Congo Camp 2010

Campers practicing their riding skills.

The Pony Adventures campers enjoyed their first day of riding and were excited to jump right into their second day.

Every morning, these campers get to enjoy seeing the horses happy to greet them at the barn. 

The counselors have been ensuring that the proper riding techniques are well learned by the campers so that in the future these campers will always ride the horse properly. 

We hope these campers have fun as they enjoy riding through their Tuesday!

The Kayaking campers getting their kayaks into the water.

Our Kayak Campers continued practicing their strokes as they moved around the pool.  These campers have been building up stamina to handle the water with ease. 

Today, this stamina will be quite helpful as they have a field trip to go out and kayak on natural water.

These campers can keep their kayaks afloat by showing their ability to balance well inside the boat and keep themselves going in a straight line by evening out their strokes. 

We hope these campers have fun on their first day of being out on the water off campus!

The beautiful Botanical Gardens that our Teen Travelers will be exploring!

Our Summer Adventures campers will be heading over to Ajax Amusements for a fun day of arcade games.  They enjoyed their adventure out yesterday and will continue to have fun over the course of the session. 

Teen Travelers will be making their breakfast bowl at The Cereal Bowl this morning.  Selecting various additions to their bowl, they will get to blend and combine different ingredients to make a delicious and eye-awakening bowl for breakfast.

After they eat their way through the morning, they will get to see the sights and sounds that the National Botanical Gardens has to offer.  With the warm weather continuing today, these campers will definitely enjoy their time outside.

Have fun on your travels, campers!

The aquarium at which our Day Trippers will be.

Two of our camps will be enjoying some time as they stay cool with some water based activities!

Congo Explorers will enjoy the Pirate Cove Water Park as they splash around and slide down in the various wet, watery areas of the park.

As these campers enjoy being in the water, the Day Trippers will explore what lives in our natural waters.  The Day Trippers will be heading out to the Baltimore Aquarium to see various aquatic sea life. 

We hope these campers have fun on their trips and enjoy the cool, calming waters of wherever they go.

Some of our wonderful horses.

We hope these campers have enjoyed their first day of session and get to continue having fun as they ride through the rest of summer!

One of our Kayak Campers practicing her paddling skills.

This week a very unique camp will be invading the Congo Camp swimming pool: Kayak Camp.  As you may guess, these campers will be learning how to properly Kayak. 

The campers wasted no time this morning and started off right into the waters.  They were getting around the pool with ease even as the water sloshed back and forth.

We look forward to seeing the many skills these campers demonstrate over the course of the week!

Inside of the National Air and Space Museum at which our Summer Adventurers will be!

Two of our travel camps will be spending some time in DC today as they get to explore our nation's capital and it's historic sites. 

Day Trippers will do a DC Duck Tour in the morning.  In the afternoon, they will receive an afternoon treat--which we are thinking might be a cold, creamy dessert.

Our Summer Adventurers will be heading out to the Air and Space Museum before they get to sink some shots at the Upton Hill Mini Golf course. 

We know these campers will have fun as they get to enjoy the thrilling sites of DC. 

Some of the delicious donuts our Teen Travelers will be munching on!

Our various travel camps are excited to start on their journeys this session and there are many places to where they will be going!

Congo Explorers will start off their morning at The Cereal Bowl in DC for a savory breakfast and then will explore the Botanical Gardens. 

As the Congo Explorers enjoy breakfast at The Cereal Bowl, the teen travelers will be getting a doughy breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts before they enjoy cooling down at Atlantis Water Park. 

We hope these two groups have fun getting breakfast before they complete their awesome adventures!

Our Congo Camp staff is excited for the session!

We hope everyone is excited for the session to begin.  Although all of us here at Congo Camp are sad to see the end of summer upon us, we are all excited to see the many travels and activities planned for this last session!

Many camps will be occurring over the course of the session. 

There will be plenty of travelers as the four travel camps (Summer Adventures, Congo Explorers, Day Trippers, and Teen Travel) head out on their treks for the day. 

Also, our Footland Soccer, Kayak Camp, and Pony Adventures will be busy doing various activities during the week! 

