August 21st, 2009

Today was the final day of classes here at Takodah, which means it was the last day to finish up any projects in Hobby Nook as well as to finish up any last program area challenges.  And our girls truly shined today, with the most campers ever getting their program area challenges than ever seen here at Takodah.  Down at the waterfront many of our girls put in one last effort and passed their swimming tests so they could advance into the next level.  Along with today being the final day of classes, it was also the first day that we had to blow the air horn to send the girls in because of rain and lightning.  Right after free-time ended the black clouds rolled overhead and the liquid sunshine, aka rain, began to pour down across the fields and trees of Takodah.  This was actually very enjoyable as our girls needed everything to cool down for the last night here at camp after the very hot past 2 weeks.

Along with tonight being the last night in camp, it is also the closing ceremony here at Takodah; Candlelight Ceremony.  This is a time when different people, staff and campers, stand up and tell a story, poem, or sing a song that is special to them.  Also during this ceremony, people discuss their personal interpretation of the 6 different aspects of Character; Worship, Knowledge, Beauty, Friendship, Service, and Health.  At the end one person talks about how they personally define Character.  After that, each camper recieves their very own candle lit from the Candle of Character and then we all go out into B Field into the Circle of Friendship.  Thus wraps up another great session here at Camp Takodah.

August 20th, 2009

With today being one of the last full days of camp, our girls went out with more determination then ever.  They went out with a entire new bundle of energy to finish all the things they had started since the beginning of the session.  Whether it was finally completing that last program area challenge, putting the finishing touches on their hobby nook art project, or even, as seen in this photo, pushing themselves to finally overcome one of those tricky PA elements that our camp has to offer, our girls were out trying their absolute hardest to make the best of one of their last few days here at camp.

Today is also the last Thursday here at camp and therefore is the day for one of our oldest traditions here at camp, CT Ceremony.  This is a time when we celebrate the number of years that everyone has been coming to camp starting with a short description of the history of the CT and of Camp Takodah itself.  The CT is an upside down triangular felt patch with the letters C T on it with a number to represent the number of years someone has been coming to camp.  The triangle is to represent the three parts of the person, the mind, body and spirit.

August 19th, 2009

Camp is fully underway once again, classes are in full swing and the girls are developing the skills they started to learn on monday.  Down at the waterfront the girls are perfecting their strokes and learning to dive like champions.  Out on the basketball courts, our campers are polishing up their passing and shooting skills as well as learning about playing together on a team.  The weather today, although still hot, was a much needed reprieve, as slight as it was, from the ridiculously hot past few days.  Although it did seem a bit confused becaue around dinner time here, it began to rain slightly with the sun still shining throughout all of camp, and, despite the best efforts of almost all of camp, a rainbow could not be found from where we were located.  This rain did clear up, even before dinner had started, and became nothing more than a quick cool down for all of camp.

Tonight is the start of a 3 part closing ceremony that we do every session of camp, and tonight is known as Staff Show, however, with it being Girls Session 2 Staff Show, we call it Cabaret.  This is a time when our staff members put on funny skits, sing songs, and do other awesome things to get our girls to laugh and start thinking about how they would like to spend their last few days.  We saw many skits tonight that are crowd favorites; Toby, the Movie Skit, as well as many other skits that our girls hadn't seen before.  At the end of Cabaret, all our members of staff that were LITs go up and they all sing a part of their song, starting as far back as 2001 and ending with the LITs of this year.

August 18th, 2009

Today, much like yesterday, was an absolute scorcher here at Takodah.  The sun was high in the sky and it mercilessly shined throughout all of camp and had temperatures around here at almost an all time high.  With this being the case, all of our energetic, and to some degree even our not so energetic, classes had mandatory water breaks to keep the children hydrated.  Down at the archery range, despite the heat, our girls were shooting very well for it being their second day on the range.  The first day is usually held up by safety and learning all the rules on the range, but from here on out, it's basically straight shooting practice. 

