Day camps are held either at a location in the community or at a River Valleys camp and are planned, organized and run by volunteers that receive year-round support from River Valleys’ staff.

Most day camps are 3–5 days and have a theme for activities.

Activities offered:

• Outdoor cooking
• Archery
• Swimming
• Teambuilding
• Community service projects

Past themes:

• The environment
• Science
• Sports
• Creative arts

Browse the day camp opportunities offered this summer and register soon!

Popular Troop + Family Programs

Outdoor Extravaganza Troop Camp

Troops get to choose what activities they are interested in trying, from canoeing and kayaking to art and archery. River Valleys provides all the food and programming, and the adults and girls come and have fun together. This program takes place Friday nights–Sunday mornings, and there is a session every weekend of the summer at one of five camps.

Horsing Around with Mom or Dad

Girls and their mom or dad get a chance visit the horse barn to learn about horses and go on a trail ride around camp. The rest of the time can be spent swimming, canoeing, practicing archery and crafts, and much more.

Thursday Discovery Day + Overnight

This session gives girls a taste of camp. Girls try a number of different activities, eat a camp meal and spend quality time with their troop or a family member.

In addition to filling up the calendar with activities the girls choose at the beginning of the year, it is important to start asking for additional support from your Girl Scout network. You can consider asking parents and family members, service unit team members, older-girl troops in your area, and council staff to assist your troop on various levels.

Your planning and preparation will help you kick off the 2011-2012 program year with a bang,and you will be able to create a fun and engaging Girl Scout year for your troop and everyone involved. Thank you for all you do, and good luck in the upcoming program year.

For example, the Swimming Safety Activity Checkpoint is where you find information about swimming and water parks. Please note: the adults who attend with the girls act as watcher during swimming and water park activities. Included in the safety checkpoint is a list of water parks that currently have supplied us with a certificate of insurance.

For groups going horseback riding there is both a safety checkpoint and a list of approved horse stables.

If a program vendor you plan to use is not on the list, please contact Pam Wurster. Please note that council staff will request the certificate of insurance and that it is best to allow two weeks for the certificate to arrive in our office.

Enjoy your summer fun!

Girl Scout camp and day camp experiences provide Girl Scouts opportunities to stay involved throughout the summer by attending single-day events, week-long camp programs, and much more in their community or at one of River Valleys’ camps. There is something for every Girl Scout grade-level at River Valleys.

Visit the River Valleys Camp page to learn more about how your Girl Scouts can stay connected throughout the summer by having a camp experience.

Do you have a fun Girl Scout camp story? Share your unique experiences with your fellow Girl Scouts on this blog, and encourage the Girl Scouts you know to participate in a camp experience this summer!

The camp directors have been busy since December hiring camp staff for the summer of 2011. Many campers from last summer anticipate the return to summer hoping that their favorite counselor or staff member will be there once again. Though not all staff return year after year, a good number do.

Those who are coming back are ready and excited to see all those smiling faces again this summer. Here are a few of the staff who are coming back as of right now:

Ariel, Bella, Blueblaze, Bubbles, Cherokee, Coco, DeeKay, Dove, Fish, Flipper, Flyer, Frazzle, Freckles, House, Liberty Bell, Lila, PaHa, Pinky, Pudding, Ringo, Shannanigans, Sonic, Star, Wiz.

We do have a number of positions still available: cooks, counselors, riding staff, health, and more. If you know anyone who might be interested in applying to work at camp this summer, please have them fill out one of our applications at our website.

What are you planning to do this summer?  Watch TV, sit by the pool, or hang out with the same old friends?

Why not spend the summer bonding with other Girl Scouts while you explore a career, travel to another country, meet new people, learn new skills, or challenge yourself physically and mentally?

Already this year, girls from Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys have been accepted to try extreme sports in Ireland, survey coral reefs in the Dominican Republic, and to kayak pack in search of orcas in the Pacific Northwest. Don’t be left out!

Think you can’t afford to join in? There are scholarship and grant opportunities available to help fund your destinations. You can also use troop or Juliette funds to help pay for your trip.

We are starting our second round of registration and there are still plenty of opportunities available. Learn more and check out all the available destinations at Studio2B. Visit our website to find application instructions. Deadline is February 1.

Camp Northwoods is about a three- to four-hour drive from the Twin Cities, but well worth the extra gas and time.

Taking a troop to summer camp is very easy to do. We pick the days we want to go, decide if we want to stay in the troop house, cabins, or tents (we always stay in the tents), and select our activities. We tell the camp staff what we want to do each day, and the camp will provide the staff needed.

We decide what meals we want to eat in the lodge and what meals we want to make in our unit. (We usually do about half in the lodge and half in the unit. We always have breakfast in our unit since it is an easy meal to do and usually allows us to have a more relaxed morning. And we have supper in the lodge when we are tired at the end of the day.)

Going to camp as a troop is quite economical. The planning is very minimal. (We usually work on one or two badges and bring a craft to do in our unit.) The camp staff are so welcoming and helpful. Anytime we need anything, they are always willing to go the extra mile to make sure we get what we need.

I would highly recommend any troop leader to take their girls to Girl Scout camp. Your troop gets to enjoy a summer camp experience, and you get wonderful help from the camp staff. Our troop was already planning our return trip to Northwoods next summer on our drive home last summer. Their request: more horseback riding!