What a fun day! We got to camp around 9:30 and got all the campers settled into their tents and unpacked. Then they split up into teams and began playing some ice breaker and get-to-know-you games. These games allow everyone to learn the names of their teammates, and the counselors can become familiar with their campers.
At noon, we had a big meal of spaghetti and quesadillas, which is always one of the most popular. We have the campers set the table for their teams, and clean up their tables after dinner. It takes a little while to get everyone familiar with the dining room routine on the first day, but they will be doing it like clockwork after a couple of meals.
After lunch, the campers retire to their tents for about an hour of rest time. This not only gets them out of the heat for the hottest part of the day, but it also allows a bit of personal time when campers can play games among themselves in their tent groups. Unlike the colored teams, which have 12 to 15 people and do activities organized by the counselors, tent groups are only 3 to 5 people. During rest hour, the campers get to decide how they want to spend their time. They can read a book, chat, or play cards or other games, so it is a good opportunity for them to really get to know each other and build friendships. The tent counselor also drops in during the rest time to check in with the campers and get to know them.
Our first activity period after the rest area was disrupted by the weather. It didn't actually rain much, but there was some distant thunder and lighting. When this happens, we keep a close watch on the weather service site, which tracks rain and lightning strikes. We didn't get much lightning here, but it was close enough that we decided to have the campers stay inside and do indoor activities. We will reschedule the activities that the campers missed later in the week.
By the second activity period, the storm had passed and we were able to resume our scheduled activities.
The campers are now showering and preparing for dinner. After dinner, we will have our traditional campfire. Here, we sing campfire songs, play some games, and roast marshmallows for s'mores. (S'mores are roasted marshmallows and chocolate between two cookies to make a sticky, delicious sandwich.)
Photos:
Below, you will find a Dropbox link to photos of your campers. You are probably wondering how to find pictures of your precious ones. If you don't remember their team color from this morning, start by looking through the "tent pictures" folder. When you find your child notice the color of the lanyard holding their name tag. You can then look in the folder with that team color for further pictures. For example in the picture at the top of this post, everyone in front of the tent is wearing a purple lanyard, so if one of them is your child, you would look in the "Purple Team" folder for more pictures.
A note about photos. We give each team a camera with which to take photos during activities. They try their best to get good photos, but their first priority is managing the campers to be sure everyone is being safe and having fun. It is also important to remember that children act differently when being photographed. Some children turn to the camera and smile for a photo, while others turn away and hide their faces. We will take as many photos as we can and try our best to get photos of everyone's children eventually.
Link to photos. (This link should allow you to view and download pictures without any further access or sign-in required.)
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