ESSAY

 

Name: Duckboy

DATE: Monday November 28th, 2011

TEACHER: Ms. Babb

 
TEEN RANCH

   Beams of light streamed through the long branches in the deep forest, and my feet crunched as they hit the leaf infested ground. But the light crunching sounds soon became squishing. "Aww, man, that's the third time I've stepped on a turd today!" I announced, staring at the thick brown substance coating my shoe like chocolate icing on a cupcake. But that was only the most annoying part of my trip at Teen Ranch, a camp erupting with completely positive surprises, from unicorns grazing in a grass-abundant field, to a humongous ice rink. This extraordinary camp is definitely the place to be.

As I stared solemnly at the abundant slop that lay motionless on my plate, I wondered just then when it would escape its lifeless stage and transform into a monstrous being, attacking me and swallowing my form. Well, I guess that's exaggerating the meals at Teen Ranch, just a little… The entrees were nothing to rave about, but I don't blame the cooks. If you had 500 mouths to feed, you'd try to make something quick, too. And no, the food didn't turn into a monster- if it did, that would be the best day of my life. Large servings were presented to each student, allowing us to stuff ourselves fat. The cookies turned out to be amazing, though- as gigantic as they were, they still brought out luscious flavour that attacked my taste buds and left them with a chocolaty aftertaste that was absolutely amazing. Otherwise, the rest of the desserts were amazing, and so was the food altogether.

   The sudden knocking on the cabin window sent me hurtling to the floor. The sound was frequent, but evilly toned. As it occurred, I was writing on the window, pictures in the condensation, and I saw the inhuman hand smashing against the glass, causing me to fly back, right onto the floor. Then the door creaked open, and the creature came in- Mr. Leitmann! Hey, what did you think it was going to be, an alien? Yeah, I know, it would be so much cooler if it was extraterrestrial. True story, by the way. It all happened in our cabin- more like a cottage, to me, for it was huge, with carpeted floors, eight black- painted beds, and a pretty nice washroom, or, at least, until certain people were done with it (don't worry, it wasn't me). I shared my cabin with Nick P., Nick Y., Kyle, Justin L., and Ethan- the best cabin ever, especially with me in it. We didn't spend much time in our cabin, but it still seemed to me as the epitome of epic.

   My breath spurted out in wisps of steam, and the only sound echoing across the high walls was the scraping of metal against the cold, bare ice. The rink put "Olympic- sized" in Olympic- sized ice rink. It was so awesome- huge, with scratch free ice and long benches, just like a real hockey rink, though it irked me that we couldn't play hockey. So I pretty much spent my time skating around the rink and stopping in front of people, snow coating them and drenching their clothes. The experience was radical; definitely the best part of the trip.

   The sky darkened, and stars erupted into the enormous atmosphere, shining brightly in the night, as the moon gave off an impressive fluorescent glow, and the nocturnal animals all sprung to life, and so did the people of the camp. It's amazing what can be squashed into 3 nights, from the movie night to the bonfire, but at the ranch, they managed it quite well. The first night, movie night, was, well, a movie night. We saw The Karate Kid,  and our cabin got a pretty sweet deal- front row seats, despite the fact that we didn't get any chairs, for they were all taken. Next came the karaoke/ dance night. It was pretty good, although humiliating- the dance moves given were… how do I put it? Interesting. The last night was the best. A two-in-one experience, it contained a bonfire and a dance. The bonfire was epic- a huge fire, with marshmallows to cook, and I almost burned my pants off, literally. About an hour later, we continued to the basement of the dining hall, where we proceeded with the dance, where I got to show off my amazing dance skills. In a nutshell, the trip was amazing, the night life being a big part of it.

   Teen Ranch was ultimately incredible, a once-in-a lifetime experience. It included great food, followed by marvellous activities, such as skating, with completely liveable cabins, and the night life as fortified with fun as the rest of the trip. I'm sure everyone agreed that it was a shame to have to leave. 

TEEN RANCH EXPERIENCE

By: Lucas

Date: November 28, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Babb

                   North of Orangeville there is a place called Teen Ranch. There is a barn with horses to ride and a forest to run through. There is also rock climbing and skating. It’s an amazing place and I think every grade seven should be able to go. I have been to many different camps before but Teen Ranch really stood out to me.

            One of the best things at Teen Ranch was the food. My favourite meal was the fajitas. Later the next we had bacon and eggs, burgers, ribs, potatoes and beans. When I was setting up I put forks, spoons, and knives down on the table. In front of that there was juice and water. Later when everyone came, I sat beside Serena, Mark, Kristen, Joseph, and Nyat.

            In my cabin there was Chris, Zion, Noah, Justin, and I. We were in cabin number 7. I wanted to be with other people but it was okay being with them because they were funny, loud, and gave me gum. The cabin beside us was cabin eight and in the cabin were Tyler, Ryan, Shawn, Joshua, and Joseph.

            When I went horseback riding I was really scared because it was my first time. My horse’s names were Chili and Cola. As I got on Chili he bit another horse and the horse almost bit my leg. Later I left the barn. We entered the forest and saw people doing the survival test. When I went for the second time I was more relaxed. The horse I rode was Cola. She was a great horse. The next time we went riding we took a different route and tried trotting. When everyone began trotting my butt started to hurt because we were bouncing up and down. Ms. Babb started laughing.

