Ahoy, mateys! This week at Camp ROGA, our campers traded dry land for the high seas as they embarked on an exciting treasure quest. Armed with imagination and a crew of fellow adventurers, they built pirate ships, crafted treasure-hunting gear, conquered swashbuckling gymnastics challenges, enjoyed tasty pirate-themed snacks, and cooled off with an action-packed Water Day. Searching for hidden riches and defending hard-earned loot made every day spent at camp filled with excitement and adventures worthy of the greatest pirates to ever sail the seven seas.
Before the campers could hoist the Jolly Rodgers and prepare to set off to sail the seven seas, they needed something to sail in. So off to the wharf they went to see the shipwrights about a ship of the line which they would use to plunder and adventure through all the seas and their continents. Some of the campers opted for a triple master, the biggest ship that dubloons could buy, and which could go toe to toe with any Royal Navy scallywags. Others opted for a 2-masted schooner or brig, which could slip past unnoticed through the port in the dark of night. Once they had their ship, it was time to paint it. Again, campers fell mostly into two categories with their choice of colors: subtle and sneaky, muted colors to better blend in with the waterline, and loud, brash, and ready to fight, with a riot of colors dashed across the hull in a swirling rainbow maelstrom. Regardless of whatever color they chose, though, with their ship now ready to sail, they needed to make some equipment to help them find the treasure. While spyglasses are certainly the classic seeing-eye device for the one-eyed scrouges of the sea, we thought an extra scope could help even the tiniest clues on the campers’ quest for treasure. Their second tool was a set of binoculars customized to the campers’ liking. Just because we weren’t doing pirate spyglasses, though, didn’t mean we didn’t do pirate binoculars, and we made sure to fit all the pirate theming we could onto the double spyglasses. Now that the little pirates could find the treasure, they needed something to keep it in. Each pirate in training got a sack with which they would store all of their ill-gotten gains, and on which they could add any color, sticker, or shiny rhinestone of their choosing. Along with their sack came an eyepatch, because how can you be a pirate without an eyepatch? Campers had fun donning their patches and racing away with their carried treasure, though a few had to be reminded that while double the eyepatches do make you twice as cool, they also make you blind. And to make sure that the campers had a little piece of the sea to take home with them, we had them design custom mini aquariums complete with all the fish and glitter that one could hope for.
With their pirate gear ready to go, campers hoisted the sails and headed to the gym for some pirate-themed gymnastics fun. High atop the beams, campers walked the plank, prodded by their mutinous crewmates to jump into shark-infested waters (though there was only one shark made of foam), and danced out of the way of swinging foam cutlasses. To reach the crows nest and keep a watch out over the gym, campers climbed the yellow rigging of the ninja course as quickly as they could, pursued by scallywags from the royal navy. When it was time to board other ships to loot, campers swung from the ropes, over the fearsome waves, and onto the enemy ships set to plunder them. And when they had finally seized the treasure, they had to ward off their opportunistic crewmates in a game of capture the treasure.
To replenish themselves after a long day spent plundering the seven seas, campers took a trip down to the mess halls for some good quality hardtack (and some actually healthy and filling food as well). With the whole day spent looking for treasure, campers had it on the mind, so one of their snacks had them searching for buried treasure deep within a pudding cup. Garnished with crushed graham crackers to represent sand and a flag to claim the snack for the little pirates, the campers went digging for treasure with naught but a shovel-spoon and their appetite to see all the pudding gone. Campers found their pirate booty in the form of some Pirate’s Booty™, which accompanied some orange and apple slices to make a salty but healthy snack plate, which could ward off any scurvy. And to cap all of them off, we put together a snack mix with a perfect combination of ingredients to ensure all the campers were back on their feet and as energetic as ever.
No pirate adventure is complete without setting sail across the open sea, and Water Day gave our campers the perfect chance to cool off while continuing their treasure quest. Campers raced across the lawn carrying buckets of “treasure,” dodged surprise waves from sprinklers, and worked together to complete water-filled pirate missions. Precious cargo in the form of water balloons was carried back and forth between opposing crews, while the sprinkler waves crashed down to threaten to capsize the pirate boats. Luckily, their brave captains and competent crews saw the pirate through the maelstrom and out the other side to lie drying off in the sun.
As our pirate adventure comes to an end, our crew returns to shore with treasures and stories to share. From crafting colorful ships and exploring the gym to hunting for sweet treats and splashing through Water Day, campers embraced every challenge with enthusiasm and a little yo-ho spirit. We had an amazing week sailing the seven seas together, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back for another exciting Camp ROGA adventure next week!