July 28th, 2011
Hey! This is Derek. Have you forgotten what I look like? Well, don’t worry about it. So have I. =]
It rained today, you see. Not all day, but I spent the evening taking pictures as WATERPROOF CAMERAMAN 2.0… as pictured below. It’s probably my favorite outfit ever.=]
Anyway, as the blog title suggests, today was an ‘All Day Great Outdoors.’ What that means is that the campers explored the outdoorness of the area from nine to five (with a break for lunch, of course!)
We met up on the steps of Tippetts after breakfast, and the groups split to their separate vans. For your viewing pleasure, we have pictures of three Great Outdoors groups: mountain biking, geocaching and rock climbing.
First up: mountain biking! This activity is self-explanatory. Basically, you get on a bike, and ride in the mountains. Fun. =]
ACTION SHOT. =D
Annnnd here are the campers with their trusty steeds! =]
Next up is geocaching. Of the three, this is the one you might not know. Basically, you grab a GPS and search down very specific coordinates. Hidden at these coordinates is a cache… a hidden treasure. Thus, geo (world) caching (treasure hunting!). So here’s the crew from geocaching.
Oh, also, don’t mind that it says 2008. The camera date thing was messed up… We’re working on that. =P
Cache = found. Geocaches are often hidden in large plastic containers because they seal and they’re durable.
A geocache might contain small toys or knick knacks, and almost always has a little book where all the people to find the cache sign in and great other geocachers. (My spell-check is going crazy with all these variations of ‘geocache’… Apparently nobody put it in the system yet.)
‘nother one group shot: Geocaching.
Next up: ROCK CLIMBING. This one is my personal favorite… I go along with rock climbing whenever possible. I like to be a spider monkey. =D
I don’t really have anything to say about rock climbing, except that it’s awesome and everyone should do it. =]
Oh, in other news, the campfire was cancelled due to rain. But don’t fret! Our enterprising counselors found other ways to keep everyone entertained.
Read ‘entertained’ as DANCE PARTY! Yup, that’s right. MAC took over one of the theatres in Burgin for the night and broke out their finest dance moves. =]
‘Do the shuffle.’ =]
The following picture started with one person: Johnny, in his purple hat. As soon as I lifted the camera, though, a swarm happened, and everyone else jumped in! I love the days when everyone wants to be in the picture. =]
‘Got a brand new dance, we’re gonna do the shuffle!’
Everybody danced together before the junior campers (and the camera guy) headed home for bed. Well, bed in their case. (Lucky!) The camera guy has work to do. =]
-Derek
Posted by campcammyjr in Mercersburg Summer | No Comments »
July 28th, 2011
The Discovery Campers went Tubing on the Antietam creek this morning. The kids had so much fun floating down the river, getting in splash fights and looking at the beautiful scenery. They even got to go down some pretty exciting rapids.
Although Discovery is a day camp, the kids get to stay over one night and camp out at Mercersburg!!!
Tonight, they had a cookout dinner, which they ate in their tents:
After eating, Rachael french-braided some of the girl’s hair:
And then everyone sang Happy Birthday to Emily and ate birthday cake (for the second time today!)
It started raining a bit, so the kids headed to the barn to play some awesome games.
Everyone’s sad that tomorrow’s the last day of camp…but boy, what a great adventurous week it was! Don’t forget to check out today’s flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercersburgsummer/collections/72157627157730081/
and Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMercersburgSummer?feature=mhee
Posted by campcammyjr in Mercersburg Summer | No Comments »
July 27th, 2011
Today, the MAC campers went White Water Rafting!!! The Juniors went to the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers by Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and the Seniors went to the Youghiogheny River.
Here are some shots of the juniors:
When the juniors got back, everyone was hungry after the long day on the river. They were excited to eat dinner outside on the ford patio:
After dinner, the boys played kickball:
while the girls decorated their cabins:
The kids are having a blast!! Everyday is filled with opportunities for the campers to try new things, to push themselves to new heights (whether this is to reach a distant section on the rock wall or to eat their last piece of broccoli at dinner), to form great friendships and to create unforgettable memories at camp!
Don’t forget to follow us on Youtube. We’ve got tons of updates on the adventures occurring at MAC! There are new videos of the kickball game, the cabin decorating, a watermelon pass in the pool, horseback riding, and kayaking! See what’s going on with your kids on the Mercersburg channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMercersburgSummer?feature=mhee
-Zoe
Posted by campcammyjr in Camp Cammy Jr, Mercersburg Summer | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2011
That’s right, a special edition! It’s special because we have a massive photojournalistic adventure into the last day of Session 2. If a picture’s worth a thousand words, this blog should be worth a quarter-million or so. =]
Today started off with an epic clash of wills, blue Hurricanes versus red Tornadoes in that most intense of challenges, Peace Wars! Several campers attempted to explain the rules of Peace Wars to me.
