A Day in the Life of…the Seniors

I’m Jessica, a newbie to Camp Robin Hood. This summer I will be shadowing units, cabins, staff, and various activities, and giving you an inside look at what it’s like to spend summers at CRH. I hope you have as much fun as I’m having!

Age Group: Completed Grades 4-7
Section Heads: Lara (Senior Girls) and Steve (Senior Boys)
Cabins: SG-4 and SB-2
Counsellors: Brooke & Mel (SG) and Daniel & Brendon (SB)

This week I finally made it to the Senior Unit! Now the Seniors are a bit different than the rest of the units at CRH. First off, both the boys and girls are together in one unit, which makes it seem like a smaller group, and they also have the widest age span of kids at camp (ages 9-13). For the majority of the day I was with a group of preteen girls, which was really just very educational, but also made me feel older than I have all summer here at camp.

At the beginning of the summer it occurred to me very quickly that I was definitely older than most of the staff, but it wasn’t really a huge deal. And as I’ve gone and shadowed the nursery-aged, juniors and inters, the campers just felt like little kids and they looked at me as another counsellor. But when I headed over to SG-4, which is a group of girls who are going into grade 7 and 8, it was a whole other experience. I felt old!

These girls were using acronyms that made no sense to me at all. To them, boys no longer have ‘cooties.’ We compared stories about broken cell phones (I didn’t even know what a cell phone was at their age). And at some point, we even started talking about what types of summer jobs they want to have in the next few years (camp counsellors, obviously). I was also able to see how the campers and their counsellors interacted. At this age it’s much more like a friendship rather than a teacher-student type of relationship.

But back to our day, we started by making beaded bracelets and writing the next week’s Cup-o’-Love cheer as campers were arriving. If you read my Day in the Life of the Intergirls, then you know that the Senior Girls have this Cheer-Off down pat. They are currently on a role with three consecutive Cheer-Off wins, and this week’s cheer was looking to be just as solid! They have the right formula of old-school (for the judges) and today’s Top 40 (for them), and this week thing’s are getting ‘bootylicious.’

Their first activity for the day was swim, where the seniors got into their appropriate swim groups and got right into their lessons. Once again, this is an age group where the kids are fully into their lessons. It almost makes me jealous at how good they actually are. I was never put into swimming lessons as a kid so it was a long process of me just learning how to swim (float) on my own. While everyone was in the pool, I chatted up the star of the camp play as she wasn’t able to swim that day. We bonded over our love of musicals and basically became BFFs on the spot.

Once swim was over we headed back to the unit to get changed, have a snack and gossip about our camp crushes. Then it was time for Music & Drama, which I had yet to even step into the castle, and was just excited as the girls were to head over there. M&D is a magical place, mainly because I got to participate. The girls were split into two groups and myself, Lara and the M&D guys were in a third group. We had to do fairytale-themed Mad Libs and then act out the ridiculous story we had recreated. Here are the girls’ versions of Cinderella and The Three Little Pigs:

After M&D we went to Archery, which again I had never done before. The girls looked so bad a** with those bow and arrows that I knew I had to get my Katniss on. I nervously shot one arrow and quickly realized that I would definitely NOT win The Hunger Games. So I moved on to arranging this photo shoot of the girls and the head of Archery, Scott, which they were completely on board for!

Once we freed Scott from our arrows, we headed to the opposite end of camp for Nature. It was at this point that I really wished I had an odometer to know how many steps I had taken that morning alone. This is how our morning had gone so far: we started at the unit (most eastern part of the property), went to Swim (middle of camp), back to the unit, M&D (middle of camp), Archery (southeast corner), Nature (west side of camp) and then finally back to the unit for lunch. So now you know why your Seniors are completely exhausted by the time they get home.

Anyway, back to Nature. It was a jam-packed 30-minutes where we got to visit the newly-hatched baby ducks, set off our volcanoes, and got a preview of what the Seniors would be doing in next week’s Options: rockets made with various beverages and house-hold items. They were so cool that Nature had all of the girls second-guessing the Options they had already picked (Nature is on a role this year, and frankly if I were a camper I’d want to be spending all of my time there!)

We headed back to the unit for lunch, which we were more than looking forward to. We were all super hungry and just inhaled our food, allowing us to have time to talk about which girls were excited to be CIT/LITs next summer.

Next was Options, which is an opportunity that the Seniors get where they can spend a full hour at their activity of choice. It’s a great way for this older group to feel a little more in control of their schedule, and frankly allows them to experience the things that interest them the most. CRH has such an array of activities that the Seniors truly have the ‘Option’ to dabble in their interests a little longer. In fact, rather than following a specific cabin, I also chose what interested me.

