We chose the first available Troop Camp weekend again this year and headed back to Camp Wahi. The theme was Castaway/Survivor, so we focused on survival techniques (among lots of fun crafts and the usual swimming, archery, and canoeing). It was HOT and humid, but our Troop lucked out with housing in the Bunk House, which is air conditioned, so at least we all slept well!
We brought leftover SWAPS from last year to trade:
Cora napped the entire way there (about an hour drive) from Daycamp:
We were greeted by happy staffers with icy treats:
Swim test (passed!)
Reminding ourselves how to get around camp:
Campfire and s'mores on night one:
(Sitting with the Sarahs)
(Before and after the treats...)
Sarah, Tiffiney, and I woke up early to go for a run:
Ready for breakfast on the Bridge of Silence!
Getting busy with a tissue flower craft:
Making Dump Cake for our Troop to enjoy later after dinner:
Followed by a story about the movie Castaway and another craft (slingshots):
Then (in the heat of the day) it was our turn to hit the lake!
Then it was time to try our hands at making fire. The counselors broke us into four groups to make it a competition and I was in charge of leading Group 4.
There was also time to stop by the Scout Store and buy souvenirs with their hard earned Cookie Cash (credited to their store accounts). Cora picked a Girl Scout doll that you could customize with your own Troop numbers and badges, and a journaling/crafting kit:
Trading SWAPS at lunch:
Another favorite activity is archery. After a safety and form lesson, each girl got a turn (with direct supervision and help from a mom). Then the moms who wanted to got a turn. And then some of the moms took the girls back to the Bunk House for Turtle Time while a few of us stayed after for some extra shooting time!
The girls REALLY enjoyed Turtle Time and took advantage of the free time to just play and talk (while some of the moms napped or showered):
The second morning started with a scavenger hunt around camp to find breakfast (donuts around the campfire ring), followed by another hour each at the lake and pool:
(Cara Beth doesn't like donuts, so she was highly disappointed in breakfast)
(It was Judy's first time canoeing, so Cara Beth and Cora and I showed her the ropes!)
(We saw these really cool fish "holes" lining one side of a cove at the lake)
(Catching tiny toads and tadpoles)
We took a couple last group photos before loading up and heading home:
(Sarah, Sarah, LaToria, Kelsey, me, Judy, Sally, and Tiffiney)
(The "Ant Squad" - they spent hours researching ants, writing stories about them, catching them, and designing homes out of used Pringles cans)
Cora and I stopped for ice cream on our way out of town (I'd promised her back on Friday), then took a roundabout route home to avoid an accident on the highway, and Cora was asleep within 5 minutes of getting on the road:
Always a sign of a good weekend! Troop Camp is just so much fun (for mamas and grandmas just as much as it is for the girls - we really look forward to it every year and are never disappointed - each year is a whole new adventure!)
No comments:
Post a Comment