When I was a child, I had the hardest time making decisions…what I wanted to wear each day, what I wanted for dinner at a restaurant, who to ask over for a playdate. After I would make a choice, I would often second guess myself and wonder if I made the right decision. I realize now that I hated deciding because I was afraid of making the wrong choice, but each and every decision I had to make helped me make the next right choice.
The best way for children to learn how to make good decisions is to practice decision-making. At Camp Highlander we provide the perfect opportunity for this life-skill practice on our camper’s choice days, and today was the first of Session A. Every camper gets to choose and sign up for their favorite activities for the entire day and make their own schedule. When campers have the freedom to choose their activities, they learn to trust their instincts, explore their interests, and take responsibility for their decisions. This autonomy develops critical life skills that extend beyond camp, preparing them for future challenges and opportunities with resilience and self-assurance.
Camper’s choice days are definitely some of the most popular days at camp not only because campers choose their activities, but because they choose WHO they do their activities with. Today I loved that Cabin 12 couldn’t go a whole day without being together as a group, so they signed up as a cabin for pottery. I also love that many siblings took this opportunity to sign up for the same activity to enjoy making camp memories together. Most of all, I loved that today there was SO MUCH chatter at activities all day. Campers are comfortable, happy, right where they belong. Everyone was SO happy doing their favorite things with their favorite friends today! These campers couldn’t stop talking and laughing as they played hard all day on Old Forge Mountain. This is proof to me that there is no such thing as a wrong choice on Camper’s Choice Day, and that we all made the RIGHT CHOICE to spend Session A 2024 together at Highlander!
Favorite Details of the Day
- Reflect at the Rock: This morning Matthew York, our Senior Boys Division Head, talked to us about perseverance. He shared how some of the most successful people failed before they achieved success and often failure is necessary to reach your full potential. He challenged us to have the same mindset of learning from our failures to reach our full potential at camp - whether it is with activities like the blob, crows nest, and the climbing wall or if it is just trying to make a new friend. Don’t let fear of failure keep you from trying to do hard things!
- Weather: The weather was beautiful today. Sunshine all day. High of 81, low of 62. The temperature dropped quite a bit right before dinner. Everyone is going to sleep so well tonight with the cool breeze in the air.
- Meals: For breakfast we had Belgian waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, oatmeal, grits and a fruit and yogurt bar. For lunch we had french dip po-boys or turkey melt po-boys, tater tots and a salad bar. Dinner was a HUGE hit…chicken fettuccine alfredo, roasted broccoli, garlic bread and a salad bar.
- EP: Tonight’s evening program was Highlander 500…a night of Nascar themed races on the athletic field. Cabins competed in groups and won points for their team. Tonight Team 4 (Cabins 1, 13 & 29) won in the finale and signed the EP trophy!
About Melissa Fitzgerald