First I went to Land Sports, which was the talk of the camp that week with their wheelchair basketball. It’s amazing that CRH was able to acquire enough chairs that the campers could have a true experience of what it’s like to play this sport. I heard more campers around camp talking about this activity than any other activity all summer. It was definitely an eye-opening experience for them while still having a ton of fun!

For the second half of Options I headed to The Wall, another place I hadn’t yet been to. Despite my fear of heights as a kid, this would have for sure been the activity I chose. The Wall is so neat, with a large variety of climbing options. And although I didn’t get to climb anything myself, I watched your campers turn into little monkeys. I honestly can’t even describe what I saw, which is exactly why I got this video of two Senior Boys (brothers) racing to the top of one of the climbing elements:

After Options I headed to Arts & Crafts with SB-2 where we made these cool tinfoil paintings. Since I know my mom is way over the whole art-on-the-fridge thing, I put my painting up in the office for all of the staff to enjoy!

Finally we had our last swim, which was a Free Swim where the Seniors could pretty much do anything they felt like doing: handstands, volleyball, tag, the usual fun pool activities. Once our half hour was up, we headed back to the unit to get ready for their trip home, enjoy a freezie and sort of just veg.

It was a really fantastic day with the Seniors, but I was happy to head back to the office where they don’t speak in acronyms on a regular basis.

A Day in the Life of…a Bus Counsellor

I’m Jessica, a newbie to Camp Robin Hood. This summer I will be shadowing units, cabins, staff, and various activities, and giving you an inside look at what it’s like to spend summers at CRH. I hope you have as much fun as I’m having!
Age Group: All ages
Bus: 46 (Thornhill Woods)
Counsellors: Melanie, Justin, Zachary

I am not a bus person. It’s been over ten years since I’ve been on a school bus, and when I moved to Toronto, it took me a long time to warm up to the idea of city busses. I’m not really sure where my issue with busses stems from, but regardless, it meant that I wasn’t overly excited to ride the bus to and from camp. I sucked it up anyway because I knew how big of a deal the bus ride at Camp Robin Hood is. And man was I glad I got the experience!

It was Sports Day that day, so I got into my 49ers outfit and headed to the neighbourhood pick-up location where I would meet up with the majority of the kids on Bus 46. I was surprised to see that there were other camps that also used this location as their pick-up spot, but it was easy to see which campers were going to CRH with their bright blue backpacks. I was there just long enough to see a few kids start playing soccer before the bus arrived and Melanie, Justin and Zachary stepped out to greet the campers and their parents and take attendance.

Now I was expecting the kids to be much louder, but for the most part they were just hanging out with their friends that they hadn’t seen since Friday. We had one door-to-door pick-up to make and then we were on our way. Once we hopped on to the 407, the excitement really started. It was time to prepare for Bus Cup Challenge points. The counsellors started off with giving each seat a window marker. The kids went to town colouring and drawing their names and pictures while Justin gave them an assignment. They needed to come up with two rhyming words that related to camp, bus or sports. Each seat gave their suggestions for rhymes and then Justin handed them to Mel to put them all together to form one big rhyme.

In the meantime, all three counsellors were joking around with the kids, dancing and being just silly enough that even the older kids (me) found it fun and not annoying for 8:30 am. I have to say, considering Mel, Zach and Justin had been awake and on the bus for quite some time already, they had a ton of energy. Next thing I knew we were already off the 407 so it was time to throw it into high gear. Zach and Justin taught the kids the rhyme and then moved on to Bus 46’s Sports Day Cheer (to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”), take a look below.

We arrived to camp and the bus admin hopped on the bus to hear our rhyme and cheer. Once we had given them all the energy we could muster up, the kids flew off the bus and headed to their units to enjoy the day.

I also went about my day and by the time it got around to dismissal I was not as energetic as I had been in the morning. It was super-hot that day, and frankly, I was not in the mood to get back on the bus. My 30 minute drive home has always been dedicated to “me” time, unwinding from the day with my music blasting and my windows down. But, I sucked it up, like every other staff member that rides the bus has to do, cause the motto at CRH is that the bus ride should be just as fun for campers as their day at camp is. It’s amazing how quickly I forgot about my normal routine once I was actually on the bus and making friends with a bunch of girls with boondoggle! But more about that later.

When I found my seat on the bus, the little girl that I was sitting beside climbed over me and joined a bunch of other kids on the other side of the bus. In fact, every camper was standing on the seats and looking out the windows, which I quickly realized was a CRH tradition. They were waving and yelling out their counsellor’s names, Howie and Sari’s names, and other staff members that they come across in their day.