            The activities we played were frolf, rock climbing and bouncing on the trampoline. Frolf is Frisbee and golf put together. There were poles numbered 1 through 9. You had to try to hit the pole with the Frisbee. Rock climbing was amazing because there were two hard courses and two easy courses. The first people to go were Holley and Justin. As Holley came down the wall she said “I feel like Jackie Chan.” It was really funny. Justin and I were the only one who tried and succeeded both hard courses. The trampolines were really bouncy and it was easier to do front flips and backflips. When I got in the trampoline Serena would be taking pictures of me in the air flipping and turning.

            During the game Predator and Prey I was a Weasel. A Weasel is a carnivore. When everyone entered the forest I was able to catch anyone I wanted except for the weather or diseases. Mark, Meagan, and I were all carnivores. We were the red team. The first people I caught were Anita, Kristen, and Sarah. They were all in a group together. At the end of the game I ended up with 29 animal cards.

            My favourite thing was the dance/karaoke night. Everyone was dancing and singing. My favourite song was teach me how to dougie. Ms. Babb announced we were going to have two contests. One of them is boys vs boys and girls vs girls. The second contest was cabin vs cabin. My cabin went up against Mark’s first. We danced and sang to the song “Who let the dogs out.”

            Now that you have imagined what Teen Ranch is like. It’s your turn to go and have the experience of the life time.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

           

Teen Ranch Experience

Name: Anthonia
Date: Friday, November 25, 2011
Teacher: Ms. Babb

"When a woman goes away from home she comes back a new person." My mom always said this when I leave the house, and she is right. If you went to Teen Ranch you would agree with her too. Life at Teen Ranch is a life changing adventure. The food, horseback riding, cabin, and the skating would make you want to live there. This Ranch in Orangeville helps you come together with your friends and even people you never thought you'll be friendly to. Teen Ranch is a phenomenal experience every gr.7 student should have.

Have you ever eaten a meal that made you want to savour the taste forever? That's exactly how the food at Teen Ranch was. Each morning we ate cereal but with something else added. We could eat bacon and egg, pancakes (which I tell you were amazingly soft) or eggs and ham sandwich like the one at Tim Hortons, except homemade. I liked that the cooking staff made separate food for those who had allergies. The bestpart was after each lunch or dinner we have dessert. The desserts they make are absolutely MOUTH-WATERING. Sure, my mom would be able to makeit better, but I wouldn't mind living there; if I could enjoy such meals.

Living together with your friends brings you closer. I think, that sentence should be a quote, because I witnessed it and I was a victim to it. All the girls in Cabin 2 were not necessarily best friends. We all were friends, but we weren't as close as we are now. Many events occurred that led to our close friendship. My cabin mates: Chauntelle, Precious, Taylor, Serena, Rochelle, Stacey, and M.J were all scared because of a noise and a shadow. They said that they saw a hand move by the bathroom window and they freaked out. Someone kept knocking on the cabin door and they thought it was the boys; at night-time. I wasn't that worried, because if the guys didn't come into or cabin, or if the hand didn't grab me why should I be worried. They were all scared for 2 days but we later old the teachers and they scouted our cabin that night. After that the disturbances stopped, since then we stayed together throughout the trip. When one of us had a problem we worked together to solve it. I've never been closer to any of my best friends than ever. Our cabin was spacious but not pretty. We have to wake up early for set up. Some girls were to take a bath in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Although the living conditions weren't so grand, I had a wonderful time because of my BFF's.
 Do you know the feeling of a scary, blood-rushing bumpy ride with a feeling of your hair blowing in the wind? That's how riding a horse was for me. My horse Indie, who wasn't that tall, made me feel like I was standing on top of a two-story building. The exhilarating feeling of going fast on a horse was amazing! Indie was a very good horse; apparently Indie was a guy. I didn't know until I came to take him from the assistant. Trotting (a kind of jog for a horse) on a horse is really bumpy but the bumpiness makes it fun. I had a really great first experience because of my horse. He knew exactly where to go or when to stop. I only had to lead him when it was absolutely necessary. I admit I was very scared at the beginning but when the horse started walking I was more comfortable. I had a wonderful time riding Indie; I hope to do it again.

For all of you who have never skated before, never been on the ice before, or you forgot how to skate it's not that hard, when you get the hang of it. It was a little bit difficult for me to stand or even slide on the ice with skates. I had to learn to hold myself upright first and hang on to the wall. When I learned to stand I tried to walk on the ice in a V step way. It was hard. I fell only three times, but I got the hang of it. Some of my friends forgot how to skate but they learned to; all over again. You might think of quitting after the first step, but if you forget that you're not good or that you're going to fall you'll have fun. Skating was a really awesome and interesting experience for me. It might have been or might have not been for you.

This trip was a marvelous experience for everyone in gr.7. It educates you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You can turn your life around just by going to Teen Ranch. I recommend that if you want to complete your gr.7 knowledge go there. You'll have the most amazing memory of your gr.7 year. There's an idiom used by many great people "live your life to the fullest". In this case the idiom would be a literal statement.

