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The Camp Day

2008 Camp Chase Daily Schedule

Here is a breakdown of the Camp Chase day, with as much detail as possible!

7:00-9:00 Extra Camp AM Style

Extra camp regulars enjoy a light breakfast, then participate in games and other activities with counselors prior to the camp day.
Extra camp AM or PM style costs 32.00 for two weeks—and is worth every penny.

9:00-9:15 Arrival and Attendance

Campers are dropped off at the pavilion area and escorted to their group meeting spot.
Counselors take attendance, collect lunches, apply sunscreen (where necessary), and introduce group to the schedule for the day.
At 9:15, counselors assemble group and move them to the Flagpole meeting spot on the field.

9:15-9:30 Flagpole

The entire camp meets at the flagpole to participate in the flag-raising ceremony
Sing songs
Hear a hilarious rendition of the daily weather
Hear the camp-wide daily announcements
Show displays of unit spirit
Participate in daily challenges

9:30-9:40 Transition

9:40-10:30 Morning Period A (Pioneer Swim Lessons 9:50-10:20)

10:30-10:40 Transition

10:40-11:30 Morning Period B (Rascal Swim Lessons 10:50-11:20)

11:30-11:40 Transition

11:40-12:30 Morning Period C (Buck/Doe & Ranger Swim Lessons 11:50-12:20)

The three morning periods allow for the campers to have a Swim Lesson and lunch at the same time every day, along with an activity from the list at the right.

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12:30-12:40 Transition

12:40-1:20 Afternoon Period D (Free Swim for Pioneers & Rascals)

Free swim is a 40 minute block of time where the campers enjoy the opportunity for unprogrammed time in the pool.
Most campers spend the time socializing with friends, playing water games like Marco Polo, playing water volleyball or water basketball, or just having fun with their counselors
Counselors swim with the campers, and play with them during this time
Traditionally this has been one of the most popular times of the day

1:20-1:30 Transition (Free Swim D Change)

1:30-2:20 Afternoon Period E (Free Swim Buck/Doe & Rangers)

The second afternoon period allows for another activity from the list (right) to be enjoyed
Counselors can also utilize this period for individual group bonding sessions

2:20-2:30 Transition

2:30-2:50 Assembly

Assembly 1

Afternoon assemblies are another favorite time of the day for many campers
This is the second opportunity of the day for the entire camp to come together for announcements
This time is most notably utilized for skits, songs and popular daily (and weekly) features like Dance Moves With David, The Character Police, Shakedown with Shooter, Joke of the Day, Spirit Cup Updates, LIT Quote of the Day, and much more
Many of the session theme-related performances (see the section on themes below for more information on this) occur during this period

2:50-3:40 Afternoon Period F (All Camp/Unit Activity/Skill Workshop Specialty Swim)

The final period of the day is usually one of the most dynamic
On Tuesdays and Thursdays campers will have Skill Workshops
The rest of the week will be a rotation of Hobby Times, All Camp Events and Unit Activities
Many of these activities are molded around our particular theme for the session

3:40-3:50 Afternoon Dismissal Ceremony

Final announcements (usually pertinent to the next day)
High Five Award given out to the counselor who personified the staff slogan Play Like A Champion that day
Campers escorted to Busses and OT (Own Transportation)

4:00 Busses depart and parents pick-up

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4:00-6:00 Extra Camp PM Style

Campers enjoy a snack, then play games, swim, and/or enjoy other planned activities.

Session Themes

During training, the Camp Chase staff decide on different themes for each session. The goal is to find a motif that will be interesting and exciting to all ages, while also providing the necessary amount of material for two weeks worth of skits, songs, spoofs, character sketches, all-camp events, Wacky Wednesday dress-ups, and general fun.

Once the themes are confirmed, the information is posted on the website, as well as included on Session Calendars that are emailed to parents-- and sent home via camper backpack.

Past themes have included Board Games, Superheroes, Camelot, Pirates of the Caribbean, Surf’s Up, Wizard of Oz, Greatest Show on Earth, SportsCenter, and Game Shows.

