While most of our campers are fully settled into camp life and having an absolute blast, there are a few who are having fun but are still adjusting to our camp world - to being around so many people and having such a busy schedule. When you think about the world that most of our campers have been living in, camp is the antithesis - lots of people and lots of activity. Many of our campers have been living in a virtual world, learning remotely and socializing through screens. As we prepared for the summer, we knew that the camp experience has never been more important than it is today. Never before has summer camp been more valuable to the life of a child for them to disconnect from technology to reconnect with their souls and others around them.
Today, I got to spend a little time with some campers who were struggling with their adjustment to camp life. This is a precious time for me as a camp director - spending time encouraging and supporting those campers who need me the most. As I listened to one of them recall what life has been like for the past 15 months, I was saddened to hear that this camper had no recess all year in school. One whole school year stuck inside, with no emphasis on the experiental, social and developmental education that happens on the playground.
In that moment, I smiled knowing that this is THE REASON our children need camp…TWO WEEKS OF RECESS! Camp provides two weeks away from the craziness of our world to allow children to play, explore, socialize, dance, sing and just be kids. Camp is outdoors, experiential and educational. At Highlander, recess is the classroom, and our campers will learn more about themselves, working with others and life just by playing outside with friends.
Today at camp (recess) we:
- Made wooden sailboats and raced them in the creek
- Hit the bullseye at archery and missed the target completely
- Hiked mountains and played in waterfalls
- Plunged off the Crow’s Nest on the Giant Swing
- Rested our body and mind at a yoga class
- Jumped off the blob and conquored our fears
- Square Danced under the stars
It was a GREAT DAY!
Almost everyone looks forward to recess...even if you don't have access to monkey bars.
Favorite Details of the Day
- Reflect: This morning Mac compared the cabin unit at Highlander to sticks. One stick is easily broken, but a bundle of sticks has strength, power and unity that makes it difficult to bend and almost impossible to break. The cabin unit is like that bundle of sticks. Together, we are stronger, more powerful and unbreakable. This is the power of the cabin unit!
- Meals: Breakfast was biscuits and gravy, sausage paties,scrambled eggs and fresh fruit. For lunch we had chicken caesar wraps with sweet potato fries. For dinner we enjoyed beef and broccoli stir fry with fried rice or white rice, egg rolls and a mixed green salad with a carrot ginger dressing. It was delicious!
- Weather: It was another perfect day of weather! This morning we woke to a gentle breeze that quickly warmed with the bright sun. The high today was 81 degrees and our low was 61, which will make the cabins absolutely perfect for sleeping!
- EP: Tonight’s evening program was a Camp Highlander tradition dating back to the 1970’s…Square Dance. Campers and staff had the best time learning to do-si-do and to do the Carolina Shooting Star. We had our square dance on the field, and it was a beautiful, crisp and cool Carolina night! It was absolutely perfect!
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About Melissa Fitzgerald