Name:Nicholas Y.
Date: November 25.2011
Teacher: Ms. Babb

Teen Ranch

North of Orangeville there is an amazing place covered with beautiful forests, ponds, lakes, and fields. This alluring place is called Teen Ranch. In my opinion, this place is the best place EVER!! I think every grade 7 person should have experienced this epic camp for themselves. Now you might not think the same as me but whoever doesn't go to this camp, I would feel really sorry for them. Everyone should experience what it feels like to live there for a week with their friends.

        The cabins at Teen Ranch were really good, better than other camps I've been to, but what did you think? In my cabin, cabin 10, there were 6 really superb people! The people were Simon, Nick P, Justin L, Ethan, Kyle, Ducky, and of course me! But I said 6 people, you heard 7, that's because Ducky is Simon's extreme pet duck! The first we did was unpacked our sleeping bags and toiletries. Cabin life with my friends was fun but mostly in our cabins we played a few games, slept, and used the bathrooms when we needed to. Also the cabins only had a little space because it had 8 bunks.

        My impression of the food was it was probably the best of all the other camps I have been to but that is still only my opinion. First of all the taste was so good I wanted a lot more. It was so flavoursome that I felt like I never was going to be full. Some of the food we had was perogies, burgers, ribs, and a lot more that I can't remember because we had an excellent time! And what was good was that all the foods were healthy but really good. The tables had about 7 seats and I think there were about 9 tables that the students and teachers sat in. Set-up and clean-up wasn't new to me because I do it at home. For set-up we put cutlery and other essentials for eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For clean-up we wiped down tables and put away everything.

        Horseback riding was really good except we didn't go that fast. A few times we trotted but not a lot. I had a much behaved horse named Ivy. She was a white coloured horse who listened very well. We saw the beautiful forest, large piles of poop from the horses, and a huge field. We all had a good time and some peoples butts started to hurt including me! I was sort of good at it since I rode before.

        I was a little nervous when I stepped back on the ice. This was because before I did skate but it was a while ago. I also used to play hockey when I was younger. When I got back on the ice I was like a natural at it. I only fell down when I bumped into someone. There were some others who couldn't skate so I helped them try to get better. Even though I was sort of good some of my friends were skating like a moonwalk which is kind of hard for me!

        You wouldn't believe how hilarious but fun the night activities were! We had a dance and we all sang, we watched a movie and made up some jokes from it, and we did journaling to remember these terrific events.

        This stunning camp had me wanting to stay for a longer period of time. I think I have plans to go somewhere in the summer with my friends next year! Teen Ranch was an extremely good for me. I know everyone had fun and everyone said it was the BEST OVERNIGHT CAMP EVER!!

Name: Christopher

Date: November 25, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Babb

Teen Ranch Camp

What is Teen Ranch? Teen Ranch is a camp for people to have fun. Teen Ranch is in Orangeville, Ontario. The camp is a really beautiful. There is a really nice pond at the bottom of the steps to the dining hall. There is also a big lake on campus. At the ranch everyone did cool things like ice skating and horseback riding. Out of all the camps I've been to, Teen Ranch is one of my favourite camps. Teen Ranch is really an outstanding camp.

The food at Teen Ranch was really good. I think that everyone really liked the food at Teen Ranch. The food is so good that you would always want more food. Lots more food! On my first meal we ate perogies, sausages, and salad. At the rest of my week I ate lots of delicious food like hamburgers, breakfast sandwich, fajitas, nachos, and chicken with rice. Yumm! Every day for the meals you can sit wherever you want to sit. I really like that because at another camp I had to sit at a certain seat. For the desert they have ice cream apple crumble and delicious cookies. Delish! All of the delicious food comes from the dining hall. You can smell the food from far away! I really like the food at Teen Ranch.

In my opinion I think that the cabins, inside and out, were really nice. I really liked sleeping inside the cabins because it was really quiet. That meant that I could sleep in peace. All of the boys' cabins, from cabin 10-6, was called Pokey's Pit. There were 2 cabins in 1 house. I was in cabin 7 with Zion, Lucas, Noah G, Justin S, and myself. Cabin 8 was across from my cabin. Our whole house was really funny because we made lots of funny jokes. I think that everyone in our house had a really great time at Teen Ranch inside the cabins.

Frolf, ice skating, horseback riding, rock climbing, trampoline, and predator and prey were the daytime activities I did. The ice skating was cool! Literally! When I was skating, I fell down a lot but I didn't get hurt. We skated twice in the large Olympic sized ice rink. At the Ranch, famous NHL players come to Teen Ranch and practice in the rink. The players stay in a nice hotel on Teen Ranch campus. I really like horseback riding. When we got to choose our horses, I chose Oscar. I chose Oscar because when we were reviewing our instructions, Oscar was looking at me. I was at the gate at the barn when Oscar was looking at me. I was really excited about our first ride. It was so fun. On our last ride I chose Oscar again. We finally trotted. On our first trot I felt so good. The trot was awesome! On the trot I was so high I thought that I was going to fall off the saddle! Before our last trot Oscar got scared and I wonder why? At Teen Ranch there was a trampoline. I went on the trampoline a lot of the time we were at Teen Ranch. I really liked the trampoline because I did a lot of cool tricks and I didn't get hurt. I also went rock climbing. On our first climb I got to the top fast! On the 3^rd time I raced to the top to beat a record. On my practice I got 15 seconds. On my real run I got 14 seconds and beat the record. The old record was 20 seconds. The new record is 14 seconds. The fastest time ever on that wall was 7 seconds! Wow that's fast!  I also played a game called frolf. What is frolf? Frolf is Frisbee golf. The same rules as golf but you have a Frisbee and you have to hit the pole. On our last day we played predator and prey. It is a game with animals, diseases, whether, and funness. It was a great game. I was chased and was the chaser. I was in the middle. At the end of the game I got 21 when cards. That means I ate well in the game.

