It’s June! How crazy is that? School is getting out, the sun is shining, the mosquitoes are out, and the Girls Camp forms are all turned in! This is going to be my first year NOT attending Girls Camp since 2010. I feel so old! But with age comes wisdom. I was never an exuberant camper–I was more of a drag-my-heels-but-smile-my-way-through-it kind of camper. If I’d had it my way, I probably would have never attended, but looking back I try to focus on the good experiences and the friends I made and I’m almost grateful my parents and young women leaders forced me through it. And so with all of that wisdom, here are some tidbits I wish I’d taken the time to do each year before camp.
Drink Extra Water
Once upon a time, I was a first-year camper and I forgot my water bottle. And one day the temperature reached 115 degrees in the shade. Let’s just say that dehydration and heat exhaustion are not fun! At camp when you’re walking around in the heat all day it’s so important to drink tons of extra water! But if you drink so much when you aren’t used to it, you’ll only make yourself sick. So maybe two weeks before camp start keeping track of how much you usually drink and gradually introduce more. You’ll be grateful you did when you get to camp.
Take a Technology Break
Camp is a great opportunity to unplug from media, but I’ve seen some girls go through really hard withdrawal at camp, and that can make anybody miserable. By being more aware of your habits and making an effort to unplug more often before camp can help the transition easier so you can get the most out of camp.
Plan Nice Pranks
There are plenty of pranks that can cause drama and hurt feelings at camp. But that doesn’t mean there’s no place for them. Friendly pranks like “heart attacks” can be great to do to an entire group or just a single person. You can get especially creative if you’re assigned a secret sister to serve during camp. Small things like doing chores or leaving notes are cheesy, but they can mean a lot at camp, and doing it anonymously adds to the fun!
Find Skit Ideas
Skits are a necessary staple of any great Girls Camp. Different camps do them differently (assigned topics/props, songs, time limit, improv) but it can never hurt to head in with a couple ideas. Pinterest has a bunch of cute ideas, and Studio C is the perfect source of inspiration! The funniest skits I’ve done have been inspired by Studio C, with a surprise twist or two.
Watch Once I Was a Beehive
Last year, Once I Was a Beehive came out and it seemed like everybody was going crazy over it! I personally thought it seemed a little too cheesy, so I never watched it. But finally, I once again got over that ego of mine and was glad that I did. It wasn’t perfect, and it didn’t match my experience at camp much at all, BUT it still managed to capture the unique spirit of Girls Camp. And that’s all it promised to do, so I was satisfied with it. AND it’s on Netflix!
Research the Certification Requirements
A big part of camp is completing the certification requirements. I can say from personal experience that when I’ve researched the different topics beforehand, it was so much easier to actually practice it when I got to camp. I don’t think I’ve ever had to use many of the skills I learned (yet), but that knowledge of some basic survival skills is definitely comforting to me.
Do Personal Progress
Camp isn’t just about fun and games, or wilderness survival. It’s also about growing spiritually. I hated a lot of things about camp, but some of the spiritual devotionals I heard have literally changed my life. By working on Personal Progress experiences before and during camp, I was more in tune with the spirit and able to gain more from camp and have a better attitude about the not-so-fun things at camp.
If you’re looking for a place to start, you can find some great ideas for summertime Personal Progress experiences, and see which Personal Progress experiences match up with Certification requirements for each year.
What are your tips for getting ready for Girls Camp?
