A Day in the Life - Camp Counsellor

A few weeks ago somebody asked me what my average day was like as a camp counsellor. It felt like such an impossible question to answer because working at camp there isn't really an 'average' day. Every day brings with it some new adventure, drama and madness.

Whilst weekends were a whole other story, most of the time we'd have 4-day or 6-day camps where each counsellor would have their own group of around 8 girls to work with. As counsellors we were allowed to create our own schedules linked to the theme of our programme that week. Across my two years as a counsellor I got to work some amazing themes including building Tiny Houses, Sailing, Science and Arts, Fairies, Superheros and even Trapeze! Making your own schedule meant that you could really personalise the schedule to your group of girls and what their interests are. I loved making sure there was at least one thing different on my schedule every week. Not only did that mean there was probably an activity the girls had never done before, it also made it interesting for me! Bring on slip n slides, crazy science experiments, dance parties, wacky team building games and so much more!

So because every day's different, I've found one of my schedules from a 4-day week last year to share with you. You'll notice there's often time in between the slots, this time soon became an essential as it takes girls sooo long to walk anywhere and you always end up returning back to the cabin to collect something a camper forgot, even if you asked them 100 times if they have everything.

A Tuesday in the life of a Counsellor at Camp Lakamaga:

6:15: My alarm goes off and I wake up my cabin of girls. Time to get dressed and ready for early morning activity. It'll take them forever to get ready!

7:00: Early Morning Activity - Girls can choose whether to go for a 'Polar Bear' swim in the lake or go do some 'Rockin' Robin' exercise at the dining hall. This often involved games, stretching or dancing.

7:45: Time for Flag raising! As an international this was such a new concept, but you soon get used to it! Once the flag's up it's time to sing some crazy songs whilst one cabin sets all the tables for breakfast.

8:00: Breakfast Time! Somebody once said that breakfast at camp is just what form you want your sugar in and honestly I couldn't think of a better way to describe it!

8:30: After breakfast we'd have a staff meeting. A great chance to catch up on all the gossip from the night before and run through any news for the day.

9:15 - 11:45: First Activity slot - this slot is actually 2.5 hrs giving you time for 2 activities and some walking time! I often tried to schedule two waterfront activities back to back to save time as the girls wouldn't need to change and walk to and from the lake.

11:45 - 12:15 Walking time, Lunch Set Up and more songs!

12:15: Lunchtime - Lunch always involved a lot of bread, and as a salad lover it definitely took me a while to adjust to an increase in carbs my first summer! The best lunches were 'pontoon lunches' where you could take your girls for a picnic lunch on the lake!

13:00: Rest Hour - counsellors will usually take it in turns to take this hour off as the girls should all be in their cabins. This time allows girls to write letters home, get to know each other and have some quiet time.

14:15: Verb Time - again, this would usually be used as an hour off for counsellors as specialists run free swim, nature hikes and sports activities for the girls.

15:30: Activity Time - an hour of low ropes, archery, fun games or some time by the lake.

17:00: Flag Lowering, Table Setting and more songs!

17:15: Dinner Time! Meals run on a two week rota and become the only predictable thing at camp! Soon you'll be counting down the days till the next Taco Tuesday and get sooo sick of Pizza Sundays...

18:15: Activity Time - the golden lake activity time slot! Sunset Paddle Boarding anyone?

19:30: Activity Time / Opening or Closing Campfire - campfire soon became my favourite activity of the week! Skits (mini-plays) are great to perform with other staff and it's hilarious to watch campers invent their own towards the end of the week. Plus pre-bedtime sugar in the form of S'mores always goes down well!

20:30: Bedtime Snack, Reflections and time to get ready for bed.

22:00: Lights out! (You hope! Bonus if your kids are actually asleep before 11pm!)

Every staff member will take up to 2 hours off a day and this time soon gets filled by taking a shower, catching up on some WiFi time or just taking some time to catch up with another staff member who you feel like you haven't spoken to in days because you've both been so busy!

So there you have it! Once you've mastered a basic schedule, all you need to do is find time to go to the toilet in peace and grab a cup of coffee between dashing to activities! Not as easy as it sounds I assure you...

Like I said in the beginning, every day and every week is different. The schedule above is one I found for the Tuesday of a 4-day week. 6-day weeks vary more and include time for the girls to split away from their cabin group to work on a skill of their choice. There's also arrival days and leaving days that will of-course be different.

The only one consistent thing I can tell you about working days at camp is this: Every day is going to be long and exhausting. But every day will be fun! And every week will bring a new opportunity to learn something pretty awesome!