Today marks the fourth day of Second Session, and our campers are having a blast diving into all our program offerings. Regular activity rotations began on Friday, and campers and staff alike were excited to get into the swing of the session together. Units have been tidepooling with our naturalist, designing creative projects in the craft shop, kayaking, canoeing, and sailing on the waterfront, rehearsing campfire skits, playing capture the flag in the woods, and much more!
Our climbing program, added to our Johns Island activity offerings last year, is a camper favorite.
Before activities commenced, however, all campers attended orientations with all of the program departments. These orientations allowed campers to ask questions, brainstorm projects and skills they’d like to work on over the course of the session, and learn the expectations and safety guidelines for all of camp’s activity areas. For new and returning campers alike, program orientation day is an important introduction to the session’s activities.
Unit time around the campfire builds bonds and makes memories.
In their downtime from activities, campers have been settling into their tipis and getting to know their unitmates. Many campers bring decorations or photos from home that they use to add their own unique flair to their living space. Units have also been working as a group to clear their fire circles and have them approved for campfire use. As the week goes on, many units will be gathering around their campfires, savoring that special time together. And of course, many memories are made not just during these single-unit gatherings, but at the all-camp campfires, as well.
Creative dance moves featured in several camper skits during the intro campfire!
Aside from being program orientation day, Thursday was a banner day for another reason: it was the night of our opening campfire! The kitchen staff hosted a rollicking campfire, woven together by their skits about traveling the world to visit one another’s home countries. In between the kitchen team’s vignettes, campers debuted the skits they’d been developing themselves.
No campfire skit is complete without costumes and props!
Each unit presented their skits together, and hilarity ensued as campers found goofy and memorable ways to introduce every member of their unit. It was a silly and joyful evening that helped us learn one another’s names and drew us closer as a community as we smiled and laughed together. Following a tradition that stretches back to camp’s founding in 1935, we closed out our campfire by wrapping our arms around one another and singing together “The Golden Day is Dying.”
The lyrics to the song remind us that even as one lovely day comes to a close, more beautiful experiences await us in the times to come. As we enjoy our first week with our Second Session campers, we take this message to heart, assured that even more wonderful things are in store for all of us at camp!