Hello All and Welcome Back!

            We hope you all had a good school year, and that you’re all ready for some summer fun!  Today we had lousy weather, but we all still had a really great time.  We focused on introducing some of the newer campers to the experience, while revisiting some of our past activities for returning campers.

            We started off the morning with our annual blindfold walk. The campers paired up, and took turns leading a blindfolded teammate through the woods. This exercise reminds us of the importance of using all of our senses, not just sight. It also builds trust in the campers, and teaches them to work together, something that they will use consistently throughout the upcoming weeks. Later in the morning we went on walks to familiarize the campers with the various paths, and the shelters we have built in the past 3 years that have fallen into disrepair. This year we have decided that, rather than starting a new project, we should spend time renewing and repairing our past shelters, and perhaps taking them to newer and greater heights.

            We had lunch in and around the barn during a short break in the rain, and enjoyed a game of capture the flag at recess. During quiet time campers enjoyed activities such as reading, drawing, making bracelets, and listening to bird noises on the porch.

            In the afternoon, the weather got worse, but we didn’t let it dampen our spirits. During the first block, Dylan and I took a group of campers to begin planning the renovations to our shelter, Allie and Rene worked with students on the porch doing arts and crafts, and Chantelle took a group to gather flowers to be pressed. In the second block, Dylan and Allie took a group on an intermediate level blindfold rain hike, helping the campers hone their senses, while Chantelle, Rene and I stayed on the porch with the remainder of the campers doing more arts and crafts.

            We would like to remind you to send your children with fresh sets of dry clothes, and appropriate clothing for cold and rainy days like today. Check the weather in the morning to make sure that they are adequately prepared, and make sure that they have extra socks and something to cover their heads on cold days like today. Don’t forget sun block and bug spray as well!

Looking forward to a great two weeks,

Alex