June 26th

Happy first day of majors and minors! The day started off party sunny and very cool but by after lunch the temps warmed up to about 70 degrees. Cool temps don’t really bother the kids, as they were still out and about running around all morning & afternoon. The camp spirit is very high and activities are all in full swing now.

Show rehearsals have started, rock bands have been formed, and dances are being choreographed. Kids are walking around doing magic tricks, making all sorts of arts & crafts projects, riding horses, waterskiing in the lake, swimming in the pool, and some campers are becoming little chefs in cooking. They’re flying in the air on the giant swing, as well as on the circus trapezes. Kids are learning to use the half pipes in our skatepark, the low and high ropes courses are being climbed, and science experiments are being created by children of all ages.   Sports and tennis went on outdoors and in the gym and it was great to see so many kids participating. We’re so pumped for all the action going on here at Island Lake!

Tonight’s evening activities are GROUPS! Here’s a breakdown of what everyone in camp is doing: BOYS: Group 1- Sidewalk Chalking (they’re going to decorate the new blacktop by the dining room); Group 2- Gaga; Group 3- Video Scavenger Hunt; Group 4- Bunk Feud (similar to Family Feud but the topics are all about camp, and with girls group 4). GIRLS: Group 1- Ugly Fashion Show; Group 2- Video Scavenger Hunt; Group 3- start working on Bunk Cup (I’ll get to that in a moment); Group 4- Bunk Feud (with boys group 4).

Bunk Cup is a camp-wide activity that will go on for most of 1st session this summer.  Each bunk is its own team. The bunk/team can earn points in just about every activity here at camp. At the end of the session we tally up the points and have a winner on the boys side and a winner on the girls side. Each team will make a bunk plaque, a bunk flag, and a short video. This is our 4rd annual Bunk Cup and the kids are so excited for it.

After evening activity tonight our campers will head to the canteen for a snack or two and then have the opportunity to socialize there and at the gym. We also opened our Teen Lounge for our campers who are entering 9th grade and older (boys and girls group 4 and CITs). They’ll have access to a television, a soda machine, and couches to hang around and socialize on. The teen lounge is a good alternative to hanging around in the gym and the canteen every night. Our kids seem excited about it, too! What will they watch tonight? American Ninja Warrior or The Bachelorette? Oh, such decisions!

To summarize the first few days here at Island Lake, I can honestly tell you that our campers are having so much fun and are forming everlasting friendships with one another while learning so many skills in their activities. We couldn’t be happier for all of them!

Today’s special photo feature is SPORTS. Here are a bunch of photos from a variety of sports majors today. I know there are a lot of photos to scroll through, more than usual for the daily blog, but we had that many sports activities (and more!) taking place today. Enjoy the pictures and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

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