Monday Funday!!!

Welcome back birch blog followers!! Campers awoke this morning to the aroma of cornbread baking in Sue's oven! We met around the breakfast table shortly after 7:30am(8am real time)  to dine upon the cornbread, nectarines, and cereal. Then campers briskly went back to their cabins to clean and get ready for their morning classes. Today in sports classes, campers had the opportunity to try out various elements in our Ropes Course! Several campers got to rope swing or try to balance on our 'whale watch'. The swimmers participated in a butterfly clinic, where they practiced several drills to help them get the tricky rhythm of butterfly down. The boaters are still perfecting their skills and working hard to try and pass into the higher level by the end of this week.

The noontime meal , dinner(lunch) was a hearty feast of Texas Hash ( ground beef, rice, tomatoes, peppers), bread, and salad. Following this was a dessert of vanilla pudding! YUMMY! The rest hour brought with it, clouds, small showers, and a bit of wind so instead of going in for a general swim the campers enjoyed a game of non-stop cricket. Campers next proceeded back to their normal schedule of fourth period and activity period. Activities offered today were the tower (the rain stopped in time:) , badminton, sailing, and working on their arts and crafts projects. Most of the girls decided to forgo activities in order to run skits, songs, dances, or their talents in preparation for talent show tomorrow night! I am SO excited, the acts sound really entertaining. I will report on it tomorrow night :)

Today's inspection winners were cabins 2,5, and 8. Supper (dinner) was a round of steak sandwiches with cheese/peppers, applesauce, carrots/cucumbers, and a special orange cake for dessert! As I type away, campers are on the A-field, playing a camp favorite, King Dodge. Campers try to get out players on the other team in traditional dodgeball style but when a camper gets out they go to jail. Once in jail, if a camper gets hold of another dodgeball, they can try to hit unaware campers on the opposite team to get back in the game.

Tonight we will all sleep well after such an exciting and active day!!! See you on Tuesday followers!

-The Birch Blogger

Track Meet!!

Today was an exciting day at Camp Asto Wamah. Instead of going to the usual morning classes, campers went to the A-field for a day of running, jumping, and throwing. Split into teams of Green and White, campers competed against other campers in their area (hilltop, lakeside, seniors) in the running long jump, standing long jump, softball throw, and 50-yard dash. By lunchtime, everyone was good and hungry for a hearty meal of noodles, ham, corn, bread, and fruit. After lunch, we had our usual Rest Hour, followed by another track event--the "marathon!" The marathon starts on the A-field and continues down the camp road and past the lodge, finishing in front of Cabin 5. The marathon is an optional event, but quite a few runners showed up for the challenge! Those not running formed a line at the finish to cheer on their friends.

When the last marathon runners had finished, it was time for the Indian War Relay. This relay goes through all of camp, starting with 2 runners at the top of the camp road. The baton is passed along down the camp road and is then handed to boats, more runners, and finally, swimmers. White Team won in an exciting finish. It was a hot day, and the general swim that followed the relay was a welcome way to cool off from the day's activities.

Before supper, we had activity period. Campers jumped off the tower, played Nuke 'Em on the A-field, participated in swim races, and had their hair braided or wrapped. Supper was hamburgers, carrots, and chips, followed by a delicious dessert of green and white cake!

As I write, campers are getting ready to play Pirates--a camp favorite--for evening program. The game involves winning battles to collect others' "guns" (rags filled with flour) and looking for treasure in the woods. It is sure to be a fun game!

Super Saturday!!

Hello again Birch Bloggers!! We have been incredibly lucky with weather this entire summer at Camp Asto Wamah! Today the sun was shining, everyone enjoyed and took advantage of the beautiful weather!

Today we had french toast and yogurt for breakfast and a tasty meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes for lunch (with butterscotch pudding for dessert). Then for dinner, it was the kitchen staff's night out so for eat out, each camper had to sit at a table that no one from their cabin was sitting at. It was fun seeing the campers sit with friends that aren't in their cabin and also get to meet a few new friends as well.