I understand that the whole point of me writing these blog posts is so you guys as parents can get a little sneak peek of what your kids’ day is like at camp. But this daily event (yes, it’s an event) of the kids waving bye to all of the staff lined up along the drive way out of camp is something I wish all of you could experience. It’s pretty cool to see from outside of the busses, but it’s a whole other thing to see from inside the busses. This last image of the day that your kids get before the drive home is definitely one of the things that gets them excited to come back to camp the next day. There is so much energy on both sides of the goodbye, it’s truly a sight to see.

Once we were all properly back in our seats and off the property, the boondoggle party started! I wasn’t able to make a bracelet, but I did get to make a little key chain. I also helped two girls tie a 15-piece project and start another camper’s bracelet. I know that CRH does their best to make sure the bus ride is as quick and easy as possible, and that’s exactly what it was. I was enjoying myself so much that I was surprised when we got back to the neighbourhood drop-off. I definitely was happy to get back in my car the next day, but I’m so glad I got to have that truly authentic CRH experience. Thanks Bus 46 for giving me faith in school busses again!

Side note: I need to give a quick shout out to the bus admin team and their fearless leaders Robin, Ehren and Larry. I happen to sit right across from Robin in the office, where I hear her working non-stop before, during and after camp hours making sure that your kids get to and from camp as safely as possible. Their dedication is just amazing.

A Day in the Life of…the InterGirls

I’m Jessica, a newbie to Camp Robin Hood. This summer I will be shadowing units, cabins, staff, and various activities, and giving you an inside look at what it’s like to spend summers at CRH. I hope you have as much fun as I’m having!

Age Group: Completed Grades 2&3
Section Head: Sarah L.
Cabin: IG5 (10 girls)
Counsellors: Jaime, Kaitlyn and Sarah D.

I arrived at the InterGirls unit to a much more relaxed and mellow atmosphere then that of the Munchies or Junior Boys. It’s amazing how big a difference a couple of years makes when it comes to a kid’s morning energy levels. Regardless, once all of the girls had arrived, they snapped out of their sleepy daze and began to practice their cheer for the morning’s Senior Flagpole. I’d heard lots about Sr. Flagpole, so I was excited to be there on a Wednesday where I could experience the excitement. Sarah L. had written a pretty awesome cheer to Katy Perry’s “Roar,” which the girls had already learned, but during this last minute practice some of the counsellors added in a few moves as well.

We then headed to the Arrowdome with the InterBoys and Seniors for morning Flagpole where they would show off their talents in order to gain points for the Cup-O-Love. When we arrived, the IGs were tied for first with the Senior Boys, so we were ready to keep up our lead.

First was a counsellor competition where they borrowed an idea from the Inters Special Day and had one counsellor wrapping the other one as quickly as possible in a full roll of toilet paper. Naturally, the InterGirls won and we were in the lead!

Next was the talent show portion where we listened to some jokes from the InterBoys, singing from the Senior Girls and watched break dance moves from the Senior Boys. Excuse me as we interrupt for our weekly CRH Frozen break. That’s right, a group of IGs got up and sang “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and of course prompted an annoyed sigh from a group of boys that are obviously completely over this never-ending obsession. The IGs did a great job, but unfortunately the boys with the jokes charmed the crowd and took the next point.

The InterGirls were still in the lead going into the last round: the cheer-off round. We got up first and in my opinion did an awesome job. I filmed the whole thing so take a look at your enthusiastic daughters.

Next were the IBs, and no offence, but I’ve already forgotten your cheer, which means you really need to step it up next Wednesday! Maybe try enunciating a little more? But then came the Senior Girls, who did a mash-up of a Spice Girls and Beyonce inspired cheer (and let’s get real, they won as soon as they sung “You just walked in…”). To end the cheer-off, the Senior Boys sang a Led Zepplin/Beyonce mash up. I had already heard that the boys would be doing this, and I had really high expectations for it, but unfortunately the boys were just a little too young to remember the melody of the “Immigration Song.”

We stirred in our seats in anticipation for the cheer-off winner: the SGs won the cheer-off. It was obviously disappointing, but the IGs left the Arrowdome knowing they were still tied for first with the SGs, and already started planning their talent show act for next week.

We went right to swim where I had a hard time getting pictures of the girls because they were totally into their lessons. There is something very rewarding for them that keeps them completely engaged with their instructor…probably the idea of free swims, but still I saw a bunch of girls who were happy to be in swim lessons.

