First Day Camp Jitters
Good morning Camp Huawni. This morning was has been one of the more pleasant days weather wise at Camp. The rain storm yesterday really cooled things down and we are fully enjoying it.
Last night our Huawni Counselors hosted the Opening Night Show (ONS). ONS is a great first night activity because it allows our campers to just sit, enjoy, and laugh as they get settled into the groove of Camp. I was very encouraged by our staff who put in a little extra effort to make this ONS one of the most enjoyable and funny presentations we’ve had all summer.
This morning campers enjoyed regularly scheduled activities. Also, another very important event is happening today— the Critter is being transported to Missouri (Yes…Missouri the state!) to get fixed. Our hope is to have it up and running by Tuesday. We hope to keep you informed on the adventure that is fixing the Critter.
The first day of can be a bit nerve racking, especially for our first year campers. I saw that in a few ways today already. I spoke with one of our boys campers, Etan, at the Critter Pond and he had just conquered the Trolley for the first time. He shared about his fear of attempting the Trolley. After setting sail down the zip line, he said those fears vanished. I heard of another encouraging story this morning about one of our campers who noticed right away that some of her cabin mates were new and feeling out of place a bit. She spent most of Opening Day including them and making them feel comfortable and part of the cabin. By cabin time last night, the two new campers felt more at ease and at home. How encouraging! In both cases, those first day camp jitters were being conquered, thanks to some courage and care from counselors and cabin mates.
This afternoon we have more regularly scheduled activities and tonight campers and counselors will tighten their shoe laces for a traditional game of Capture the Flag. We likely will throw in a dance party while we are at it. Session 4 thus far is going very well and campers are fully engaged and having fun. We will keep you posted!
-Travis
p.s. For your first time camp parents, feel free to comment below about how you’re feeling with your kiddo away at sleepaway camp for the first time.
