Nothing Up My Sleeve - Presto!

Breakfast club started off with a big game of King Of The Chairs.  For those of you who haven't had the chance to play a couple of rounds of King Of The Chairs, the rules are somewhat simple.  There's a line of chairs, five or so, and the kids line up on each of the chairs with the first person in line competing with the person sitting in the chair.  The person in the chair and the next person in line do a round of Rock, Paper, & Scissors.  You can stay in the chair as long as you win that round of the game. If you lose, the next person becomes the king and the process goes on.  Our teachers, Sue, Carolyn and Larry the Worm helped us learn through the story of David that we shouldn't judge people on the outside but instead look at their heart.

It was  a great day at the fishing  hole today.  The weather was good and the fish were biting. Each of the campers were able to catch at least one fish.  Many of the campers caught more than one fish with the record  being one held by a girl camper who caught seven.

More importantly it is a time for the counselors and campers
to sit in the beauty of nature, the warmth of the sunshine, and talk.  The campers will enjoy eating the fish tomorrow.

 

 

                                                   

The evening was capped off with a magic and ventriloquist show given to us by Great Scott.  Great Scott taught us about David who as a child had a faith that changed a nation.  He definitely made us laugh and learn along the way.  He will teach all the campers a magic trick in the morning.

The Red Carpet Treatment

  Today is the first day of camp for RFKC Boise.  For those of you who have been following the camp blog over the years, you've probably seen a couple of photos of our arrival party where each of the children are announced and cheered as they leave the bus, ready to begin their camp experience.  This year, we've added a new twist.  A red carpet and ropes have been added to the walkway in hopes that we can give each child the "Your Special" treatment right from the start.  On our red carpet, we don't ask who you are wearing, but rather say welcome, we're so glad you're here.

 

                           Red Carpet walk

 

 

Counselors and Staff Welcoming the Campers

 

For several years, the Project Linus organization has provide beautiful quilts for our first year campers.  These campers cherish these quilts and take the quilts with them wherever life leads.  The quilts are picked by the camper's counselors and sometimes the choices can be difficult due to not knowing what the campers may like in terms of patterns and colors.  The picking of the right quilt was particularly agonizing for one of our counselors who did not want to let her camper down.  Her perseverance paid off,  her little camper wrapped herself snuggly in the quilt, even though it was a hot day, and exclaimed, "You made a good choice."

Dean of Men & Dean of Women distribute quilts to the campers

The campers are now safely in bed , likely covered with their quilts and dreaming of the big fish they are going to try and catch tomorrow.

In Their Own Words

This year's camp has come and gone and we're left with very fond memories.  One of the camper activities is to write about their favorite parts of the camp.  Below are a few examples of what our campers thought of their RFKC experience.

Why I like Royal Family Kids Camp

Boys' Comments

• I like swimming, sailing, quilt, bug boxes, canoes, food, birthday boxes, speed boat, Camp grounds Staff.
  
• The pond, archery, zipline, rope course, fishing, swimming, J Zone, lunch, dinner, breakfast, making bug box, birthday face painting, crafts, game room, staff, and counselors.
  
• I like swimming, crafts, ropes, archery, activities, birthday boxes, chapel, speed boat and in room crafts, and exercises. I like Kid Royale and the songs.
  
• We get to play in the jumping thing. We play a lot. We play games. We get to have time to play in our room. And we get to have a talent show. I like the presents that all the Royal Family Kids’ camp gave me.
  
• I really liked the fishing, foot ball stuff, plus basket ball. I enjoyed building (he built a boat and a rabbit trap) and the celebration of birthday.
  
• Games, archery, fishing, prizes, building, clowns, parties, food, the counselors, the painting, swimming. The puppets and the talent show.

Girls' Comments

• I liked R.F.K.C. because it’s fun. You get to go fishing. They have great songs to sing. There is great councelors. R.F.K.C. is a great camp. I hope anyone who comes next year has fun.
  
• I like camp because you can have quilts. And I like camp because you can swim all week and on Monday’s you can do activities too! You can always have fun!!!! Do fun things!
  
• I like beads, painting, dress-up, and desserts. I like Katy, my counselor and the song DESTINY. I like swimming, the birthday party, cookies, cup cakes, the quilt, and my roommates.
  
• I like camping, swimming, polar bear swim. I like [camper's name], Katie, Jerrilene, [camper's name], [camper's name], “Grandma”, Vikki, Jenn, fishing, Miss Attitude, and the Bunk beds. I like the birthday party, b-day gifts, Canada and Canada Day. The talent show, crafts and activities, play dough, all of camp everyone in camp and Jerrilene again.
  
