Need Something to Smile About?

Check out this wonderful video performance by one of our very own. This particular camper is known for showing us his singing and dancing skills during "Potty Party", a place where kids can stop by to use the restroom and take a breather from the hot day. He has even shared his talents in front of all of assembly in the past! I had a great time working with him today in order to perfect his popular performance. He even helped me upload the video onto Youtube! Maybe he will end up being a future star....get his autograph while you can.

Camper Picture Requests

Have you ever wanted a more up close and personal view on exactly what your child is doing at camp? Curious about why they are having so much fun? Feel free to email me any picture requests at becca.rubin@ymcatriangle.org, so you can see photos of your camper doing their favorite things, with their friends, or with their favorite counselors. This is a great way for you to feel more involved with your child's summer experience. Also, it's the perfect way to have photos sent directly to your email so you can keep those memories at home forever! Here are some examples of recent camper picture requests. Also, don't forget to dress up for Wacky Wednesday tomorrow! Campers can dress as their favorite superhero, personal superhero, or a made up super character that they create themselves! Get creative :)

The Circus is Coming to Town

I was extremely excited to find out that an actual circus was coming to Rising Sun later today! Even though camp can sometimes seem crazy enough to be considered a circus, our Performing Arts Rank has been planning details all week in order to put together an actual show. All of the campers, with the help of our counselors Megan and Ashley, have been working hard to perfect their talents in music, gymnastics, and even sword fighting. It seems that today's performances will be jammed packed with excitement! Check out some backstage footage of rehearseal yesterday. Update: The Circus Came to Town...and here are some pictures!

Do You Dare?

Jason, our camp 2 head counselor, was at it again as he whipped up some "delicious" treats for our camp 2 counselors in honor of this week's daredevil theme. Even our director Mike Hubbell was a victim....I mean guest....at Jason's popular "restaurant". The appetizer consisted of tuna, whipped cream, and special flavoring. Then came pickles covered in chocolate and strawberry syrup. The main course included watermelon covered in chunky blue cheese. Last but not least, counselor's enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie covered with vegetable baby food for dessert. Can't really say that the counselors loved it.....but I know the campers were!

All Star Basketball Skill Challenge

Groover and Blake were changing it up in Basketball today during morning RANKS. Their "All Star Skill Challenge" allowed campers to have fun while practicing the skills they have been learning all week. Participants were timed as they completed different tasks to try and see who could complete everything the fastest. Campers needed to shoot a layup, dribble a ball with blinder goggles on while going up and down the court, dribble through cones, and hit three targets on the wall using a chest pass, bounce pass, and overhead pass. Last but not least, they ended it all with one final shot. They loved the challenge!

Crazzzzy Morning!

On this special Friday, we had four of our campers celebrating their birthday. This means....we had FOUR pies in the face! Talk about a great start to a perfect day. Also, the Tootsie Rolls and Balis both performed cheers that they had been working on all week. They were awesome! You could tell everyone was having a lot of fun. To continue a spectacular morning, Hannah hosted a "Diva Party" for everyone. With Justin Bieber music in the background, campers had a chance to paint their nails, get a signature Hannah bun, or partake in face painting. I even saw a few campers with painted on mustaches!
A funny story side note: A camper this morning warned me that a HUGE bug had crawled into my office. He swore that he saw it go under the door with his own eyes. I tried not to believe him...but later on I unfortunately found out he was right. With his help, the bug met his crunchy demise. But hey...at least it gave us a funny photo opportunity!

Celebrating our Rank Ups

Since the first day of Rising Sun, campers have been working hard to pass off different levels in RANKS. This program is a way for us to incorporate skill development at camp. Camper's red manuals are used to track their progress in each RANK throughout the entire summer. During an average day here at Rising Sun, everyone has the option to move around camp and choose RANKS in which they want to learn more about. Some of our many RANKS include Creative Arts, Soccer, Basketball, Nutrition/Wellness, Performing Arts, Tennis, and Archery. Campers can visit however many activities a day in order to learn various skills. To pass off the six included levels in each RANK, campers must demonstrate certain knowledge and skills to our counselors. These levels of achievements help campers with growth as well as satisfaction from skills learned and developed through our RANKS program. In order to award our campers for all of their hard work, we decided to throw a cookout in their honor. Whoever had passed off the first level of ranks, named Alpha, could attend. I'm proud to say that 71 of our campers were eligible! Everyone had a great time showing off their RANK books and talking to their friends about everything they have learned. Of course...the yummy food was an added bonus! Remind your campers to keep working hard towards RANKING up, you never know when the next exclusive party will be!