Next we headed back to the unit to change, snack and go on a Buffalo Hunt. You’re probably asking yourself right now “I knew there were some cool animals at camp, but buffalos?” I was just as confused so I asked Sarah L. what she was talking about. She explained to me that these are the code words for picking up wrappers and garbage that the girls leave around the unit (I will admit, on behalf of the female population, that boys get a bad rap when it comes to cleanliness. Girls are the worst, just ask my roommates from university). Anyway, the InterGirls do a great job of keeping their unit clean, which is obviously why they won “Grounds” in the Senior Division that week.

We were then off to Dance, where half of us went into the portable to learn a routine with chairs, and the other half stayed outside to learn a routine with ribbons. These girls are all about the performance and showed off their sassy moves for each other at the end of the period. Take a look at the cast for Season 35 of So You Think You Can Dance below.

After Dance came Arts & Crafts where we made rainbow-coloured cobra bracelets, which the girls were very excited about. I realized while at A&C that I’m seriously lacking in “camp arm candy” (For those of you who don’t keep up with the latest issues of Elle Canada, “arm candy” basically means the display of bracelets you wear on your wrists.) Right now I’m simply sporting an emergency hair elastic and my cool UV bracelet. What I’m missing is a variety of boondoggle, cobra bracelets and deep end bracelets. I tried to bribe one of the girls to let me have the one she was making, but I IMMEDIATELY got shut down. I later found out that the secret to getting campers to make you boondoggle and bracelets of any kind is to have a fanny pack that they can decorate with their colourful creations. I unfortunately do not have that privilege.

Then it was time for lunch, where the girls chatted, practiced their talent show routines for next week, and once again, compared what their parents had packed them to eat. Oh right, and they also talked Jaime into braiding her hair.

We headed back to the pool, and luckily I was able to interrupt a few girls for a photo-op. But then they were quickly back to practicing their diving, floating and front-crawl skills.

Unfortunately I was with the IGs on an early dismissal day, but fortunately, I got to hang out with them as they prepared for the Colour Wars breakout. That means I got to help all the campers get their face paint on so they could cheer for their team during the first event. It was hilarious to see all of the green, yellow, red and blue (and not so hilarious for all of you parents when they got home with face paint smudged everywhere), so I got a bunch of the girls to pose for a super enthusiastic picture in all of those colours.

Before we headed to the “big top”, I got a first-hand lesson in the friendships made at camp. It’s obvious to see that the campers are making, or have already made, life-long friends here. And I’ve even heard about these friendships from my own friends that went to camp as kids. But what I didn’t think about was the friendships the counsellors make. A lot of them have grown up together as campers and are now working together, and some of them have just met and are in the early stages of those relationships, but no matter when they met, there is a bond being made here that I’ve never experienced before, and frankly I wish I had when I was their age. I’ve been so impressed and excited throughout this past month seeing the impact that CRH has on people, myself included.

Anyway, We headed to the Arrowdome, aka The Circus, where the campers were sectioned off into their colours for the remainder of the afternoon. They watched quite the performance from real-life circus acts, as well as from the staff, which certainly geared them up for the next day of full-on Colour Wars. I could go on forever on how amazingly cool Colour Wars was, but the short version is simply that I got a #kangarooselfie.

Thanks InterGirls for showing me a great day and joining me in my first Colour Wars experience here at CRH.

A Day in the Life of…The Juniors

I’m Jessica, a newbie to Camp Robin Hood. This summer I will be shadowing units, cabins, staff, and various activities, and giving you an inside look at what it’s like to spend summers at CRH. I hope you have as much fun as I’m having!

Age Group: Completed SK and Grade 1
Section Heads: Jason (Junior Boys) and Joanne (Junior Girls)
Cabin: Entire Unit (about 100 boys)
Counsellors: 18 Counsellors

This week I decided to investigate what a Special Day was at Camp Robin Hood. I’d heard lots about them, seen counsellors and section heads planning them and had even reminded parents of upcoming Special Days in the CRH Newsletter. But when it came down to it, they were a complete mystery to me. So I joined Jason Gregor, aka Gregor, aka Grilled Cheese (funny story, this has been Jason’s nickname at CRH for years, and has something to do with the fact that when his parents went out of town, he managed to survive on the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner), and the Junior Boys for their Western-themed day of fun!

