Happy Counselor Appreciation Day!

Did you know today is counselor appreciation day?! At Camp, we like to choose a day to celebrate and say thanks to our twelve amazing counselors. With signs, cards, and pizza (and candy) at lunch, we hope our counselors can relax a little today and enjoy the many hugs and warm thoughts that they deserve.

Counselors are a very big part of our night activities. While area directors plan and organize our nights, they would not be such big hits if it were not for all of our staff members. This week has certainly seen some wonderful ones. After Pokemon night on Monday, cabins spent all of Tuesday competing in “Survivor Day.” Cabins earned points by singing the loudest, having the cleanest cabins, and of course by following our motto: “The Other Fellow First.” In the night, cabins competed in some games and activities to see who was the ultimate survivor. In the end, the Huron cabin narrowly defeated the Crow cabin to claim the title. Yesterday we had an all time favorite, Mario Party!  During the night, campers were free to go to all of the stations that we had set up. Campers earned gold coins for doing the stations, and the cabin with the most gold coins got first pick in our “snack auction.”  This evening, the rec field was transformed into a battlefield as campers took part in our “Battle of Gettysburg.” After being split into two teams, campers first started by having a little water fight. When that was over, each participant got a bag of flower and got to try to cover as many other campers as possible. In the end, everyone took a dip in the lake with some shampoo to wash off. Night activities, while only one small part of Camp Daggett, are certainly one of the most memorable. It is always awe inspiring to see campers working with their cabins, their brother or sister cabins, and especially campers of different ages to come together and have some great fun! After all, that’s what Camp’s all about.

The Huron and Crow cabins await the results of Survivor Day

The Red Team gets ready for the Battle

A sentiment shared by many

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Let the sun shine!

Friday’s are always best when the sun in shining! Friday’s are always a blast here at Camp Daggett, with many great activities to wrap up the week. It is always so amazing to see campers still bouncing around, even after a long week of new adventures. This week saw many new night activities including Reality TV Show Night, Board Game Night, and How to Train your Dragon night. Our area directors always try to get nice and creative when designing night activities. For example, Board Game night didn’t have campers playing board games, instead, they played real life versions of Clue, Guess Who, and even Battleship!
Of course, night activities are only one small part of what makes Camp Daggett so special. During their six class periods, campers are always learning something new. Whether its sailing for the first time, or maybe making a new craft, trying new things is what Camp Daggett is all about. This philosophy is especially evident with our adventure program. Campers in the two oldest cabins get a chance to first do some team building activities, and then later in the evening they are offered a chance to climb our amazing high ropes course. It is great to see campers climb all the way to the tops of elements,  just get their feet off the ground, or even  just help to cheer on their cabin mates.  We hope that they learned some valuable life skills, and will always remember the lessons that they learned at Camp Daggett.

Campers get some Viking practice in during How to Train Your Dragon Night

Campers gather on their way home from the Pines

Wonderful Wednesday

It is amazing to think that soon, this week will be halfway over! Since Monday, we have been very busy. As noted last post, Monday night was our “Pure Michigan” night. This was a brand new night, brought to us by our health director Lindsey. During this night, everyone had a blast as they took in some pontoon rides, designed some cardboard cars, played baseball, and even tried their hand at making their own “Pure Michigan” ads (you can read our very own “Pure Daggett” commercial below). Even though the weather turned a little foul, the staff and campers all stayed very positive and flexible as some of the activities got moved inside. Our oldest cabins, Crow and Huron, got a chance to do their high ropes activities inside of our indoor adventure center.

Tuesday also saw a very exciting day! While it may have started off a bit cloudy, the weather slowly improved as campers got to experience many new activities on the land and in the water. It is always a great thing to see so many campers choosing to participate in our free land and free water periods, when campers get to pick any water and  land activity that they wish to go to. Both Monday and Tuesday have seen many campers participating in both of these periods. In fact, our sailing director was quite impressed on Tuesday, when 32 campers turned up to sail! All five of our beautiful boats plus our Sunfish were taken out. Free land was a hit as well, especially with our weekly “Tie Dye Tuesday.”

