So I have discovered something this summer...blogging is maybe not my bailiwick...
It isn't that I can't do it, it is just that I don't think about it all the time. It is a shame really because there are a great many stories that I could be relating to those of you who stay connected to camp using this method. I have gotten better with posting the pictures, and we are doing well now at not only getting them up, but getting them up promptly (like I have already posted pictures of tonight's evening program for your viewing pleasure - high five for me!). But, the blog seems to have slipped through my fingers a little, and for that I am sorry.
I can tell you a few things about this week, now that I am thinking about the blog. We started week three with some new stuff this year. We had the beginning of our very first second session LIT group. Smaller by half than our first group, they are still equal to our largest group any year prior to this one. I am very proud to be a part of this year of such large leadership development, and I have been pleasantly surprised throughout by their commitment to both camp and themselves. We also welcomed our largest voyageur group of the year this session with 11 participants. It is nice to see this coed group ready to take on the wilderness challenge of canoe travel. We also have our largest regular camp session ever with these groups busting at the seams.
Sunday night, after a very long a humid day, we had a huge storm. So big was this storm that it took our tent down like it was a pop tent from my youth. The intrepid RLC support staff were on it though, and they had it ready to be set up again (in a slightly smaller version) before we were even ready for breakfast. We now have a slightly smaller version of our original tent, which we have named tent 2.0. This week has brought with it the hottest weather of the summer so far, and tomorrow we are set for the hottest day in a very long time. They are calling for in the 40s with the humidex here! We are ready for it with a modified schedule which will include extra dips, lots of water breaks, a modified Nagiwa Games, and more sunscreen than you can shake a stick at! I will repeat again and again my message to them: "Today is going to be HOT! So wear a hat, put on your sunscreen, carry your water bottle, and empty it into your face a bunch of times!" Just for reference, this is a message that has been working so far, and we have only had one young person visit the nurse with heat-related symptoms...they are fine...
Tonight, we had a brand new game set up by one of our staff. Four challenges, a big mess, and a lot of fun for the kids and staff. There was chocolate sauce, toilet paper, oatmeal, and oil involved, along with much laughter and friendly competition. There are tons of pictures online, but this should give you a good idea of what it looked like:
It isn't that I can't do it, it is just that I don't think about it all the time. It is a shame really because there are a great many stories that I could be relating to those of you who stay connected to camp using this method. I have gotten better with posting the pictures, and we are doing well now at not only getting them up, but getting them up promptly (like I have already posted pictures of tonight's evening program for your viewing pleasure - high five for me!). But, the blog seems to have slipped through my fingers a little, and for that I am sorry.
I can tell you a few things about this week, now that I am thinking about the blog. We started week three with some new stuff this year. We had the beginning of our very first second session LIT group. Smaller by half than our first group, they are still equal to our largest group any year prior to this one. I am very proud to be a part of this year of such large leadership development, and I have been pleasantly surprised throughout by their commitment to both camp and themselves. We also welcomed our largest voyageur group of the year this session with 11 participants. It is nice to see this coed group ready to take on the wilderness challenge of canoe travel. We also have our largest regular camp session ever with these groups busting at the seams.
Sunday night, after a very long a humid day, we had a huge storm. So big was this storm that it took our tent down like it was a pop tent from my youth. The intrepid RLC support staff were on it though, and they had it ready to be set up again (in a slightly smaller version) before we were even ready for breakfast. We now have a slightly smaller version of our original tent, which we have named tent 2.0. This week has brought with it the hottest weather of the summer so far, and tomorrow we are set for the hottest day in a very long time. They are calling for in the 40s with the humidex here! We are ready for it with a modified schedule which will include extra dips, lots of water breaks, a modified Nagiwa Games, and more sunscreen than you can shake a stick at! I will repeat again and again my message to them: "Today is going to be HOT! So wear a hat, put on your sunscreen, carry your water bottle, and empty it into your face a bunch of times!" Just for reference, this is a message that has been working so far, and we have only had one young person visit the nurse with heat-related symptoms...they are fine...
Tonight, we had a brand new game set up by one of our staff. Four challenges, a big mess, and a lot of fun for the kids and staff. There was chocolate sauce, toilet paper, oatmeal, and oil involved, along with much laughter and friendly competition. There are tons of pictures online, but this should give you a good idea of what it looked like:
Things like this really make me admire the commitment of my staff to the campers, and it makes me think of all the crazy stuff I did when I was a counsellor (and maybe some of the things that I still do) ------> I know that I have a great staff working for me, and that each of them is committed to helping and bettering each of the kids they come into contact with.
In the end, I can say this about the summer so far. The campers are leaving camp happy, and I think better youth than when they arrived. That is what we are trying to do at camp, build better kids, so that they can help build better families, and better communities.
I would hope that we are accomplishing that goal, and I would invite anyone with comments to let us know. We are always interested in how we are doing, and if we are accomplishing our goals. You can be in touch with us any time through facebook, this blog, or directly by email at campnagiwa@guelphy.org. We are always happy to hear from you.
Be well during this heat wave...we are thinking of you while we swim in the lake!
Luc
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