With today being a Tuesday during a session here at camp, that means that it's a Super Tuesday!  This, just like last week, means that the girls get to have an extended siesta after lunch!  Along with that siesta bonus, they get to have an entire extra hour of free time!  During this prolonged free time, the leaders all run different events throughout camp that may or may not usually be offered.  One of the offerings was a big Dungeons and Dragons session run by our old nature director Dug Smith, and others included the zip line, lots of swimming, boating, tubing, etc.  Almost all of camp was down at the waterfront during freetime and almost no one was in the hobby nook, which for Girl's Camp, is very unusual.  Along with it being Super Tuesday, it is also Cabin Night tonight, which is a time when each cabin goes out after dinner and does an activity their leader planned for them for the rest of the night up until reflections.  Some groups chose to have a cookout, as well as get involved in a game of Hide and Seek Tag that I, personally, was leading.  Other groups had fun with Pete, our nature director, and one group even went down to the Dining Hall to get cardboard to make themselves into walking mascots.

August 17th, 2009

The sun was, as one of the songs we sing here at camp goes, at a temperature of millions of degrees, and made today a very hot day to say the least.  Today was also the first day of second week classes, which means a lot of name games as the girls began learning about the new girls they share classes with.  The swimming lesson classes were very excited to be in class today, one of the few times they actually ran to class, due to the heat and the crisp, cool waters of the lake.  Not only was the waterfront full of smiling campers throughout classes, it was also packed during Free Time.  Legitimately about 90% of all the campers were down in the lake during Fourth Period today, tubing around, diving into cool water, and even sweeping the bottom of the shallower ends for moon rocks.

Tonight's evening program was Prison Break, this was a version of leader-hide where the leaders were hiding throughout camp as "escaped prisoners".  The goal was to circle around an escapee and bring them back to jail, also known as TPAC.  While the girls were bringing their convict back to the prison, other groups could challenge to a game of Giants, Elves and Wizards, which is exactly like Rock, Paper, Scissors, just more fantasy related.  The winning team got to keep/win the convict and they couldn't be challenged by that group again, however this didn't stop some of the more cunning teams from waiting until after a team won a challenge, to then challenge that group in an attempt to steal the prisoner for themselves.

August 16th, 2009

Today was an excellent day here at Camp, the sun was out, the clouds were away, and the lake was nice and cool for our girls to jump into.  With today being Sunday, our girls got to choose new classes to take for the upcoming week.  This is the younger kids chance to take all the classes they didn't get to sign up for during the first week because our Cherokees get to choose first.  Also, along with it being the sign up day for classes, here at Takodah we have a very special tradition when it comes to Sundays... We get to sleep in!  With an extra hour of rest and being able to have breakfast in bed, our girls were very excited for today.  With the sun being out our girls had no qualms with heading down the waterfront and cooling off in the waters of Cass Pond during their free-time.

Also on Sundays, we have yet a third part, something we like to call Chapel.  It's not a religious service, however, it is a time when staff members and campers can share something that means a lot to them and then camp as a whole can really reflect on the past week, think about the memories they have made so far, as well as think about the memories they would like to make with the upcoming week.  During Chapel we also have a unique tradition of giving out 10 year jackets to those Takodians that have stuck with us for... well... 10 years.  Today we had Reina, Latasha, and Kylie recieve their 10 year jackets.

Our Evening Program for the night was something also run during Boys camp, and it is known as BACON!  Basically, the premise of the program is that camp is divided up into 3 teams, the brown team, the pink team and the maroon team.  Each team had different leaders throughout camp, wearing their respective colors, and they have challenges for the teams to complete in order to recieve a piece of the much sought after, and very delicious, BLT.  Pieces included, bread, lettuce, tomato, bacon, mayo, and the very important last ingredient: love.

August 15th

Today like yesterday was scorching hot and very dry.  But, that's ok because as always the leaders were on top of things.  Water every half hour (minimum) and buckets of sunscreen to go around.  The day was loads of fun as it was the last day of the first week of classes.  All the classes came to their climatic ending resulting in my usual comment of "there were smiles everywhere."  Because of the sun much of the day was spent down at the waterfront, or in a few cases getting hosed down by the leaders, with the campers consent of course.

Today as a replacement for Free time and Cabin activity we did a Camp Takodah tradition called blue and white day.  The summary of this is simple, half the camp is placed on the blue team (odd cabins) and half the camp is placed on the White team (even cabins).  They then face off in a series of events, such as a race around the maylane, water volleyball, water polo, dodgeball, kickball, as well as a race around the log lines using the voyager canoes.  At the end of each round we would finish off with a traditional activity.  Down at the waterfront we played something called sink the leader.  The goal of this is simple, one leader gets into each canoe and then the girls form into their teams and splash water into the canoe until it is submerged.  The first one to submerge their canoe wins.  The activity up on a-field is one we all know, Tug-A-War.  Their were four rounds of this, first it was campers vs campers, then it was leaders vs leaders, then it was campers and leaders vs campers and leaders, and finally it was team captain vs team captain.

After the eventful day all the campers went to the dining hall where we watched the possibly the greatest movie ever, "The Lion King".  This got quite a few laughs, cheers, and even a standing ovation when it was over.  This day is one we like to call Takodahrific.

August 14th

Today was one of those days where the sky was blue, the water was shimmering, and no matter where you looked one girl was making sure to put on their sunscreen.  It was hot and humid, so the leaders made sure that the kids were drinking liquids every half hour or so. As such the waterfront was packed during free time, and many girls could found calmly reading in the shade of a tree.  That's not to say places like hobby nook didn't have girls being artsy, it just wasn't as utilized as the last couple days.

Tonights evening program was called the "End Of The World Night".  The plot of it was very self explanitory, the world is coming to an end.  So the girls goal was to save it.  So the leaders set up things like alien invasions, aka dodgeball.  Or they had to fight an army of demonic ninjas, so they'd defend themselves by making intricate shields made of cardboard.  Or they had to use teamwork in a series of mini games in order to defend themselves against natural disasters.  In the end the girls reigned supreme and the end of the world has to wait for another day.  Finally after their successful defense the girls all assembled in the dining hall where activities such as limbo, hulu hoops, a break dancing were all taking place.  It ended with all the campers joining in on a camp wide dance party, followed of course by taps.  The campers left sweaty and panting as they went to take showers and go to bed.  Overall i would call this day a smashing success.

August 13th, 2009

Today's weather was rather overcast and cool but at the same time mildly refreshing.  Thankfully though the rain stayed at bay allowing our outdoor activities to stay open.  However, because of this weather the Hobby Nook seemed to get alot of attention today as the girls decided to get artsy.  Where as the waterfront seemed laid back giving the LIT's a chance to practice their life saving skills.  At this point most of the kids have  adapted to camp and are really starting to get into all of their activities.  The confustion is less so everyone is having a rather easy time jumping into the flow and making the most of their experience.

Today's Evening activity was called Narwhales vs Polar Bears.  This activity was basically a giant game of hide and go seek, but with a twist.  As even after you find someone from the other team you still have to tag them.  As well as that there were about 200 people playing, so the energy was off the charts.  The game lasted nearly two hours allowing all the girls to let out that pent up energy they may be storing. The girls then filed away to their cabins exhusted and got ready for another day.

August 12th

Today the weather was somewhat overcast but it was ok because it never rained and it was still nice and warm outside.  The second day of classes commenced and the girls got more into their classes as the original explanation of safety was out of the way.  During clearing today when the girls sing, it was particularly loud and enthusiastic as the spirits of everyone was soaring.  During Freetime today the waterfront was open once again to the delite of so many children, but also the camp store was open as the kids showed their camp pride, their was even one leader on the tennis courts who challenged any camper to try and beat her.  I'll give you the results of that one later.

Tonights Evening Program was Footloose.  During the day some one of the counselors was playing the part of the principle and trying to ban dancing and music in general, this got the girls hyped up for the night to come.  This program was more of a station program.  During this their was endless dancing, we had a music trivia, a song writing game, musical chairs, and we even had a station where the kids could make signs and petitions so that music could be legal at takodah.  At the end of the night the entire camp packed into T-Pac to learn that music has been legalized, then proceeded to have a camp wide dance party for a good 20 minutes.  As the kids trickled out the the building the joy was evident on each one of their faces.  However, fatigue had kicked in at this point and it was clear that the fun for today was over.  Who knows what tommrow will bring, the only thing that can be guarnteed is that the best day of all is the next one.

August 11th, 2009

Today was the first day of classes and the smiles were innumberable.  The first day of classes generally requires that the kids play alot of name games, and go over the safety instructions if it's something like rifelry or a ropes course class.  But, by the end of the class the kids are all the more hyped up for their activity because of all the build up to it.  Later in the day we went on to have super tuesday freetime, which means that the kids had two full hours of free time rather than the usual one hour.  During this time more specialized activities are planned such as dodgeball, kickboxing lessons, yoga, and two leaders even organized a group of campers that helped to clean up the camp library, all the activities were loads of fun.

After the fantastic start to the day we moved onto our evening program which tonight was Cabin Night!  This time allows cabins to get together for a long game or activity of their leaders choice.  This helps each cabin to develop that chemistry that is so important to the camp experience.  The experiences varied from cookouts, to kayaking, and one cabin even hiked up Gap Mountain.  Then after their tireing activity the campers go through they throw on their PJ's and go to sleep preparing for the next day.

August 10, 2009

Today was one of the more pivotal days of the girls session.  This is because the girls signed up for their classes over the next five days.  Some of the choices offered for example are the Ropes courses, Snorkeling, Creative Writing Classes, Improve, and even the fine art of Candling.  The choices are extremely broad thereby giving each camper the choice to do something near and dear to their heart, or if they are bold the ability to try something completely new to them.  Also taking place today was waterfront orientation where all the girls learn the ways of waterfrontsafety.  But before the period was over each division got a chance to go in the sparkling Cast Pond water for a brief free swim.

Tonight's Evening program was DivisionNight.  This is a time when each division that's the Cherokees, Monadnocks, and the Penacooks, each went of to their own area of camp so that they can get to know people that are in their age group but not necessarily in their cabin.  The Cherokees went out to A-Field to play a bunch of super awesome mini games.  The Monadnocks went over to C-Field where they played a rousing game of ultimate chicken, which is essentially ultimate Frisbee but instead of using a Frisbee they use a chicken.  Last but certainly not least are the Penacooks, they went out to B-Field where they played an intense game of Lunar Assault, which is a combo of Ultimate Frisbee, Soccer and most importantly moving the large ball we call the moon ball up and down the field to get points.  After such a successful first day i can't wait to see how the rest of the session goes.

August 9th, 2009

Today was the opening day of Girls Session 2.  At 2 o'clock our gates opened and all the incoming campers began arriving at their cabins.  In order for check-in to fully happen, our girls have to check in with our Office Staff to make sure they have all their paperwork in, as well as with our nurses if they have any medication that they will have to take while they are here at Takodah.  Along with those two, our girls have to check in down at the Waterfront to see if they need to take a swimming class and also to determine the strength of their swimming abilities.  We have 3 different tags down at the waterfront that help to determine where the camper is comfortable swimming.  After that, the campers head on back to their cabin to do name games and take a tour of camp with their leaders so they can learn more about them and their fellow cabinmates.

The evening program for tonight is Opening Campfire!  This is when all our divisions introduce themselves so that the girls know who the other leaders in camp are, but also they hype classes that the girls can sign up for tomorrow, but we'll talk more about that tomorrow when our girls are signing up.  As well as introdroducing themselves, our leaders put on funny skits and even our support staff gets involved by singing crazy songs about their serving utensils.  Despite the small amount of rain we had around 5 pm, our girls were smiling and laughing throughout the skits.  It is going to be another great session here at Camp Takodah.

August 7th, 2009

Today was an absolutely glorious day here at Takodah, the sun shined down and all our girls spent their last day of classes making the absolute most of it.  Whether they were finishing up their projects in Hobby Nook, learning that last chord in Tpac, or even climbing that last element out on the PA course, our girls were full of energy and were as rambunctious as ever.  One of the big highlights of today was that our Rocketry class got to fire off their custom model rockets that they built themselves, many of which survived the light breeze that we had today, only a few were swallowed by the dangerous tree monsters.  During our fourth period today, also known as free time, many of our girls headed into Tpac today for the Tpac Expo, which is much like the Staff show, however it is put on and run by campers.  A few of our girls sung songs and a couple of them did some awesome skits.

Tonight's evening program, the last one of camp, is a great wrap up ceremony that will complete the trilogy of session ending evening programs.  The one tonight was Candlelight Ceremony, which is a time when our campers get to hear stories and poems and songs made by their fellow peers and some leaders.  Also we light the 7 candles that are considered to be the underlying values here at Takodah, and those are; Friendship, Service, Knowledge, Health, Beauty, Character, and the groups that light them also discuss what their personal interpretations of each candle are.