Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Kids Ask

1. Where does the name come from?
2. Why go to Summer Camp?
3. What is “"Friendly to All"?”
4. Which Session is the right one for me?
5. What is the Food Like?
6. What sort of activities are there?
7. How big is Camp Takodah?
8. Where will I live?
9. What do I need to bring?

Questions Parents Ask

1. Why Camp?
2. Why Takodah?
3. Who Are Your Staff?
4. How is the Food?
5. What if my child has special needs or concerns?
6. What Health and Safety Resources are there?
7. Are you accredited?
8. Other? Ask the director!

Where does the name come from?

The name Takodah was invented as a tribute to the Dakotah people of the Sioux nation. Long ago in 1913, a man named Elgin Jones traveled from our YMCA to visit the people of North and South Dakota. The people were friendly and welcoming - they treated Mr. Jones as if he were one of their own family. Mr. Jones was so impressed that when he told people in New Hampshire about his experience, they decided to call our camp Takodah, and to teach children there a “Friendly to All” way of life.

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Why go to Summer Camp?

Most kids know that camp will be a great time just by looking at the pictures and list of activities we’ll participate in. Here are some of the reasons Takodah campers tell us they love camp:

• I make new friends every year.
• My camp friends are some of my best friends.
• We get to do stuff at camp you can’t do anywhere else.
• People here are nice.
• The leaders here are cool.
• I love swimming in the lake.
• I want to try all of the stuff I haven’t tried yet, like the ropes course.
• I made some friends here when I was younger and it’s important for me to see them again every year.
• People at camp treat other people well. You can just be yourself here.
• There are more than 200 people here to make friends with.
• I get to decide what classes and activities to take.
• I come back to get more CT’s and to get my 10 year jacket.
• It’s like a tradition for me.
• I want to be a leader here one day.

My friends go to a different camp. What’s so great about Takodah?

There are lots of great camps out there, but we feel like Takodah is unique, and one of the best. Here’s what makes Camp Takodah unique:

• "Friendly to All" is our motto. You can expect to find nice people here that treat others well.
• Camp Takodah has been around for over 80 years. There’s a lot of tradition and history here. Some of our campers are coming to camp for the 5th generation in their family! It’s pretty cool for them to get to see the same traditions and ceremonies their great-grandparents did!
• Camp Takodah is big enough that you can make lots of friends here, but small enough that just about everyone will know you. You never get lost or don’t know what’s going on.
• At Takodah, kids make good friends who stay friends. Our campers stay in touch in the off-season, and look forward to seeing one another a lot back at camp each year!
• The Staff are great, like people you’ll find nowhere else. Most of them grew up here at Takodah, so they know all about camp and what it’s like to be kids there!

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What is "Friendly to All"?”

Camp Takodah'’s motto is "“Friendly to All”" For our campers and staff, it is more than a motto – it’s a way of life! The kids at our 2 and 4 week sessions make friends quickly, and often come back to see those friends again and again for many years. It’s not unusual for Takodians to make friendships that last long into their adulthood.

Some kids learn “Friendly to All” right away. For others it takes practice. Camp is a place where people value good character and the YMCA values of Caring, Honesty, Respect, and Responsibility.

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Which Session is the right one for me?

The YMCA has designed camp programs for kids of all ages! Here’s how it works:

The Hornets Nest Day Camp is designed for boys and girls who want to go to camp, but want to still get to be at home at night. Kids make great friends at Hornets Nest, and some kids go all summer long. The activities and staff are awesome! The kids at Hornets Nest are finishing grades k – 4 in school. Hornets Nest also offers a program just for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders called SOAR. It offers more challenges and special activities aimed at older kids.

Mini Camp is the place to start if you’ve feeling ready to go to sleepaway camp for the first time. Mini Camp is one week long, for boys and girls between 7 and 10 years old. You’ll get to do lots of Takodah activities, learn about camp traditions, and make some new friends.

Camp Takodah is our main program – the classic camp session. Most of the campers at Takdoah stay for two weeks, though some stay for four. Camp Takodah is just for Boys during June and July, and just for Girls during late July and August. The leaders are college students who grew up at camp themselves. They’re great people and make camp exciting. Since almost all of them were campers a few years back, they really know what it’s like to be a camper! At two-week camp you can try all of the Takodah activities, and you get to be a part of the traditions at Takodah like the Candlelight ceremony, and earning CT badges to commemorate each year you spend at camp. If you’ve been away from home overnight before, and want to be able to choose all of your own activities at camp, this is the place for you. Camp Takodah’s campers are between eight and 15 years old.