• I like swimming, play catch, Birthday Party and my presents and the cupcakes, hair stuff, my bunny, the zipline, JZone and singing “Destiny” and “I’m A Star”. I like my blanket and water bottle, being in my room with my counselor and the other girls. I like to trust the Lord. I like the projects and my bed, the stickers, dress-up, I like being here at camp. I like being brave. I like the sombreros and boas in the bedroom. I like to run. I like to paint my fingernails. I like the puppets and Kid Royale. I like the talent show and the food. I like the new shoes too. That’s it.
  
• I like painting, beads, and swimming. I like the songs “Pharaoh” and “Destiny”. I like the birthday party, cupcakes, dinner, lunch, snacks, and breakfast. I like counselors. I like the zipline and my beautiful bear with the kitty. My quilt, shoes, what my name means, daily surprises, my Bible and my story about Moses.

Day 5- Camp Comes To A Close

2008 Royal Family Kids' Camp counselors and staff.

RFKC 2008 has come to a close. The campers, counselors and staff members said goodbye and signed each others' shirts ( a tradition similar to signing school yearbooks at the end of the school year).

Our final activity was a Welcome Home presentation for the Foster Parents and the family members of the camp counselors and staff. We had a great camp and are very thankful to the Foster Parents for allowing their children to come to camp, to the hosting camp for all the extra things they did, such as boating, great food, and water safety, and to all of the volunteers who worked to make the camp a success.

Day-4 Polar Bears Spotted In McCall

                                                                                          I don't know if it has made the local news, but Polar Bears were spotted in McCall.  They're not the white furry kind you see on nature programs.  Polar Bear is the title we give any campers, counselors or staff members who has  dive into the ice cold water of the swimming area and swim back to the beach.  The title of penguin goes to those campers who wade into the cold water of the swimming area, up to their knees.  The whole event, known as the Polar Bear Swim takes place at 7:30 in the morning which adds even more difficulty to achieving  this feat.

An on-going activity that promotes serving others is know as Random Acts of Kindness.  These Acts of Kindness  are helpful things the campers do for each other, counselors or staff members.  Kid Royale (pictured in purple cape  & crown) and Sue (white shirt & black hat)  reward

these random acts with small  stuffed toys.  The campers are called to the front, and with the help of Sue,  are able to receive their prize in the color of their choosing.  When all is said and done, every camper will have been recognized for their kindness.  This year's prizes were stuff frogs.

This evening, campers participated in the RFKC triathlon.  The first event was the egg and spoon relay race. This event requires individual effort and has individual results.  Campers traveled from goal to goal while carrying an egg on a spoon.

 

The second event was the  three legged race. Campers, counselors and staff members formed teams of two and with dual effort gained results as a small team with the goal of crossing the finish line first.   

The third and final event was the balloon toss. The teams were made up of a team of boys with their  counselors and a team of girls with their counselors.  In this event, balloons are tossed from team member to team member emptying one bucket of water balloons up the line until they reach another bucket at the opposite end if the line. After this has been completed, the process is  reversed until the original bucket is filled again.    At the end of the triathlon, each camper receives a necklace with a trophy on it.

As well as being fun, the triathlon has an object lesson to be learn.

The point of this lesson is:

-Sometimes we walk alone

-Sometimes we walk together

-Sometimes we have a community

It is not important how well we run the race, but when we fall, we have  those around us who can pick us up.

Day-3 RFKC's Got Talent

As with most camps, the RFKC campers have many opportunities  for outdoor adventures,   One of the big draws today was the archery course.  Lee, our archery

instructor lead the campers through the correct way to hold and fire a bow and arrow.  Within a matter of a few tries, our campers were hitting targets ranging from printed turkeys attached to bales of straw to a life size replica of a deer.  This activity is not only fun for the campers but helps them quickly gain a sense of accomplishment and can help build their self esteem. 

Another outdoor activity that the campers really enjoy is sailing.  Our host camp goes out of

their way to make our RFKC camp very special for our campers.  This is the second year a member of our host camp staff has offered to sail our campers around the lake.  The campers came back from the lake tour with excitement written all over their faces. 

 

 

 The excitement continued with the  Birthday Party.  This party is an annual event where each child's birthday is called out  and the whole group sings Happy Birthday to each of the campers.  Of course any birthday would not be complete without presents and cake.

After dinner, it was time for the RFKC talent show. Each camper has a safe, risk free environment in which to share their talent.  We have singers, puppeteers, dancers and a few talents you might not likely see at any other talent show.  It makes no difference all performers receive cheers and applause when they've finished their performance.

So ends another fun day at RFKC.