Recreation Time at Ross Creek

 In addition to amazing art programming, summer camping at Ross Creek offers amazing recreation programming to compliment art with play. As a parent you might be interested to know what “Recreation” means at Ross Creek or what happens when the art making stops? In-short, the art of play begins! As a part of camp we run our Cabin Points competition which fosters communication, team spirit and healthy cabin competitiveness. The winning cabins can win a Pizza Party, Movie night or the coveted “PARTY BOXES!!” We hope that you enjoy reading about some of our traditional summer camp activities and some of or Ross Creek born activities.

FLAGPOLE: Flagpole is a quintessential part of any summer camp. At Ross Creek flagpole signals the start of our day and is a check-in point for all staff and campers close to the end of the day. Flagpole is where overnight campers and staff come together to raise and lower the flag, give reflection for the day and receive general announcements. TODAY IS A SUN SCREEN DAY CAMPERS!

CAMPFIRE: Campfire is a very important part of our camp experience. We run a campfire at the beginning of camp and at the end. Campfire is where campers and staff get to be wacky, sing songs about Bananas, Boa Constrictors and Fred the Mouse. This is also a place where staff get to introduce themselves to campers and bring out the fun in their personalities which goes a long way to make campers feel at ease and at home. Campfire is also our end of the week goodbye event which can be a “happy-Sad” experience. This is where our camp family reflects on the great week had.

CREEKSTER HUNT: The Creekster Hunt is a signature Ross Creek experience! The Roe-to-Toe Cram Creekster Jelly Bean Bird AKA “the Creekster” has been eluding us for many years and to this day no one has EVER seen it! We know that it exists because of the colourful feathers and footprints it leaves, not to mention the theft of the camp’s chocolate and candy supply! The Lord High Creekster Hunter, along with his side kicks, takes campers on a fun, fast and crazy hunt for the Creekster. Will we ever find it? Come join us and see!

OPERATION CATFISH: Operation Catfish is one of our fun night games. The best thing about Operation Catfish is that no one really knows when this game is going to happen. All we know is that the game starts if and when the Assistant Camp Director gets kidnapped by a bunch of crazy dressed, masked gangsters. The objective of the game is to rescue the Assistant Camp Director without getting captured. If a cabin is captured they have to start their rescue from the beginning, all over again. Cabin teams win points towards the camp cabin points competition. As for the catfish? That’s the best part! Come find out!

GRANDMA’S SUITCASE: Grandma is going on vacation but she can’t leave until she is packed up and you can bet that she has a lot to pack. This is where camp comes in. We help Grandma pack but the tricky part is that no one really knows what she needs till we go visit her. Each cabin takes whatever they can think of just in case. The cabins that manage to give Grandma the most items win. Cabin teams win points towards the camp cabin points competition. This is an activity that creates a lot of laughter and a lot of talk the next day.

JOXY & ROSH’S CRAZY TALENT NIGHT: Hosted by Joxy and Rosh, this is a funny and wonderful activity. This is where campers and staff get to show off all the fun qualities and talents. Sometimes it is a song, sometimes it is standup comedy, recital of Shakespeare, a great dance or a funny skit.  This is also a great relaxed atmosphere. No camper is ever forced to participate but gentle encouragement and support is always on hand if a camper does. The best acts win points towards the camp cabins points competition.

BIRTHDAYS: Birthdays are very important to us. A birthday at camp is a great experience! This is a day that campers or staff members are away from their families so we like to make things extra special! We never forget a birthday. At lunch the whole of camp celebrates a camper’s or staff member’s birthday with a birthday card, home-made chocolate cakes and the singing of happy birthday. This is great day where our whole camp family gets to celebrate a birthday. WE LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!

THEME LUNCHES: Creating great camp experiences is all about how we engage campers and this is why we try to make every day as memorable as possible. Of of the many ways in which we do this is with our theme lunches. They range from Moustache Lunch, Business lunch, Karoake Lunch, Bingo Lunch, Letter to Lunch, Supper Hero Lunch just to name a few. Lunch times are varied and fun. Cabins and day campers that participate fully win points towards the camp cabins points competition.

WAY 2 GO!: Our Way 2 Go! Board allows campers and staff to write positive things about each other every day while at camp. At lunch times the Recreation Director reads them out aloud. This is a great way for everyone to show appreciation, support and gratitude. We love what Way 2 Go fosters and we love the smiles it brings to camper’s and staff’s faces.

PICK ‘n’ MIX!: At Ross Creek we are proud of our organic garden. Our garden keeps our kitchen stocked with fresh, delicious and healthy food all summer. We believe that it is a great experience to have campers in the garden to explore, learn and pick food that will be used for supper. With our great camp cook Chef Rodney and our camp gardener campers will learn lots of fun things about vegetables and how to prepare them

CAMP THEME DAYS: Every Thursday is camp theme day. This is a day packed with role-play, mystery and fun. There is always a great story woven into these days and campers get so much out of them. The day accumulates with fun final surprise at Campfire that night. In the past we have been attacked by real live pirates that stole our camp treasure. What will happen this year? There is only one way to find out!