A Chilly Start

While the temperatures may be a bit chilly, Camp Daggett is just heating up! After a few introductions and meetings on Sunday, campers got things started by visiting all of our areas and learning about some of the many activities that they will be doing throughout the week. Campers also enjoyed our game of “Catch-the-Counselor.” During this activity, cabins worked together to find our counselors hidden in the woods. At the end, all of our staff each got one minute to try to make our campers laugh- if not they had to find a treat in some pudding. (everyone did in the end though).

Today is when the action really got started. Younger cabins started out on the waterfront, while older campers enjoy out land areas in the AM. After lunch and rest hour, cabins switched so that our younger campers got time on land and older ones on water. A great time of the day is always Free Water, which happens right after 6th hour. This time, along with free land, allows campers to choose a water and a land area that they would like to spend more time at. Our area directors work hard to make sure that they have many new, fun, and original activities for these times. After some dinner and an hour of free time, our night activity began. Tonight we had “Superhero” night. In order to defeat Loki and his friends, cabins had to work together in stations ranging from “crossing lava” to “armor making.” In the end, Loki and his friends were defeated- in part due to the teamwork and camaraderie of our campers.

Tomorrow morning will see out Triathlon, which consists of a run, a short yak ride, and a swim. This optional event takes place at 7:15 in the morning and many campers enjoy the thrill of an early start to the day. Tomorrow night will also see our classic Roman Night, consisting of chariot races, bread sticks, and even gondola rides. Wednesday will see a brand new night activity revolving around the concept of a sleep over- complete with story making and even nightmare escaping. Our epic flour and water battle known as “The Battle of Gettysburg” will take place on Thursday night, and the week will be capped off with out initiation on Friday,

Campers get an introduction to some songs

Campers build armor to protect their eggs

A few campers practice their superhero moves

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Off to another great start!

Well another great week has started here at Camp Daggett! As always we got the week rolling on Sunday with meetings, tours, and a great night activity. Last night we did “Progressive Storytelling.” Each cabin, along with their brother or sister cabin, rotated to many different spots around camp to piece together a story. The catch was that at each station, they only added a line or two. This meant that in the end, the cabins all had some very interesting stories! Campers acted out their stories for everyone else on the basketball court at the end of the night.

Monday was a great day- plenty of sun and fun. After all of the activity periods each day, campers get to choose any of the water and any of the land areas that they want to go to. We call these times free water and free land. Campers love these times, and it is always such a tough decision choosing which areas to go to. Today was certainly no exception, especially on land. Today, campers could barely choose between Capture the Flag, Duct Tape Bracelets, and our famous MudWalk!  This was all followed by our “Wizard of Oz” night. Campers had to work together to find Munchkins, Witches, and even Dorthy and the gang hidden all throughout camp. For their hard work, campers got lollipops as a reward.

The rest of the week is looking like it will be just as exciting. Tomorrow will see a brand new night activity featuring activities based on many of our campers’ favorite books. Wednesday will be quite unique- it is our Olympics! Campers will spend the whole afternoon and evening competing as “countries” in many different sports and activities. Thursday will see Camp Daggett be transported back to medieval times for Medieval night! Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week.

 

Our staff before “Wizard of Oz” night

Campers take a break during “Wizard of Oz” night

Campers perform their stories

It’s Summertime!

Summer is definitely here at Camp Daggett! Campers have certainly enjoyed all of our areas, but the waterfront has been especially popular. Campers certainly appreciate free water and free land. These times allow campers to choose any water and any land area that they want to go to. Some of the land areas have even gotten campers wet!  Today in recreation, Mike is going to bring out our giant slip n’ slide!

Last night we had a brand new night activity, Bucket Wars. This activity was Brandon’s twist on Capture the Flag. For the game, campers each got a cup of sand and had to try to fill up a large bucket. This awesome game got everyone involved and kept all of our campers active. It was a pretty warm night though, and we ended the night with an All-Camp Swim! Everyone that was in got a chance to cool of in the lake. There may even be some “cooling-off” stations tonight during “Harry Potter Night.”

This morning we held a triathlon! Campers ran a short loop, yak boarded, and then swam. Many campers participated, and everyone had a blast. Tomorrow we continue early activities with our Lake Swim, where campers will go across the lake in our boats and then swim back. Of course, campers will be accompanied by boats, kayaks, and lifeguards. Tomorrow night will also see a crowd favorite- “Superhero Night,” followed by “Survivor Day” on Thursday. This day-long event will see campers earn points throughout the day. This will culminate at night with some stations where campers will compete with our staff, and end with a tribal council.

Camper wait for swimming during free water

Campers enjoy a dip in the lake

Polar bear swim is always a great way to start a day

Campers compete in the yakking leg of the triathlon

An Auction and a Carnival!

Well we are official started with our second full day of camp for this week! While it has been only one and a half days with campers, they have certainly been doing a ton of stuff! Right from the start, campers were shown what makes Daggett special- all of the people here. This was especially true Sunday night as campers and staff alike got a bit goofy and dressed up for our “Daggett Auction.” This activity saw cabins assembling as many random pieces of clothing, decorations, and other knick-knacks that they could find. Sara (our swimming director) would call an item, and anyone who had it could bring it up to score points for their team. It was so wonderful to see so many campers jump right into the silliness of camp.

