Water balloon toss!
Hi, everyone! Cara B. here with a special introduction. Reporting live for the very first time, it’s Mama Iguana!
Hey there! My name is Mama Iguana, and I’m so happy to be joining Cara B. on the blog this summer. I can’t wait to keep you all updated on all of the excitement ahead.
Two nights ago, we had our first evening program of staff training, Llamapalooza! All of the staff gathered on Deer Meadows field. Groups of counselors rotated through different activities. Some activities included a crazy, fun obstacle course where they had to jump through hoola hoops, bounce balls into a kiddy pool, write long, creative messages in a white book, and knock down bowling balls! Two worker bees led dizzy bat. After spinning around a baseball bat, counselors carried a cup full of “honey” from one bucket to the other. These bees will definitely have enough honey for the next few days, thanks to all our staff! There were even some circus runaways looking for elephants over at the elephant march. The night ended with two big group activities. Counselors did a rock-paper-scissor challenge, where the loser of each rock-paper-scissor game held onto the shoulders of the winner, ending with a final game between the two counselors with the longest conga lines behind them. Finally, once a winner was announced, staff gathered on the hill for the activity we’d all been waiting for… the counselor wake-up challenge! Counselors raced to get out of their sleeping bags, throw on some crazy costumes, eat cereal as fast as they could without using hands, and say the alphabet backwards before going back to bed. Deer Meadows was full of cheers and laughter as our new staff were put to the ultimate test.
After a good nights sleep, counselors rolled into breakfast and were surprised with the first egg bar of the summer lead by Chris and Lilian! Returning counselors helped spread the excitement and show new staff the expert egg bar technique to achieve an optimal egg experience. Our fabulous kitchen staff really set the tone for a great day ahead! After breakfast, counselors split up into groups to continue training! Ropes staff had a day full of more team bonding games and learning the basics of the ropes course, lifeguards practiced more rescues, and the horse staff went for some trail rides. We had our video staff walking around all day, filming various areas of camp, and there was lots of glass blowing going on in the Beadhive!
To finish off a great day, staff enjoyed a night of trivia in the dining hall! Counselors were split up into groups to answer six rounds of questions on different topics like HVC, world geography, and pop culture! Between each round, our shift heads acted as DJ’s for special “Name That Tune” challenges. Every other round, our fabulous MC’s David and Aileen hosted “Minute to Win It” challenges. Each group picked representatives from their team who then had a minute to complete the challenge at hand. Staff showed off their cookie eating talents, attempting to get a cookie from their forehead into their mouth without using their hands, competed in a relay that involved holding M&Ms using a straw, and attempted to spoon cotton balls from one bowl to another while blindfolded. The night came with lots of laughter, great team bonding, and loads of candy.
Today, staff are continuing to do more training. Lifeguards are learning CPR, Ropes staff are practicing their belaying skills, and the horse and video staff are continuing to practice. On Monday, the rest of our staff will arrive and we will start talking about cabin life, classes, and daily routines.
That’s all for now! Enjoy photos from the last couple days and stay tuned for more updates from electives tonight and various activities going on around camp!
Catch you on the flip side,
Mama Iguana