An Almost Perfect Day
It was an almost perfect day here at camp with great weather, a big rain during rest hour and everyone enjoying the best that GV has to offer. The rain extended our rest hour for about 30 minutes and I think everyone enjoyed a little extra down time.
Main Camp enjoyed a big scavenger hunt tonight after dinner with cabins running around outdoors trying to find and gather important items. I must have been asked many times for my thumb print and a saying to share. My response was “live life to the fullest” and my thumb has many different magic marker colors on it. We do try to live life to the fullest here at GV and emphasize the ‘simple joys of childhood’.We had lots of fun and when we finished everyone returned to their cabins to get ready for bed and have their friendship circles. Several cabins were also camping out tonight and cooking dinner over an open fire. Of course, s’mores top off dinner because what would a campout be without them! When Grant and I first came to GV, chocolate had been eliminated from the s’mores recipe. One of our first acts was to reinstate chocolate back into the recipe. Yes, it might hype the occasional camper but it’s definitely worth it.
Chris, our Program Director spent a good portion of the morning with Riverside working with them on the lake to ready their skills for the river starting tomorrow. Grant will work with them again in the morning and then they will do section zero of the French Broad. They did really well and seemed to grasp quite a bit of information for their second day paddling.
Mountainside completed their mini adventures today and will soon rank their adventure choices. I wonder what they will want to do: rock climbing, whitewater paddling, mountain biking, hiking, or expedition canoeing? So many good and fun choices. They spent the evening doing initiatives and games up on the soccer field and mountainside green. It was lots of fun and challenging as they worked cohesively and practiced teamwork.
Main Camp enjoyed another day of discovery activities in the morning where they are learning new skills and using their imaginations while either creating art, exploring in the creeks for salamander, climbing, or playing soccer.
I’m sure that many are going to the imaginative realm after a full day of sounds, scents, salamanders, soccer, swimming, sunlight and shade all careening through their minds. Imagination is a big part of camp and imagination creates happy stories that your child can remember and tell for a long time. “Imagination can be more powerful than you think”, says parenting expert and psychologist, Dr. Randy Cale. “It allows you to visualize life situations and act them out mentally to decide what the best course of action is. With guidance, children can use their imagination to help them solve just about any problem. They can prepare for just about any situation and gain remarkable confidence. And the really cool part here is that each and every time that they practice, their belief in themselves, their skills grow stronger.” You can just see the growth here with new and different challenges and experiences each day. Playing Outside and Growing Inside!