The day started with a whole bunch of six and seven-year-old cowboys arriving at the unit. There were cowboy hats, vests, chaps and some hilarious moustaches. These kids were dressed up and ready to visit the Wild Wild West. During arrival I eavesdropped on a group of boys playing a card game called ‘Top Trumps’, which I came to the conclusion is an updated version of ‘Pokemon’ except with super heroes, but I never really got ‘Pokemon’ and probably just made that up. I also looked in on a game of Gaga, which is officially on my camp bucket list. It looks like a blast, I’ve heard it’s a summer camp staple and I still have no idea how to play it. Now I just need to find someone to teach me…

Once the nearly 100 boys had put their bags away and posed for some pictures in their cowboy outfits, they sat in lines with their cabins and calmly waited for a special guest to arrive.

Gregor: Hey Junior Boys
Junior Boys: Hey Yah

(Unlike ‘Waterfall’ at Munchies, the ‘Hey Yah’ response is the loudest response you can imagine, while still having the same effect of getting the unit’s attention. In fact, if you need a hype man at your next event, any of these boys could do the job, but more on that later.)

Just then Mayor Ford arrived (wearing a Ford T-Shirt…the car manufacturer, not the Toronto mayor) with his wife to say hi to the JBs. But before the mayor could tell us why he was there, an evil bandit came and tied him up and kidnapped him. The boys were given a mission for the day: get the mayor back from the evil bandit by paying him with three bags of diamonds, which they would earn at their activities throughout the day.

So the boys were split into groups–one went and played a Lasso Game and the others played Freeze Dance while learning the ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ two-step. Next was Tin Can Shooting where the boys were given a spray bottle and had to shoot it at a pyramid of beach buckets to knock them down.

Then came the Dance-Off where I got a lesson in Camp Spirit. In the last few weeks I’ve been noticing at various Flagpoles that the Junior Boys are by far the most enthusiastic unit at Camp Robin Hood. When they are asked to cheer, they cheer the loudest. When they win Cabins & Grounds (they’re undefeated in the Junior Division, by the way), they celebrate the loudest. And when a Camp Dance song comes on, they dance the hardest. And I’m not just talking about this year’s Camp Dance (which they already knew most of the moves), but they still remember every move of last year’s dance, too. I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was so cool that after an entire year of adding and subtracting, spelling tests and history lessons, they still remembered all of the moves to ‘Can’t Hold Us’. I went back to the office and bragged about these talented boys, and a camper-turned-office-staff said she still remembers year’s worth of Camp Dances. And the Camp Spirit Award goes to….the entire Camp Robin Hood gang. Love it!

Oh, and how could I forget, they were all super awesome dancers. And that doesn’t just go for the kids; the counsellors have quite the rhythm, so much so that I promised I would give them a shout out for their sweet moves.

We then played a quick game of Horseshoe Toss before heading off to swim. Some groups were practicing their floating, others learned all about water safety, and another group took a quick canon ball break, where I was able to get some fun action shots of their best freestyle jumps.

When swim was done we headed back to the unit so the boys could change and have a quick snack. I took this opportunity to take a short break from the Wild Wild West and headed over to Robindelle where the Junior Girls were having their Frozen-themed Special Day. Just like the rest of the world, CRH has Frozen-fever and these girls were getting a kick out of their counsellors reenacting a few scenes from the movie, including musical numbers. I’m not sure I’m sick of ‘Let it Go’ and ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman?’ quite yet, but after a day with the soundtrack playing non-stop, I think the JG counsellors are ready for a break.

I headed back to hang out with the cowboys, just as they were heading to the Gaga court to search for diamonds that were buried in the sand. Every time one of the boys found a diamond, there were exclamations of excitement as they dropped them in the collection bucket. (FYI, there were about 90 diamonds hidden in the sand by the counsellors, and less than half were found. So if your kid comes home with a ‘gift for mom’ you know where it came from!)

We then took a break for lunch, where I was quickly brought back to elementary school as we all compared what was in our lunch bags.

Next came a ‘Cowboy Ride’ Relay Race that ended just in time for the delivery of a ransom note for Mayor Ford. The clue indicated that there were letters hidden around camp that spelled the final clue to get back our beloved mayor. We ran through camp from one clue to the next, finally ending up at Flagpole where we exchanged our bags of diamonds for Mayor Ford, but not before the evil bandit got away.

We celebrated the return of Ford by heading to our second swim, where I got a few more action shots of CRH’s budding Olympic divers. And then headed back to camp for a special treat to end our Special Day: cupcakes! And of course one more crack at the Camp Dance.

Now I thought I was exhausted after hanging out with the Munchies last week, but I really had no idea what exhausted even meant. Thanks Junior Boys for a great day, see you next week InterGirls!