We hope all of our campers are excited and we can't wait to see every one in action. 

A few of the pieces of art that will be on display.

Our Media Mania campers are ending their session by hosting an art show of their art work. 

This art show will be taking place at 2:30 in the main hallway.  All of our campers artwork will be on display and we definitely see some Picassos in our future.

We wish these campers luck during their art show and want to tell them great job on all of their work!

One of the many sites our campers will see today!

Our Colonial Kids will be finishing up their week before they return at a trek through Jamestown and Yorktown settlements. 

From what we have heard, these campers have been enjoying their various travels through time and the sites they have seen in Williamsburg.

We hope they have fun on their last day in Williamsburg and have a safe journey back!

A few of the delicious cupcakes our chefs made.

Congo Chefs: Challenge finally hit Friday and all of the campers were extremely excited to being cooking cupcakes.

Each cooking team had various types of cupcakes that they made and the major part of the challenge was to decorate them well.

After taking a look at these cupcakes, though, one can easily see how these campers could compete on Top Chef with no problems. 

The tastiness of these cupcakes will be enjoyed after the counselors decide who won the competition!

Campers prepping the BBQ hot sauce.

Our Congo Chefs: Hawai'i had another Hawai'ian BBQ today.

These chefs prepared for the BBQ by making a spicy, BBQ sauce to spread over the various meats they are grilling.

A main part of this sauce is a Hawai'ian Spice Sauce called Sriracha.  The campers put just a little of this spicy sriracha to ensure that their sauce had a little Zing!

The campers are enjoying their day in the Hawai'ian heat and getting to eat some food with heat!

Our magic camper levitating.

Our Magic Experience campers have been hosting a magic show in their room today to entertain both campers and counselors alike. 

They had various acts ranging from a disappearing ball to a moving straw.  The most exciting trick was when our magic campers actually levitated a camper. 

This amazing feat had all of their observers in awe and we hope that the parents enjoy their campers' performance later this afternoon. 

Great job, Magic campers!

Our Lego Campers' Lego City

Our Lego World: City Edition campers have completely finished the city and even mapped it out on a plastic lego road.

These campers worked diligently over the course of the session to complete the various aspects of the city to ensure that it was completed properly.

In this city, you have the major necessities: a car shop, a gas station, and a pizza parlor.  Each camper worked on one of the buildings and one the cars to make the city more complete.

Good job, Lego World campers!

Campers learning to grind.

Our skateboarders were having a blast this morning as they learned how to grind from one of their skateboarding counselors.

These campers have mastered many skills over the week and are getting to enjoy their final day by playing some street hockey and riding down the various ramps.

As you sit and watch these boarders, you can quickly tell that they wish they had a few more days to enjoy skateboarding camp. 

We hope they continue to practice the many skills they learned as they head into the school year!

One of the many butterflies our Science Seekers will see.

Our Day Trippers did exactly that yesterday as they took a DC Bike Tour.  These Day Trippers have been having a blast all week on their various treks and will continue this fun as they make their way to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment.

As the Day Trippers explore the museum, the Summer Adventures campers will be enjoying a bouncing good time at the House of Bounce. 

The Science Seekers will be flying with the Butterflies today as they seek out the Wings of Fancy Butterfly exhibit.

We hope these travel camps have a blast as they venture out to various places!

Some of the re-enactors our campers will see.

We hope they have been having fun on their various tours and enjoy their second night of their overnight!

Mr. Burch signing autographs.

Today, the Soccer Pros campers had the chance to meet a player from DC United.  Marc Burch, #4, came by today to talk with and watch our campers.

The exciting part of the visit was when Mr. Burch autographed shirts and pictures. 

All of the campers tried to ensure that they got their shirt signed and are awaiting tomorrow when they get to meet more of the DC United team. 

One of the Ropes counselors preparing a camper to Zip!

The Ropes Adventure campers made their way to the zipline by crawling up the vertical playpen.

Starting off on a net rope, the campers then have to climb up a ladder and through tires to make it to the top.  The difficulty of the vertical playpen is that the ladder and tires are connected by ropes which make them wobbly. 

