It was an interesting weather day at camp today. We started off with rain, sun, rain and then overcast for the night. At camp we did social skills (relationships and personal hygiene) then it was time for obstacle course and archery. The campers did really good for the first time at archery today and the kids flew through the obstacle course. After that we had lunch and then it was time for swimming. After swimming we had a few rounds of dodgeball and then it was time for "Horse Races". All the campers got to dress the counsellors up. The counsellors were the horses and they had to race around the site and at the finish line the kids cheered them on. We saw Lucky win heat 1, Fox 40 win heat 2, 2LC win heat 3 and to finish it up we saw Bandit come from behind on a bike to win heat 4. Tonight we played Capture the Flag and Camouflage.

We will be at camp again tomorrow!!

Today we went to Easter Seals Camp Horizon. It was so nice outside and the campers all seemed to have a good time. Lots of the kids went to the top of the giant swing ... and if they were scared of heights they still got strapped in and went up a bit. The rock climbing wall we had some campers race up the wall while others took there time. Lots of campers made it to the top when they thought they weren't going to. When we returned from Horizon we went to the pool immediately. It was a hot day so the staff and campers were happy to be in the pool. We saw a variety of tricks off the diving board. Tonight we did super skills (sports and outdoor) and then played a game called Safari (it is very similar to capture the counsellor except the counsellors are animals). After that we had snack and the campers went to bed.

Tomorrow we will be doing obstacle course, archery range and play some games around the campsite.

FRIENDLY CAMP

We got to camp today and quickly put on our swimsuits and the sun came out at the perfect time. All the campers enjoyed swimming and got to talk to all the new campers and start to make new friends. After swimming we had supper that consisted of chicken, corn and mashed potatoes. It was then time for social skills and all the campers set a camp goal to accomplish by the end of the week. We then played capture the flag and had a campfire.

Tomorrow we are going to Easter Seals Camp Horizon to go off the giant swing, rock climbing wall and low ropes course.

We just finished our last full day at camp for this session. We had another great day with amazing weather. Today we did social skills, archery, obstacle course then let the kids go to the playground till lunch. Swimming was a hit once again with all the kids. After lunch we did a obstacle course that Bandit and Wood Shop set up. There were buckets of water hid throughout the obstacle course. If the campers looked for these buckets while trying to get through the course and then found one they were aloud to throw the whole bucket of water on Wood Shop. Needless to say he got very wet during this game. All the campers appeared to be enjoying it. It was then time for supper and after supper we did Super Skills. One group did arts and crafts the other went to the river. We finished off our night with one last campfire before sending the campers to bed. We have had many campers ask to come back next week and if we could do a longer camp for them to say at. I'm glad to hear that they are all enjoying themselves enough that they want to stay longer. See you all tomorrow at pickup!

What a hot day it was today. After breakfast we did social skills (Problem Solving) and then some kids went to the river with the counsellors and some stayed in the cabin out of the sun. The river was an amazing time and the kids got to see a few counsellors walk across the current and almost get swept away (not really, but it was fun watching them cross). We then did archery and obstacle course. Our nurse was very busy making sure campers had sunscreen on at all times and drinking as much water as possible. After lunch we swam for almost 2hrs and then our theme for the afternoon was CRAZY EGG DAY! The kids were in groups and had to make a container to put there egg in. When they were done Bandit went on top of the cabin to drop the eggs off the roof to see if any of them would break. All the creations kept the egg in 1 piece except for 1 team. After this they did a few relays with the eggs and then before dinner there was a water chugging contest. After supper we did super skills and played "The Animal Game". The campers and counsellors are all really tired from being outside in the sun ... but are looking forward to another hot day tomorrow.

Today was another nice day out at Camp Amicus. The kids were all up bright and early and were ready to start their day. We had pancakes and sausages for breakfast and then we did social skills (dealing with strong emotions). After that we split into 2 teams ... one team did archery and one team did obstacle course. The kids seemed to have a really good time. At archery we had some campers doing it for the first time by themselves and they were so happy that they didn't need the counsellor to help them hold the bow. We also had campers go off the zip line for the first time on the obstacle course. For lunch we had Mac 'N Cheese! After lunch we went swimming and the campers saw the counsellors throw Stanger (one of our counsellors) into the pool. They all thought it was hilarious.

The whole afternoon was "Pirate Day". The kids did a treasure hunt, made pirate boats and went to the river to try to sink the other teams boats. They all really got into it ... so did the counsellors. For dinner we had bbq chicken, potato salad and veggies. To finish off the night we had a "fire war". We had 2 fires going and the campers had to work with there team to put out the other teams fire with only there water bottles. If they were tagged by the "pirates" then they had to dump out the water in there bottle and go refill it.