A Day in the Life of…Robin Hood Sports Academy

I’m Jessica, a newbie to Camp Robin Hood. This summer I will be shadowing units, cabins, staff, and various activities, and giving you an inside look at what it’s like to spend summers at CRH. I hope you have as much fun as I’m having!

Age Group: All ages
Program Directors: Sam, Mitch and Jeff
Cabin: A-5 (Completed grades 5-7)
Coaches: Oriel & Shayne

This week I headed to the camp north of the road, aka Robin Hood Sports Academy. I had heard lots about Sports Academy, and had even gone to visit them a few times, but it was usually just a quick visit and then I’d head back to Main Camp. Although I was told this several times, it never really occurred to me how separate they actually were. Other than swim (which they do alone) and Friday-morning Flagpole, Main Camp only really sees RHSA from a distance. But when you’re over on their turf, you enter a place that has just as much spirit, just as many traditions, and definitely, just as much fun.

The day started with the kids dropping their stuff off in the Locker Room (their version of a cabin) and getting right into playing their sport of choice: tennis, basketball, soccer or baseball. I felt a little out of sorts when I first got there, so I stayed close T.B.S, which is essentially a sort of Flagpole where the AM and PM Press Conferences take place. This did not stop me from making a friend, almost immediately, with a boy who wanted to talk about how he had ‘vintage’ LEGO and how awesome and funny the new Gaurdians of the Galaxy film was, all in great detail. It’s amazing how intense kids are at that age when it comes to LEGO and superheroes, or just everything really.

Once all the campers had arrived, the AM Press Conference began. Let me tell you, your kids are not only experiencing the best summer you could possibly imagine, they are also attending daily comedy shows. On any given day the Program Directors mingle with the Coaches on the TBS “stage” and tell jokes, engage in witty banter and even play games of “Ryan Minster” with the kids. (Ryan Minster is a game where the only answer is Ryan Minster, which I imagine some of your kids have tried to play with you at home. Want to play now? ….you’re out. You forgot to say Ryan Minster!) The kids would play that all day, every day if they had the choice. But they don’t, so we moved on to our first activity of the day.

I followed along with A-5, the oldest group at RHSA, which includes 12 boys and 1 very brave girl. Our first activity was soccer. At RHSA, activities last for an entire hour, with the first half hour dedicated to skill building and the second half to various games.

Now I’m not an overly athletic person. When I was really little I played soccer, but that only lasted a few years, then when I was a senior in elementary school I was on the basketball team (and absolutely loved it), but for various reasons didn’t continue in high school. And from the age of three to 18, I took ballet, jazz, modern and pointe, all of which were low contact while still getting the appropriate amount of exercise. So I had quite a few reservations about hanging out at RHSA, mostly because I was afraid of embarrassment. A ball to the face, tripping while I ran, swinging and missing over and over –all of these thoughts were replaying in my mind.

So when we got to soccer, I watched the kids practice their skills with a game called Knockout, and a relay race where they had to show off moves that they had learned the previous day. Then it was time for a scrimmage. I continued to sit out until one of the Program Directors pushed me into the game. Before I was really able to play with the kids, we moved on to Lightning. I had never heard of this game, so while I was lined up for my turn I came to the conclusion that it was just an exercise of shooting on the goalie. I was mostly wrong. Yes, you had to shoot on the goalie, but when I got up to the front of the line to do just that, everyone was yelling at me to get in the net. I was so confused that apparently I scored on myself. Embarrassment, check! I was given a second chance, so I got back in line and was given a brief low down on the rules (they went right over my head) and asked if during my next turn someone could just tell me exactly what to do. When my turn came I was told to run into the net, rather than shoot, and without even having time to think, I surprisingly saved the ball coming towards me! (And have a war-wound to show for it.)

Just as I was getting a hang of the game, it was time to head to the baseball diamond where the kids practiced cutoff drills a few times and then split into two groups. One group headed to the batting cage and the others stayed at the diamond to do a more complex cutoff drill where they actually had to practice running the bases and getting someone out. Watching them run the bases gave me a new appreciation for the kind of work out that baseball players get. You forget that there’s actually a lot of running involved when you’re sitting in the nosebleeds or on your couch watching a game. These kids seemed pooped, but that didn’t stop them from heading over to the pools for their free swim!

Unlike Main Camp, RHSA gets one free swim a day, rather than two periods of swimming lessons a day, which is exactly why they were excited and not tired when they got there. They got to practice their canon balls on the diving board, play with rings, floaty boards and balls, and most importantly, they got to go down the water slide as many times as they wanted!

