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Camp Oz Blog 2018
Check back each day of Camp Oz for updates and photos.
Sunday, Day 1:
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Our first day at Camp Oz was hot, hot hot! We welcomed 130 campers out to Camp St. Croix for the week in what felt like 120 degree weather. But everyone sure was troopers! The campers got settled into their cabins and headed to unit activities where they got to each other a bit better. By that time dinner was ready and we all sweatily piled into the dining hall for our first official meal at Camp Oz 2018.
After dinner was over it actually cooled down quite a bit, which was a relief. The campers headed back to their cabins to finish up getting settled in and played some icebreaker games. Opening campfire followed where the counselors do various skits to get the campers pumped for the week ahead. Due to the hot temps all day and it being our first day here we all decided it was best to have an early bedtime so we can hit the ground running tomorrow.
With getting everything settled we don't have many photos to share for today, but stay tuned for tomorrows blog with accompanying photos of our first full day at camp! Thank you to all the families who made it out today to drop their campers for a week at Oz.
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Monday, Day 2:
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We woke up to our second day of camp with much cooler temperatures. After a breakfast of pancakes, sausage, fruit, and cereal (always a crowd pleaser), a quick rain shower hit camp. But after some cabin time to clean and organize (very needed, even after only one day) the campers were ready to hit the first official activities of the day.
The activities Oz Campers got to experience today included riding horses, swimming, rock climbing, and arts and crafts. New this year for our campers is the high ropes course and the zip line! Cabins came back from that just so excited that they made it up to the top and tried something new. Personally, it was pretty incredible watching the campers pull together and cheer each other on as their cabin mates tried to go a little further each time. That is what camp is all about!
We went around camp and took cabin photos of all of the cabins. (Each camper will get a copy of this photo by the way) After dinner, we played the favorite of all camp games, PREDATOR PREY! The nurse and Oz staff fanned out around the perimeter of this game and watched the campers strategize and make a run for it. I still to this day don't really understand this game and I'm not sure all the campers do either, but regardless they love it and had a great time. After the evening snacks and a few games of lightning and newcomb, it was back to cabins for showers and bed. After all the campers were sleeping, we had a good rain. Looking forward to another great day tomorrow.
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Tuesday, Day 3:
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Tuesday started off with some light rain again, but that did not deter the campers from getting off to a great start to the day! After breakfast, cabins were off to their first activity of the day. Today was the first day the camp store was open for campers, so it was neat to see what caught their eye. Camp staff set up several indoor options for cabins that didn't want to be in the rain, so various groups voted on this morning activities.
We had a classic MN favorite for lunch, goulash! The campers ate it up. After rest hour, I got bombarded with letters from campers to be mailed home. It's always interesting what the campers come up with for the label addresses. I got a lot of "Home, State of MN". Or the return label of "From their favorite son Jack"! With a quick run into town for more stamps, we were able to get the letters labeled, stamped, and in the mail.
Horses were canceled this afternoon due to the mud so we rescheduled them for later this week so ALL campers get a chance to ride. For the all camp game they squared off by ages and it was fun to see the older campers supporting the younger ones. The older cabins had bonfires near their cabins while the younger ones turned in for an early bedtime. We are looking forward to some sun tomorrow and what Wednesday will bring. Until then...
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Wednesday, Day 4:
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Alas, this day finally brought some sunshine for the campers! Waffles were for breakfast today - always a hit with this group. We had a birthday in the house, so we all celebrated that as well.
After breakfast the campers headed off to their morning activities. Our camp photographer was out this morning, so he was able to get some great shots of teambuilding, zip lining, rock climbing, gaga ball, outdoor cooking, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, and kids in nature. (His photos will be available to view on our flickr page by next week).
It was so amazing to see so many campers try new things even though they were a little scared or cautious. Their cabin mates and counselors did such a good job cheering them on to go as far as they could. Definitely a day of firsts, and a day to remember.
After lunch brought the sound of silence. Rest hour truly brought a time of rest for each cabin, which always seems to happen on Wednesday. It was well needed.
The afternoon was full of horseback riding, swimming and archery. The all camp game this evening was Woodyball, another camp favorite: it involves two teams, two treasures, and one winner. They ran their hearts out! I stopped by a couple cabins during their reflection time right before bed and it was such a cool experience to hear them sharing thoughts and feelings around what it's like to have seizures. I felt like it really brought the group closer together. We are ready to rock our last full day at camp tomorrow!
Thursday, Day 5:
Our last full day of Camp Oz has arrived. It was a bit gloomy and chilly this morning, but I'll take that weather over Sunday's humidity any day - and it certainly didn't stop the campers from getting to their first activities, even the swimmers. The water level has risen about 2-3 feet from the damn break a few days ago, so we moved over to Troy Beach right next door and the cabin groups still got to swim. Our last cabin groups of the day got to participate in the horses, so we sent a group of volunteers to assist with that activity.
For the first time ever we had burritos for lunch, which ended up being a camper favorite of the week. After lunch, we all enjoyed a good rest period during which campers were also encouraged to journal about their camp experience. We finished out the afternoon with their last round of activities so all the campers participated in each activity at least one time.
After dinner, we all got ready for closing campfire. We tried something new this year and changed locations for this fun program. Cabins could do skits and share their favorite thing about camp. Afterward, we all come together in a large circle on the A field and sing our closing song. I always love this part of the night as it brings such closure for everyone - both staff and campers. After this, all cabins went back to their cabin areas for some time to reflect on the week and then off to bed.
Looking forward to a lunch barbecue tomorrow, and then it's time for parent pick up. What a great week!
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