Even though it was on the cooler side, campers still had a great time at our water carnival. This night activity saw many new water activities that campers don’t usually play. One station required participants to splash water into a canoe to try to sink it, while another had them passing a greased up watermelon between their legs. We also had our version of synchronized swimming with campers forming shapes with their cabins based on what the staff would call out, as well as relay races with water balloons and ice cubes. Always a hit was our surfing station, where campers had contests to see who could stay on our surfboards the longest as the staff created some waves.

This morning was an early morning for some, as today saw our lake swim. Campers who received an electric blue wristband woke up at 6:30am to take our boats across the lake. There, they did some stretches and warm-ups before we departed on our swim back to camp. Accompanied by kayaks, life guards, and power boats, 20 campers swam all the way back to camp. At breakfast, those who participated got some hot chocolate and doughnuts in addition to some delicious egg, cheese and bacon sandwiches. Speaking of breakfast, a big shout-out goes to our fabulous kitchen staff who have been keeping our bellies full of delicious food all summer. Our cooks,  Dennis and Lori, sure work hard with our kitchen aides, Parker, Emma and Christina, to make sure there is always a great variety or nutritious and filling meals!

Pure Daggett

Picture a place where everyday brings something new,
Where the sounds of laughter and the smell of the campfire dominate.
A place where one can go to get away from the modern world,
Where people treat others right, and always put the other fellow first.
Where kids can travel somewhere new every night, with the only limit being one’s imagination.
A place where stories are shared and friends are made,
Where everyone has a place and the memories last for ever.
There is a place like this, nestled on the shores of Walloon Lake,
A place called Camp Daggett, where everyone is welcome.
Your trip begins at campdaggett.org

The Fun Continues!

Wednesday morning started of with a wonderful lake swim, where  “electric blue” swimmers were boated from camp across the lake so that they could swim back to camp. Swimmers were treated to a gorgeous sunrise as they swam with fellow campers as well as lifeguards. The group was also accompanied by power boats and kayaks to ensure the safety of all. That was only the beginning of a great day at Camp Daggett, as the morning was full of new adventures for both young and old. Canoers got a chance to learn how to flip (and right) their canoes during “Wobbly Wednesday.” Luckily, this skill wasn’t needed by the Gogebic and Huron cabins as they canoed home from their campout to the Maus’.

Our night activity on Wednesday was a bit of a surprise to campers as we put on a Mock Wedding. The event was a complete deal, with everything from garbage bag tuxedo making and dance lessons, to vow writing and china designing. Of course, there had to be a ceremony so that our two staff members, Nicola and Corbin, could have a chance to exchange those vows. In the end, everyone had a blast at our dance party reception- complete with cake!

Thursday, although rainy, was still a great day at camp. Campers had a blast when they got to wear their sweatshirts while sailing in an amazing wind. In our nature area, campers not only played some new games but also visited our famous frog pond! Thursday night also saw the introduction of a brand new night activity- Kung Fu Panda Night! To become master dragon warriors, campers were tested mentally as well as physically. The “trainees” designed their own headbands, practice their shop stick accuracy, balance on a rope, and much more.

We are looking forward to another wonderful day at Camp Daggett tomorrow!  The weather forecast looks perfect for Beach Party Friday in swimming and Tennis Ball Frenzy in canoeing, ending with cook out and initiation tomorrow night.

 

Time for a Terrific Tuesday!

Week four is already well underway! Ever since Sunday campers have done so many things it is hard to keep up with them! On Sunday night, we did “Sundae Night.” During this activity, campers took rotated through some short initiatives in order to earn a topping for their ice cream. Cabins demonstrated some great teamwork and communication skills. In the end, everyone did well enough to earn them some toppings.

Monday saw some amazing activities, with equally as awesome weather. Campers got to try a lot of new things. In arts and crafts, some campers made cup phones, while others made pine cone bird feeders in nature. The end of the day was caped off with adventure activities for the oldest cabins, while the rest of camp participated in that night’s adventure, “Wild Wizard of Oz.” During this, kids had to walk around camp and work together to find munchkins, witches, and even some beloved characters like ToTo, Dorothy, and the Tin-Man.