Monday was a little bit rainy, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of our campers. While thunderstorms prevented many of the water activities from taking place, those in swimming, sailing and canoeing were still treated to games and laughs from our staff. Thanks to Brandon (our canoeing director), and his use of the “Great Pink Paddle,” it did clear up in the afternoon. It kept getting nicer throughout the day, which was especially nice for our night activity. Last night, we held a “Water Carnival,” making use of all of the beautiful Walloon lake shoreline that we have. This activity saw campers trying to sink a canoe, surf, pass a greased watermelon, and even go human bowling!

Later this week, there will be many more chances for adventure and excitement. You can see an overview for some of the  week below…

Tuesday- our famous “Tie-Dye” Tuesday, and the night activity is “Wild Men and Wild Women.” Campers will travel all around camp trying to find staff members dressed as animals- but need to beware of our “Wild People.”

Wednesday- The “Mud Walk” in nature, a lake swim, and a brand new night activity- Daggett Cove. where campers will design and play in their very own putt-putt course.

Thursday–  Campers get a chance to yak board in canoeing, and “Daggettstock.” This show will see campers performing a little dance or show to a song from the 60s or 70s. Already campers have been hard at work.

Friday-  A final chance to wrap up arts and craft projects and our traditional initiation ceremony.

 

campers work to sink their canoe

The Sioux cabin enjoys their ice cream on Sunday night

Campers get pumped up to go Human Bowling

Happy July!

July is definitely here in full force! It looks like there will be perfect summer camp weather this week; 75 and sunny everyday! Campers got right to work on Sunday night with some meetings and introductions before getting the week started with a giant scavenger hunt all over camp! Cabins worked together to complete their lists- from counting  the number of noodles in the swimming area to catching a fish. After some songs it was revealed that the Ojibwe cabin were the winners. Campers were ready to head to bed, especially since Monday is a day full of new adventures. On Monday, campers had their first dose of camp early with Early Morning Rec and Polar Bear. These optional early morning activities have campers waking up at 7:30 am to play some games on the rec field and/or take a dip in the lake. This is followed by breakfast (with some songs of course), and clean cabin and clean caper. Clean cabin and clean caper are two very important aspects of camp. During these, campers help to clean not just their cabin but also an area around camp. If cabins are clean, some cabins even choose to do a “kiss-up,” putting on a little show or party for our program aides. .

Monday also saw a brand new night activity on Monday night. Stacy (or nature director) presented Cardboard Boat races! Teams all worked together to make boats from big sheets of cardboard and duct tape. While few boats made the journey completely intact, everyone had a great time! Lots of new friendships were made in teams, which were composed of members from almost every cabin. This spirit of cooperation will continue to be developed throughout the week as campers have to work together many times throughout the day. They will certainly need to work together in all of our areas, and even during our night activities. Here is an overview for the rest of the week’s night activities…

Tuesday- Luau Night. Everything from grilled pineapple, boat rides, to hula hooping and a “flamingo” contest.

Wednesday- “Mystery Night.” A surprise to campers, they will have to solve the mystery of what happened to Sarah Van.

Thursday- Fourth of July. Campers will get a full fledged Fourth of July celebration- complete with all the trimmings. We will start with a cookout, continue with many games and activities (dunk tank included) and end with some evening celebrations.

Friday- Initiation. We will welcome campers to the Daggett family with our traditional initiation ceremony.

Campers cheer on their cabins during our cardboard boat races

Mike takes campers for a little “roller coaster” ride

Campers wake up extra early to go on a fishing trip with John and Andrew

Week 5 has begun!

Our fifth session of campers have arrived! The week got started right away as campers had a few meetings and then dinner! As campers and staff can attest to, meal times at camp are amazing! Not only are they great times to bond with cabin mates, but the singing and dancing is something that will never be forgotten. Additionally, the food prepared by our hard-working kitchen staff is second-to-none! After our dinner this evening, campers went on a tour of all the different areas around camp before we began our “Word Search” night activity. To complete their search, campers had to work together as a cabin to find as many of the listed words as they could around camp. If cabins found our area directors hiding, they were rewarded with some ice cream!

Campers will be participating in many more unique and exciting activities while at camp this week. Tomorrow will see our oldest cabins go to adventure, where they will learn and develop many skills including team work, self confidence, and communication. We also have a great week of night activities planned, including a Night at the Ballpark and Kung-Fu Panda night! These are in addition to our already stacked days of canoeing, swimming, sports, arts and crafts, sailing, nature, and much much more. Be sure to check back often to read about just some of the things that are going to be going on!

Campers are Here!

After much anticipation, campers have finally arrived at Camp Daggett! Camp is such a different place when campers are here; they add something special and magical to this wonderful place. As we begin our first of 8 different groups of campers, we can’t help but to notice how excited every camper is to be at camp. This also holds true for the staff who have spent so much time preparing for a great summer. Below, you will see what night activities our Area Directors have planned for campers this week. Also, each cabin will go on a campout once a week, where they will enjoy meals over the fire, sleeping in tents, S’mores, and many other fun activities. But of course, camp would be camp without our stellar slate of activities throughout the day. Of course, more information about this can be found in the About Camp page of this blog.

Monday- Wild People Night

Tuesday- Grease Night

Wednesday- Dance Party

Thursday- Capture the Flag!

Friday- Initiation