These Ropes Adventure campers had no problem overcoming the vertical playpen, though, and they loved the final piece of the course which was getting to do the zipline.

We can't wait to see these campers have fun on their last day as they try to ensure they get to make their way on as many obstacles as possible!

One of the campers showing off their mask.

Our Media Mania campers completed their morning by making masks.  These masks were started from a clean sheet of white paper.

Once folded properly, the Media Mania campers cut out various pieces to ensure they had places for their mouth and eyes to shine through. 

With the rest of the paper, they decorated with markers to make a unique looking face mask.  The masks all came out well and the campers enjoyed making and decorating these masks. 

The Pony Adventures campers taking the ponies back to the barn.

Our Pony Adventures campers get to introduce the love of equines to our younger campers during the day and ensure that these campers learn the proper way to ride.

It's a great to see these campers interact and to see some of our Pony Adventures counselors introduce techniques to our youngest campers.

The Pony Adventures campers have been having a blast over the past four days learning about equine TLC.  We hope they have fun during these last two days of Pony Adventures camp and get to get their fill of riding!

The pancakes made by our Hawai'ian Congo Chefs.

Congo Chefs: Hawai'i enjoyed their morning by making palate-pleasing pancakes. 

To start off, these campers mixed their batter (which was made completely from scratch) with some macadamia nuts and chocolate chips. 

Once the batter was blended, the campers then poured their pancaked onto the griddle and, after they were cooked, enjoyed having some delicious toppings. 

These Congo Chefs: Hawai'i campers have been having a blast over the past few days making various Hawai'ian foods and will continue making these delicious treats up until the end of the session!

One of the Global Arts campers showing off his decorated guitar.

Our Global Arts campers made a trip today to Puerto Rico.  As they ventured to this destination, they learned about the music that hails from this isle.

The main instrument about which they learned was the Puerto Rican Guitar.  They had precut guitars on which they put various decorations and patterns to make it their own.

Sitting in this Global Arts room, one can tell just how much the campers are enjoying their travels around the world.  They have definitely learned a lot this session and we hope they have fun continuing over the last days of session!

Campers skating down the ramps.

Skateboarders continued practicing jumps, flips, and tricks as they passed the morning away on the various ramps they have been using.

Each skateboarder has been advancing through the various moves at a quick pace and their counselors have been ensuring that these campers keep on the proper padded protection as they skateboard.

We hope they have fun in the last two days of camp and continue to skate through the rest of summer vacation!

Some of the excellent art that will be on display tomorrow.

Two special events will be occurring tomorrow, Friday the 27th, for some of our specialty camps:

Our magicians in Magic Experience will be hosting a Magic Show for parents in the late morning at 11:30 before the end of the session.  They have been practicing many magic tricks over the first few days and are definitely ready to show their skills.

The artists in our Media Mania camp will be hosting an art show tomorrow in the afternoon at 2:30 so camper parents can enjoy viewing the many creative productions these campers have made.

We can't wait to see both of these camps show off their excellent abilities tomorrow at their special events!

Some of the types of vegetables from which our campers will be choosing.

All of the campers have been enjoying the past few days in Congo Chefs: Challenge as they attempt to make various dishes and ensure those dishes are better than their fellow campers. 

We hope they have fun on their trip out to the store and we look forward to seeing the tasty treats they make once they return. 

Some of the LEGO architecture our campers will see.

Our Lego World: City is enjoying this beautiful Thursday morning by visiting the National Building Museum's special exhibit named, "LEGO Architecture". 

This exhibit has massive towers that are completely made out of Legos and these campers will get to see various sites such as the Sears Tower and other highrise Lego buildings.

Each of the campers is excited to go see the exhibit and we know that these Lego constructions will inspire our Lego campers as they build their city!

Some of our campers at the Playground.

Our campers have been having a blast in their various specialty camps this week, but, next to pool time, one of their favorite times of the day is getting to hang out at the Playground.

This playground time lets campers run around and play some field games to stretch their legs. 

All of these campers love hanging out with their counselors and doing activities in their rooms, but, when the sun shines, they enjoy getting some time outside.

We hope they continue to enjoy the playground time they receive over the next few days and we like getting to see them run around on the playground!

