Think of all the decisions you have made in your life that have made you the person you are today. One of the most valuable life skills we practice with our campers here at Camp Highlander is decision-making. Unfortunately, pop culture influences decisions for our children like: what they should wear, how they should talk, what they should eat or drink, what music they should listen to or how they should act to be “cool.” Because of this, oftentimes our children are paralyzed when they have to make decisions - unsure of what is the right thing to do, of doing it wrong or how it might be perceived by others.
The best way for children to learn how to make good decisions is to practice decision-making. We provide the perfect opportunity for this life-skill practice on our camper’s choice days, and today was the first of Session B. Every camper gets to choose and sign up for their favorite activities for the entire day and make their own schedule. These are definitely some of the most popular days at camp. Camper’s choice days promote independence, allow campers to have a voice and give them control of their journey.
In addition to our traditional camp activities, camper’s choice days offer different activities that allow our campers to choose the pace of their day. Campers who want to slow down and relax more may choose to sign up for sudoku, cards or board games. Other campers may want to explore their creative side and will sign up for a special painting class or even improv at drama. Some campers sign up for sports all day with everything from LAX to riverball or pool Zumba. The choice is theirs!
Favorite Details of the Day
- Reflect at the Rock: Today Lucy Gautreaux, a counselor in Cabin 16, shared with us the impact that Highlander has had on her life. She recalled her first summer at camp, and how at Highlander she has found more than camp, she has found a family. Her wish is that every camper would feel the same love and support this summer that she has known from her Highlander family!
- Meals: For breakfast we had Belgian waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon and a fruit bar. For lunch we had philly cheese steak poboys, onion rings and salad bar. Dinner was greek chicken, grilled vegetables, hummus and pita bread and salad bar.
- Weather: We woke up to beautiful sunshine but the rain was in the forecast. We had clear skies in the morning and the rain started during lunch. We had a wonderful nap through the rain, and headed out to activities just as the storm was easing up. The rain stopped for third and fourth period, but started again just as I finished pool zumba.
- EP: It was Halloween at Highlander! We have been celebrating holidays in July, and tonight was Halloween! The CITs turned the Rec Hall into a Haunted House and the gym was filled with spooky booths and a giant dance party. Campers dressed up in costume and enjoyed laughing and dancing with friends…and of course, it wouldn’t be halloween without candy!
Life can often feel like a series of choices or decisions, but the most important choice we encourage our campers to make each day is the choice of their attitude. In life, there are many things that are beyond our control and our happiness is not about what is happening to us, but how we choose to react or respond to the circumstances of life. I believe that this is one of the most important lessons we teach at camp. Though we may not like every activity we do at camp, when we choose a good attitude we can always have fun!
About Melissa Fitzgerald