 I really like the night time activities. On our first night we watched a movie. The movie was the karate kid. After that day I watched the movie 3 times. This movie was different. It was faster because it was newer.it was a good movie. On the second night we had a karaoke/dance night. It was awesome! Everyone's favourite song played. Everyone danced and sang along to the songs. On our last night we had a bonfire. Everyone roasted marshmallows and hot dogs. Hannah told a scary story and I got scared. I hate scary stories.

At the end of Teen Ranch, all of the boys took a big group picture at the bottom of the steps to the dining hall. We all left a few minutes after the picture. I think Teen Ranch was a great experience for me. This was an outstanding camp. It is my favourite camp. I wish everyone could have a great experience like me. Teen Ranch is fantastic!

Teen Ranch is Paradise        

Name: Kyle

Date: Friday November 25, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Babb

Would you ever live at Teen Ranch? Most people don't know what or where Teen Ranch is. It is just a few kilometers away from Orangeville. People get to go skating, horseback riding, rock climbing and more. People actually do live there and get to do everything there. The staff makes you breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Teen Ranch is one of my favourite places to be. Teen Ranch is the best place in the world.

                                                                                                                               One of the many reasons why I would want to stay at Teen Ranch is because of the food. We had dessert after every meal except for breakfast because we usually had a big breakfast. For breakfast we had stuff like bacon, cereal, pancakes, bacon, eggs, and English muffin. We had a few different desserts like worms in dirt, cookies, and ice cream. Every mealtime the staff would ring a bell so that everyone would know to come to the dining hall. Every day there would be a group of people set up for the meals, then clean up, and they would also take your plate. The portion sizes were great. The food was always nutritious because they always served lots of vegetables. I wish I could eat the food there forever. Cabin life was the smallest part of the trip, but also a pretty fun part of the trip. I was in cabin ten with Justin L., Nicholas Y., Simon, Ethan, Nicholas P., Ducky, and me. If you are wondering who Ducky is, he is Simon's stuffed duck. We had to wake up to one alarm because we only brought one alarm. You have to keep your cabin clean. You have to keep your stuff clean. If you do something bad your teacher will drive you home even though how far it is. If you have pests or friends you have to stick with them.

 

After riding a horse I feel like I could ride one anywhere I go. I learned all the basics to riding a horse. I got to go horseback riding twice and I got to go skating twice. I got to set a record for rock climbing. Which only three people beat so I set the fourth place record. I had lots of fun riding a horse and doing wilderness skills. I learned how to survive and a new way to get around.

   

Would you do activities in the night? We had a video dance party, a movie night, and a bonfire. At the bonfire every one roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. We sang a few campfire songs and told ghost stories. At the movie night we watched the movie named "Karate Kid." Some people at the movie actually fell asleep. At Teen Ranch we always had something fun to do before bed.

  

Teen Ranch has the best food and incredible activities. Teen Ranch is so fun because of all the activities. There was never a boring moment. Teen Ranch is the best place one the world. I will remember Teen Ranch forever .It was honestly heaven on earth. 

 My Time At Teen  Ranch

Name: Kimberley

Date: Friday November 25, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Babb

          Teen Ranch was founded by Christian Ranchers in 1960. It is now a summer camp and a camp for school trips. Teen Ranch is a place like no other where you can experience community living and the beauty of nature. On November 14, the grade 7 classes of Cardinal Leger got to go to Teen Ranch and it was one of the best weeks of my life!

          The food at Teen Ranch was amazing. We ate in the dining hall and fifteen minutes before each meal a specific group would help set it up. I was in the red group so my group did set-up on the first day. When everyone had come in and taken a seat, we were allowed to go into the kitchen to get our food. The food tasted great and everyone loved it. We had many different types of food for each meal. After everyone had finished, the same people that did set-up would help clean up.

          Living in a cabin was one of the new things that I got to experience during my   time at Teen Ranch. It was a little hard to share a cabin with six people but it was exciting. In the cabin we had to decide who would be sleeping where and what time people would be able to use the shower. One morning, one of my cabin mates thought she saw fingerprints on the window and we all got kind of scared but I knew that it was probably nothing. The people in my cabin, which was cabin 1, were Helena, Megan, Alexandra, Victoria, and Stalaane. It was great to be able to experience living in a cabin with my cabin mates. Living in a cabin was enjoyable even though it was a bit hectic at times.

