 |
|
|
August 2008 PowerKids
Camp rocks!
Thanks to those of you who sent us your summer camp stories. There are some awesome camps out there, and we loved reading about your experiences. Here’s an edited sampling!
Camping on wheels
My favorite summer camp is called Science in Motion. It is a two-week summer camp conducted on a school bus. Every year, 5th-8th graders have the opportunity to travel a different quadrant of the United States.
Two school buses leave Wabash, Ind., loaded with 80 students each June. We stay at different camp grounds and sleep in tents. This year, we traveled northwest and went to Yellowstone National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Badlands National Park and Dinosaur National Park.
During our travels, we saw a lot of wildlife including two black bears; many elk, buffalo, antelope; an eagle; and gray wolves. We hiked around Badlands National Park and imagined earlier settlers trying to cross the Badlands with covered wagons. We saw a rodeo in Cody, Wyo., and I even tried to catch a baby calf.
My favorite activity was whitewater rafting on the Snake River and surviving a Class 4 rapid.
I had a great time on my summer camp trip. I made many new best friends from different schools.
I look forward to going on this summer camp again next year as it travels to the southwest United States and I will get to the Grand Canyon for the first time.
— Kylie Echard, 12 years old, Wabash, Ind.
Making new, true friends
The first time I went to [Wilderness Trek] Basecamp at Camp Illiana [near Washington, Ind.] was amazing. The day before, my friend called and said she couldn’t go. I was really upset because she was the only one I knew going.
My mom drove me to camp. As we walked up to the girls’ tents, I tried to see if there just happened to be anyone I knew. But no. We saw that most of the tents already had two people in them except for two.
This one girl’s mom started to talk with my mom. Her daughter didn’t know anyone here either, so I got to bunk with her. She was really nice, and we instantly became friends. Her name is Kim.
Camp lasted a week, and we got to know almost everybody. Kim and I were always hanging out. We also met this other girl who was really nice and really talkative (so we called her Walky Talky) and this other girl named Hannah. The four of us became close friends.
One day we went canoeing. It was a long trip, and we stopped on a beach. I was eating with Hannah when Walky Talky came up and told us that some of the boys were throwing pebbles and calling her fat. So we walked over there and told them that it wasn’t very nice and to back off!
We told her that she was beautiful just the way she was and that she wasn’t fat. She thanked us, and what we told her was true because God made her beautiful the way she is.
Phil, our camp leader, had been taking all kinds of pictures during the whole week, and he decided to take some on the water. Well, bad idea. The camera fell into the water, and we lost all the pictures! But the memories will stay forever in my heart knowing that I met a group of great friends that help each other no matter how many others are against us.
— Emilee Freeland
Collecting bugs, hiking at night
My favorite camp activities were when we all went into a marsh to collect bugs and when we went on our night hike. When we were charging down the hill to the marsh, we didn’t have a clue what was in store for us.
The bottom of the pond was dark brown, sticky mud. To find the bugs you would usually have to use a tool and dig around in the mud with it.
When it was really dark, we went on the night hike. We used no flashlights and no electricity. In the middle of the hike we stopped to see if our eyes had adjusted by guessing the color of the balloons that they showed us. I didn’t get any of the colors right.
It took my eyes quite a while to adjust to the dark.
Then we turned around and took a different route back. About half way back, we stopped and sat on logs around a campfire. Our leader walked to the middle of the group and taught us songs that we sang together. Close to when we were about to leave he asked if we had any song requests. One of the boys suggested that we sing the SpongeBob Campfire Song. When we were done singing everyone was cracking up.
Sadly, it was time to head back to the cabins. Our leader asked if we would like to see one last trick before we got into the buses. And, of course, we said “yes.” Our leader went over to the marsh and trapped some methane gas in a jar. Then he came back and dazzled us when he lit a match in the jar and made a beautiful fire creation.
— Gabby Garver, 10 years old
Slashing good time at Girl Scout camp!
My favorite part of Girl Scout summer camp was when we went canoeing. During my trip, I got splashed, and someone’s canoe tipped over — but it was not mine! It was funny. The lifeguards got them out of the lake, and they were soaking wet.
We stayed in a cabin. There were only two cabins, and my Girl Scout troop leader picked two numbers between 1 and 10. My number was 6 and was the closest to the number she had picked, so I got a cabin. Everyone else had to sleep in tents.
We also went fishing and someone from my troop caught a 10-inch fish. My line got tangled with the person standing next to me. A lifeguard helped me untangle my line but I didn’t catch anything.
All of the activities were fun, such as going hiking, eating lunch and making crafts. I have the best Girl Scout troop and leader ever!!! This is something I will never forget.
— Veronica Miller, 10 years old, Pimento, Ind.
A blast at YMCA camp
I go to summer day camp at the YMCA in Kendallville, Ind. Every week on Thursday we have a speaker or a field trip. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we go swimming. Some days we walk to Bixler Lake Park and play outdoor games and eat a picnic lunch. Every Friday we have a hot dog cookout. I like to play dodgeball and go swimming.
My favorite thing to do is the field trips. We have gone to Cook’s Bison Ranch and fed the buffalo, walked through the butterfly exhibit at The Botanical Conservatory and taken a tour of the DeBrand Chocolate Factory and got to taste “YUMMY” samples.
At the end of each day, the counselors hand out Character Bucks to award us for following the four core values of Respect, Caring, Responsibility and Honesty. Every week we get to go to the Character Buck Store and spend what we’ve earned on cool stuff.
At the end of summer we celebrate the end of day camp party with our parents and play games with them and have snacks. It’s a Blast!
— Taylor Targgart, 8 years old, Wolcottville, Ind.
Written By: eceditor
Date Posted: 7/28/2008
Number of Views: 231
Return
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|