Camp Tawanchi welcomed 21 youth to our first week at camp! We had the very best staff and weather to greet us! We enjoyed so many things that it is hard to begin to tell you how much fun we had, but we will try!
Our staff this year is very new and yet old at the same time. We welcomed past campers as our new staff! Even though we miss Miss Katie, Mr. Chris and Miss Kori we are enjoying working with Miss Mary, Miss Virginia, and Mr. Josh and of course Miss Elaine.
On our first day we meet new and old friends and started our Incredible Journey by learning about how Camp Fire was created. We read a book written in 1913 that told about Juanita a Camp Fire Girl who was attending camp at Camp Sebago in Maine. She went to camp all summer! She wore bloomers and for special events she wore a ceremonial gown where she displayed all her awards. She set goals and worked hard all summer to achieve them. She had a special friend who visited her at camp one day. It was her Blue Bird. This was a younger girl who she helped all year by teaching her to make doll clothes, go to the library and learn to take care of herself just like Juanita did in Camp Fire. After reading the book, Miss Mary helped us all set goals of something we hope to achieve this summer.
We were able to visit the pool four days. On one day, one of the campers decided to go off the diving board. He made it out but did not make it off in the normal way. Instead he hung onto the board like a opossum and then went in! He was ok, and even he could laugh about the event! He did much better the rest of the week! Also, at the pool, Mr. Josh helped some of the boys set a goal to swim so many laps each day and to increase over the amount of laps over the summer. Mr. Josh might need to give diving lessons we will keep you posted!
We enjoyed our snacks except the day Miss Elaine served cereal without milk because she thought it was really Teddy Grahams, but that does not even compare to the day when Miss Virginia tried to make pudding with water instead of milk. We really could not understand why it tasted so funny and then the next day Miss Elaine gave all the kids a lesson on how to read the directions on the box so that we would not have any more bad snacks or Kool-aid!
Our favorite camp game is still Dodge Ball! We love it! We have such a great time because whenever we tell the counselors that we want to play it, they wrinkle up their faces! We love to see that!
The 4-H Lady visited and we planted a Marigold! Our best craft was painting an old shoe! When it was dry we planted a Petunia in it! Our parents thought they were cute and the boys used all the pink paint and the pink flowers. All the girls thought that was rude.
Miss Elaine always encourages us to give service to our community. This week we made Valentines for Veterans who are in the Fort Wayne Hospital, planted flowers at Castle Manor, and fed the wildlife at the Res.
On Friday we went to the Res and hiked and hiked and hiked! We played Capture the Flag and then Steal the Pennant! We learned that in Steal the Pennant you could line dance also! The best moment at the Res was our Council Fire just like in the book we read on Monday! We all got awards! We earned two beads for the Outdoors, Handcraft and Citizenship! At the end of the ceremonial we all stood around the campfire and on the count of three we tossed Magic Pixie Dust in the fire to protect us! WOW, did it make our fire pretty! Then we had s’mores and called it a day!
The girls returned for their annual overnight and had a great time! The Ranger gave the girls an A+! We hope the boys can do that for next week!
It was a super duper week and we cannot wait for next week!
One-liners from Our First Week
- Joey becomes a possum!
- Get hurt at the pool, you get free band-aids.
- Directions? What Directions?
- What’s for lunch?
- When in doubt substitute water for milk when making pudding cones.
- You stir Kool-aid?
- Where is the trash?
- What’s for lunch?
- Line dancing is allowed in Steal the Pennant, but not in Capture the Flag.
- Can the girls bring fireworks to the overnight?
- Mr. Josh got out at Dodge Ball?
- What’s for lunch?
- Pink flowers? Pink shoes? Pink shirt? It must be a boy’s!
- Dodge Ball!!!! We have to play Dodge Ball!!
- I need a five-string fish tail. Here are my six strings to make it with.
- What’s for lunch?
- We have rules at this camp. Miss Elaine cannot be the Doctor at Doctor Dodge Ball.
- Mango, blueberries, hemp. All are necessary for cool hair.
- Ben, what are you chasing?
- What’s for lunch?
- Bees. How many counselors does it take to kill a bee?
- Do you have Pixie Dust Protection?
- Do you have a water bottle?
- Meijer water? I can’t drink Meijer water.
- How do you play “Go Fish”?
- What’s for lunch?
- No, but lunch is really good on Friday when we will be at the Res!