The campers are now in bed. We will talk to you again soon!

Today we went to Easter Seals Camp Horizon and did the campers got to go on the giant swing, rock climbing wall and low ropes course. We had beautiful weather and when we got back to

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and got ready for breakfast and then headed to Camp Horizon where we had a giant swing, rock climbing wall and obstacle course waiting for us. Some of the campers went to the top and even a couple screamed! The campers really enjoyed the rock climbing wall. We had lunch under the tent at Horizon ... we were happy to see the tent so the campers had time to get out of the sun. After Horizon we went swimming and did some cool jumps off the diving board and some of the counsellors threw the kids high in the air. After swimming they had social skills (Friendships and Bullying). For dinner we had sloppy joes and they were really sloppy. One kid ate 6 sloppy joes! He broke the Amicus record of 5 set by a camper last week. Super Skills was after where they chose between Arts and Crafts or Outdoor Adventure. Some campers painted rocks while the others went to the river. The campwide game was Safari, where counsellors hid as different animals. Some animals were harder to catch then others (Cheetah) and they were really hard to catch. Tonight we were able to squeeze in a campfire and sang some songs before having snack and getting ready for bed.

Tomorrow we are doing obstacle course, archery and swimming!

BUDDIES CAMP

Well we survived Day 1 at camp. The kids were all VERY excited to be at camp so we took them swimming as soon as they got off the bus. The pool was nice and everyone seemed to be having a good time. At night we did social skills (goal setting) and then played Capture the Flag. Both teams hid their flag in very hard places so the game went on for quite awhile. After that it was time for snack and to go to bed.

The campers just got on the bus to head to Easter Seals Camp Horizon. Looks like it's going to be a nice day. Talk to you all soon!!

Teen Camp Day 5

Well it was our last full day of camp. Before I tell you about today I should let you know what we did yesterday. Yesterday was our first sunny day in awhile so the campers and counsellors enjoyed it quite a bit. We did archery, obstacle course, swam and then went to Easter Seals Camp Horizon. At Camp Horizon we did the low ropes course, rock climbing wall and giant swing. After a day in the sun the campers were pretty good at going to bed.

Today was a very nice day at camp. The teams did obstacle course and archery again. We then went swimming and had a surprise guest arrive after swimming. Eryn Murray (the old Program Director who is currently on maternity leave) stopped by with her 2 little boys Josh and Zach. All the returning campers loved seeing Eryn and the 2 newest additions to her family. While Eryn was here we played the Animal Game and then had a water chugging contest outside the dining hall where Team Wood won by a few people. Throughout the week the counsellors have been giving out money to campers when they do something good. All this money went to good use tonight at our "Counsellor Auction". The campers were aloud to bid to get a counsellor to do whatever they want tomorrow. They are aloud to dress them up, make them pack there bags, take there dishes away at meals ... pretty much anything. All the campers really got into it and the counsellors were bought for large amounts of money. It will be interesting to see what they make them do tomorrow. Right now the campers are just finishing up our first outdoor campfire all week. So hopefully it is going well and everyone participated in singing some songs, telling jokes or doing some skits.

This week has been great. I hope all the campers had a good time.

Teen Camp Day 2 and 3

The campers are in bed and all I can say is that we have got a lot of rain out here the last 2 days. The staff and campers have tried to make the best of it. Yesterday we did not go to Camp Horizon due to the weather. We did social skills (Having a Conversation and discussed interviews) then played the “party game” for a bit. We then played board games with the campers and taught some of them how to make friendship bracelets. After lunch the campers played a game in the dining hall and watched a movie. After supper we had casino night in the kids cabin.

Today we woke up to more rain. The campers did social skills and then it stopped raining so the campers got to go swimming. They also got to do some archery and obstacle course before the rain started to come down again. The 2 teams played jeopardy at different times and learned quite a bit about the counselors and trivia we thought they’d know. After these games we played Capture the Counsellor and then it was time to get ready for bed.

Since we didn’t go to Camp Horizon on Monday we are going tomorrow afternoon. So lets keep our fingers crossed for good weather. Talk to you all soon!!

Teen Camp - Day 1

The campers are in bed and I can say our first day with them was a success. At camper pickup it was great to see all the returning campers and to see them all quickly start to mingle before getting on the bus. When we arrived at camp we of course got rain! We had some distant thunder but luckily it ended in time for us to go swimming. It was a little chilly out so some of the campers only swam half the time then had a hot shower to warm up. After swimming we had dinner then set SMART goals in Social Skills. The campers all made really great goals (eg. To make friends with everyone at camp) and many of the returning campers remembered the acronym for goal setting. After social skills we did a big campwide game of Capture the Flag. We made it a little harder this camp with larger boundaries and the game went on for an hour. I am happy to say that my team (the Pinny team) found the flag and won the game. J After that we let the campers mingle and catch up on there past year.