If two weeks won’t work into your summer schedule or you’re an older camper going to Takodah for the first time, you might enjoy Short Term Camp, offered during Boys first session and Girls second session of camp. Short Term Camp is a great way for a camper between 11 and 15 to try out overnight camp, or to extend a two-week session to three weeks!

Leadership Development Programs-- Once Campers finish the 10th and 11th grades, they can apply to be part of our Leadership Development Programs. The first year, campers learn the skills needed to teach classes, assisting Takodah staff with classes that interest them. The second year is Leader-in-Training, where campers learn the skills to lead a Cabin Group. Campers who successfully finish LIT are invited to join the Camp Takodah staff.

Adventure Camps are Wilderness Adventures for campers between 11 and 17 years old. It’s the perfect compliment to a Takodah session, or for campers who want something different from the cabin experience. There are tons of options. Whether you like backpacking, canoeing, rock climbing, or rafting, we’ve got a program that will knock your socks off!

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What is the Food Like?

Camp food is good. A few years ago one of our campers said, “It’s a lot like school food, except it’s good.” Our menus are made with kids in mind. Camp meals include things like pancakes, waffles, or eggs at breakfast with lots of asides like bacon, sausage, muffins, and potatoes. There is always cereal out and plenty of milk and juice. Lunches include lots of favorites like grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, pizza, mac & cheese, deli sandwiches, tacos, and always lots of fruit. Dinners are a little heartier, with things like turkey, chicken, hamburgers, fajitas, and more. At lunch and dinner, there’s usually a salad bar, and alternatives are available for our vegetarians. After dinner we’ll usually have a dessert, like pie or ice cream.

At camp you’d better get used to bug juice (our name for Cool Aid). That’s the drink of choice at Takodah – a different flavor every day!

There’s a snack each morning between first and second periods. At camp you’ll stay well fed. If you’re lucky your leader might schedule you for a special activity making cookies, ice cream, or pizza…

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What sort of activities are there?

Camp has 5 major program areas. Here are a list of some of the exciting activities kids tried during summer 2002:

Waterfront: Red Cross Swimming Lessons, Lifeguard Training, Recreational Swimming, Water Polo, Sailing, Canoeing, Windsurfing, Fishing.

Arts & Crafts: Drawing, Painting, Wacky Painting, Mask making, Candling, Mural Painting, Gimp, Beading, Mixed Media, Cooking. Performing Arts: Junkyard Band (instrument making), Guitar, Vox (Choir), Dance, Takodah Times (Newspaper), Jam Band, Improvisational Drama, Animation & Scratch Film making.

Athletics: Ping Pong, Tennis, Basketball, Flag Football, Tennis, Riflery, Archery, Street Hockey, Track & Field, Yoga & Dance, Lazy Boy Sports, Takodah League Softball, International Sports.

Outdoor Programs: Frogs & Logs (Fun Ecology), Woodburning, Survivor (Outdoor Living Skills), Model Rocketry, Secrets of the Universe (wacky science experiments), Trailblazing.

Adventure: Low Ropes, High Ropes, New Games, Rock Climbing

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How big is Camp Takodah?

Takodah has 500 acres surrounding Cass Pond, a beautiful lake surrounded by forests. Most of camp is not developed – so it’s good for exploring. Most of our living is done in a 40-acre main area, near the villages and the Dining Hall.

There are about 230 kids at camp during most sessions, and about 60 staff members.

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Where will I live?

Campers live in a cabin with 8 or 9 other campers and two leaders. Our cabins are organized into 3 villages.

• The Cherokees are our youngest campers, usually between 8 and 11
• Monadnocks are our middle age group, with campers between 11 and 12
• Penacooks are the oldest campers, between 12 and 15
• 16 and 17-year-olds live in the Leadership Division, and work on learning skills which will allow them to one day become staff members.

The Cabin and Division are important at camp. You will have special activities with your cabinmates each day, and over time, you’ll learn to work as a team as you try to accomplish goals together, such as winning the cabin inspection award, or simply having fun during evening programs.

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What do I need to bring?

Most kids bring enough clothes to get them through camp, some cleaning supplies (soap, shampoo, etc), writing materials, books, magazines, or comics to read during siesta (quiet times), and perhaps some personal stuff like a baseball mitt, musical instrument, goofy costume for skits, or a small game.

Kids aren’t allowed to bring weapons of any sort, computer games, phones, or other electronics like Walkmans, CD players or Gameboys. They can get in the way of meeting new people, and are easily broken at camp.

