Our Opening Ceremony is how your camper will start his/her day each morning! The entire camp group will come together and sing a few silly songs, or a ‘get to know you’ ice breaker. The goal is to start our camp day with a similar routine each day that allows the campers to have fun together before the day begins. This will also be a time where we announce our theme for the week and any special or important items the campers should know.

Huddle Group time is the time of day where we focus on setting the tone of camp. We work to inspire the campers to work together and play to build relationships with each other that will hopefully turn into friendships that last a lifetime. Because of this, Huddle Group time is one of the most important parts of our day. Each camp group meet at their “home base” and divides into smaller groups to play different games and activities in order to help build relationships skills and get to know each other.

This is the jump-start into the camp day! Our morning activity rotations will focus on a wide range of activities. Some will get the campers’ bodies moving using high-energy games, some will be activities that will inspire curiosity and creativity, and others will engage campers to explore, build, and experiment.

Lunch is a time for the campers to sit together with their counselors and enjoy a meal. This will be a time of relationship building and eating, followed by a time for reading, sometimes individually, in a small group, or as a camp group. Campers also learn and experience how we value responsibility by helping to clean up their camp area to prepare for lunch and clean up after themselves alongside their camp counselors. This is a great opportunity for campers to take ownership of their camp experience and learn responsibility!

Afternoon activity rotations focus on trying new activities that will challenge campers to build new skills or work towards a goal. Our goal is to enhance belonging and accomplishment by creating a place where kids are safe to be themselves and try new things. Each week, each child will choose their activity from the list of offerings and work to master that activity by the end of the week.

Huddle Group time at the end of the day is intended for the campers to reflect on and enjoy the day that they just had. Reflection is a great way for campers to really think about how their day went and share it with others. We also focus on continuing to practice and understand the YMCA’s four core values of respect, responsibility, caring, and honesty. This time is also used for campers to express their favorite parts of the day, and parts of the day they would change. This is a great opportunity for camp counselors to learn more about each camper and what they enjoy.

Each group will end the day with their camp group and clean up their room before pick-up begins. Daily closing ceremonies may include an activity, a silly song, or a group challenge. On Fridays, there is an extended closing ceremony, where the whole camp group comes together and celebrates the week. This is an opportunity for large group or staff challenges, mini-talent shows, opportunities to honor campers for trying new things or sharing their camp favorites, or voting for what they want the next week to include.