Wow! We had such a wonderful voyage at Camp Elim!
On Tuesday, our first day, we spent the afternoon doing several challenges. Ask your child about the “stepping stones,” “blindfold activity,” and “ants on a log.” 
These team-building challenges required communication, thinking outside the box to creatively solve problems, and working together. These activities allowed for powerful debriefing discussions with messages of learning from mistakes, not worrying about blame, keeping a positive attitude/tone when frustrated, and staying focused to help the team complete the objective. These are all great life lessons!
We also did archery and a lower ropes course (brand-new at Camp Elim).
Students were able to identify goals and talk about challenges being in their comfort, growth, or panic zone. Students cheered for each other and encouraged each other as each child persevered with his/her own personal challenges.
On the second day, I told the kids that they would be hiking more than THREE MILES at Mueller State Park. Many children did not think they could hike that far, but they said their goal was to do it. It was not the easiest of hikes and included a few steep inclines.
We stopped for lunch at a beautiful lookout. We also stopped to learn about plants of the area and to play a game called “Camouflage.” Students learned all kinds of things, including how to go to the bathroom in the woods. 
The hiking got tough towards the end, but morale remained high as they cheered each other to the top. It was such a PROUD moment as students finished that final ascent to the parking lot.
Seeing a child experience the joy and pride of accomplishing something that was not believed to be possible is remarkable. I was overjoyed and thrilled to celebrate with them. Many students connected it to the quote “You can do ANYTHING you set your mind to.”
We returned to camp for some fun and games. Patrols played a tag game together, and then they worked together to create a masterpiece of art, made out of pinecones.
In the evenings, we enjoyed skits, stories, and songs by the Camp Elim Staff.
We set aside some time for solitude and reflection. During this solo time, students could have some time with their thoughts to reflect on the celebrations and challenges of the day, what they had learned about themselves, and what they had learned about working with each other.
On our last day at Camp Elim, students went canoeing, hiking, zip-lining, and rock climbing. There were more personal victories of trying something new, pushing outside comfort zones, and working to achieve self-identified goals.
Wow, this all took place during the third
week of school! It is hard to believe that I have only known these amazing
individuals for three weeks. It is impressive for a class to become a CREW, but
this is exactly the transformation that I witnessed. I am so very thankful for
this time to get to know these children, develop positive relationships outside
the classroom, and to have the momentum that “you can do anything you set your
mind to.” 
Additionally, I was very impressed
with how caring our crew can be. There were several instances where individuals
would perform acts of kindness, help a friend in need, or put others first. It
was touching to see the tender-hearts of our crew.
What a wonderful way
to
start the year!
A huge THANK YOU to our chaperones Laura, Lora, Jody, Steve, Bill, and Stephen!!! You were amazing, and I appreciate all your hard work and support!
Check out all the pictures. I have organized them by patrol (for the initiatives that were done as a patrol) and as whole crew (for the hike, canoeing, and other times we were all together). There are more than 500 pictures!
Enjoy!
You can view them as links to Picassa (must have Google) or through the slideshows below.
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