Nature at its Best at Camp Tanadoona
By Bonnie Hullett
We are the Hullett-Nelson family and we have one daughter. Her name is Murphy. She is 11 years old, and boy does she love camp!
We originally found out about Camp Tanadoona through a neighbor who sent her kids for one overnight week each summer. As a working mom, it is always important to make meaningful decisions regarding how summers are spent. I used to hire nannies for the summer, but I found that Murphy quickly became bored and not only was not having fun, but was not growing in any way from the experience. And quite frankly, having a nanny is very expensive. I decided that, with a little maneuvering, I could enroll her in multiple summer camps around town to keep her active and engaged, while also offering a far more economical solution for our family. It was taxing on my part to get her everywhere, but I was determined to try as many experiences as possible. At the end of the summer, Murphy came to me and said that she loved Camp Tanadoona the best and could she just go there all the time. It was a resounding YES on my part! And so each summer she is enrolled for every week and has the time of her life!
We always participate in the “Take counselors home for the weekend” program. We have found that we always get back more than we ever give, and the gratitude given us is amazing. We stay in touch via email with all of them and it’s fun to see where their life journeys take them after their Minnesota experience. One of our favorite traditions is to provide a true American Thanksgiving experience for them during their last weekend in August. This year we had five counselors and it was amazing to see them experience their first pumpkin pie and other foods that we take for granted.
Picking up Murphy every day is always exciting. By the way, I love the drive thru drop off and pick up procedure. She always has such great stories to tell, and we laugh all the way home. I remember the day she spent catching snakes for the inner city kids that were attending. They all wanted a snake to play with, and Murphy was the only one fast enough to get the job done. Nature at it’s best!
If you ask Murphy, as we did last summer, what is the single thing she likes best about camp, she will look you in the eye and tell you this: “At camp, nobody judges you. You get to be who you are, and everyone treats you with respect.” I think that summarizes the Camp Fire experience.
