Camp Oz Blog 2016

Check out photos from this week at Camp Oz!

Day 1: Camp Oz 2016 is off to a great start! The campers are already making new friends and connecting with kids they met last year.  It was a hot day so a lot of time was spent keeping these kids hydrated and having fun!  We kicked off the week with a game of capture the flag before the opening night camp fire with all Oz campers.  The campers headed to bed in cabins with brand new (and big!) fans to help them stay cool and sleep comfortably.  

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Day 2: Our first full day of camp began with beautiful weather and excited campers!  There were 25 volunteers (our highest number!) to help each cabin and ensure everyone is safe and having fun.  Campers participated in archery, arts and crafts, a nature scavenger hunt, horse back riding, soccer and swimming.  Some of the campers went on the traverse wall for the first time with their cabin mates cheering them on. We celebrated a campers 13th birthday with a song and special brownies at lunch.  Cabin photos were taken during rest hour and every camper will get a copy. 

The campers enjoyed their afternoon activities in the sun and it was a quiet afternoon in the Camp Oz health office.  After dinner the campers played an all time camper favorite game, predator and prey.  The campers divided into teams, the Camp Oz staff spread out to monitor the game, and off they went!  The campers were laughing, hiding and working together for the next hour.  The evening was spent calmly at each cabin, either enjoying a camp fire or just relaxing together. Lights went out at 9:30 after evening showers. A very fun and successful first day!

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Day 3: Another great day at Camp Oz started with pancakes, sausages, fruit, cereal and apple juice for breakfast.  Volunteers met all of the campers at their cabins to join them for their first activities. The weather could not have been better for campers as they played new games in the sunshine and made friendship bracelets and cabin signs.  After lunch the cabins took a much needed rest hour. Afternoon activities included swimming, and the campers said the water felt refreshing! Everyone enjoyed the evening with popsicles on the front porch and grassy area (after dinner of course).  The all camp game this evening was called Boofers.  The campers all worked together in this game and there was so much laughter!  Once the game was finished each of the cabins had their own personal camp fires and reflected on the day.  To our surprise, most of the cabins wanted to head into bed a bit early!  

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Day 4: After a good nights sleep, everyone woke to an overcast morning but that didn't stop some campers from getting up for earlier activities.  Luckily the sun was out by mid morning! Cabins were paired up and participated in sports, coed games and team building activities together.  Lunch was an all time favorite - PIZZA! Midday marked the halfway point of Camp Oz - time is flying!  After the last two activity periods of the day the campers came together for dinner.  After dinner Camp Oz welcomed two characters from the MediKidz comic books.  They came to visit camp and helped the campers make superhero capes, bracelets and key chains. Each camper also got a copy of the latest MediKidz comic book which is about youth with seizures and sports.  In the evening the campers paired up with a neighboring cabin and enjoyed campfires before bed.

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Day 5: Our last full day of camp was a cool one and campers were actually wearing sweatshirts and pants! Activities were in full swing by 9am and we had the most volunteers out than any other day this week.  The cabins partnered up in groups of 4 for activities throughout the day.  After lunch we had a special guest, former U of M football coach Jerry Kill and his wife Rebecca.  He spoke to the campers about chasing their dreams and how they are all capable of achieving their goals, just like him. He gave each camper a Chasing Dreams Fund hat and stayed until every last one was signed. The campers were blown away and so grateful.  Afterwards, the campers went on to their last activities for the afternoon. 

After a lively dinner, we headed out to closing camp fire in the amphitheater.  Some of the cabins performed hilarious skits for the group.  After that we had first year campers come up and throw a little stick in the camp fire and tell everyone their favorite thing about Camp Oz or a good memory from the week.  Then the second years, third years and so on. One camper mentioned they been attending Camp Oz for 10 years! The campers shared how Camp Oz felt like a second family for some of them and that they can come here and be who they are without judgement, and many talked about the lifelong friendships made at camp. We finished the night with the whole camp coming together in the athletic field in a large circle, holding hands and singing the closing song. Then campers headed back to their cabins for their last night of sleep at camp.  

Tomorrow we have the talent show and a barbecue.  This year's camp has been so inspiring and it wouldn't have been possible without these incredible campers!