Camp Cayuga - Program Description
For over 60 years we've earned a fine reputation for providing healthy, safe, fun-filled summers to children. Our ‘First-Time Camper Guarantee’ promises your child a fun summer! Camp Cayuga is a coed, nonsectarian, residential summer camp for children ages 6-16. Located in the Pocono Mountains, the 350-acre private estate features a Separate Teen Campus exclusively for teenagers! Over 60 Daily Activities including horseback riding (no extra charge), paintball, ATVs, trapeze/circus, extreme bungee jumping, scuba, bubble soccer, skateboarding, survival tactics, and so much more. Free-Choice Activity Program for campers entering 5th grade and higher. Top quality instruction is provided at all skill levels. Camper/staff ratio is better than 4 to 1. Mature caring staff. The Buynak Family has owned & directed Camp Cayuga since 1962. Modern cabins, private lake, 2 pools, 10 tennis courts, 20+ horses, skate park, 6 basketball courts, dance studio, petting zoo and much more. We offer 2, 4, 6, 8 week-sessions. Join us this summer, and enjoy your memories for a lifetime!
FREE-CHOICE ACTIVITY PROGRAM: Campers, who are entering 5th grade & higher, select their activities each morning after breakfast. Campers sign-up with their friends, so they can attend the same activities together. There are over 60 activities offered every day! Cayuga’s Elective Program provides campers the opportunity to explore their individual interests and pursue those interests they find most challenging.
TEEN PROGRAM: The natural landscape divides the camp property into two separate campuses, which are located on opposite sides of Cayuga's lake. Teen Campus is reserved exclusively for teenagers entering 8th to 11th grade. Junior Campus houses campers entering 1st to 8th grade who are 13 years old and younger. The programs on each campus are geared to the interests of the different age groups.
JUNIOR DIVISION ACTIVITY PROGRAM: Campers, entering 4th grade & lower, participate in a structured activity program. Each Junior cabin is provided with its own weekly activity schedule, which is geared to the age and gender of the cabin group. The schedule is different each day of the week! Youngsters travel together as a 'cabin group' to activities under the direct supervision of their counselors.
OVER 60 DAILY ACTIVITIES: The daily program includes a wide spectrum of activities including horseback riding (no extra charge). Top-notch instruction is provided at all skill levels. Our camper to staff ratio is better than 4 to 1. See below for our complete list of activities.
LAND SPORTS: basketball, tennis, baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, archery, golf, karate, judo, skateboarding, paintball, pickleball, English & Western horseback riding, horse shows, gymnastics, tumbling, bungee trampoline, kickball, exercise & fitness, weight training, floor hockey, field hockey, t-ball, gaga, jogging, track meets, badminton, flag football, volleyball, newcomb, riflery, rugby, dodgeball, ultimate frisbee, cheerleading, tetherball, ping pong, foil fencing, bubble soccer, and track meets.
WATER SPORTS: American Red Cross swim instruction, recreational swimming, swim meets, scuba diving clinics, water basketball, water polo, water volleyball, water trampoline, floating iceberg, canoeing, sailing, row boating, paddle boats, paddle boards, kayaks, tubing, fishing, river rafting trips, boating regatta, big beach bash, Hawaiian pool parties, wet & wild water carnival, and Polar Bear Club.
CREATIVE ARTS: arts & crafts, pottery, pottery wheel operation (24 wheels), ceramics (glazing & firing), clay work (sculpting), t-shirt creations (tye dyeing, air-brushing, fabric painting, & silk screening), painting (water color & acrylics), sketching (charcoal pencils), drawing, jewelry making, beading, basket weaving, lanyards & braiding, macramé, shrinky dinks, papier mache & plaster projects, wood projects, copper enameling, block printing, needle craft, mask-making, decoupage, model rocketry, nature crafts and cooking.
FLYING TRAPEZE & CIRCUS ARTS: high flying trapeze, 2 static trapeze rigs, aerial silks, lyra, spanish web, corde lisse, flying trapeze shows, circus shows, diabolo, devil sticks, plate spinning, juggling, clowning, unicycling, acrobatics, rolling globe, trapeze performance shows, circus shows.
ADVENTURE & WILDERNESS: ropes course, 32’ 3-sided climbing tower, 205’ zip line, rock climbing, rappelling, ATV quads (4-wheelers), mountain biking, backpacking, compass reading, nature hikes, survival clinics, petting zoo, cabin campfires, horseback evening trail rides, cookouts, river rafting trips, canoe trips, and more!
PERFORMING ARTS: improv clinics, talent shows, modern dance, aerobics, yoga, zumba, guitar, drums, keyboards, singing and karaoke.
