Congo Camp 2010

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!

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. 

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 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 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!

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. 

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.

Campers practicing various Magic Tricks!

Some of our campers are learning the tricks of the trade in Magic Experience camp.  This camp is to help campers learn how to properly do magic tricks and present themselves as magicians.

Today, they started by practicing some of the "Guess Your Card" tricks that many of us have participated in before.  Then, they moved on to a more complicated trick of moving a straw without touching it.

They keep their secrets tightly sealed, though, and we wish them luck as they continue to learn and hone in on these various tricks!

Soccer Pros on the practice field.

The Soccer Pros have started their week by jumping right into various games and activities that relate directly to soccer.

Soccer campers were ready to get started this morning by practicing drills to ensure that they are properly kicking, passing, and protecting the ball.

We hope these campers are having a good time on the first day of this session and we wish them good luck throughout the week!

One of our campers making their way around the world.

Today, in Ropes, the campers started off the session by doing "around the worlds" in the PB Pit.  To do these, one makes a full circle on the PB Pit Ropes circling the Pit.

Only one of our campers had an accidental spill into the pit as they made their way around the world.  It was quite thrilling to watch these campers show just how much strength they have to hold onto the rope.

The Ropes' counselors will be ensuring that our campers get time on all of the Ropes' obstacles.  Good luck on the course this week, campers.

The Ice Cream bags in the middle of shaking.

The Congo Chemists began the last day of the session by making a tasty, terrific treat: Ice Cream!

Adding a little salt to milk, the campers then used some manpower to shake the bags to ensure the ice cream was well mixed.

After they shook for ten minutes, this treat was completed and they could prepare to eat their homemade ice cream. 

All of the campers were excited to finish the ice cream and couldn't wait to experience their vanilla flavored deliciousness!

The Slip and Slide on the hill!

The Sports counselors set up the slip and slide today, so day campers could stay cool as the day heats up. 

All of the day campers had loads of fun sliding down the slide into the nice cool pool of water at the bottom.  The sports counselors helped to make the slide even more enjoyable by adding some turns and hills to it.

As the Tsunami Thursday continues, all of the day camp groups will be having fun as they slip and slide down to the bottom. 

Three different liquids after Red Cabbage Water was added.

What do you do when you run out of pH-testing strips? Red cabbage, of course . . .well, Red Cabbage water. 

Red Cabbage was boiled in Congo Chemists and the excess water was then added to various liquids, such as vinegar, to test the acidity level. 

The results were then observed by the Chemists so they could determine whether the liquid was a base or acid.

Congo Chemists have been enjoying the many activities and experiments they have done over the past two weeks and are excited to continue these over the next three days. 

A Cracker Barrel Counselor modeling the Paper Bag Animals.

In Cracker Barrel, our day campers had the fun of creating their own animal.

Each camper selected which animal they wanted to make and then colored in the parts of it. After coloring the parts, they next cut out those parts.

Then, came the fun: the campers glued on the parts onto a paper bag. Once the bag had all of the parts glued on, the campers could use the bags as puppets.

All of the campers were excited to play with their animals after they were completed!

The Day Camp Daily Doings flyer.  Feel free to click on it to see a larger image.

During the last week of day camp, our Congo Camp Staff has many events planned for these day campers this week.

On Wednesday, we will be having a Wet and Wild day. For Wet and Wild day, many of our normal activities such as Equine and Ropes will continue, but there will also water-based activities around Congo Camp. 

Thursday our day campers will get to see the staff/camper basketball game.  We can't wait to see everyone cheering on their side.

And, to finish off a wonderful summer of day camp, the Carnival will be on Friday.

For more information, see the attached flyer!

The ingredients to make an exquisite bouncing ball.

The Congo Chemists made their way through the rainy day by making Bouncing Balls.  From a simple solution of borax and water, the bouncing balls came together pretty quickly.

Each ball was made of a different color and each of the campers had to figure out exactly how large they would make their ball.

After they were finished with the ball making, the campers then played with their "soft marbles" which were a demonstration of a polymer. 

The "soft marbles" sat in water all morning and soaked up the enough water to become larger.  Now, each of the campers will have their own set of marbles to enjoy over the weekend. 

Seniors working on the Mural.

The Congo Camp seniors have been enjoying the past few days as they continue to paint the Senior Mural.


This summer's theme is Groovy Garden and the seniors have been showing their Groovy Garden spirit. Their mural is starting to look excellent as they each add their own flavor to the image.

As the mural is being painted, the Arts & Crafts counselors have been helping to guide the campers in ensuring that the mural finishes well.

Keep on the lookout for the finished mural which will be on display once completed and dried!

The new misters outside the Camp Office.

Our Congo Campers stay cool.  Generally, our Congo Campers love pool time because its one of the best ways too have fun, cool down, and get wet. 

But, there is a new tool to keep our campers cool: the misters.  Recently, Congo Camp acquired hose misters and connected them to the fence outside of the Camp Office. 

As our campers walk to and from various activities, they can keep themselves cool under the misters.  Or, if our campers are on their way to the pool, they can even prep themselves by getting a little wet. 

We hope the campers enjoy the new misters and that they help them keep cool during the day!