          The activities at Teen Ranch were some of the most incredible things that I have ever done. One of the activities was horseback riding. It was my first time being on a horse, without someone else steering, so I was scared but after I learned how to do it, riding seemed easy. Another activity was skating, which was fun although it made my feet hurt. When we did frolf I turned out to be pretty bad at throwing a frisbee but I got better after a while. One of the activities that I didn't like very much was rock climbing since I didn't get very high up after multiple tries. We also did wilderness survival, in which we went into the woods and tried to build a shelter. On the last day we played a game called predator prey. To play the game we went into the forest and pretended to be animals. All of these activities were so exciting to try and I am glad that I got to experience them.

          The night time activities were just as awesome as the other activities. On the first night we had movie night. For movie night we watched Karate Kid. The video dance party was on the second night. During the video dance party there were mostly dance-offs. The bonfire and the dance were on the last night. We had to walk through the forest at night, which was scary, to get to the bonfire pit. When we got to the bonfire we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. After we had gotten back from the bonfire, we had our dance. These things that I got to do at Teen Ranch were all amazing experiences that I will always remember.

          At Teen Ranch I was able to encounter many astonishing things that I will never forget. Although sometimes it was a bit hectic, I loved every minute of it. Teen Ranch will always be one of the best places that I have ever been to.

Name: Stalaane.A

Date: Friday, November 25, 2011

Teacher: Ms.Babb

The Great Trip At Teen Ranch

        Do you wonder what Teen Ranch is about? If you said yes today I am able to talk to you about Teen Ranch. I went to Teen ranch last week with my class and the other grade 7's classes and it was the greatest trip ever. We were at Teen Ranch for four days and three nights it was awesome. There were day activities and night activities. It was like living with my friend and wasn't pushed around by my parents.

We got to Teen Ranch around 11:30 and missed breakfast. There was an orientation until lunch time. The orientation was done and we had lunch. The lunch was perogies, sausages, and vegetables. The taste was still on my tongue and I couldn't wait till dinner because that is how good it tasted. The food was served right at every meal time. We had 4 coloured pins: red, blue, yellow, and green they were for setting up every meal. Each group had a turn to set up the meals. I was in the red group and the red group supposed to do breakfast but we missed breakfast we had to do lunch. This is a way to be responsible.

       We got choose which cabin we wanted to be in. I stayed with my friends Victoria, Megan.D, Alexandra, Helena, and Kimberley. We shared on bathroom and there was a stall in our washroom. There were four bunk beds and a single bed. Helena, Alexandra, Victoria, and I slept on the top bunks. Kimberley and Megan slept on the bottom bunks. We got along but one night we heard taping and scratching on the window and the door, I got scared to death. I would advise the next year grade seven students to sleep on the bottom bunk.

We went horseback riding and my horse's name was Ivy. It was a mother of a grey horse and when we went for a walk my horse got scared and jumped quickly when I was on it. When we were starting to do the trot I thought I was going to fall but at the end of the trot it was fun so I wanted to do it again. You should always be confident in yourself when you are doing the trot. We also went skating. I love skating and I have been skating since I was little. I fell once or twice on the ice because when I got on the ice first I fall. I was helping Megan and Alexandra to skate. We were at the skating rink for an hour and through that one hour it was magnificent. Lastly we played the game predator and prey. I liked this game because it was really amazing game.  Was a chipmunk and I got caught 3 times in a row. But what really hurt is when I tripped over a gate and got a big bruise on my leg. That is why you watch where you're walking.

      

We had a bonfire night and I love bonfires. They are my favourite because we get to roast hot dogs and marshmallows. We had seconds on hot dogs and marshmallows but they fooled us that someone was going to scare us. That is why in case we were walking in a group so we don't get scared. But at the end of the bonfire there was no prank and I felt fooled. We had a dance night and it was super incredible. There were great songs because Ranielle brought over 100 songs. Everybody was dancing because the songs were fantastic. Lastly we had a karaoke night and I loved karaoke night because people get to sing and dance. I participated in all singing and dancing. There was a great song to sing or to dance to. We had a cabin dance off. That night is what I cannot forget in my life.

      

This is the end of my essay. Did you enjoy my essay about teen ranch? So this is what my opinion of Teen Ranch is. Don't do trouble because the school is closer than you think. Bring a calling card not coins because you're going to be wasting coins. Hope you now understand what it is like in teen ranch. People travel to faraway places to watch in fascination king of people that ignores you at home.   

Name: Josh

Date: Friday, November 25, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Babb

          Have you ever wanted to go to an extraordinary, amazing, and adventurous place? A place where the activities are endless and so is the fun. Where the animals roam and the weather is almost as magnificent as the staff. If you have wondered of a place this incredible then I think you found your match. Teen Ranch. Well what's so good about Teen Ranch?  Teen Ranch is a Gr.7 overnight trip where you can do so many activities like horseback riding, rock climbing, and even skating. You also learn a lot like how to set tables, living in a cabin, and most importantly we learn about God. Teen Ranch is one of the best experiences I've had in my life.

           

Not only were the activities great but so was the food. The food at Teen Ranch was so exquisite that I wish I could eat there everyday. The place we ate at had a huge amount of stairs leading to the dining hall and the dining hall was as big and as fancy as a restaurant. Each meal was very filling and was served in wide varieties. The types of food varied from Italian to Chinese which was great because I got to try many different types of food. One of my favourite part of the meals were the sugary desserts since everyday we had something new. Everyday a group of children would be on setup/cleanup duty and my group got it on the second day. It was a lot of hard work but it paid off. I also made new friendships by sitting beside new people everyday which was a really good thing for me and others. It turns out that you can have fun at Teen Ranch inside to.

