Day Camp 2 - Monday

July 15

Happy first day of camp!

Even though we are just getting settled in, it was a busy day here at Camp Amicus. First thing after sign-in, campers met their counsellors. This gave us an opportunity to learn names and get acquainted.

As a full group, our fearless leader Quack and coordinator Chinook explained Choice programs. Choice programs give our campers the opportunity to choose from four different activities. It is up to each camper to choose how they will spend a two-hour block of the afternoon. Out choice programs today were varied, giving our campers the option of high-energy or low-energy activities.

At Camp Amicus, we work in a ratio of 2 counsellors to 6 campers. We call this time at the beginning of each day 2:6 time. It provides us with important bonding time, but there was a lot that needed to be accomplished in 2:6 time.

In 2:6 time, our groups each made a group contract, a set of rules and expectations for campers in that group to strive for. Campers made their braids, which hang over their shoulders, used both to identify them as one of our campers, as well as allowing them to collect ‘bling,’ which campers and counsellors can make for each other. Some of our returning campers were able to help out their new friends!

After 2:6 time, we played a camp-wide game. Each day, we play one game as a full group. This gives our campers an opportunity to bond with those outside their 2:6 groups. Today’s camp-wide game was called hostage, a variation of capture the flag where a member of the opposite team is hidden instead of a flag.

We had some free time after this, and then it was time for lunch. After lunch, we got ready for Choice!

Today’s choices saw some campers playing dodgeball games, some heading to the community garden for tie-dying shirts as well as gardening, some playing spike ball, and others making crafts in the upstairs art room.

To close out the day, everyone gathered in the camp room to review goals they had set this morning, as well as for Steps in the Right Direction. A Camp Amicus favourite activity, Steps allows campers to give an extra acknowledgement to any of their peers, for anything they would consider exceptional. Steps in the Right Direction is useful for reinforcing social skills, as well as strengthening the bond between campers and counsellors. We finish every day with a debrief, as well as a zones of regulation check, before sending campers home.