Our Very First Day...

Monday marked our very first and very full day at Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Camp.  We started early with breakfast and flag raising and after our stomachs were full and the official duties were finished our campers hit the camp hard.  Our younger campers started with Arts and Crafts making their very own spirit sticks.  They also had a chance to hit the archery range, learn safety rules and take their first shot at the target.  Some of our lucky campers started their day in the pool which made them very happy.  Others started by hiking to the beaver dam, riding horses, and of course our oldest members hit the lake in canoes.
  After 10 everyone switched activities and they even added a little kickball, boulder wall, and ice cream making into the schedule at this point.  I have to interject that the boulder wall is brand new at BJP.  It is different from the rock wall in that the rock wall allows a youth to climb up and repel down (the rock wall is on the water tower if that gives you any idea of how tall it is.  The boulder wall is only about six to seven feet tall but 30-40 feet long.  The youth get a workout looking for holds so they can move from one side of the wall to the other without touching the ground.
  By 11:30 our youngest members were enjoying a pizza lunch while our older campers were working on canoeing skills, team working skills on the rope course and horse back riding.  Then it was time for the older youth to enjoy lunch while the younger campers took to the boulder wall, had a free choice for activity, and made it out to the archery range while the rest made it to the craft shelter to work on their spirit sticks.
  By 1:45 they were switching activities again, making sure everyone had a chance to do everything today.  2:45 marked time for camp store (ice cream, drinks, chips, and a little free time socialization).  Then it was off to finish up the days activities before dinner.
  The younger youth enjoyed taco night while our older campers had a chance for a rest.  Several of our campers (and even an LIT) said that they took a well deserved nap, and really enjoyed it.  Then the groups switched and the younger youth rested while the older ones enjoyed dinner.  By 7 pm everyone made their way back to the flag pole for flag lowering and the announcement for the cleanest cabin.  You see this is a competitive award between the cabins.  Each morning the campers make their beds, clean up their spaces, mop the floors, clean the bathrooms and do their best to have the cleanest cabin.  While everyone is at the first activity the 4-H agent go through each cabin (with a score sheet) to determine the winner.  The first place winner gets the coveted gold faucet, while the second place winner receives the ever popular silver toilet seat (honest I am not creative enough to make this up on my own).  Today the first place winners were cabin one (the youngest of the girls) while second place went to cabin 5 (the youngest group of boys).
  After cheering and jeering it was time for the majority of campers to head to the evening activity of water sports, while the Earth and Sun groups prepared to camp out and the adventurers and trekkers hit the boulder wall.   Water sports involve pool games, a slip and slide and swimming in the lake (with a life jacket on).  Unfortunately, just a few minutes in the thunder started so everyone headed to the recreation hall for games.  With a little patience, some really cool games, and some cooperation from mother nature about 20 minutes later we were able to resume our fun.  Unfortunately due to the new time line the slip and slide was taken out of rotation and we just enjoyed the pool water and lake water.
  After being a little water logged, and having our evening snack (as one camper said, we sure do eat a lot here) it was 9:30 and time to head back to the cabins.  Tired feet shuffled across the camp and made their way back to the cabins for showers, making sure suits and towels were hung up and then the heads hit pillows and gentle little snores (and some not so gentle) could be heard coming from all the cabins.
  It was a fun day and there is no doubt there were dreams of the fun that was had and the fun that is coming in the days ahead.