Teen Ranch is all about learning and doing new things. I got to experience living in a cabin for the first time. My cabin mates were Shawn, Nicholas, Ryan, Tyler, and Joseph. I was excited about my cabin mates because most of them were my friends but I got to make new friends by being in a cabin with them. I have to say that I was impressed with how the cabins looked. I imagined them to be filled with dirt, the beds as hard as metal, the washroom on the verge of flooding, and the floor completely wooden with nails sticking out. Once I opened the door I was surprised to see carpeted floors, soft beds, furnished rooms, and squeaky clean washrooms. The first night seemed like nobody wanted to go to sleep. Everyone was moving, making a ton of noise, and knocking on the walls. I thought that every night was going to be the same but the next two nights were quiet and bearable. Even though Teen Ranch was great, there was one problem every group had to face. Organization. By the second day of Teen Ranch our cabin looked like a pigsty. Even though I thought we wouldn't be able to clean up our cabin on time but we ended up cleaning up in a flash. I think everyone had the urge to go outside and enjoy our free time. Sharing a cabin with others has its ups and downs but it turns out being an incredible experience.

Horseback riding was the best part about Teen Ranch. Most people who went to Teen Ranch were nervous at the task. I took horseback riding as a positive experience considering I probably wasn't going to go horseback riding ever again. Picking my horse was the tough part. There are at least 40 horses at Teen Ranch (probably more) and I had to pick just one. I ended up picking a huge horse named Tilly. Tilly was one of the biggest horses there and she seemed really calm when I met her. As we made our way to the trail Tilly was walking slow and steady which I enjoyed. Near the end the instructors told us we were going to start trotting. I was not really sure what trotting was. Trotting is basically the horse jogging so you could probably imagine going up and down through the trail. Even though I was soar at the end of the day I wished I could horseback ride every day of my life because it was amazing.

You might ask yourself Teen Ranch seems fun in the day but what do you at night? Our teachers have put together an idea called night time activities. Every night at Teen Ranch we would meet downstairs under the dining hall at a place called the Teen lounge. The first night we met at the lounge for our movie night. We saw the movie the Karate kid. I've seen this movie like a million times and wasn't looking forward to it but watching it with my friends made it better than usual. The next night was our dance off party which I also wasn't really looking forward to. I ended up having a really great time with all my friends and I even one once. The 3^rd night was our bonfire/dance. First we went into the wilderness and started telling ghost stories then roasting hotdogs and marshmallows. Later we headed to the lounge for our dance. It was pretty much a girl V.S boys dance but everyone had a blast on the dance floor. All these activities wrapped together made Teen Ranch even more unforgettable.

            Teen Ranch has been amazing. It has its ups and downs but it ends up being the most amazing trip ever. It was fun learning how to rock climbing, horseback riding, and many more spectacular activities. Everyone who went could tell you they will never forget it. I feel that all Gr.7 students should go to Teen Ranch. It was amazing!

home

                                                             My Week At Home

Name:Hrishi

Date: November 25, 2011

Teacher:Ms.Babb

               Let's get something clear here, Teen Ranch and my allergies don't get along. Teen ranch is place you stay for a few days and do interesting stuff. Like you get to ride horses and play games. Since I have allergies to horses I can't go. So I had the week off. Now I did a few great stuff at home.     

                          I went to this amazing restaurant called The Old Spaghetti Factory. The food was wonderful there. Once you tasted there food your taste buds would explode. First I tried there salad and put the tasty sauce, it was great. Then the main meal, spaghetti. It was delicious mostly because of the spaghetti sauce. Then I had ice cream which was like regular ice cream.

                    As days past we got to put our Christmas tree up and decorate it, which was cool. Putting the lights on the tree was hard because it was a big tree. Then we ran out of lights so we had to purchase more. We had about 700 lights on that tree.

              After the tree was finished some Christmas carolers came. Also a few family friends came. My mom made good food like coffee cake. Everybody enjoyed themselves. Even if I didn't go to Teen Ranch I did great stuff at home. Everything I did was fun. It felt like I was at Teen Ranch. A week I will never forget.

Title: Teen Ranch Experience

Name: Kristen

Date: Friday November 25, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Babb.

North of Orangeville, there is a place called teen ranch. An overnight camp for all ages. There are cabins and horses and much more. It's an amazing experience, physically and spiritually. It's a place where it's all about having a great time and putting all the stress and worries behind. You wake up to a beautiful morning. With a very delicious meal and even if you sleep late, and you're super tired, you still won't be grumpy. It's also kind of like having a sleepover with your friends.

At teen ranch the food was amazing delicious. On the first day we had salad, sausage and pirogues. The best meal we had was rice, chicken and vegetables. I obviously loved that meal because I'm Asian but that still doesn't make a difference. The food was yummy that day and I enjoyed it, very much. The only thing I dislike in all of the meals is the oatmeal and raisin cookies. They were disgusting. No offence to them, they're great cooks but I just highly disliked the oatmeal cookies. Overall they did a great job.

