Discovery Camp, Day 5, June 20, 2013

Good morning to all you  parents and care givers.  This morning the campers had the option to go on another Banana Slug hike and many got up early to go.  Because they were trying to beat the previous record of slugs found, the group ventured further out on the property.  And sure enough, this morning the group found 163 of those beautiful Banana Slugs.  Of course, several of the campers (7 of them girls) decided to give these creatures a little peck on the back which means they joined the “Slug Club” for 2013.

Yesterday the kids had a blast on the creek stomp hike where they put their discovery skills to work in the Pescadero Creek.  A few campers found materials in the creek to camouflage their faces making them all but invisible.  Although they had a great time, several said the water was a little chilly.

Last night was also the annual Discovery Camp Luau at the pool.  The food was great, the decorations were superb and the action was non-stop.  It seems one of the male counselors, dressed in coconuts and a grass skirt and then dove into the pool off the diving board.

I was also informed this morning that Jerry the duck was missing in action and all were on the lookout for this special stuffed animal.  Hopefully they will find him (her) today.

I continue to get very positive comments on the camp food. And this morning, one of the campers commented on how much she liked the hot chocolate.

Here is a special story from one of this week’s counselors…

The River Maze (campers imagined crossing a river)

On Monday, the kids did a maze.  The maze consisted of a 4 square by 5 square playing field in which the children had to navigate through following one correct sequence of steps.  As the kids arrived and heard about the game, they figured that it would be really easy but soon found out that the only clue that they got was whether or not the sequence is wrong.  As the kids soon figured out that they had to work together and help each other by guiding them through the course and change the path when it began to become wrong.  Eventually the kids all finished the game at which point we sat together to talk about the game and related it to the rest of camp.  We were getting reactions like the bible guides us as the rest of the team helped guide, and the map showing the correct squares held by staff member running the game was like our bible as well, a tool to help us through this worldly life.  My absolute favorite connection came from one boy, at first he knew the maze and was going along just fine but got to a spot he did not remember so instead of guessing, he decided to stop and ask for help and one of the kids in the group later compared that to stopping in life to ask help from God and looking for answer in prayer and the bible.

The scripture shared today was from Psalm 63:1  "Oh God, you are my God.  Earnestly I seek you."

The campers are having a great time in this beautiful summer like weather.  Have a wonderful day and God bless.

Mike