Winter Program Updates

In the wake of our first Winter Family Weekend, I’ve been reflecting on a comment made by one of the parents: 

“We always look forward to getting to Glen Brook. It can feel hard to make the time, but once we’re here, it feels as though we’ve stepped out of time and are just filled with the joy of being together as a family and with other families.” 

This gets to the heart of why Glen Brook exists: to allow us to step out of the busyness of our daily lives, away from our digital devices, and support us to participate in a beautiful community and connect with the natural world. To come to Glen Brook is to come together to sing, eat home-grown home-cooked food, play, and learn new skills and ways of living.

We’ve had a beautiful winter of doing just this. Our first Winter Family Weekend was joyously full of laughter, play, and connection. From vigorous ice hockey and exhilarating sledding, to hikes through the woods and building fires to roast marshmallows, people spent most of the weekend outdoors. Parents got to connect with each other and form a parenting community while children made new friends, and everyone enjoyed our winter wonderland.  

More recently, our week-long Winter Camp was absolutely magical, with every building full and teeming with life, perfect winter conditions, and the sweet smell of boiling sap rising from the sugar house. Campers helped to collect sap and boil it into syrup, and one group even carved their own maple spiles with their counselor and had their own bucket that they tested daily as the freeze cycle sweetened the sap. We rode sleds down the many hills and through our forest sled track. Our dining hall windows were full of beautifully crafted stars, and our bellies were full from delicious baking projects. Our evening singing was so much fun that spontaneous songs were popping up all over campus each day, and during our final breakfast together.

We’re so looking forward to welcoming our next family weekend, all our upcoming school programs, and of course all the while are planning ahead for Summer Camp (we have more full bunks than ever for this time of year, but some spaces still available!), Family Camp, and our Fall Gap Semester.  We hope to welcome your family to a Glen Brook program, or even for a visit, some time in 2023!

-Mark Stehlik, Executive Director