By Steve Bloom – Winter storm Jonas has come and gone. During the storm, I thought how lucky we are that we do not have to deal with snow days during the camp season. I have friends who are school administrators, and I know making snow-related decisions can be difficult! We do however, have to think about rainy camp days. In fact, one of the questions we are asked most often during tours with prospective camp families is, “What do you do when it rains?” (Another popular question: “Do you spray for ticks?” Answer: “Yes!”)
The answer to the rainy day question is that we utilize every covered area on campus and transfer to a special schedule. Rainy days can be a lot of fun for campers and counselors because of the change in routine! For me, it is always exciting to brainstorm new rainy day activities. We love to go to camp conferences, and there are often workshops about creating magic on rainy days. Think of being a child on a rainy summer day – rain boots, art projects, puddle jumping, umbrellas, fort building, movies, watching the rain drops. We try to bring these special feelings to the camp day.
Here are some activities we implemented last summer:
- Lego Mania
- Wacky Games and Challenges
- Minute to Win It
- Castle Crash
- Jumbo Jenga and Jumbo Connect Four
- Activities in the Picnic Pavilion (game examples: Twister, Uno, Chess, Checkers, Trouble, Monopoly, Giant stack cups, mural painting, freeze dance)
- Games in the Rink with the Athletic staff
- Music
- Karaoke
- Gymnastics
- Science / Nature
- Dance
- Arts & Crafts