Less than 18 hours after getting home from Texas, I made an hour drive to Bradford Woods to meet up with my students for my first ever 6th grade Camp adventure. I took the morning off so I had a chance to sleep, unpack, do some laundry, and repack. I wasn't going to show up until the next morning, but when Mike and David had other commitments on Monday night, I decided to just go so I could get more of the full experience of it. The kids had arrived around noon, and I got there by 7:30 in the evening.
Not gonna lie, the whole thought of camping with a bunch of sixth grade girls gave me quite a bit of anxiety and dread many times throughout the year. But my word for the year is "intrepidez", meaning fearlessness. God is showing me that sometimes I just need to face my fears head-on and have the courage to step into unknown territory and trust that He is with me. This has definitely been a year of many similarly stretching experiences that I find myself boldly walking right into.
The following two days had their challenging moments, but I'm glad I went and experienced as much as I did. Basically all I ended up missing that first day were all the rules and meal procedures, zip-lining, and dinner. Oh, and getting accommodated in the cabins, meaning I didn't get a bed with an electrical outlet by it. Not a good thing at all, but even still, I survived.
They really gave the kids some fun experiences that many of them enjoyed, while others obviously complained about. I mean, what can you expect from a group of preteens?
A little fishing
Some skits
Canoeing
Outdoor survival skills, like making a campfire
in the middle of the woods and then cooking lunch over it.
Building a weatherproof shelter out of sticks and leaves
As the shelter started to really take shape, the kids worked together so well to bring it to completion.
They beamed with pride over what they accomplished together.
All 17 kids were able to squeeze inside their shelter!
Then we hiked some more and spent time down by the creek looking for different "creatures" and identifying them.
And in those extra spaces of time, the kids found other recreation opportunities.
For the most part, the kids did well. Sixth grade girls obviously had their drama, and sixth grade boys got a bit crazy and obnoxious--but thankfully a good heart-to-heart talk around the campfire settled things down for our last night together. Everyone slept well that night!
I only had four girls from my class go on the trip, so I stuck pretty close to them. Two of them will head to Puerto Rico with me in about two weeks!
After packing everything up and eating breakfast, we had one last activity to choose from. Kickball, spear-throwing, or a craft. I went with the craft group, and they all learned how to make God's eyes. Well, some of them had a hard time, so I gave mine to one of the girls who wasn't able to get hers right.
Since I drove to the camp, that meant I didn't have to ride the bus with a bunch of stinky sixth graders. I definitely wasn't complaining about that. I greatly enjoyed (and needed) that hour of quiet alone time before getting back to school and having to keep them entertained (along with the students back at school who didn't go on the trip) for two more hours before dismissal. Then I stayed a little later than I wanted after school to sort through all the work that I'd left for the sub from my trip to Texas.
Whew! What a week!
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