Then it was time for lunch. And not just any lunch, it was a Cookout Day, so that meant hotdogs, watermelon and chips for everyone. Even if SA hadn’t worked up an appetite by this point in the day, they certainly were excited for this special treat. I grabbed a seat with some of the boys from A-5 in the Lunch Barn where they inhaled their lunch in between talking about various athletes from various sports (I had no clue what they were talking about). They then talked me into taking a selfie with them (something I definitely understood) before they got up for a second round of hotdogs. I grew up with one sister, so it wasn’t until my late teens/early twenties that I discovered the phenomenon that is a Hungry Young Adult Male. It really doesn’t matter how tall/skinny/active the HYAM is, they sure know how to clean out a fridge, or in this case, Mom’s supply of Cookout hotdogs!

Once we had cleaned up our area in the Lunch Barn, we headed over to MSG where a pretty sweet skateboard park had been set up for the kids that had signed up for it. CRH and RHSA are constantly thinking up cool activities to bring into camp to shake up the regular routine. Whether it’s the wheelchair basketball at Main Camp from a few weeks ago or the skateboarding equipment brought in at RHSA, there’s no chance for monotony when you’re kids are here. They certainly leave no room for boredom, and that goes for the staff as well! Oriel and Shayne were just as into this temporary activity as the kids were.

On a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday the kids would usually head to an Option next, but since it was a Thursday, it was time for Game Day Prep. This is when the kids sign up for their favourite activity, get into teams at that activity and make up team names, coordinate colours with their teammates so they can arrive in matching ‘uniforms’ on Fridays and then do various activities to practice.

I took this opportunity to go to my favourite activity as well, which is basketball. I joined a group of boys that were mostly from A-5 and a few Coaches. We got into a very intense game of Bump, trash-talking included, where the kids made it their mission to eliminate their Coaches, but more specifically the lead basketball coach, Cori. It’s amazing how much of a rapport the staff and campers have built with each other over the course of the summer. Whether you see it during the AM or PM Press Conferences, or at individual activities, or even during lunch, there is a bond being made here at camp that is unlike any bond your kids could get in a school setting. I’m certainly in awe of it everyday I come to work at Camp Robin Hood.

Speaking of the PM Press Conference, it was time for the kids to pack up and head to this last activity of the day. The kids picked up their special snack, freezies, and then sat down for another comedy show from their Coaches and Program Directors. And then the moment I had been waiting for all day was upon us: GAME DAY GROOVE!

In addition to RHSA taking part in Main Camp Flagpole and doing the Camp Dance every summer, for the past four years or so they have also created their own dance called the Game Day Groove. I had heard a lot about it throughout the summer but I had yet to actually watch the campers perform it until that afternoon. Yes, it was a bit longer than the Camp Dance, yes it had crazier (and possibly nerdier) moves, but when it came down to it, it was simply awesome! Which is fitting since the song they dance to is ‘Everything is Awesome’ from The LEGO Movie.

Not only did I love seeing the RHSA campers dancing that afternoon, but the next morning was Sports Academy’s Annual Camp-Wide Flagpole, where they performed it for all of CRH and had Main Camp talking about the Game Day Groove for the rest of the day. Luckily I caught your campers performing it for me on video so you can also enjoy all their awesome dance moves.

Despite it feeling like a whole other world over at Robin Hood Sports Academy, I certainly felt like I’d finally gotten the true Camp Robin Hood experience. Yes, Main Camp has so much to offer campers every single day, but I don’t think you can say you’re a part of the Robin Hood family until you’ve experienced what the camp north of the road has to offer. So thank you everyone at Sports Academy for ending my ‘Day in the Life’ series on such a high note!

A Day in the Life of…the Munchies and Leppies

I’m Jessica, a newbie to Camp Robin Hood. This summer I will be shadowing units, cabins, staff, and various activities, and giving you an inside look at what it’s like to spend summers at CRH. I hope you have as much fun as I’m having!

Age Group: Nursery and JK Aged
Section Heads: Jordanna (Munchies) and Daniela (Leppies)
Cabin: Munchies 2 (10 girls)
Counsellors: Ariel and Steph

As the little ones started arriving from their busses, they joined me and their counsellors at the unit picnic table to make fun masks. While we were colouring (and I was making holes for eyes, and crazy mouths), the various cabin counsellors were getting the arriving Munchies settled into their cabins and doing some last minute quick changes into bathing suits. Once everyone had arrived, we all gathered in front of the picnic tables where a few very enthusiastic counsellors started the day off with a morning song…Five Little Ducks.

