Sock War and First Day of Activities - Session 2
Dear Skyline Parents,
We were overjoyed to welcome your campers yesterday! First Session was such a blast, and we couldn’t wait to jump into another session full of fun, faith, and new friends.
The girls woke up ready to go this morning for the first day of activities, but not before a peaceful Morning Watch devotional, flag raising, and a yummy breakfast of biscuits, bacon, and melon.
This morning, I attempted to get a glimpse of as many activities as I could to get to know the Second Session campers! Every session of camp is so different, and I enjoy meeting each new set of girls and observing how they make the camp experience their own.
In Cooking 1, the campers made Dirt Pudding with Oreos and gummy worms, and in Cooking 2, they made Texas Caviar with beans, tomatoes, onions, corn, and more (it was so delicious!) Even though Cooking seems like it would be one of our calmer activities, the girls are always chatting up a storm and are so pumped to be cooking in the kitchen. When I got to Cooking 2, the girls were enjoying their Texas Caviar with tortilla chips and playing the game “Psychologist” until the period was up. I was impressed with their creativity as they came up with different methods to stump the person guessing.
Our Dance classes were up and moving today. The minis have already started practicing their dance that they will perform on Friday night, and it’s so much fun to see their personalities shining through as they get comfortable with the moves. The older dancers haven’t started learning their dances quite yet, but they enjoyed warming up with some choreography to the “Cotton Eyed Joe” and “Crusin For a Bruisin.” They’re really starting to grasp different dance techniques and I’m excited to see their progress throughout the week.
Next, I stopped by Outdoor Adventure. They were learning how to tie knots using the classic shoe-tying “bunny metaphor” that counselor Bailey had taught them. I enjoyed listening to their giggles as they attempted and failed, attempted once more, and finally achieved the knots. I was impressed by their persistence to get it right and admired how the older girls helped some of the younger campers once they had finished with their own rope.
The Arts and Crafts building was also an area I frequented throughout the day. In Arts and Crafts, the girls made mosaics out of air dry clay and beads, and in Pottery, they began to work with clay and brainstorm ideas for future creations they will take home. Madison, the pottery activity head, taught the girls how to make “worry stones” that they could rub whenever they might be feeling anxious. The class discussed how we can always bring our worries to the Lord and cast our anxieties on him. It’s always a treat to stop by and sit with the girls as they chat about life and camp and everything in between.
Ropes, Tower, Tennis, and Swimming also swung, jumped, and swam straight into the action. In Tennis, the girls practiced their technique with a game. Each girl would hit the ball toward a classmate on the other side of the net, who was attempting to catch the ball. If their classmate caught it in the air, the player who hit the ball had to join the other behind the net. The number of girls behind the net kept adding up with more and more catches until somebody was crowned champion.
In Ropes, the girls climbed the obstacle course and got to swing off a platform through the air after completing the course. I always like watching their expressions of excitement as they get that adrenaline rush from experiencing the thrill.
Campers at Tower and Swimming soaked up the sunny weather. While the girls at Tower summited the “Tower of Power,” campers at swimming took the more relaxing route of laying out in the sun, floating on floaties, or performing artistic jumps off the diving board. I even overheard mini campers from one cabin proudly boasting to their counselor that all of them passed the swim test! They are so excited to be visiting the pool again throughout the week, and celebrated their hard work with delicious Beli Deli.
But the shining highlight of the day was the debut of nighttime activities: Sock War!
During Sock War, the girls compete as clubs to protect flags at their club base while attacking the other clubs with socks! If a camper is hit with a sock, they must walk to the basketball court with their hands on their head (to indicate that they’re out) and be counted by an admin. Once they have been counted, they recieve more socks and they are back in the game. The club with the least number of players that got “out” or that stole another club’s flag wins the game. The girls really get competitive in this battle, making sure to draft plenty of battle plans and capitalize on valuable sneak-attack opportunities!
After the game was over, the girls gathered on the basketball court as the sun set to find out the final results and do one last club cheer. Evan announced the results, and the Mounties won! Something that I love about the end of club competitions is that all three clubs erupt in cheers, no matter how their club did in the game. Each club embodies such a strong spirit of competitiveness, while still making sure to support their fellow Skyline Sisters along the way.
After Sock War, it was time for Campfire and then off to bed to get some rest for our long week ahead! It’s gonna be a fun one. Tommorrow night’s club competition is Game of Life, which is always a camp favorite because it includes tons of fun costumes. We are so excited to see what tomorrow holds!
Make sure to check out today’s “Day in Camp” video and we’ll update you again tommorrow night!
With love,
Sydney