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Why Camp?

Summer camping has come a long way since Camp Takodah first set up its tents over 80 years ago. Generations ago, wealthy and upper middle class folk from urban centers sought an element of respite at “camps” in the Adirondack and Berkshire mountains: beautiful yet simple lodges from which they could hunt, fish, swim, and boat in the outdoors. Educators, ministers, and parents saw value in sending groups of children into undeveloped and wild settings in pursuit of health, practical knowledge about the outdoors, and a strong moral center. YMCA camping started in 1885 when Summer F. Dudley led seven boys from the YMCA in Newburgh, NY on a camping trip. The Cheshire County YMCA started offering camping programs in 1913. Camp Takodah'’s first season operating programs for both boys and girls on Cass Pond was 1921.

Today, millions of children enjoy summer camp experiences, and they’re no longer a privilege reserved for the wealthy. There’s a camp experience to serve any child, and we believe that the sort of opportunities offered at camp can be a vital part in a child’s growing up. Here are some reasons why:

• Camp is FUN!
  It’s an environment specifically built for kids. Where else do children get to play games with over 200 other girls or boys, live in a beautiful forest, and have adventures to remember for a lifetime? Fun is the foundation for kids to build courage, respect, cooperation, and responsibility.

• Camp is a safe and nurturing environment!
  Camp is staffed with trained, caring role models. It’s important for children to have good people to look up to beyond their families. Most of our staff were once campers themselves, and their love for Takodah runs deep. Away from the rush of media and the competitive elements of our society, kids have a safe place to explore their interests, find new ones, and learn about who they are.

• Camp can be a vital element in a child’s growth and education!
  Discovery, exploration, and active participation are the methods of learning at camp. Experiential learning helps fill gaps that can lie beyond academic instruction. Have you noticed that today’s schools use buzzwords like “social curriculum” and are devoting more attention to issues like teambuilding and conflict resolution? Social growth and building self-confidence have been hallmarks of camp experiences for decades! Camp’s emotional and social lessons are an important complement to intellectual competencies.

  At camp, children connect with the natural world directly, without media filters, and learn as a result of their own actions and interests. Children build character, adapting to the YMCA’s core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility, as well as Takodah’s motto “Friendly to All.”

• Camp is a caring community!
  At camp, children do more than enjoy activities. They join a community. Herein they learn the skills to resolve conflict, accept differences, get along with others, and work together. Opportunities abound for kids to experience belonging. The atmosphere of acceptance and sharing prompts kids to try out new positive behaviors.

• Camp is for everyone!
  We believe that there’s a place for everyone at camp. We wouldn’t be a community if we didn’t have differences. Camp is a place for athletes, performers, artists, thinkers, explorers, and friends. Our community needs them all to thrive.

  Campership awards are available to families in our service area who need assistance to be part of things this summer.

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Why Takodah?

New England is full of great summer camp experiences. Why do so many families choose Takodah year after year?

• Friendly to All
  More than a motto, “Friendly to All” is our way of life. Takodians feel at home at camp, and take pride in helping new campers feel welcome. At Takodah, there are always friendly people nearby to answer questions and lend a hand.

• Friendships that last a lifetime
  Friendships forged and developed at Takodah have a special integrity. It’s not unusual for friendships forged at Takodah to last beyond the camper years and into adulthood. Even better, our alumni tell us that some of those friendships were among their most important!

• Tradition and history
  When children come to camp, they join a tradition much bigger than themselves. Our staff members strive to uphold a legacy left by pioneering directors Oscar and Frances Elwell, who served camp for 50 years (1921-1971)! The Elwells pioneered traditions like the closing candlelight ceremony, the award of a “CT” badge to mark each year of a camper’s involvement, the ten-year jacket, and countless others still in practice today at Takodah (they have also been borrowed by other camps). This summer’s campers will live many of the same traditions once upheld by their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. It’s meaningful for parents to see their children benefit from an experience they know and understand.

• Big camp adventures, small camp feel
  We are continually updating our programs and facilities to offer kids great adventures. At the same time, we’ve stayed small enough that a child can get to know just about everyone in camp and feel comfortable exploring and making their own choices. Cabin group and Division emphasis further gives campers a community feeling.

• Our Staff
  Takodah staff are caring, well-trained role models. Nearly all of our boys and girls camp staff were once campers themselves, as well as graduates of our Leader-in-Training Program. Where appropriate, they also maintain certifications in areas of expertise. Staff members are chosen for their warm personalities, maturity, leadership skills, and experience. A small group of counselors from other nations bring some cultural diversity and great new activities each year. Recent international staff from Colombia, South Africa, Hungary, Ireland, Brazil, Australia, England, Poland, and the Czech Republic added a lot to the Takodah experience.