My Cabin was the best cabin ever! In my cabin I had Hannah, Nyat, Cameron, Anita, Katrina and Samantha. On the first night we slept at around ten or eleven and woke up at 5:15 in the morning thinking it was daylight savings. That night, the plan was to wake up at 6 or 6:30 to take showers but instead we woke up an hour early. The only thing I didn't really like about the cabins was how the shower temperatures are uncontrollable. Like we would turn the nob to the middle to make it warm and it would do the total opposite and the water would turn into freezing cold. Even though the cabin had a little complication's, it was still kind of a pretty good cabin.

For our activities at teen ranch we played frolf, rock climbing, and horseback riding. My top favourite activity we did there was rock climbing because I think it was the most exciting out of all of the activity's. When they get you set up, they slide a harness on you, adjust the ropes to you and your ready to climb. But before you climb, you have to ask to questions which are, if your blay on and permission to climb. When I climbed it took me 20 seconds to climb up the wall. But the fastest time out of my whole grade is 13 or 14 seconds. It's was a good climb.

The night time activity's we had at teen ranch were movie night, another dance/karaoke and another dance. Movie night was pretty boring because the movie we watched was karate kid and I bet me and my whole grade probably at least seen in once or twice. The first dance was fun but not as fun as the second dance. The second dance was exciting and very funny. There were people dancing and just having a good time.

In the end, teen ranch was a great place with your friends and family. After the trip you realize what great friends you have with you. I am very great full for the great time. Since now that I have told u my experience, it's your turn now to have a great time like I did.

Kristen.

The Teen Ranch Experience

Name: Megan

Date: Friday, November 25, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Babb

      So many of my friends told me about they're trip to Teen Ranch and about how fun and exciting it was to be there. At teen ranch, you do so many amazing activities like, horseback riding, skating, and rock climbing! When our school found out that we got to go too, we couldn't wait to start packing!

          Eating at Teen Ranch was like eating at a restaurant! It was way better then I expected! Everything was delicious, especially the foods I've never tried before like fajitas and sweet potato fries!  For every meal, we would get two servings of food and then desert. Before and after the meal, there would be a different group everyday that does setup and clean up. My favourite food was the spaghetti because I love Italian food! I also liked the soup! It kept us warm when it was snowing outside.

      Having our own cabins was my favourite part of Teen Ranch! They were warm, cozy, and comfortable! I had people in my cabin that I really got close to. They were Alexandra, Victoria, Helena, Kimberly, and Stalaane. We had a lot of fun because there were no adults in our cabins with us. The only parts that were difficult ere keeping the room clean and the shower schedule. Then beds were comfortable but are hard to get used to. I think that the best part of this trip was coming back to a warm and cozy cabin after a freezing cold day outside!

      Out of all the activities we did on this trip, I'd have to say that horseback riding is my favourite! The hors that I rode on was Milly! She was nice, calm, and gentle. The first day we rode horses, we went through a forest. I was scared that I might fall since the trail we went on was a bit steep and rocky. On the second day, we went through some fields. We also tried something new, a trot! A trot is almost like when a horse is skipping. Every time we would do a trot, the person that's riding would bounce up and down.

      The hardest part for me was the night activities because I would feel so tired after a whole day of activities. Even though I was tired, I still had a lot of fun! The first activity was a movie night! We watched "karate kid". The second night, we had a video dance party! I made it to the final round of the dance competition but one of my best friends, Jordan, won!  The third night was the bonfire and dance. During the bonfire, we sat on benches in a forest, told scary stories, and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs over the fire. Later on, we had a dance! Some of us brought IPods so we used them for music! 

      3 nights and 4 days seemed really short since everything there was really entertaining. There wasn't a single moment where I was bored! Everyone there was so nice and welcoming! Saying goodbye to them was really difficult. There were so many people I got closer to! Teen ranch was a life changing experience. It's definitely a trip I'll never forget.

 

Name:  Alexandra

Date: Friday, November 25, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Babb

The Life at Teen Ranch

          My sister went to Teen Ranch and she said it was fun and spectacular. On November 14^{th –} 17^th I went with my class on a four day, three night trip to Teen Ranch. When we first got there I was very excited to see my cabin. The activities we did there were skating, hiking, frolf, horseback riding, and rock climbing. The food there was amazing and where we ate the food was very grand. The people there were fantastic and great. I think every grade 7 should experience to go to Teen Ranch. 

          The experience at Teen Ranch was amazing! There was a variety of food, and there were always lots to go around. They always gave you the main meal, with a side dish, and the side dish was either fries or vegetables. Then for lunch and dinner, after the main meal, they gave us dessert. For breakfast we had cereal, bacon, scrambled eggs, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, milk and juice. For lunch and dinner we had potato pirogues, soup, tacos, spaghetti, B.L.T.'s, vegetables, rice, chicken, lemonade, and water. For dessert we had cookies and cream ice cream, marshmallows, pudding with whip cream, Oreo bits, gummy worms, apple crumble, and mango juice. The food overall was awesome and very delicious. 

          When you go to a ranch you don't get a five star hotel you get cabins. As soon as Stalaane, Helena, Kim, Victoria, Megan, and I got to our cabin we thought it was amazing. We had 9 beds. 4 bunk beds and 1 single bed. All of the top bunks had a board to prevent us from falling off. The bathroom was very clean. It had one shower, one toilet with a stall, and one sink. Before free time was over we would come to the cabin and talk about how fun Teen Ranch is, and how much we miss our parents. The cabins were where the memories and bounding happened.

