycling program. Now of all our recyclables materials (glass, paper, plastic, etc) can be combined in one container. Each cabin has has a recycling bin that they they empty into  the zero-sort recycling bin.

In addition, our kitchen receives many shipments of food inside cardboard boxes. These boxes are broken down and placed in the recycling bin (or used for some awesome camp activities like making cardboard armor!).  They also recycle all empty plastic food containers, cans, foil, plastic wrap, and egg crates.

As you can see, we have been working over the years to decrease our environmental impact and we look forward to taking further steps to continue our commitment to keeping KP green for years to come.