Chicken Train
I know I’ve already said it, but experiencing things at Camp Huawni for the first time is such a treat. Yesterday, for example, was “Playday” and the “Uprising”. It happens every year on the first Wednesday of the Session, but kids are still shocked and squealing when the song “Chicken Train” by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils came on and all the campers ran in every direction. It looked like if you step on an ant pile, then they all scatter in a billion different directions. If you want to see it happen, you can check our Instagram @camphuawni – we posted the madness yesterday morning!
From that point on, the day consisted of a ton of classic summer camp activities. The girls and boys split up, the girls to Playday and the boys to Uprising. First up on the schedule for girl’s camp was an egg toss, campers Lucy and Erin won with a throw that had to be at least 30 yards far! After the egg toss, they moved on to Pie in the Eye, where the younger girls were able to smash a plate of whipped cream into their camper’s faces! The looks on those girls faces were so fun to see – each one was so determined and satisfied after they glanced at their counselors with white fluff all over their faces. From there, we released minnows into the pool, and the girls attempted to catch each one! At the end, the team with the most minnows in their bucket wins! This time though, we had a last second catch and accidental swallow by one of our counselors, Hannah, that led her team to victory! The last activity the girls were a part of on Playday was the Ice Bucket pour. The older girl campers had the opportunity to choose their counselor to pour ice cold water on! They used a slow and steady technique in order to put the counselors through as much discomfort as possible – it was awesome to watch… until one of the older campers requested to dump an ice bucket on me. Not knowing much about it, I didn’t realize that she kept refilling her pitcher for me to receive five pitchers of ice cold water poured down my back. I feel very much a part of the Camp Huawni family now.
After these activities, I went over to the Uprising, the boy’s camp activity. They were playing a version of capture the flag where they use pinecones as ammo and “bombs”. Again, simple fun is the most fun. These boys were having the time of their lives, getting dirty in the pines of East Texas and tossing pinecones at each other in an attempt to capture the other team’s flag. The boys only stopped for watermelon in-between games. All ages came together for a common goal; it was the coolest thing to watch!
At the end of the day, we calmed down with a skit night where kids coordinated with their cabins in order to show off what they’re capable of! It was the perfect activity to calm down after the crazy day outside. The girls of Willow Glen claimed the skit show championship! We then ended the night with a movie before heading to bed. Usually, the campers wake up bright and early before the counselors go in to get them up, but this morning after Playday the kids kept sleeping. Yesterday was awesome – they needed their sleep.
Today has been great for the campers as well because instead of a schedule of activities, they get to choose where they want to spend their time. The critter, slide, and trolley were the most popular by far because of the temperature getting pretty high this afternoon!
We had a camper in Bandaid, Zach, jump off the critter for the first time while the whole camp encouraged him through it! Because most of camp was out at the Critter Pond, everyone got to be a part of it.
It feels more and more like a family every day and I think that’s because of our small sized camp. We’re able to cultivate relationships that actually scratch the surface. Kids feel confident and known by their counselors while getting to go through scary things (like the critter) with them by their sides. I can’t wait to experience more with the campers of Session 2!