What are one of the gentlest creatures in the world? If you guessed horses you are correct. Horseback riding was a great experience for me, and I would have loved to go back and do it again. My horses name was Lulu and she was calm and didn't have any problems with the trail. We went on two different trails. One of them was through the forest and the other was going through some grassy areas. One the first trail there were a lot of steep hills and I was very nervous. At the end of the trail I got the hang of it and by the second trail I was a little bit of a pro. Also on the second trail we did something called trotting. It was when we did a bit of a jog on our horses. The horses were well trained and I had a great time riding them.

          Movies, dancing, singing, and roasting marshmallows were what the highlights of the nights were. On the first night we stayed there we had movie night. We watched Karate Kid. It was action packed and funny at times. During the second night which was karaoke night there were dance competitions and a little bit if singing at the end. The next night was the dance and every one was jumping around, singing along, and having a good time. Finally the last night was the bonfire. We all gathered around the fire pit and Hannah came up and told us a ghost story. After that we all had roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. The night activities were the best part of the whole day at Teen Ranch.

          When we had to leave Teen Ranch I was sad but happy at the same time. I was going to miss the wonderful people, the activities, the food, and most of all my cabin. Teen Ranch was a life changing experience for me. Every day I would get close to a person that I never really talked too. There was a lot of memories and bounding with every one there. Wouldn't you want to experience something like this.    

Date: November 25^th, 2011
Name: Anita
Teacher: Ms. Babb

An Unforgettable Memory

The wheels on the bus went round, and round all the way to Teen Ranch on November 14th, 2011. Teen Ranch to me, meant independence. It was a chance to discover life by myself without parents making discussions. Teen ranch gave memories that will probably last a lifetime. Some of the simple memories happened just by the food, horseback riding, cabin life and night time activities.

The food at teen ranch was delicious but nutritious. We had different kinds of food each day. Breakfast started at 8:00 am, lunch started at 12:00 pm, and dinner started at 5:00 pm. The food was yummy, but most of the time we could only have one serving. We were also arranged in 4 different colors red, blue, green and yellow. We had to do chores, just like at home, which was set-up in the diner hall. The diner hall was beautiful; it kind of looked like a restaurant. It was very interesting. There were about 10 tables in the dining room, and the neat thing was that there were in and out doors. The in and the out doors was leading into and out of the kitchen where all the cooking was going on. Sometimes we couldn't sit beside our friends and had to sit beside new people. Well, that happened to me. So I had to sit beside new people. I have to say that, that gave me a chance to make even more friends. I almost forgot desert. We also had desert after lunch and dinner. We had worms in snow and dirt, ice cream with apple crumble, chocolate and raisin cookies, Oreo ice cream and much more.

A life in a cabin definitely has its awkward moments but those memories are what made our cabin unique. The first day, well night, in our cabin was exciting because we got cabin 4, the best cabin. We started talking about our expectations for Teen Ranch. My cabin mates were Kristen, Katrina, Nyat, Keithlyne, Cameron, Hannah, and Samantha. The thoughts going inside my head once I saw the cabin were 'wow, these bunks are small,' because I was used to queen sized beds. We soon settled in and went to bed at about 12 pm. Kristen thought daylight saving had started a few days ago and woke us up at 5:30 am because she thought it was 6:30 am. It wasn't amusing at first, but after I laugh at those memories. We even have a cabin 4 head count chant to boost up our morning every day. Our cabin had many laughs, cries, and smiles and through it all we still came back as friends. The cabins gave us a chance to experience the starting of a new life.

A horse, a furry, more than 1500 pound huge animal, was what I only saw in little picture books. I never actually thought I would ever get to ride one. Staring right into Elvis's huge eyes told me that I knew I was gonna have a safe, and fun time riding on him. Agatha, the instructor, told us how to properly hold the horse's reigns, Hold, cut, extra, separate, and ice cones down was the simple words we needed to remember to hold the horse's reigns. In my opinion my horse, Elvis, was the best! We got to go horseback riding 2 times, and we got to trot, a horse jog, on our second horse ride. My horse tried to eat some grass while we were taking a horse ride. That was trouble. So I had to pull his head back. His head weighed a ton. Horseback riding was awesome and I'd love to do it again.

'Good night', as if, the night is where we all hang out together after such a long day. It's where you can hang out with your friends, take a quick nap, call your parents, or just look up at the stars. The night for me was probably one of the best parts of teen ranch. It was where people you hardly talked to or one of the best friends can hang out and even get closer to one another. We also had a planned period each night. On Monday we had Movie night. On Tuesday we had Karaoke/ Video dance party night. On Wednesday we had Bonfire/ Dance party night. It was amazing. At this point Teen Ranch has made each and everyone of us just a step closer to each of us.

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Which mean that every single big thing you do, it tarts with a small, little thing. I think Teen Ranch was meant to teach each of us that, there is more than just sitting around and watching TV. Teen Ranch showed the beauty of nature, that probably most of us take for granted. Teen Ranch had changed many 11 and twelve year old lives. Teen Ranch had memories that will last forever. Thank You, Teen Ranch!