The campers in the midst of a game of Froggy Murder.

Many of our campers may refer to a game that would stump the average person: froggy murder.  In this game, one person is the "murderer" and the person in the center must try to figure out who it is.

As the "murderer" sticks out their tongue, the other people in the circle must pretend to fall over and play dead. 

The campers love this game and it's definitely one of the ones that is always played during group time.  There are many games that are camp staples and this is definitely one of them!

The Modeling Magic camper creations.

Media Mania moved onto making molds with model magic today.  Model Magic is a quick-drying clay type material that is easily moldable. 

Our Media Mania campers made various molds and crafts with this modeling magic and had a blast seeing how well they could mold whatever they were emulating.

If you have a chance, check out the Media Mania artist bios posted in the main hallway.  These campers have been having fun making all their various types of art and we know they are excited to continue creating over the next two days!

Congo Chefs: Hawai'i campers enjoying their BBQ.

Our Congo Chefs: Hawai'i campers had a very different type of lunch today.  They enjoyed the afternoon while having some barbequed ribs, teriyaki shrimp, and delicious bread. 

These campers prepped all of the food before heading out for the BBQ Luau and, once outside, they enjoyed all of their tasty treats.

The campers are also enjoying a field trip today as they make their way out to get Hawai'ian shaved ice.  We know they will enjoy these icy desserts and we hope it keeps them cool in the sun.

Campers rearing to skate!

The Skateboarding campers have been having a blast throughout the session as they get to skate and jump all day.

These campers have been practicing on the ramps that their counselors have set up and have been mastering some of the tricks they have been taught.

We can't wait to see how well these campers have mastered some of their skills at the end of the week and we wish them good luck during the rest of the session!

One of the crazy shirts our campers wore.

Our Soccer Pros are having a blast today as they continue to practice various moves and movements to do well in soccer.

But, there was a special event occurring for our Soccer Pros: Crazy Shirt Day.  For crazy shirt day, the campers were allowed to wear any shirt they wanted that showed a little "personality".

A few of our campers created their own shirts while some of the other camps wore their tye-dyed camp shirts. 

We hope these campers have fun today as they showoff their shirts!

Some of the New Guinea masks before the Global Arts campers decorated them.

Our Global Arts campers took a trip to the other side of the globe to experience New Guinea. 

The art that they will be attempting that hails from New Guinea are face masks.  Before they started into making and decorating these masks, they began the morning with a little ice breaker. 

Each of the Global Arts Campers are already starting to know each other quite well and are enjoying immensely the time they have together. 

We wish them luck as they make their trek to New Guinea and we can't wait to see the masks after they are finished. 

The Lego World: City City.

Our Lego World: City Edition campers have been working nonstop to make their excellent city come together before the session is over.

As these campers work hard on their city, they are also prepping for a field trip tomorrow to the National Building Museum. 

At this museum, they will get to experience a special exhibition called, "LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition". 

The campers are excited for their field trip and even more excited to see their City be finished.  We wish them good luck on their venture!

One of the competing camper groups preparing their tacos.

Dessert Tacos, of course!  The Congo Chefs: Challenge started off their morning by seeing who could make the best dessert tacos.

The judges were the three counselors of the Congo Chefs: Challenge camp.  As they watched the campers make the tacos, you could tell these judges were getting anxious to try these sugary sensations.

All of the campers were adding the best ingredients into their tacos to ensure it won the challenge.  The campers were having a blast making their tacos and we are excited to see the other foods made throughout the rest of the day!

One of the many historical sites our Colonial Kids will be seeing.

Our Colonial Kids campers arrived at the midpoint of the week by preparing to head out on their journey back to colonial times.

Today, the Colonial Kids head down to Williamsburg, VA to experience first-hand what it was like during the early times of the United States. 

Each of the campers was excited to be heading down to Williamsburg to learn more about our history.

We hope they have fun during their overnight and we can't wait to hear all of their stories when they return!

Our Soccer Pros scrimmaging.

The Soccer Pros arrived to the end of the day by having some pickup games of scrimmage soccer.

Some of the campers got a chance to participate in some soccer activities while other campers played against each other to vie for a win for their team.

