Perseverance

There are many valuable skills that children learn at camp. Obviously, they learn to sailing, new games on the rec field and even some new crafts in arts and crafts. but most importantly campers learn some very strong character traits. One of these traits is perseverance. Perseverance, or doing things despite difficulty, is such an importnat trait that all of our campers can beneift from. Whethere it is learning to persevere during their first week away from their parents, or meeting new friends despite maybe being a little shy. Camp is able to afford campers this opportunity, an opportunity to persevere. There are no easy outs at camp. A great example of this is our lake swim. This week, 20 camper swam across the lake escorted by boats, yakboard, and life guards. This 3/4 of a mile swim can be tiresome, even for the most advanced swimmer, but it nevers stops amazing our staff that campers will push through and complete this event. More imporanantly, if one talks to a swimmer afterwards, the sense of pride and victory in their voice is amazing.

Homesickness is another common fact of life one most often persevere through. While many children get homesick when attending camp, our staff is superbly trained and qualified to help campers work through it, and develop coping straegies. There is nothing more rewarding than campers who are homesick the first couple days of camp, only to then proclaim that they don’t ever want to leave when Friday and Saturday mornings come around.

Of course, it’s a lot easier to persevere if there are some fun things going on, and as always this is another jam packed week of excitement. From the above-mentioned lake swim, to our brand new campout site (“The Mesa”) there are always new, fun, and exciting things going on here. We’ve got some great night activities going on to: from a water-flour batllte (Gettysburg) to our own rendition of Mario Party, our staff and campers sure are a creative bunch.

 

Our fleet on the water

Canoeing is a great way to cool off on a hot day

Free water is always a blast!

Campers play a Mario-Party minigame

 

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Something old…something new

Many campers return year after year to Camp Daggett. The title of this post probably sums up why many of these campers come back for many years. Each week, campers will see some of their favorite activities, while also experiencing many new things. In fact, even if all the activities were the same, a new group of cabin mates, staff, and even new foods help to make each year a new adventure. This week, we of course had our Fourth of July extravaganza, but we also have some newer nights – like App Night and Napoleon Dynamite night.

Whether this is a campers’ first year – or their eighth year, we strive to ensure that every camper has a unique and valuable experience. Camp is about a lot more than just having a good time; it is about building a camper’s character. It is great to see our staff helping to build those skills in younger campers, and more importantly, challenging older, more experienced campers to use their skills and model some positive traits for younger campers.

Campers participate in a Tug-of-War

Our Counselors-in-Training introduce their Kokopeli club

Jake prepares to go into the dunk tank

Our 4th of July carnival even featured a fortune teller!

A great day for a canoe trip to the pines

Full Value

Here at camp, we like to stress what we like to call the “Full Value Agreement.” We ask that all of our campers, and staff, live by three simple rules.

1. Work as a team
2. Be Safe
3. Speak Up

We feel that these three statements embody all that occurs here at camp. We like to find ways to incorporate this philosophy in all that we do. Last night, we had a night activity called “Wild Men/Wild Women” where campers run around searching for staff members dressed as animals, all while being chased by our wild people. It was amazing to see campers work as a team to stay together and accomplish tasks given to them. One cabin momentarily got separated, and it was amazing to see their single focus on reuniting with their team, ignoring all of the other things going on around them. We see team  work occurring all of the time here, not just in our night activities, but in all of our areas, campouts, adventure programming, and even during meal times.

Being safe means more than just making sure you don’t get physically hurt; just as important to us is emotional safety. We stress the importance of kindness, respect and integrity. The rec field is a great example of emotional safety in action. While still having a great time playing some classic games, we stress the value of teamwork and sportsmanship.

Of course, it would be hard to be safe and work as team if one does not speak up. Communication is an essential skill, and being able to speak up and share thoughts and feelings is important. Our staff does an amazing job connecting and bonding with our campers to help them feel comfortable sharing with adults and their peers. Through these principles, and our motto “The Other Fellow First” we are able to help our campers not just have a great week, but also build some strong positive character traits.

Yoga is always a hit during Free Time – thanks Caroline!

Canoers take a break on their way to the Pines campout

Campers try for the lowest score in our very own mini-gold game!

Up and Running!

The summer of 2016 is finally upon us! All of our staff has been super excited to welcome our first group of campers for the summer. What a week we have been having! Although we started with some storms, we have been fortunate enough to enjoy some great weather for all of the activities that we have had going on. From all of our activity areas and free time, to night activities and cabin time, our campers sure do seem to be having a great time.

This year, returning campers will as always see a few new faces around. Caoimhe, our Gogebic counselor, is joining us for the summer from Ireland. More so, she is not the only international member of our staff; Jodie (in Crow) comes all the way from New Zealand, and Albert is back for his second year from Holland. They, and all of our new and returning staff, are all brining some great experiences to our campers.

As always we have some fantastic night activities. From Capture the Flag, Up, and Oregon trail night, to Holiday Night and our Initiation ceremony, campers are always amazed by the uniqueness of each night; they are sure to tell you some amazing stories on Saturday!

 

Our first meeting of the year

Albert takes campers on a Sunfish

Campers play Spike Ball