It’s basically capture the flag with flour bombs. And, um, ghosts. And lots and lots and lots of team spirit. =]
It’s really too intense for words. =]
After the Peace Wars, everyone filed into the Burgin center as families came to pick up their campers. Hurricanes and Tornadoes presented their cheers and the winners of H v. T were announced!
(DRUMROLL!)
In both MAC and TAC, Tornadoes took the win! Way to go T’s! =D
That was much rejoicing (on the part of the Tornadoes, anyway!), and there were more tearful goodbyes.
There was also a cute dog. =]
We had a great time with all of you campers, and we’ll see you again next year! In the meantime, check out our media sites! There might be pictures of you there. =D
Also, we just put the Session 1 and 2 slideshows and videos of the cheers on youtube. Check them out! =]
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMercersburgSummer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercersburgsummer
And if you’re not already, don’t forget to be our friend on facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/mercersburgsummer?ref=ts
Posted by campcam in Mercersburg Summer | No Comments »
July 21st, 2011
I started out the morning with the TAC’s. They were doing a sports rotation (basketball, volleyball and ultimate frisbee):
Then after lunch I headed to Rutledge Hall to photograph some ESL classtime. In the first class, the kids were building towers out of paper. The tallest won! (But then they had to describe the structure of their tower in detailed English
…It was pretty tricky but looked like a lot of fun)
In the next classroom the kids were working on subject-verb agreements in groups. Check it out:
In the afternoon the ESL campers had some hard earned free time. They could choose to swim in the pool or play basketball in the gym:
For dinner I met up with the MAC campers. They were having a cookout on the Ford Patio. Tim cooked all the burgers and hotdogs. Mmmh:
After dinner, the excitement really started. The kids got the chance to play some games and cool off under the hose!
All in all, it was another awesome day at Mercersburg. Tomorrow is the last full day of camp, and I bet the kids are in for some unexpected treats.
Zoe
Posted by campcammyjr in Adventure Camp, Camp Cammy Jr, Mercersburg Summer | No Comments »
July 18th, 2011
Here are some updates on TAC, ESL, and the MAC juniors:
Today, Derek and I followed the TAC’s around for a few hours to check out their exciting enrichments. I started at “Iron Chef” where the kids made their own specialty pizzas and cooked them in the Ford Dining Hall with the help of Sarah Jean:
They took some funny photos when they were waiting for the food to be ready:
I also visited the “Art Attack” classroom where Rachael and the kids were working with clay:
They showed off their cool tie dye t-shirts that they made earlier in the week:
Derek caught some great action at the “Mad Science Lab”:
“The Laugh Factory”:
And the “Adventure Camp Record Room”:
All the classes looked like a lot of fun! After hanging out with the teens, I stopped by Tippets Beach to photograph the ESL campers having a blast on the slip n’ slide. Check out the fun below:
For dinner, I met up with the MAC juniors on the ford patio for a delicious cook out.
Some of the boys played four square while they waited for the food:
It was a jam-packed day and we can’t believe how quickly time is flying by! (There are only three full days of MAC and TAC session two left) : ( But we know that the campers have tons of fun-filled adventures ahead before they go!!
Zoe
Posted by campcammyjr in Adventure Camp, Camp Cammy Jr, ESL, Mercersburg Summer | No Comments »
July 18th, 2011
TAC made some awesome stop-motion animations! Check them out!
RACE!
Princess!
(Click on the link for the video!)
Posted by campcam in Mercersburg Summer | No Comments »
July 17th, 2011
Yesterday the MAC girl campers had some crazy hair and outfits during meal times. At lunch, the junior girls showed up with awesome hairdos. They had some unique ideas for how to keep their hair sticking straight up (plastic waterbottles) and some even sprayed green dye into their hair!
Before dinner, I stopped by to visit the dorms just in time to catch the senior girls dressing up for dinner. I brought over my laptop and they went crazy with photobooth, taking tons of great pictures of themselves. Heres a whole gallery of all the shots they took!
Check out the latest Mercersburg fashions below!
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July 15th, 2011
The TAC’s just got back from a two-day adventure! They left early Thursday morning for an unknown destination with their sleeping bags and some warm clothes.
A few hours later, we arrived in Ohiopyle Pennsylvannia. It turned out that we were headed onto the Youghiogheny river to go white water rafting!
It was a great trip. The campers got to experience class 2 and 3 rapids and see some beautiful scenery. After the river, we had a pizza dinner and then headed to the Laurel Caverns campsite for the night. The campers played some games and then had a campfire. Jordan and Alex played some songs on guitar before bed time:
In the morning, we all walked over to Laurel Caverns to explore the largest cave in Pennsylvania.
Everyone had lots of fun exploring the caves and getting wet in the underground streams. (Although it was a little chilly!) Hopefully the teens will be well rested for the next adventures in store for them tomorrow!
Zoe
Posted by campcammyjr in Adventure Camp, Camp Cammy Jr, Mercersburg Summer | No Comments »
