June 5th

Upon arrival at the camp we unloaded our luggage and settled into our cabins. Samantha was located in Applebaum Village, in cabin Kuji 2 while I was nearby in cabin Kuji 4. The accommodations haven't changed a lick since Tyler and I were here two years ago, and they still don'e measure up to any luxurious standards. Like before they included a restroom with two showers and two stalls as well as two sleeping rooms, one with two bunks and a main room with several more. Another chaperone and I settled into the smaller room, while the remaining boys stayed in the main room. Sam's cabin had the same setup, and she spent one night in the smaller room sleeping above one of the chaperones and the second night in the main room with most of the girls.

Applebaum Village
	This is the outside of Samantha's cabin.
	The inside of the boys cabin shortly after arrival to camp. The girls cabin was basically identical.
	A look inside the chaperone's room, including Rodney's bed (sleep area on the bottom, luggage area on top).
	A look at the restrooms. The two doors are for the bathrooms, while the showers are on either side of the window.
	Outside of the cabins was a large commons area. Samantha and a majority of her classmates spend their spare time here playing soccer. The "lodge" is the building in the rear, on the right of this photo.
	A look across the entire village, including the soccer playing fifth graders at the opposite end.

Like it was when Tyler was here, the first thing that Samantha's class did was play the "Instincts For Survival" game. The kids are divided up into three groups: Carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores. The game is played like tag, only you must go down the food chain. That means carnivores can take omnivores and herbivores, but omnivores can only tag herbivores. The poor herbivore? All they can do is run. When a tag it made, the kids must pass along one of their life beads. In addition to trying not to get tagged, each of the players must try to gather a certain amount of water and food beads from various location as well. Sam was designated an omnivore, which meant that she could at least tag other players. Otherwise it is just run, run, run!

Instincts For Survival
	Samantha and a couple of her friends were to play omnivores in this game.
	Samantha and another omnivore heading off in search of plant eaters!
	Sam had a tough time catching up to some of the other players...
	...but she did catch a few. When the players were tagged they had to exchange "life beads".
	Sam and her classmates resting after the game.

After the survival game it was off to the dining hall for lunch. After the kids got their instructions on how to get their food and drink as well as the cleanup procedure, we were treated to a 5-star meal. OK, maybe not. But it was chicken nuggets. That's edible food, right? Not so much, as mine were soggy. The french-fries may have been decent, but were far too cold. I managed to choke it all down, but the carrots went untouched. Sam ate the nuggets and fries too, but her carrots went into the trash. Last time I was here they had peanut butter and jelly for the kids who didn't like their meal. Not so this time, as the peanut allergy police must have visited since then. Now it was jelly sandwiches only. Of course the salad bar was available, as was the fruit station (which I think was pretty much just apples).

Our afternoon activity today was the High Ropes, which involved the kids wearing a safety belt and ropes and walking amongst the trees between 40 and 60 feet in the air. Each of the kids was partnered up with a "shadow" whose job it was to follow them along the ground and make sure that the person in the trees made the right moves. The person who was up in the tree also had to ask for permission from an instructor before making any moves or changing their ropes to ensure their safety. I think this would have been a very fun activity to take part in, and although I may have been allowed to had I asked, I decided that I would rather stay on the ground and take pictures of the kids. Samantha really breezed through her part of the course. She didn't make it as far as Tyler did during his time here, but she did all of the obstacles that she encountered without hesitation. She did a great job, I am really proud of her!

High Ropes
	Samantha and the rest of her group listening to the instructors pass along safety advice and some words of wisdom. Each of the kids are really encouraged to take one step past their comfort zone in this activity.
	A closer look at Sam listening with her classmates.
	Sam and her classmates in their harnesses.
	Sam and the rest of the kids trying out the carabineer clips.
	Sam doing her ground training.
	Sam and her friend Maya posing for a picture before they make the climb to the top of the ropes.
Please click here for page two of the photos

Applebaum Village

This is the outside of Samantha's cabin.

The inside of the boys cabin shortly after arrival to camp. The girls cabin was basically identical.

A look inside the chaperone's room, including Rodney's bed (sleep area on the bottom, luggage area on top).

A look at the restrooms. The two doors are for the bathrooms, while the showers are on either side of the window.

Outside of the cabins was a large commons area. Samantha and a majority of her classmates spend their spare time here playing soccer. The "lodge" is the building in the rear, on the right of this photo.

A look across the entire village, including the soccer playing fifth graders at the opposite end.

Instincts For Survival

Samantha and a couple of her friends were to play omnivores in this game.

Samantha and another omnivore heading off in search of plant eaters!

Sam had a tough time catching up to some of the other players...

...but she did catch a few. When the players were tagged they had to exchange "life beads".

Sam and her classmates resting after the game.

Lunch At The Dining Hall

A look at the entire school approaching the dining hall.

Sam and her classmates sitting down to - uh, enjoy? - their meal.

A look at lunch for today: soggy chicken nuggets, curly fries, and carrots. Yeah, yum.

High Ropes

Samantha and the rest of her group listening to the instructors pass along safety advice and some words of wisdom. Each of the kids are really encouraged to take one step past their comfort zone in this activity.

A closer look at Sam listening with her classmates.

Sam and her classmates in their harnesses.

Sam and the rest of the kids trying out the carabineer clips.

Sam doing her ground training.

Sam and her friend Maya posing for a picture before they make the climb to the top of the ropes.