Pre-Camp Part Two.

After lunch on Friday we took a little time to siesta (which we spell Q-U-I-E-T here at CGM) and then we suited up for the pool! It was sprinkling rain but our campers didn't seem to mind one bit.

After swimming we had our chapel activity for the afternoon, which involved singing and then doing a demonstration with rocks and rice.

Then it was time to play one of our favorite camp games - Magic Tambourine! The music plays and the person in the center has the tambourine. They dance and create a snake of people, grabbing friends. Once the tambourine drops everyone has to scatter to find seats. Last one gets to start the next line.

Then we broke into family groups for afternoon activities. We played games (like Ships and Sailors, below), went to the art barn, and played on the playground.

Then we had a big spaghetti dinner. The kids by now are all becoming fast friends and have pretty much ditched the parents!

After dinner we went on a treasure hunt.

Then it was time for the bonfire. We got a nice bonfire going, everyone was set up, and we were about to tell stories when it started raining...

Which led us to plan B, which was to have an indoor bonfire with LED candles and construction paper:

But don't worry, we still had stories, songs, and s'mores!

And another day at camp came to a close!

Pre-Camp, Part One.

Our first session of kids, the Mini Maxon Pre-Camp, arrived Thursday night for a long weekend with their parents. This session of camp is meant as an introductory experience for the campers. They stay in Claiborne Hall with a parent and have a shorter version of the camp session but with all the favorite things - a campfire, arts and crafts, a hike, the pool, and more.

The Pre-Campers showed up for registration around 7pm Thursday night. We had crafts and games in the pavilion before a compline service.

Joining us this weekend as priest on staff is Reverend Carolyn from Pulaski.

Four Square:

Friday morning started out with a delicious breakfast and then songs and chapel in the Downstairs Chapel:

The Pre-Campers played a game about Mary and Martha that went with our theme of Faith and Acts to learn about the two followers of Jesus:

Then it was time to meet their family groups!

After that we broke into two groups. One group went to Greeter Falls for a hike and swim while the other group went to Abbo's Alley for a walk and to play in the creek and explore.

We are having so much fun at Pre-Camp! More pictures to come.

Staff Week, part two.

The remainder of staff week was just as busy as the beginning - and just as fun!

The staff received a huge (75 pound!) care package from a former staff member. We were all very excited.

The staff had a cookout at Cameron's house - there was a special appearance from Charles Houston, our former camp director!

One of the service projects for camp this year is to cut up t-shirts into strips to give to Thistle Farms, a ministry out of Nashville. They will use the strips to make paper to sell to benefit the women in their ministry. The staff learned how to cut the strips and practiced.

During staff week we keep a huge ongoing to-do list. It is always gratifying to see things checked off!

The staff also practiced their chapel skits. The skits are sure to be extra funny this year.

The staff hiked another trail, the long way around to Foster Falls. The falls were very strong because of all the rain and it was very beautiful. We'll hike this with Camps One and Two.

And then, after 5 full days of training, the staff got Wednesday day and night off to rest before the kids start arriving! We headed over to Crust in Sewanee for a pizza buffet lunch:

And now we are off preparing for our Pre-Campers to arrive tonight! Until next time.

Staff Week, part one.

The rest of staff week just flew by! Our staff was very busy planning and preparing for the month of June. Staff week consists of trainings (CPR, First Aid, AED, Safeguarding God's Children), learning about being a camp counselor (leading a small group, knowing about each age group, etc), and planning (chapel program, afternoon activities, night activities). In addition, the staff spent some great time bonding and forming themselves as a team.

Saturday morning we sat down to define our role as a staff:

Saturday also brought a rescue simulation with Ranger Jason. We have a strong relationship with our South Cumberland State Park rangers - they lead the rapelling and rock climbing activities and are on hand for our hikes.

Thanks to Phil who volunteered to be our victim in this situation. This is one of those skills you hope to never have to use but are glad to have.

We scouted out a hike to use for our Pre-Campers, the short trail at Greeter Falls to the water hole. The staff runs through every hike before taking our campers out.

Our five lifeguards led instructions on water safety at our pool.

After a few days of cloudy weather, the skies finally cleared for a beautiful Sunday and Monday.

We shopped for our supplies - our annual Walmart run. This is what a basket of camp looks like!

The staff spent an entire morning and afternoon being First Aid/CPR/AED trained through the American Heart Association.

The staff was also very busy making signs, nametags, and more.

More to come on our eventful staff week!

CGM 2013: Staff Week Begins!

We kicked off the 2013 camp season with the arrival of our camp counselors on Friday. We train our staff for a week prior to sessions beginning - these trainings range from CPR/First Aid to planning the chapel program to making nametags to discussing the meaning of being a camp counselor and more.

After unloading in our cabins, we started out staff week with a camp tradition - Compline:

We then broke into a jam session, singing all our favorite camp songs by request:

After that we had a bonfire down by the cabins, started by our very own Eagle Scout and counselor Winn:

Jillian, Phil, and Cody, our oldest three counselors, led a discussion about camp being family:

Then the night was capped off with the inaugural trip to Sonic for 1/2 price shakes after 8. The first of many trips...

Happy staff week!