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Through-out the session, the theme is in play during flagpole, assemblies, and various other times during the day. The goal is for the campers and staff to have a good time with it, and enjoy participating in it as much as possible. Usually there are daily serial style performances by the staff that lead up to an all-camp event on the first Friday of the session.

The Family Night activity for campers and their families is usually centered around the session theme.

Every Wednesday is a dress-up day at Camp—called Wacky Wednesday. Staff and campers are encouraged to participate. The first Wacky Wednesday of each session is always based around the session theme.

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All Camp Events

Activities that include the entire camp occur 3 to 5 times per session. The nature of the event depends on the session theme and the week. Some of the different events include:

Activities designed around the theme. For example, when the session theme was Pirates of the Caribbean, we had an activity where groups moved stealthily around camp with their counselors attempting to gather the pieces of a map to find the actual buried treasure on camp grounds. Groups had to avoid staff convincingly like characters from the movie. This type of thematic event usually occurs once per session
Lip Syncs (counselor and camper) occur several times each summer. The camper lip sync is done as a group activity, with campers practicing all week with their counselor. The counselor lip sync is highly anticipated by the entire camp, and serves as a defacto talent show for the summer. Some of the most innovative and creative performances occur at this event

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Wetfest occurs during session three (usually the hottest session), and is a Nickelodeon-style game show that revolves around fun and crazy water events

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Spiritfest usually occurs once a session, and is a wild and wacky afternoon filled with group challenges, spirit tests, and the Spiritometer. This event goes a long way towards determining the winner of the Spirit Cup

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Hobby Times are when the camp splits into smaller groups, and campers choose different activities to participate in from a whole slate of possible options. Hobby time is a traditional Camp Chase classic

Skill Workshops

Skill Workshops are BRAND NEW for 2008, and are bound to be a Camp Chase Instant Favorite. On the first day of each session campers will sign up for an activity of their choice from a range of different option.

The options will include traditional camp favorites such as Archery, Climbing or Soccer—but will also make available more alternative activities such as Hip Hop Dance, Juggling, Jewelry-making or Cartooning.
Workshops will be based around the skills and talents of the staff.
Campers will participate in their workshop on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Goals of the program are for the campers to develop an appreciation for something new, become more skilled in an area, and connect with a counselor that is not their own.

Color Games

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Color Games occur fourth session and accompany the session theme.
The entire camp is divided equally (with all ages spread out) into our four different character colors (red, blue, green and gold)
The four teams, led by two counselor “generals” create team nickname, banners, handshakes, songs, raps, signs and multitude of other team paraphernalia
The week is full of events and challenges designed to test each camper’s commitment to the Camp Chase mission and character values. Points are allotted for displays of respect, responsibility and caring (our Core Values).
The event culminates in the second week with the Field and Poll events—Olympic style challenges that allow participation by every camper in multiple events
At the end, a ceremony is held to announce the color games champion for the summer
This event is a long-standing tradition at Camp Chase, and is an amazingly effective tool for emphasizing and reinforcing our ever-present character-building focus

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Rainy Day/Heat Plan
Extreme Weather Plan

As you are undoubtedly aware, Connecticut summers have the potential to be wildly variant in temperature and precipitation. We have our fair share of rainy days, and a few scorchers as well. Camp Chase is well equipped to handle both scenarios. A Heat Day is called if the heat index reaches a certain level. At this point the daily schedule is altered to maximize pool time and replace certain energy-draining activities with indoor, shady or water-based activities. Hydration is monitored closely, and all counselors are instructed to stop for water breaks every fifteen minutes. Any campers showing symptoms resembling fatigue or heat exhaustion are treated immediately by the camp nurse.

If the weather is drizzly or mildly wet, the camp day proceeds as originally scheduled, so please send campers with rain gear when appropriate. However, if it progresses into a downpour or lightning/thunder is in the area, a Rainy Day Schedule is put into effect. This is a pre-determined schedule that combines a variety of indoor activities around the camp facilities. Many camp activities can still go on as planned in the safety and security of our indoor buildings.