MEDIA ARTS: digital photography, camera use, radio DJ broadcasting, camp newspaper, and video game room.
PROGRAM SUPERVISION: The Daily Program is supervised by Activity Directors who are responsible for specific areas of the program. The Activity Director is typically a professional educator or coach. Instruction is monitored by the Director, and provided by our Activity Specialists who are college-enrolled students and graduate students. Instructors have documented experience in their specialty area, as a competitor as well as an instructor/coach. Instructors usually hold certification in the activity for which they've been hired.
QUALITY INSTRUCTION: Quality Instruction is provided and geared to the camper's individual skill level. Instruction is patient and thorough with due regard for both safety and enjoyment. Generally speaking, instruction takes place during the first-half of each activity period. The remaining portion is reserved for recreational play-time.
VOLUNTARY COMPETITION: Although Cayuga is noncompetitive in nature, healthy competition does find its way into the activity program on a voluntary basis through our Intercamp Tournament Program. Campers who enjoy competition are encouraged to sign-up for the Intercamp Team of their choice. Campers can join as many Intercamp Teams as they'd like. There are no team "try-outs" and all campers can participate in the tournaments, regardless of their athletic ability. Emphasis is placed on sportsmanship and having fun, rather than winning. (Despite Cayuga's tournament record which includes more wins than losses!)
INTERCAMP TOURNAMENTS: Each summer we schedule over 120 tournaments with neighboring camps in Wayne County. Approximately 50% of the tournaments are scheduled as "away games", that provide our campers an opportunity to travel to other camps. To join a team and compete in your favorite sport, all you need to do is sign-up for the team. Intercamp Tournaments are a great way to add a little camp spirit to your summer and widen your travels as well.
TRIPS PROGRAM: AAA Yankees Baseball Games, Backpacking Trips, River Rafting Trips, Theatre Trips, Golf Course Trips, and a few more!
COMPREHENSIVE FACILITIES: Cayuga features some of the most comprehensive facilities available in camping today: Separate Teen Campus, Comfortable Modern Cabins (large bathrooms with 3 to 7 private showers per cabin), 2 Pools, 13-Acre Private Lake, Dining Hall & Health Center on each campus, Equestrian Center (20+ horses, 2 riding rings, scenic trails), Tennis Center (10 courts), Skate Park (half-pipe, pyramids, ramps, grind rails), Petting Zoo (goats, sheep, donkey, mini horse, ducks, bunnies), Gymnasium, Teen Rec Center, Ropes Course (32' 3-sided climbing tower, 205' zip line), Performing Arts Building, Dance Studio, Aerobics Studio, Martial Arts Room, Weight Training Fitness Room, Video Game Room, 5 pickleball courts, 2 Indoor & 4 Outdoor Basketball Courts, 6 Volleyball Courts, 2 Creative Arts Pavilions, 2 Pottery Rooms (24 total wheels), Ceramics Room (4 kilns), Radio DJ Broadcasting Stations, ATV Track, Mountain Biking & Hiking Trails, Baseball Fields, 4 Athletic Fields, Paintball Fields, 2 Archery Ranges, 2 Riflery Ranges, 4 Golf Cages, 4 Bungee Trampolines, Campfire sites, Cookout Sites, 2 Snack Bars, Staff Lounge, and 350 secluded acres for hiking, dreaming, and exploring!
FIRST-TIME CAMPER GUARANTEE: For over 60 years we've earned a fine reputation for providing healthy, safe, fun-filled summers for children. We promise a fun summer, and back-up this promise with Cayuga's ‘First-Time Camper Guarantee’, which provides a full prorated refund to any first-time camper departing prior to the conclusion of his session.
CAMP STAFF: Our success is directly related to the quality of our staff. Each camper is under the close care and direct supervision of at least 2 cabin counselors. Our youngest counselor is entering his sophomore year of college. In addition, over 40 Senior Staff Members direct and supervise various areas of the activity program, and stand ready to work with your child on a one-to-one basis to make his summer camp experience a positive one. The camper to staff ratio is better than 4 to 1.
ENROLLMENT INFORMATION: Campers and staff travel to Cayuga from across the United States and from abroad as well. While most campers are from the tri-state metropolitan area, last summer our camp population represented 26 states and 17 countries. Our camper population includes 125 boys/125 girls on Junior Campus, and 150 teenagers on Teen Campus. 2, 4, 6, 8-week sessions available. Diversity and nonrepetition of the program are two guidelines we use in planning the summer's Calendar of Events. Campers can register login or with a paper application. Early Registration and Sibling credits are available.