Balcones Blog

All of the lastest news from camp during the summer and beyond.

The Life Lessons of Summer Camp - The Wall Street Journal

July 14, 2022

Today we are covering some highlights from a recent Wall Street Journal article about the history and importance of summer camp, as well as the continuation of the boys and girls prank war and our Tuesday night theme dance – DisGlo! Reflecting on his time at a summer camp in the northern midwest, author Rich Cohen emphasizes the invaluable lessons he learned at camp – the kind you don’t often think about because they aren’t as straightforward as wakeboarding or riding a horse or learning how to shoot an arrow at a target. Those lessons, too, are valuable, Cohen says,... Read more.

Cabin Compound Night & Mission Impossible!

July 14, 2022

Today on the Camp Balcones Springs blog, we’ll be talking about Monday evening’s Compound Night and its surprise interruption for one of Camp Balcones Springs’ most historic events – Mission Impossible! After a day full of Monday activities, including boating on our Central Texas lake, rock-climbing, and arts and crafts, campers participated in Term 3’s Cabin Compound Night. Compound Nights are an opportunity for campers to hang out with the other young people in their age group. (“Compounds” are what we call each grouping of cabins on the Balcones Springs grounds, organized by age and gender.) Each term, our Leadership... Read more.

Camp Olympics, Beating the Heat, & a Baseline Service!

July 12, 2022

Today, we’ll be talking about our Sunday activities at Camp Balcones Springs, including Camp Olympics, ways we’re staying cool, and our evening Baseline service! Sunday began with the infamous Camp Olympics event, starting with an opening ceremony in the GridIron, after which all of the campers returned to their cabins to create a cabin flag and cheer to use during the games. After that, girls and boys reported to their starting event and raced around camp participating in different mini games before returning back to the GridIron. The games offered something for everyone, from a Football Toss to a Scooter... Read more.

Night Team Comp - Camp Basketball Game

July 12, 2022

Today we’re discussing how we are coping with the intense heat here at camp, as well as our epic Night Team Comp basketball game with the eldest boy campers! As many of you know, those of us in Central Texas are experiencing record-high temperatures this summer. We wanted to assure parents that we are taking many steps to deal with the intense heat, lengthening our free swim times, making sure campers are inside in the air-conditioning during the hottest parts of the day, and having ample cold water available all over our property. We also have many shaded areas –... Read more.

Men's Dinner & Girls Camp's Revenge!

July 12, 2022

Today on the Camp Balcones Springs blog, we’re highlighting Friday night’s Men’s Dinner event and the corresponding Girls Cookout! We’ve been writing about two of our favorite summer camp traditions – Women’s Dinner and Men’s Dinner. You may be wondering, then – what exactly do girl campers and boy campers do when those respective events are taking place? Well, we have your answers! During Women’s Dinner, boy campers participate in Boys Cookout, and during Men’s Dinner, girl campers take part in Girls Cookout. At Friday’s Girls Cookout, girl campers began the evening with a competitive game of Capture the Flag... Read more.