• Our Facility
  We’re nested on over 500 acres of forest and open fields surrounding Cass Pond. Living at camp is rustic, yet comfortable—just like it should be. Beautiful lodges, a state-of-the- art Dining Hall, and indoor program spaces integrate well with our natural surroundings. There’s nowhere nicer to spend a summer.

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Tell us more about your staff!

Last summer some 140 staff members helped make the magic of camp happen. Takodah staff are a widely varied group of people who all share a talent for working with youth.

The staff at our Boys and Girls Camps are primarily college students. Nearly all of them grew up at Takodah and moved through a two-year Leadership Training program that provided them with a solid foundation for working with youth. Eager and energetic, they are great role models for our campers. They work hard to endorse positive choices and strong character. Their love for camp runs deep, and they put everything they’ve got into their summer—whether they’re planning a great evening program or making certain your child is getting the individual attention he or she deserves. We’ve found that their ability to relate to today’s youth while remaining true to the Friendly to All way of life and YMCA values of honesty, caring, respect, and responsibility can be a powerful tool for children’s growth.

Staff members at Mini Camp are truly special volunteers. Most of our Mini Camp Staff are themselves parents or grandparents, many with a background in classroom education and many years of experience with children. Many Mini staff offer a more parently presence that can help children away from home for the first time make a positive adjustment to camp life. Their enthusiasm and energy are second-to-none, and like our Boys and Girls Camp staff, they spend all year looking forward to their summer.

At Adventure Camp, our staff offer the same personable, Friendly to All attitude, great role modeling, and enthusiasm you’d expect at Takodah, along with an expertise and passion in outdoor skills and wilderness travel. All of our trips are led by staff certified in CPR, First-Responder medical training, Lifeguarding, and extensive training in such skills as belaying and paddling, pertinent to the trips they will lead during the summer season.

Our longstanding relationship with most Takodah staff helps us feel good about their qualifications for working with youth. An experienced team of Administrators properly supervises staff members. Takodah runs a criminal background check on everyone working on the site, regardless of their direct responsibility to the children.

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How is the Food?

One of our campers recently noted that “camp food is like school food, only good!” Our Chef of 14 years does incredible work providing a menu that kids get excited about - whether it’s our Sunday Dinner of Turkey or Roast Beef, or a simple pancake breakfast. Our menus are reviewed by a certified dietician, and can keep pace with the busy life at camp!

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What if my child has special needs or concerns?

Many of our campers have some sort of special need. For some it’s an allergy or dietary restriction. For others it might mean keeping an extra eye on a child’s experience following tough family news. We’re prepared to make such accommodations. If your concern is minor, we’ll just need you to note it on the Parent Confidential Form you’ll be sent before camp. If your concern goes beyond the routine, communication is the key, and this means a frank phone call to the Camp Director as you register your child. We’ll be glad to get to know more about your child and to discuss what accommodations we might make to ensure a good experience.

It’s important to note that Takodah isn’t equipped for camper with significant emotional differences or who routinely display oppositional behaviors. Our Camp Director would be glad to refer interested families to another program.

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What Health and Safety Resources Are there at Camp?

During your child’s camp session, three state-licensed nurses will work together to provide 24-hour emergency coverage, store and distribute medications, and ensure that our community practices remain safe and healthy. Many Takodah staff keep current with first aid and CPR certifications, and all receive basic training on the use of first aid equipment in their cabins.

Our Adventure Camp staff and Waterfront Directors are all certified Lifeguards, and our Adventure Camp Staff are minimally trained as Wilderness First Responders.

The key to Health and Safety is teaching good practices amongst our campers, and we accomplish this by holding to traditions like daily cabin inspections, where we make certain that camper living areas are staying sanitary. Kids at camp learn to use a clothesline, to wash their hands before setting tables, and many other practices that keep our community safe and healthy

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Are you accredited?

Camp Takodah is licensed by the state of New Hampshire and accredited by the American Camping Association. Accreditation with the ACA means we meet or exceed hundreds of standards governing recommended staff-to camper-ratios, staff hiring and training practices, facility management and transportation practices, and health and safety standards. The ACA, while a volunteer professional organization, provides the camping community with invaluable guidance. We’re proud to be a member!

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If we haven't answered your questions, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will contact you.

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