And Then More Rain...

After it rained all day Tuesday, I was hoping the sun would come out yesterday. But that was not the case. The rain continued, not letting up for even a few minutes.

We'd adjusted activities on Tuesday, but I didn't think we could make it through another day like that. So the Lead Staff and I sat down at breakfast and re-wrote the whole day. We planned several different counselor shows, a hot chocolate break in the afternoon, a carnival (complete with prizes) and readied ourselves for the day. It was EXHAUSTING, because lead staff led everything, so while some of us were leading one activity, the others were finishing plans and setting up for the next. We ran all day to be two steps ahead of the group. And it was a success, but really, so intense.

The first activity was all camp crafting- making carnival masks out of paper plates, feathers, glitter and fun stuff from the art barn. Counselor A was still struggling with his group of 14 year old boys and the idea of attempting to get them to make crafts for an hour was weighing on my mind.

I think one of the most difficult things I have to train staff is the balance between treating all kids the same, being fair and consistent, but also knowing when you have to treat kids entirely different. Expecting 14 year old boys to quietly craft was not going to work. So even though that's what everyone was doing, I decided to give them a different option. I met with them and asked them what their ideal day at camp would look like. They came up with a whole list of ideas and since we'd dropped the regular schedule anyway, I decided to re-write their whole day, customized to their ideas. Counselor A wasn't so sure- he expressed his concern that it didn't make sense to reward them with what they wanted when they weren't listening very well. But here's the thing- they weren't listening because they were bored. So my options were to be in a power struggle with them all day, attempting to force them to behave, while they expressed their boredom, OR, to set them up for success by occupying them with activities where they would behave.

So while everyone else crafted masks, they played soccer in the rain. After soccer, they had asked to swim in the rain. It was REALLY cold and pouring, but there wasn't lightening or wind, so I was fine with it and even agreed to lifeguard for them. Watching them jump into the lake, fully clothed, screaming as they hit the cold water and then repeatedly jumping off the dock as it poured made being wet and cold myself, totally worth it. Moments like that are what camp is all about. Kids remember the special things- the unexpected, the unplanned. They were so happy and completely swept into the experience. We weren't lecturing them about listening or telling them to follow directions. It was a perfect moment of camp magic.

The rain continued ALL day and by the end of the day, and even though our alternate activities were good, being cooped up inside was stressful. Kids and staff were all a little whinny and crabby by the end of the day, but we made it through.