First Session is flying by, and campers are already in their third week! Several festive things happen this week of the session in a five day window known affectionately as “Small Camp.”
Bright colors and watermelons are key elements of Nell Day!
Small Camp is a special time for our younger campers, during which we offer unique activities and opportunities for them while their older counterparts are out of camp on their Big Trips. The day before our oldest campers arrive back at camp, our younger campers get to share in one of our favorite Small Camp traditions: Nell Day.
Campers solved puzzles and performed challenges as a team during the scavenger hunt.
Nell Day began as a commemoration of the woman who previously owned a sheep ranch on the Johns Island property where camp is now located. Nell Robinson was a remarkable woman who shaped the history of Johns Island and left a lasting impression upon all who knew her. Nell Day pays tribute to her and allows us as a camp community to reflect on our connection to the past and to the land. While we celebrate Nell and her legacy, we also acknowledge with gratitude that Johns Island is part of the ancestral lands of the Salish peoples.
Wet and rainy weather wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of our campers!
Color teams, face painting, kooky skits, watermelons, and a scavenger hunt are all hallmarks of our Nell Day celebration. Campers from the Forester and Voyageur units were selected as color team captains, and they led their orange, pink, green, purple, and yellow teams of younger campers with pride and pageantry. Through rain showers and sunbreaks, the teams traversed the island searching for clues and solving puzzles in order to complete the afternoon scavenger hunt and uncover the hidden watermelon prizes. Teams also created and performed their own silly color-themed campfire skits in the evening, to the delight and applause of their fellow campers.
Silly skits, smiles, and laughter rounded out our Nell Day celebration.
From “Nell Day Specials” (like making a banner of dream drawings and creating cyanotypes in the Craft Shop) to watching last year’s camp movie together in the Lodge, the special activities lasted from morning until evening. The traditional Nell Day dessert of brownie sundaes after dinner was the cherry on top! We’re excited to welcome our Big Trip campers home, but it’s definitely been a wonderful few days of Small Camp here at Nor’wester!