Congo Camp 2010

The top of the inflatable water slide!

The Cracker Barrel counselors had an inflatable ready for our younger day campers for this Tsunami Thursday. 

Each camper was excited to take a quick trip down the slide and then splash around in the mini pool.  At the bottom of the slide are a few inflatables that ensure a complete splash at the slide bottom.

All of the day campers wanted to enjoy the trip down and loved the top of the slide because they got an extra splash of water from the sprinkler.

We hope the campers are having fun on their Tsunami Thursday and enjoy all the activities that are planned for them. 

Campers preparing to play another round of Spoons!

The Cracker Barrel counselors had a fun card game activity planned for our day camp counselors. 

As the campers entered the Cracker Barrel camp room, they sat in groups of four or five.  Each group then received plastic spoons and cards to play: Spoons.

If you haven't played spoons, the object is to acquire four of the same kind and then one of the spoons in the center of the group.  Whoever is the person without a spoon at the end loses that round.

The day campers were enthralled as they tried to pass cards and grab the spoons before the others in their group.  We could tell they were having a blast playing this game today!

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 Senet board being set up by campers.

In Cracker Barrel, the counselors carried our campers back in time to the Egyptian Era and had them play the game Senet.

This game requires just a board, sticks, and some intelligence.  Our counselors explained how one moves around the board and how to obtain points. 

The campers sat in groups of four and really enjoyed the game.  It was a game very few of them had played before and we're sure many will be playing again when they get home!

The detective trying to determine who the murderer is.

Well, not actual crimes, but today the campers had the chance to play the game "Mafia" with their Cracker Barrel counselors. 

In "Mafia", there is a "murderer" who points at people to lay down and pretend to be dead, as the people fall, the detective in the center has to figure out who is the "murderer".

The campers love playing this game and trying to decipher who is the murderer and how long it will take the detective to figure out the crime-committer. 

Good job to those detectives who did determine the murderer before their time was up!

Campers connecting in Cracker Barrel.

As the session begins, our Cracker Barrel counselors invited our day campers into group unity.

Over the past four sessions, many campers have met and made new friends, enjoyed activities, and just had fun in Congo Camp. But, as we all know, the start of something new can always lead to a little anxiety and nervousness.

The Cracker Barrel counselors always ensure that this nervousness and anxiety is diminished by having the groups complete various group activities to make them more united.

As their unity builds, the campers make connections to create longlasting friendships.

The Decorations Table.

Rather than baking the cookies themselves, they had premade cookies so our campers could get straight to the decorating. 
From single- to multicolored icing and no sprinkles to sprinklerrific, our campers turned plain, old sugar cookies into delectable designs.
We hope they enjoyed eating their delicious designs as much as we like seeing them create the designs. 

Some of the Gak that the campers made.

Cracker Barrel counselors led day campers in making Gak today.  Similar to silly putty, Gak is a gummy substance that a camper can mold, flatten, and remold into new shapes. 

The basic ingredients were placed together and the campers helped to mix and mix.  After the Gak was ready to be used, the campers selected which color they wanted theirs to be.

All colors of the rainbow were used and the gak that was created definitely came out nicely.  We hope these campers enjoy the creation they made today!

The first day is always exciting, but it's also a bit nerveracking to connect with your fellow campers.  No worries, though, our Cracker Barrel counselors are coming to the rescue!

In Cracker Barrel, today, the counselors led day camp groups in activities to learn each others' names and to get to know each other. 

Within moments, our day campers were talking and laughing with each other as if they had known each other for years!  We know these friendships will not only last during the rest of camp, but also after the summer. 

Today, the Cracker Barrel camp room turned into Ollivander's as campers created wands from pretzel sticks and twizzlers.

During Cracker Barrel, day campers get the chance to do a different activity every day. Unlike some of the other specialty areas such as Archery and Outdoor Ed, you never know what you'll be doing when you enter the cracker barrel camp room.