Wobbly Wednesday!

Well another week is in full swing! Even though it is a little on the cooler side, our area directors, counselors, and CITS have been hard at work developing programing that is fun no matter what the temperature! Often during these colder days, concerns drift towards swimming and keeping the campers warm enough to have a happy, and safe, time. Our swimming staff has been doing an amazing job of switching things up and being adaptable when it comes to what to do during swim class. Many campers have even said that the water feels great once you are in it! We have also kept a fire going in our main fire pit to warm up by during the morning activity periods.

Of course, many things at camp are not affected by the temperature. We had an amazing set of Tie-die made yesterday, and nature walks have been a huge hit! Today, campers will get to take part in some truly amazing Daggett experiences. In canoeing, young paddlers will learn not just how to flip their canoe over, but more importantly how to empty them out and get going again! This skill, while fun to practice, is a very important one to learn for our oldest two cabin groups who will be venturing out in canoes for their camp outs this week. While all of our cabins go on one overnight camping trip each week, it is the oldest cabins that get to canoe to the north or south to spend some time in nature. While it is a bit more work, the delicious “hobos” that they make for dinner make the trip worth it! Another hit today will be our “Mud Walk” in nature for free land. During this time, campers can choose to go to our mud pit, get a little messy, and then rinse themselves out in the lake! This activity is always a huge hit!

Luckily, the weather has been nice at night and all of our night activities have gone off without a hitch. It was great to see many of our campers’ creative sides on Sunday night during “Bag Skits.” During this activity, each cabin exchanged a bag of props with their brother or sister cabin and made a skit using these props. All of our campers got a chance to be silly for a few minutes, and they were all certainly hilarious! Monday night was a hit as well, featuring our second annual “Daggett’s Cove Mini-Golf Challenge.” During free time, each cabin was assigned an area around camp, and got to make their own putt-putt hole out of materials found in that area. When they were done, campers played all of the holes. Last night, got a chance to enjoy a night activity inspired by a family reunion. With games, snacks, and chatting, we hope campers not only got a chance to share some memories, but also to make some more.

Campers enjoy a ride on one of our paddle boats

Analyzing the best shot at our waterfront hole

Golfers cheer and “golf clap” for a teammate

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Wobbly Wednesday

It is hard to believe that the week is already half way over! It is wonderful how much we are able to squeeze into just three short days. On the waterfront and on land, our campers sure have been busy. This includes not just all of our daily activities, but also out camp-outs. Many campers look forward all week to their camp-out. For this night, each brother/sister cabin pair will go to a different spot to spend the night at. After a short hike (or canoe ride for the oldest 2 cabins), campers cook food over the fire, tell stories and play games, and of course make S’Mores. For the night, cabins are replaced with tents, and campers bond together during their night in the wilderness. While they may be a little tired in the AM, most campers come away from a camp-out with a new sense of adventure and comrade.

Of course, camp is still quite active while camp-outs are out. Night activities, early morning activities, clean cabin and caper, and even our fishing club are in full swing. Campers got a dose of the holiday spirit during our “Holiday Night” on Tuesday, rotating through many different holidays. This including cookie decorating for Christmas, a blind folded Easter egg hunt, a sand castle building contest, and even a haunted house. Wednesday had campers doing many new things in areas, including the popular “Wobbly Wednesday” in canoeing. In class, campers learned how to flip their canoes (as well as avoid doing so) and then learn to empty them of water and turn them the right way. This is an invaluable skill, especially for those cabins which go on a water trip for their camp-out. Wednesday night saw “Up” night, based on the popular movie. Many  favorite characters were there, including Russell, Charles Munz, Carl, and even Dug. Campers got a chance to chase the Snipe, hunt down some chocolate, and even have a melon eating contest. In the end, the cabin which collected the most beans chose a special snack first, although every cabin eventually got a chance to pick a snack.

Campers decorate birdhouses in Arts and Crafts

Campers decorate cookies for Christmas

Campers help make some merit badges on “Ip” night

What a Wednesday!

Wow! This week has been so busy. Yesterday was full of new and exciting adventures. While younger campers spent their mornings largely learning to sail and canoe, Tuesday saw lots of smiles and cheers as these cabins got their first chances to do these activities. Campers also got some freestyle practice in our swimming area, as well as some exciting games. Land activities were also full of new things, with our frog pond being a huge hit! An awesome time during the day are our free land and free water periods. During these times, campers get to choose any land and water area they wish to go to. Our area directors sure do work hard to create new and fun activities to do during these times. A big hit yesterday was “tie dye  Tuesday. Campers created a bunch of amazing tie dye. Wednesdays and Thursdays are always fun when campers are proudly sporting their tie dyed shirts, socks, bandanas, and more! Thursday night saw a fun twist on our traditional “Battle of Gettysburg.” Grouped into four teams, campers took place in several assaults of flour! Everyone got pretty messy, so an all camp swim followed the epic battles!

Wednesday got off to a bang, as 20 campers participated in our lake swim. This event kicked off at 6:30 in the morning as campers and staff boated across the lake. After some stretches and warm-ups, everyone started to swim towards camp. Accompanied by power boats, yak boards, and lifeguards, all of our swimmers made it safely back to camp. At breakfast, those who participated were rewarded with donuts and hot chocolate! Also at breakfast, some of our campers participated in “Wacky Wednesday.” Many of our campers and staff dressed up in silly clothes and did their hair weird for this special event.

It is amazing how even though today is only half over, campers have been doing so many things. Always a favorite is wobbly Wednesday in canoeing. There, campers (with the help of some staff) practice flipping their canoes. Once they have made a splash, canoers learn how to right their canoes and empty them of water. Today will also see our mud walk, where campers will take a quick dip in our mud pond, and then a little shower in the lake! This evening will see our “Yooper” night. This night will involve our campers making some “dirt cup” snacks, playing pin the antlers on the deer, and even a quick trip to our homemade sauna!