Mandarin Camp Day 2

Our campfire was a lot of fun last night. We were expecting rain today, so we began our campfire with a special song that is supposed to ward off the rain. It worked until about 4:00. I guess we should have sung it one more time.

The campers mostly slept through the night, which doesn't always happen on the first night. They woke up around 7:30 this morning, or at least that is when we rang the bell. We had a hearty breakfast at 8:00 and started our daily rotations at 9:00.

The Brown Team had climbing and Frisbee golf in the morning. Frisbee golf is just what it sounds like. Campers have to throw a Frisbee at a target far away, and the team to hit the target in the fewest number of shots wins that "hole.' In the afternoon, they went river tracing.

The Purple Team started with the Slackline and then moved to the climbing wall. We opened several levels of climbing today, so the campers who are more confident or have experience could try level 2 and the beginners could stick with level 1. There is also a cargo net, which is a lot harder than it looks. In the afternoon, they got their turn at Frisbee golf.

For the final afternoon period, both teams had what we call "Tent Time." This is a period when each tent can discuss what they want to do with their counselor. Unlike the rest time, when everyone is free to do what they wish, for Tent Time, all the campers engage in one activity. One group decided to play board games, another chose to make "shrinky dinks." They draw on sheets of plastic with markers, and then they put them into an oven. They shrink down to about 1/3 to 1/4 the size. They are cool because even if, like me, you can't draw, when it shrinks, it still looks cool and very detailed.

This evening, we have a night game planned. These are sometimes outside, but tonight we will play an indoor game because of the wet weather. In this game, there is a boundary delineated by a rope on the ground. Inside that, there are a number of items designed to make some noise, such as a plastic bottle full of rocks. A blindfolded counselor sits on a stool in the middle with all the lights off. One by one, they campers have to steal the items. If the counselor tags them with a flashlight, they have to drop the item and their turn is over.

A quick reminder that we will have our mid-week calls tomorrow. If you tend not to answer unfamiliar numbers, please make an exception.

That is all for tonight. There is another Dropbox link below to today's photos.

Dropbox link