Day Camp Wil-LO-Linn is a Girl Scout summer day camp run entirely by volunteers. Our name comes from the three cities we serve regularly: Wilsonville, Lake Oswego, & West Linn here in the Portland, Oregon metro area. We are part of the local Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington Council. They have designated us Service Unit 9 within the council, but both our service unit and the camp are referred to as Wil-LO-Linn. Campers DO NOT need to be from one of our three cities to attend our camp. We welcome any Girl Scout member in our area that would like to attend!
Traditionally, each service unit runs a summer day camp, with different focuses. Our camp focuses on Rainbow (Outdoor) skills. The skill areas we teach each year include outdoor cooking, fire safety, knots, first aid, campsite preparation, as well as leadership. These skills get more nuanced and harder each year, building on the year before. Check out our Rainbow Skills progression here. (scroll down, look for the Rainbow Skills document)
Campers are placed in units by (rising) grade level. This means when registering in March or April, if your kiddos is currently in grade 3, they will be in a fourth grade unit. Yes, it's confusing, but that's the way all Girl Scouts programs are run. We usually have at least 2 units per grade, but often many more. Sometimes this means that campers in the same troop will be separated, but we try our best! There is a place in the registration form to request buddies. Learn more about how buddy requests work here on our FAQs page.
Campers have a full day of fun, including: songs, crafts, archery (for older campers), slingshots (new this year!), games, leatherwork, science, and outdoor cooking. They learn a wide range of outdoor skills including: fire and knife safety (outdoor cooking), first aid, knots, and campsite preparation.
We have units from first grade to sixth. Rising 7th graders are invited to attend camp as a PAIT - a teen leader in training. PAITs get the regular camp experience - outdoor cooking, archery, songs, games, etc., but also spend a portion of their day learning how to lead the younger campers. Learn more about PAIT stuff here.
Anyone grade 8 or above is welcome to come to camp as a teen leader (called CA) if they have done their PAIT training with us or somewhere else, and are ready to lead a unit of younger campers, or lead an activity! The CAs run the grade level units, with assistance from a registered adult, in order to meet Girl Scout ratio. These registered adults are often the guardians or caregivers of our campers in attendance. Adults DO NOT get to volunteer in their campers' units.
Because we need so many adults, and in order to make volunteering more manageable, we have two bonus units. Running these bonus units allows our adult volunteers to bring their other children with them during the day, making it easier for them to volunteer. These units are Tagalongs (potty trained children to age 5) and Boys up to age 13. These bonus campers also have a full camp experience, just like our Girl Scouts. Learn more about volunteering for camp here, plus learn about the many benefits of volunteering - including money off your camper's registration fee!
The teen CA leaders are adored and spoiled at camp - without them, we would not be able to run. CAs must be registered Girl Scouts and must have gone through PAIT training in order to lead. These leaders do the bulk of the work at camp - they run the units, they keep the kids busy, they problem solve, entertain, and teach. They are amazing!
So what do the campers do at camp? We practice our outdoor skills (each level does the skills appropriate for their level, and each year the skills get harder and more refined), sing songs, play games, do archery and slingshots, look for the camp mascot, Elfanora, in the trees, walk in the woods, do service projects, crafts, science, and generally have a blast!
Most questions you or your camper may have can be answered on our Frequently Asked Questions page. If you'd like detailed information about how our camp runs - example schedules, details about our Rainbow Skills program, evacuation or emergency procedures, etc., please check out our All About Camp Page. Looking to help out or really want to dig deep? Check out our Behind the Scenes page.
Campers enjoy the archery portion of their time each year!