We closed Session 2 on Friday with a glorious overnight and 87 happy campers!! About 80 happy campers slept out in shelters and tents on a warm clear night with a tiny bit of rain showing up late and lots of laughs all night long. When campers returned to the barn in the morning, their parents were excited to see the smiling. dirty faces.
After reuniting, parents had a chance to sit with campers in their groups and hear about some highlights of the session, including some of the strengths each camper brought to the group. Finally, as an entire camp community we head up to Silent Meeting. Silent meeting at the BDC is always a treat. Usually, we pass a “talking stick” to help guide kids in the process as they learn about Silent Meeting. But on the final meeting of the session, we offer a more traditional meeting, sitting in silence with people speaking if they feel moved to do so. Many campers like to share aspects of their overnight at this meeting or just let us know that this is the best camp they have ever attended. Or they tell us they can’t wait till next year or that they’re eager to attend an overnight camps, or that they are eager for the next BDC session on Monday. We also tend to have many parents share their gratitude for all we do here at Farm & Wilderness and at the Barn Day Camp.
This meeting was no exception. My favorite comment came from a parent who was in her second year here at the barn. She shared that last year when she dropped her son off, a parent asked her if she was new and she said “yes”. He told her this was his final year at BDC with his child and described the experience as “it is just goodness”. Initially, she said she didn’t know what he meant. But now, after two summers, she gets it and she has no other way to explain the Barn Day Camp other than, “it is just goodness”.
Thanks for a great session, onwards to Session 3 and our 97 campers!! Bring it on!
— Andrea Breen, Barn Day Camp Director