We had a normal schedule today, all of the classes going swimmingly... especially the swimming classes. Since it wasn't too windy, the canoeing and sailing classes practiced capsizing today. They flipped the boats over and learned the best way to get them right-side up with little to no water in the boat. It is a fun way to cool off and also be prepared in case the boat flips over.

Tonight the girls are playing Spies and Smugglers, one of everyone's favorite games. The smugglers will be running up and down from the flagpole to the A-field trying to get their piece of paper (with 25, 50, 100, or 200 points on it) to their base. At the same time the spies are trying to stop them and guess where the smugglers have hidden their paper. They have three guesses, if they guess correctly, the spy gets the paper, but if not the smuggler is free to attempt again to get to the field. It is such a fun game. Since it is still pretty warm out, we will be having a general swim after the game. It is always fun when we have a chance to go in the lake during the evening.

That's all for now!

~ The Birch Blogger

Today was another great day here at camp! After gathering around the flagpole for flag raising and Chicken Fat – our daily morning exercise – we went up to the lodge for breakfast. This morning we were treated to bagels (plain and cinnamon raisin) and cereal.  There was also the option of yogurt and plums as a side. Lunch was chicken parmesan with pasta, and then blue raspberry sorbet for dessert. For dinner, we had tacos, followed by delicious apple crisp for dessert!

This morning we had all of our regularly scheduled classes, boating, swimming, arts and crafts and sports. And this afternoon everyone enjoyed the rest hour break and the general swim that followed. Fourth period had campers at whichever class they didn’t have this morning (hilltop at sports, lakeside in boating, and seniors in arts and crafts).

Activity period allowed campers to jump off the tower, participate in a cannonball/diving competition, Can-Jam, volleyball and paddle boards. During dinner we experienced a bit of rain, which means that evening program will be indoors tonight. We will be doing a Minute-to-Win-It style program. As the name suggests, campers will have a minute to complete silly, but difficult tasks. They will be competing as a cabin in an attempt to complete the task the fastest.

Following evening program we will begin Secret Sister. As those of you who had campers here last session know, all of the girls love Secret Sister. Everyone in camp selects a name out of a bucket; this person is their Secret Sister. They will then have a few days to do random acts of kindness, and get to know their “sister.” We hope that it is someone that they do not already know, because meeting new people and making new friends is what camp is all about.

Until next time,

-The Birch Blogger 

Beautiful Wednesday!

It was a beautiful Wednesday here on Columbia Lake! We had a normal camp schedule today. For breakfast we had waffles, which many campers put peanut butter on - an Asto Wamah tradition, then ravioli and farm fresh salad for lunch, and for dinner each cabin had a different picnic spot around camp. Some of the cabins were on different docks, at the A-field, and at the council ring.

Classes have been going very well! The arts and crafts classes are making many different types of bracelets, ceramic animals, pillows, and a few girls are learning how to cross-stitch. During sports today there was a big game of kickball while a few of the girls played Kan-Jam, a fun Frisbee game. There has already been so much improvement already in the swim and boating classes.

There were many fun activities offered by the counselors during activity period today. Campers were jumping off the tower, boating on the lake, playing aquarium games, running around the A-field playing soccer, and more!

Now the campers are getting their sneakers on and will soon head to the A-field for evening program. Tonight we are playing Tri-Ad, a fun soccer games with not one but three soccer balls, and three goals. There is a ton of running around and lots of balls flying around. It is a fun game and really involves all of the campers, making sure everyone is running around and having fun.

Every night, after evening program, the counselor's lead a few songs while snack is passed out and then one or two counselors will give vespers. Our vespers includes a skit or story involving morals that the campers are learning throughout their time her. Examples of the different vespers include Making the most of camp, Remember the other fellow, Conserving the environment, and being respectful. Last night we saw a fun skit about a beautiful flower and remembering to keep enjoy, not destroy the nature around us.

That's all for now!

~ The Birch Blogger

Tremendous Tuesday!!

Hello Birch Bloggers! Today was another beautiful day at camp. Breakfast was corn bread and oatmeal, for lunch we had Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes with chocolate pudding for dessert, and for dinner we had chicken patties and then cheesecake for dessert.

The warm weather made it the perfect day to be on the lake. Everyone was eager to get in the water for both swimming classes and general swim. All boating classes were able to go out on the lake as well. In arts and crafts, campers continued projects they began yesterday, and in sports, they played a game on the A-field.

