One of the repeated themes in the Fitzgerald household is “you always have a choice.” Things in life may happen to you, but you always have a choice about how to react, respond or retaliate in any situation. Hitting your brother back was not the right choice, but it was your choice to make and you have to take ownership of that choice. You made the choice on Friday to play video games instead of studying for your test on Monday, so now you can’t go to dinner with friends on Sunday night. These lessons in choice often come with consequences, good or bad, but they teach our children about the power in each choice that they make. It takes maturity to fully grasp this concept, and it is often difficult for children to accept.
At Highlander, we believe that the power of choice is critical to the growth of a child. Having a choice about the activities of your day, the food you eat and even what you do in your free time is a great way to foster independence and increase responsibility in our campers. Choice has always been intentionally woven into our programming to facilitate these growth opportunities for campers each summer, and today cabins were overjoyed with the gift of choice.
Today was Cabin Choice day. Campers got to prioritize and choose which activities they would like to do, or even do again, for all five periods today. This choice also came with another big growth opportunity - compromise! What happens when everyone in the cabin wants to do different things…we compromise. We learn the art of give and take, and we choose to have a good attitude about whatever adventures lie ahead. We choose fun above all else, and today your children chose well!
Today was a really good day. Cabins chose their activities and joy radiated from their faces as they got to do exactly what they wanted to do ALL DAY. On Cabin Choice day, we offer our traditional camp activities with a few new options like card games, fishing, flag football, disc golf, firebuilding, zumba and more. The weather was glorious today-a sunny summer day that we all would have chosen if given the choice!
Favorite Details of the Day
- Reflect: Phil spoke at reflect this morning about winning. You won’t win every game you play, but that’s okay! Because it isn’t the winning that matters, it’s the hard work you put in and the friendships you build along that way that truly matter. Even in life, things may not always go the way that you expect, but it is important to focus on just how much you have grown along the way.
- Meals: We started our day with bagels and cream cheese, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit for breakfast. For lunch we had baked ziti, broccoli, and breadsticks. We finished our day with chicken fajitas, grilled vegetables, rice and beans, guacamole and queso. To everyone’s surprise, the disco ball went off and hot churros were served to each table. It was delicious!
- Weather: It was a super sunny and hot day here at Highlander. After the rain, we were so happy to see the sunshine!
- EP: Tonight’s evening program was Clue! Each cabin dressed up in their best detective attire and solved riddles around the mountain. The goal was to be the first cabin to solve the mystery of who robbed Gus’Place and stole all the candy. Cabins were looking for the who, with what tool and when the theft occurred. Cabin 2 solved the clues and caught Riley, the woodworking activity counselor, better known as the candy thief!
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About Melissa Fitzgerald