Before we headed off to our first activity, we still had a little bit more free time, where some Munchies opted for a quick snack, and others played around in the grassed area. I got into a very one-sided game of soccer with a few boys, (by one-sided I mean, they passed the ball around and then tried scoring on me and a very large net…aka a goal was whenever they could get it past me and on to the gravel).

Jordanna: Munchies, waterfall
Munchies: shhhhh

I’ve seen a lot of variations of getting this age group to quiet down and pay attention. But this one was definitely one of the most effective ones, which is why I saw it successfully used a few more times throughout the day.

M2’s first activity of the day was Arts & Crafts, where we had fun writing our names and colouring on a sash. Once they were done drawing flowers and hearts (we start young!) their sashes were tied together and worn proudly for a little photo-op.

Then it was time for the first Swim of the day (which was inquired about all morning from some very eager fishes) where we met up with the rest of our Munchies friends. Despite it only being day 3 of camp, I was impressed with how quickly these little ones got their shoes and hats off and lined up at their designated animal (which coincided with their appropriate swim level). I guess it doesn’t matter how old you are, when it’s a beautiful summer day and there are FOUR pools waiting to be splashed in, you don’t waste any time.

I made my way around to the different groups where I got to see kids wearing magic goggles, swimming through tunnels, and of course, splashing, kicking and floating around with the awesome swim staff. Then came the hard part, getting the Munchies out of the pool, wrapping them tightly in their towels, heading back to the cabins and changing out of bathing suit one and into bathing suit two, and finally, lathering up a fresh layer of sunscreen. My hands have never felt so protected from the sun in my life.

Once M2 was clothed, lathered and ready to go, we headed over to the low ropes where we practiced our balancing skills on a swinging log. The novelty wore off a little quickly for them, but man do these kids know how to make their own fun! A few girls began to dig a very impressive hole, or maybe it was a tunnel? While the others made me a very elaborate birthday cake with sticks, grass and wood chips…they even included candles! (Ps. my birthday was three months ago…but a cake is a cake! So I blew out my candles and we moved on to KidsMusik).

Instruments, puppets, parachutes, oh my! KidsMusik is everything you miss about kindergarten and being a kid. We joined a group of Leppies and played some lollipop drums, sang songs with puppets that represented people we see in our neighbourhoods, AND got to play with the parachute (which was always my favourite as a kid). And it wouldn’t be a successful trip to KidsMusik if it didn’t end in a sing-a-long to…you guessed it, Frozen’s ‘Let it Go’. And let me tell you, these kids not only know every word of this song, but sang it fully in tune with the piano. I was so impressed that I had to get some audio proof. Have a listen at the bottom of the page!

All that singing had us ready for lunch, so we headed back to our unit, and with the rest of our fellow Munchies, gobbled up our lunches before those rain clouds got in our way.

Yes, that’s right, unfortunately our second swim time was canceled by the pesky rain drops, but that didn’t stop us from having fun in our cabin. We quietly listened on as Ariel read us the storybook version of Aladdin (my all-time favourite Disney movie, by the way), and waited for the all clear that we could head back outside and play. Before we headed back out though, we changed out of our unused bathing suits, back into our regular clothes and lathered up with another layer of sunscreen.

Jordanna: Munchies, waterfall
Munchies: shhhh

It was time to head to Dance! We trekked all the way to the other side of camp to get to Dance, but we arrived just a few minutes early, which meant we played a very riveting game of ‘I Spy’. There were only really two colour options, Green: grass, trees, mini-put course; and Pink: hat, shoes, shirt, shorts, hairband…you get the point. We finished off with a game of ‘Simon Says’ and then made our way into the Dance portable, where we shook our little bums.

Since it was the Munchies’ first day at dance, we played an ice breaker game where each girl got to pick their favourite dance move and then we had to remember it when we put them all together for one big dance sequence. I saw twirls, jumps, shakes and even the Egyptian. These girls are talented!

After dance, we made our way to our final activity of the day, SportBall, in the new dome. Frankly, I was impressed with how much energy these Munchies still had in them. They played Train (which is essentially a jogging warm up), Popcorn, where they had to use their teamwork skills to collect tennis balls on the loose, and finally, perfected their basketball skills, and counting skills, while shooting hoops and keeping score at our hula hoop-versions of nets.

Once SportBall was done, we headed back to our unit for a special snack (cookies with sprinkles), a final song and a recap of our favourite parts of the day from some enthusiastic Munchies.

The day didn’t end there though! We still had to pack up our bags and head over to the busses, which from afar I would describe as chaos, but when you’re in the thick of it you realize that Camp Robin Hood has bus time down pat! This is a well oiled machine, folks. And I was one exhausted newbie!