Tomorrow we are going to Camp Horizon to do the giant swing, low ropes course and rock climbing wall.

Friendship Camp Day 6

We are near the end of Day 6 at camp and the campers are very comfortable around all the counsellors now. Today we started off the day with Social Skills (problem solving) and then one team did archery and the other team made boats and rockets. After those activities we played a field game and it was time for lunch. After lunch we went swimming for the first time at the pool on our campsite. All the campers and counsellors had a good time. We also had the campers clean up there cabin since it was starting to get a little gross inside. It is much more pleasant to walk into now.

Tonight we are doing Super Skills and our night activity is still to be determined based on the weather. I have been taking pictures throughout the week and will post them when I get cord for my camera. So if they aren't posted before camp is over please check back throughout the summer.

Talk to you all tomorrow!!

Friendship Camp Day 3 and 4

Hey Everyone! Sorry about the no post yesterday and the lack of pictures. We are still trying to find a cord to get the pictures off my camera. Until then I’ll try to write a more detailed blog.

Yesterday was a fun day. In Social Skills we discussed personal hygiene and puberty. After that the 2 teams did obstacle course and archery. After lunch it was time to head to Cochrane to go swimming. Our pool hasn’t been opened yet at camp so we have been taking the kids to Cochrane to swim. They love the pool and it’s nice to get off our site once and awhile. After swimming the campers played Belly Baseball and did arts and crafts. Our theme was survivor so each camper made a headband for the game that night and they also made/decorated cookies. After dinner we played a HUGE game of flinch, where Jac Pine and Bandit dominated. The survivor game went off without a hitch and we saw some great teamwork and encouragement from all the campers throughout the evening. I think most of the campers were pretty tired from our day … it was the earliest they had went to bed so far this camp.

Today was our trip to Easter Seals Camp Horizon. The weather was a little cloudy before we left so weren’t sure how the day was going to play out. We made it to Horizon and some of the kids got to do giant swing and some did the rock climbing wall and low ropes course. At lunch it started raining like crazy so the staff at Horizon found us a dry place to eat lunch. After thunder and lightening we were informed that we wouldn’t be able to do the rest of the activities so we got on the bus early and came back to camp. It rained really hard all afternoon so the campers watched a movie in the dining hall. The sun came out and a huge dodgeball game broke out. After dinner we did social skills (dealing with strong emotions) and played Capture the Counsellor.

Friendship Camp Day 2

Sorry there won't be any pictures tonight. I seem to have misplaced my camera cord, hopefully I'll find it tomorrow to post come pictures!!

Last night was our first night at camp. It was fun having a sleepover with all of our new friends. However, it was a long night because the boys left everyone up too late and made Bandit very mad. We learned about bullying and cyber bullying today at social skills; and now we all know how to deal with bullies. Afterwards Woodshops team did the obstacle course and Bandits team learned archery. Both groups had a lot of fun. Then some of us played parachute games before lunch time. After lunch we went swimming in Cochrane. The bus drivers were really late, but it was worth the wait because swimming rocker. We got to play games like basketball and Marco Polo in the pool; and we jumped off the diving board; and we even got to go in a hot tub. After swimming we all felt refreshed and then went to the dining hall to have pork chops and a birthday cake for Jake's birthday. Tonight is movie night and we are all excited to find out what the movie is.

FRIENDSHIP CAMP!!

Hi Everyone! For Friendship Camp we are going to be doing the blog a little different this camp. We have a Super Skill that is doing a newspaper for camp so I am going to use their write up for each day to do the camp blog. I hope you enjoy!

Today we arrived to Camp Amicus for Friendship Camp. When we first got on the bus we felt sad, nervous and excited. But we quickly got set up and got to know all the campers and counsellors. Our first activity at camp was name games, one was called "Name Tarp" and it really helped us get to know each other. After we played name games it was time for social skills where we learned how to set goals using the SMART method. Then it was time for dinner. We had spaghetti with tomato sauce, garlic break, caesar salad and apple crisp for dessert. It was delicious! But the only bad part was that the cooks didn't make enough food :( . Tonight we are all splitting up and working on our Super Skills, they are: sports, newspaper, outdoors, and drama. Newspaper is the best super skill of all! Tonight we have a Campwide Game and campfire at the river - we can't wait!