7:00 AM: The wake-up bell rings and Oliver, the counselor, pokes his head into the tent to make sure everyone is awake. It is Johnny's third day at camp already, so he knows what to do. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes and goes the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.
7:15: Johnny and his tentmates talk excitedly about their day. They get their hats, name tags, and water bottles ready. These are the things that they have to have with them every day. It's not supposed to rain today, so they don't need their raincoats. The tent is a bit of a mess with 5 boys living in there, and someone left their dirty socks by the door, so they spend a bit of time tidying up before the tent group meeting.
7:45: Tent Group meeting. They meet on the balcony of the tent and sit in a circle to hear what activities they are going to have today. Oliver tells them t hat their morning activities are the Giant Swing and archery. Johnny has been waiting for this. He was a little scared of the Giant Swing last year, so he only went up half way. It turned out to be way less scary and way more fun than he thought, so he is determined to go all the way to the top this time.
8:00: All campers meet in the Dining hall for a big breakfast. Johnny and his tentmates sit down with the campers from the other two tents that make up the Red Team. In all, there are 15 campers on the Red Team, and three counselors. This time, it is Johnny's and Freddy's turn to set the table for everyone, so they go over to get the box of dishes and prepare the table for everyone. Breakfast today is scrambled eggs, bacon, French Toast, cereal with milk, and fruit. The kids have a busy morning, so a good breakfast is important. Everyone sings a quick song before breakfast. Johnny is allergic to eggs, so he gets called up to get his meal first. There is a special meal prepared for him.
8:45: Breakfast is all cleared away and the Red Team has wiped down their table. They are playing a game among themselves when Oliver calls them back to the table to make sure everyone has a full water bottle and plenty of sunscreen on.
9:00: The first activity period begins. The Red Team heads up the Giant Swing. They put on their harnesses and Julie, another counselor, goes through the instructions and safety warnings. When everyone is ready, Bobby is the first to go. He climbs the ladder and is clipped in. Then all the campers pull together to pull Bobby up. It is Bobby's first time, so he yells "Stop!" about half way up. Everyone counts to three and Bobby pulls the release and swings away. After a brief yell, there are howls of laughter and whoops of joy from Bobby as he swings back and forth. When it is Johnny's turn, he goes all the way to the top.
10:30: Red Team meets at the dining hall to refill water bottles before heading out to Archery. This is another of Johnny's favorite activities, and he got a bulls-eye last year. They get a basic lesson and then they all have a chance to practice for a little while. Finally, they end the period with a friendly contest. Johnny comes in second.
12:00 Noon: Lunch Time! Everyone heads back to the dining hall for lunch. Meals alternate between Chinese and Western food. The campers set the table, sing a song and settle down to a big meal. Despite eating a big breakfast, everyone is hungry again.
~12:50 to 200 Rest time: After lunch, Everyone goes down to the tent area for a rest time. This gets the kids out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, and it gives the kids some time to socialize. Johnny always looks forward to rest area because his Mom and Dad send him a letter every day. (Johnny doesn't know this, but Dad gave all the letters to the counselor when he dropped Johnny off.) Although Johnny loves camp, he does miss his Mom and Dad, so the letters help him to know that they are thinking of him. After all the campers read their letters, they play a game of Uno. Oliver pops in a couple of times to see how they are doing and stays for a few hands of Uno.
2:00: The afternoon is much like the morning. They have two more activity periods. For Red Team, they have climbing. Johnny isn't very good at climbing, but he still tries hard and does his best. The counselors always make him feel good with their support even though he doesn't get very high. A few campers made it all the way to the top, and Johnny thinks one of these days, he is going to make it, too.
3:30: