Finding Yourself

Throughout life you may question yourself, "Who am I?" "What am I going to do with my life?" "How am I going to do it?" The answers to these questions won't come easy and it may take a long time to answers these questions. Campers began to explore these questions with an activity that explored personality types. On the first day of camp, a survey was passed out which contained questions regarding characteristics campers most identify with. Using this quiz, campers were assigned one of four animals. Each animal represented a different group of characteristics unique to personality types. The koala represented the group of campers that were most inclusive. Lions represented the group that was most decisive. The peacocks were the group that were the most creative. Owls were the group that were the most analytical. However campers were assured that no one person is truly just one animal. Most are a conglomerate of different animals. Campers were given an animal that represents their most dominant characteristics. This allowed cabins to identify the diverse personnel within each cabin. Using this knowledge campers were better able to understand their cabin mates and how to cooperate with them. The cabins all made arrangements to which everyone in that cabin would adhere to. With a quick lunch campers were then presented with a show which punished those who were irresponsible and congratulated who were the most responsible. Team building exercises continued with a game of Ragball and obstacle courses.

Ragball was a fun way to play RYLA version of baseball which created new challenged and opportunities for groups bonding. Special rules were made to make the campers have to rely on one another. One if the rules was as that a pair in the outfield had to have their hands tied together which made for some really limited movement. Arms had to be linked together when running shoes towards bases making the campers rely on each other. Teams were also made to cheer for each other to try their best.

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The obstacle course was a very fun activity that really got all the campers moving. The campers had to go through many challenges that not only required teamwork but also energy. There were many unique obstacles such as walking across a log, rolling a barrel, jumping over a pit and other activities.

The scavenger hunt create a situation where campers had to trust and depend on each other to find each of the items. This activity also included a fun, creative aspect for groups who tried to pass objectives off as creative versions of the actual requested item. The scavenger hunt was one of many great opportunities to work together, another being the Egg Drop. The Egg Drop challenged campers to create a safe spaceship for their specially named eggs blasting off into space. The spaceships had to be made solely of stares and tape with the collaboration of all members. Once production was finished, the true drop test challenged the structures of each cabin shuttle. The highly recognized astronauts Spencer tested every single shuttle and unfortunately even cabin faced failure. Despite this,  the true experience lied in supporting each other through every situation and taking time to identify what highs and lows each group had.

Overall the day has been extremely busy with so many activities being done all over the place. Many of the campers are sure to be tired as the night approaches. Campers will have to get a good sleep in order to prepare for the activities that will inevitably come.