K-Rank!

The FuManchus LOVE K-Rank... and LESLIE!

If you were with us earlier this summer, you may have heard about Kindergarten Rank, or K-Rank!  This Rank is for our rising Kindergarten campers, the FuManchus, as a way for them to learn skills that will be helpful in the other Ranks as well as Kindergarten.  They even have their very own lime green Rank books that they use specifically for this Rank!

The little campers also get to pair up with our oldest campers, the CILTs.  It's always a lot of fun to watch them interact together!  They play with play dough, blocks, trainer shoe laces, toy dinosaurs, and more!

Today, the campers took K-Rank outside.  The CILTs and FuManchus explored camp together and played in all of the different Ranks.  They had such an awesome time!

Olympic Trials at the Pool

Yes, the Camp Rising Sun Olympics have officially begun!  At the pool, there were a tons of different events. including time trials, water polo, and noodle racing! Check it out, and ask your camper if they participated!

These boys just finished their timed trials, swimming the entire width of the pool and back.  I see gold medals in their future!

Teach Me How to Dougie

This morning's assembly was AWESOME!!  Everyone was rocking absolutely insane dance moves, no matter what song was playing.. but Amber noticed one song in particular that really got people moving:  Teach Me How to Dougie.  So of course, we had a dance off.  First, a camper from each camp (1, 2, 3, and CILTs) battled, with Camp 1 coming out as the winner!

Next, it was the counselors' turn to compete.  JP actually had to be taught how to dougie - thanks, Leslie, for the last minute lesson!  

In the end, D'Vo was selected as the winner of the counselors!  Great job to all of our challengers!

Woodworking at the Y!

Every single night, my garage is full of wood, tools, and loud noises as my brother and fellow counselor, Michael, builds and builds and BUILDS.  Today, Michael brought his passion for building to camp with Woodworking Rank! 

Campers learned the names of several tools, as well as what different parts of these tools are used for.  After those lessons, the campers then actually got to use these tools!  In small groups, the campers designed and built their very own creations.  It was pretty cool!  Ask your camper if they attended Woodworking today!

 

Goodbye Grace!

Our very own Office Manager, Grace, had her last day of camp today, as she is leaving TOMORROW!  Grace will be living in India for the next six months as a part of Global Hope India.  As a part of this project, she will play a big role in opening an orphanage and serving the children.  We are so proud of her, but we are going to miss her a LOT! 

What better way to show her how much we love her than with a giant pie-fest!?  A bunch of campers gathered on the Side Hill today for this big celebration.  Check it out!

Grace, we'll miss you SO much!  Thank you for bringing so much happiness, love, and organization (especially in the Office!) to Camp Rising Sun!  We wish you luck and cannot wait to hear about all of your adventures in India!

Rising Sun Love,
Megan

(Megan.Warren@YMCATriangle.Org)



Camp Rising Sun Olympics!

With the Olymipcs kicking off this past weekend, it's been all we can talk about!  Therefore, it only makes sense for the Olympics to come to camp!  This morning, we had our very own bizarre Opening Ceremony - it was pretty silly!  We even got to meet a few Olympic athletes.  We'll be holding challenges all week long, so stay tuned to see who succeeds and takes home the gold medal!

Speaking of success, congratulations to the Bowsers for winning today's Spirit Stick!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

After a whole week of celebrating Christmas in July, we finally got to meet the man in red:  SANTA CLAUS!   He showed up on the roof of the Y, and of course he came with gifts:  SNOW!  All of the campers were so surprised to see snow falling from the sky in July, but at Camp Rising Sun, anything is possible!

We loved celebrating Christmas, but now it's time to move on to next week's theme:  THE OLYMPICS!  I hope you enjoy your weekend (make sure to watch the games when you get a chance!) and cannot wait to see you all on Monday morning!

Rising Sun Love,
Megan

(Megan.Warren@YMCATriangle.Org)

Circus Time!

After a week of preparation, the campers from the Performing Arts Rank finally got to perform their CIRCUS acts!  The audience was roaring with laughter and cheers as they watched hula-hoopers, a lion tamer, a magician, and much more!  Watching these acts was such a great way to spend our Friday afternoon.  The performers put so much time and effort into these acts, and it turned into a phenomenal show.

 

If your child was in the Circus, make sure to congratulate them on a job well-done.  This year's Circus was SO great, and we are so proud of everyone who participated!

The Most Colorful Thing That I've Seen

As promised, here are some pictures from our first ever COLOR RUN!  Campers have been waiting for this day all week long, and it was so much fun!  The counselors set up a path around the Y for campers to run.  The CILTs were stationed at different check points with mixtures of chalk and baby powder ready to go!

 

At the end of this colorful journey, the campers found paradise in the form of a SLIP & SLIDE!  It was so refreshing, especially with how hot it is outside.  This was such a crazy way to spend a Thursday afternoon, but I know that these campers wouldn't have it any other way!

Hot, Hot, HOT!

It's been a BLAZING day at Camp Rising Sun so far... and I'm not just talking about the temperature!

The spirit in morning assembly was hot, hot, HOT! Campers were singing, dancing, and cheering their hearts out. In fact, we were SO loud that I bet people could hear us all the way out on Cary Parkway!  Just check out all of the enthusiasm that these kids have!

As you can see, we had a great morning.  Hope you all are having a fabulous Thursday!  We're sending lots of Rising Sun Love your way!

All Grown Up

Today, a group from Camp 3 took some time to look into the past... their counselor's past, to be specific.  Brittany brought in some of her old yearbooks, and the campers had such a fun time flipping through the pages and eventually began reminiscing over their own pasts at both school and Camp Rising Sun.

Later in the day, I ran into a camper who brought me back to my own past!  This camper, now in Camp 3, was actually in my very first huddle when I was a CILT - that was in the summer of 2005 when I was 14. 

Now he's 12 and taller than me... my, how time flies!

 

All of this looking into the past often makes me pretty eager about the future.  This morning, however, I learned a VERY important lesson from our Thought for the Day:

"When dreaming of the future, don't let the present slip by."

So, here's to living in the present!  I hope you all have a fabulous night.  See you all tomorrow!

Rising Sun Love,
Megan

(Megan.Warren@YMCATriangle.Org)

Evolution of Dance

At Camp Rising Sun, we LOVE to DANCE!!!  Over the years, some dances come and go rather quickly, but there are so many classics that are here to stay.  This morning, Olivia and Amanda taught us a few of these rocking routines in the "Evolution of Dance" Rank!

 

The campers learned moves from the Macarena, Cotton-Eye Joe, Thriller, and more!  Don't be surprised if some of these dance moves make it home - once you get to grooving, you just can't stop!