This morning saw the first Camp Daggett Triathlon of the summer. In this event, campers had to first run a loop around camp, then yak to a buoy and back, and finish it off with a swim in our swimming area. Everyone had a blast running in the triathlon, no matter what speed they went. That isn’t the only exciting thing planned for today, with fun adventures planned in all the areas! And who can forget that today is “Tie Dye Tuesday,” always a popular destination.  Tonight will be our Neanderthal night, where campers will travel back in time and try to live like we did thousands of years ago. Campers will practice spear throwing, fire making, and cave art, just to name a few of the stations we will have!

 

A Great Start to Week 2

Our second session of the summer is off to a great start! After an amazing group of campers arrived, we had a blast with out “Counselor Hunt,” where campers got to learn a bit about our staff, as well as about some of the areas around camp. Yesterday was another great Monday, where campers got their first taste of just some of the many exciting daily activities we have here. While it has been a little chilly overnight, both yesterday and today have seen gorgeous days, with temperatures in the mid-70s and of course plenty of sunshine. This is especially important during our “Free Water” time, when all campers can choose to go to any area in the waterfront that they wish- swimming, sailing, or canoeing. The oldest cabins, Crow and Ojibwe, experienced some team building activities while doing adventure, something that the Chippewa and Potawatomi cabins will be doing this evening.

As always, there are some awesome night activities planned. Last night saw campers participating in “TV Game Show Night,” where campers played Wheel of Fortune, Are You Smarter Than A Camp Counselor, Minute to Win It, and several other classic games. The night wrapped up with our staff showing off some of their improvisation skills during “Whose Line is it anyway?” Tonight, our canoeing director Alex is trying out a brand new night called “Daggett Games” modeled after “The Hunger Games.” Campers will be doing many activities like fire building and memory matching to earn points for their cabin for a snack auction that will be held at the end. Wednesday will bring a classic camp themed Fairy hunt, where cabins will work together to find staff members dressed up as camp super heroes in the woods. Thursday will be out version of Mario Party, and Friday will be out initiation, where campers will enjoy our ceremony after doing some skits about how their cabins got their names.

Along with all of these fun and exciting nights, the days are equally as busy. Trips to the frog pond, soccer, and swimming out to the raft are still some of the most popular things to do at camp. Additionally, this week will also see our first Lake Swim of the summer. Strong enough swimmers will get a chance to be boated across the lake, and then swim back early in the morning. Afterwords, they will get a special treat at breakfast.

A Rainy Start

Yes that’s right, we have gotten a fair amount of rain to start our 2012 season! But thanks to our awesome staff we have been able to keep up the spirits and continue to provide many fun, meaningful, and safe activities for our campers. With 6 class periods each day, as well as free water and free land, there is never a shortage of fresh and fun things for campers to do. The children have been busy playing sports of all kinds in rec with our new rec director Brent, as well as having a chance to wake up early and play sports for a half hour before everyone else wakes up. Campers can also choose to go to polar bear swimming, where they dip in the lake real quick at 7:30am!!! Of course, today was tie dye tuesday, and as always it was a big hit. While tie dye was popular, many campers chose to go to nature or recreation instead where they were introduced to new ideas and games.

Of course, camp wouldn’t be complete without our famous night activities. On Sunday, campers experienced a Daggett auction where we saw who had some of the craziest belongings at camp. Monday night was the Mr. and Mrs. Daggett pageant, held indoors due to the rain. But the rain didn’t dampen the spirits of campers, who got to dress their counselors up as well as help them to make a talent. Sioux and A-Jit-a-Ma were our winning cabins! Tuesday night was a blast from the past with Grease Night, which had campers “drag racing” yak boards, learning the hand jive, and even making some hamburger cookies. There is still much more fun to be had this week, including the first trip of the fishing club, wild people night, the frog pond, campouts, and much, much more.

Just a sample of some of the tie dye our campers did!