Activity period had many kids out on the lake in boats and canoes. Counselors also offered activities such as jumping off the tower, paddle boarding, water aerobics, and aquarium games. If they didn't want to go in the water, campers had the option of playing games like Can-Jam, tetherball, and nock-hockey.

Tonight we will be playing a camp favorite, Capture the Flag, for evening program. Following evening program we are planning on having a quick dip. This gives everyone the opportunity to jump in the lake and cool off after running around all evening. We hope that all campers will take advantage of this, and jump in and cool down. Capture the Flag will tire everyone out, so they will be ready for bed and have a good night's sleep.

-The Birch Blogger

FYI: Many of you have been asking about pictures taken throughout the session, and when they will be posted on the website. Pictures from the 2014 Asto Wamah season will not be posted until the end of August.

Fabulous First Day!

Hello Birch Bloggers! Today was a fabulous first full day of camp here at Asto Wamah! We started off the day with blueberry bread and cereal for breakfast, which was followed by cabin cleanup time. Once the cabins and camp were all set for the day, we were off to first period! Hilltop went to arts and crafts, lakeside went to swimming, and seniors went to sports. They went from first, to second and then finally third period before having a bit of down time during counselor swim.

For lunch we had baked ziti and then mixed fruit for dessert. Lunch was followed by rest hour and then a general swim. Fourth period was moved indoors, due to the rain, but it did not put a stop to the fun. Boating classes learned parts of the boats and sports class played our new game, Same or Die.

Counselors offered board games in the upper lodge for activity period, so campers played games like Scrabble, Uno and Cards. Dinner was a delicious meal of chicken melt and then orange cake for dessert.  Tonight evening program will be held in the upper lodge. There will be a series of mini getting-to-know-you type games including counselor trivia and “How Do We Differ.” Overall today was a very successful first day of camp, and the session is off to a great start!

-The Birch Blogger

First Day of our Second Girls Session!

Welcome and welcome back to our second session of girls camp!! Today we welcomed 24 new campers and about 63 returning campers to Asto Wamah today. The rain stayed away while the parents came down camp road with their excited campers. Counselor's happily greeted their campers and gave them a little bit of time to get settled and then it was time to say good bye to family and let the Asto Wamah fun begin. Once most of the campers arrived counselors began orchestrating ice breakers like Where the Wind Blows, a game where one camper stands in the middle of a circle while everyone else us standing at a spot in the circle. The girl in the middle will say something about herself (favorite sports, number of siblings, favorite animal, etc), and if someone shares in that interest she will leave her spot and hope to find a new one, one camper will end up in the middle and then it is her turn to share something about herself. Counselors will also go over rules, expectations, and go on a tour with the campers to either teach to remind them the Wamah Way.

After rules and icebreakers, the bell rang around three o'clock, time for everyone to meet around the council ring and listen up to Nancy. We introduced all of the staff to the campers, Nancy gave her expectations for camp, and then Catherine (the water front director) went over water safety rules. That brought us to swimming classifications for first years or campers who haven't been to camp for a few years. Campers did their best swim strokes so that Catherine could see which swimming level the camper will be in.

For dinner, we had the traditional first night of camp meal - hot dogs, tater tots, and delicious brownies for dessert. The campers ate everyone piece they put on their plate.

That brings us to evening program. Any minute now the bell will ring for evening program and all the campers will make their way to the A-field in their tied shoes. Then Drew, our sports director, will go over the rules for... MEDICAL WARS. We always play this Wamah-version of dodge ball on the first night. The main difference is that after a camper gets out, she will sit exactly where she was hit and yell to the medic to come and save her. The medic, protected by two guards, will run up and revive the camper who got out. It is such a fun game!

Medical wars is the perfect game to get the campers running around and hopefully a little tired out before bedtime. The first night sleeping in any new place is always a little difficult but we hope that the campers will be able to sleep well on this nice, cool night because we have a fun, full day ahead of us tomorrow!

That's all for now! Please check in throughout the week to get more updates from Camp Asto Wamah

~ The Birch Blogger