All of our Soccer Pro campers have been having a blast the past two days as they enhance their soccer skills by shooting and scoring. 

The waterpark our Water Adventure campers will be enjoying today.

Two travel camps happening this session are Science Seekers and Water Adventures.  These two camps have very unique weeks lined.

Science Seekers will be exploring the world of science by venturing out to various locations in the DC Metro Area.  Today, they will be enjoying the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, while yesterday they started off the week at the Reston Zoo.

As they seeked out science, the Water Adventurers seeked out water.  To start off the session by going to the Atlantis Water Park, while today they are enjoying the Upton Hill Water Park today.

We hope these travel camps enjoy their various adventures this week!

One of our many wonderful horses.

Our Pony Adventure campers are enjoying a wonderful session of riding, grooming, petting, and feeding the wonderful horses that have kept campers and counselors happy all summer.

The campers have been continuing to practice the skills that many of them learned at day camp this summer and are picking up new skills that will help them to be better riders.

All of the Pony Adventure campers love getting to be around the horses during the camp day and we are excited to see them continue to ride throughout the session!

Extra cheesy Mac and Cheese.

The Congo Chefs Challenge campers made a midmorning meal to test just how cheesy they could make Mac and Cheese. 

Well, needless to say, they were able to master mac and cheese by blending in multiple cheeses.  After cooking the pasta, they then added the cheese and prepped the food for baking.

Once it was pulled out of the oven, the campers had the chance to enjoy this delicious, gooey treat.  The cheese clinged onto the pasta and our Congo Chefs cheese-craving was sated.

These campers will be taking a trip to the grocery store this week and then, as none have forgotten, they will be having a cupcake challenge on Friday. 

One of our Colonial Kids camper's candles.

When we think of colonial times, we remember how our forefathers and foremothers lacked home electricity.  So, of course, the campers had to make candles.

The campers had fun making these candles from pieces of honeycomb-style wax.  Our campers' candles were excellent and they will definitely keep our campers' houses well-lit if the lights ever go out. 

As the session continues, these campers will get to enjoy a wonderful overnight trip to Colonial Williamsburg.  We hope they have fun as they make their way down there tomorrow!

The gas station and car shop for the lego city.

The Lego World: City campers have been enjoying constructing the various lego sets this beginning week of the session.

They started out by making the most important part of any city: the gas station.  Once they completed the gas station, they moved on to an airport, a windmill, and other city sites.

All of the campers have been active in ensuring that all the parts click together well and properly and they are extremely energetic to complete all of the city models.

We will continue to share pictures of the various parts of the city and, once it is completed, we will be sharing pictures of the completed Lego City.

A Skateboard Camper showing off her skateboard.

The Skateboarding campers all have a board that they love to show off.  These skateboards all have a design on the back of them that represent the particular boarder's personality.

Within only a day and a half, these campers have already practiced on the half pipe and mastered how to flip the board with their feet.

As you walk by these skateboarders, you can see the excitement and energy they have for the sport and we enjoy seeing them practice all of the skills they have learned thus far.

A camper enjoying the ride down after making it to the top of the rock wall.

The Ropes Adventure Campers were climbing the wall this morning.  After a summer of day camp, many of these adventurers have honed there skills and can make it up the wall with ease.

Many of the campers are able to rock the difficult side of the wall without having to worry themselves when they get to the ledges. 

They will continue practicing on all of the obstacles over the course of the week and we look forward to seeing them as they fly down the zip line!

One of the campers paintings.

In Media Mania, the campers started to learn about texture by using leafs.  To complete this process, the campers first had to find leaves.

Once they selected their leaves, they put paint onto them.  After they painted the leaf, they pressed it against white paper and created designs. 

To complete their paintings the campers selected an animal to focus on in the center of the image and then have various leaf impressions surrounding it.

All of the campers were enthralled with this medium and we enjoyed seeing the various artistic productions they made!

Each chef liked the delicious and sweet tasting pizza and were anxious to eat their own self-made pizza as it cooked in the oven.

Later this afternoon, the campers will be making Macadamia Nut Pancakes and everyone is ready to smell the sweet cakes being made!