Day 2 and Day 3

Day 2

Day 2 of camp was a blast! Even though Mr Sun never came out from behind the clouds, we still had a great time exploring the outdoors. In the morning we played sports on the field including cricket, soccer and frisbee.  Carl is a soccer star!  Michael excelled in frisbee, and Sonja was one of our best batters in cricket.  In the afternoon we were off for a nature walk with Charles leading the way! We climbed up a hill and saw beautiful views of camp and the surrounding valleys.

In addition to our adventuring, we had our first Connect time in the morning where we learned about Joseph and the Coat of Many Colours.  During the afternoon we had Drama class where everyone learned to act like their favourite animals.  Camryn does a great baboon impression!  Day 2 wrapped up with a special Boys and Girls Time to watch movies.  The boys watched The Incredibles, and the girls watched Princess Diaries. 

Editors note: For the second night in a row we couldn't have a campfire because of the rain!  Hence a fun movie night which isn't normally part of the schedule!

Day 3

Hello Day 3 and hello sunshine!  Today was filled with water fun!  During our morning exercise time we had fun with water balloons by running relays and playing tossing games.  Lloyd hit his mark every time!  In the afternoon we were finally able to take advantage of the pool.  Splashes and smiles were everywhere.  Amy, a self proclaimed "waterbaby", was swimming laps and doing handstands.  And the best splash award went to Tim.  Our day of fun in the sun ended with a dance party and games.  Together we made up a funny story that included parties, swimming and funny costumes.

Editors note: Other activities in the past couple of days have been team challenge games, music, crafts, guys and girls time (a special time before dinner where the girls and guys meet separately for more manly or girly activities and chats! eg yesterday evening the guys had a talk about fire safety), relaxing and eating delicious food.

Day 1 of fun

We're almost halfway through our first full day at camp and everyone is having a wonderful time!  New friendships are already forming, loads of fun and laughs and of course delicious food.  As campers and volunteers are about to head out on to the field to play cricket, soccer and volleyball I bring you a post from one of our amazing volunteers, Logan.  Logan is part of a team of 7 from The World Race who are with Higher Ground for the month.  They are an amazing group of guys and girls with huge hearts and together with 3 fantastic local guys and girls make up our volunteer team for this camp.


Hello Family and Friends!

Everyone was excited to make it to camp today and get started with the fun.  Although the rain moved all of our activities indoors for the evening, it could not dampen our spirits.  We play board games, did puzzles, and even built towers out of marshmallows and toothpicks during our Team Challenge evening!  Jolene and Tim became the camp photographers, snapping lots of great pictures.  And Darren had everyone singing Queen's We Will Rock You by the end of the evening.  Overall Day 1 of camp was huge fun, and we can't wait for Day 2!


I'll try include some photos in the next post! 

Hope you're all having a great weekend.  Love, Emma

A picture speaks a thousand words so here are a few thousand words from Days 2 and 3.  We've all been having a blast, as you can see! Tomorrow I'll post some pictures of our awesome 'Minute to Win it' game show last night and the Talent Show tonight.  We've also been swimming, played putt putt, been to the beach, done some really fun crafts, done the low ropes course and loads more.

Happy smiley people!

More smiles!

Great night around the campfire

Tim with his teams banner

Kyle explaining the mechanics of his truck to Ella, she was loving it

Craft time

Making team banners

Hanging out

And some more hanging out

Proud of my craft

We're into our third day here at Higher Ground and what an incredible time we are having!  Jen (from Iowa) wrote us a blog about day 1 at camp and Rebecca (from California) has taken some great pics capturing some special moments.  Enjoy!  Emma

A stone's throw from the sea, Pennington Beach Resort made the perfect backdrop for the March 2013 Higher Ground Camp!  Campers were greeted by excited volunteers, the majority of whom are from America, and the adventure began!

After settling in and getting to know each other a bit better the three teams got together to come up with team names and make team banners.

The gentlemen met up for a guys time and chat while the ladies were pampered with face masks and manicures.  Separate guys' time and girls' time is a special hour each evening during camp and allows campers even greater freedom to be themselves.

We had the pleasure of celebrating a very special birthday and we were all treated to a tasty birthday cake.  Happy birthday Darren!

Our inaugural night was made complete with a sing-along around the campfire.  Candice said she enjoyed watching the fire burn and Lloyd sang with great passion to all the songs and encouraged his peers to participate.

It was a memorable evening and set the tone for an excellent weekend!

Rebecca gives Amy a manicure during girls time

Friends enjoying dinner together

Happy birthday Darren!

Insta-friends!

Later today we'll be posting about our action packed day 2!

The sun shone

Well, it has been a full day and it has been a fun day here at Higher Ground!  The sun shone for us and kept us warm during the day and this evening we had to rely on the fires in the hall to do the same!

After breakfast we had our Connect time with lots of fun singing action songs which were followed by the volunteers doing a re-enactment of the Good Samaritan (South African version!)

It was time for a hike next, up into the hills to enjoy the beautiful view and then back to camp for a juice break followed by our late morning activity of Music and Parachute Games.

A busy morning deserved a good lunch and then a rest time before hitting afternoon activities.

First on the afternoon schedule was the Obstacle Course.  Everyone did so well and was so brave, especially Tim who was nervous but determined and completed the entire set of balancing beams.  He was so proud of himself and so were we.

After a juice break it was time for drama where all kinds of improv was done and games played.

Guys and girls time came next.  The guys chatted around the braai while the meat was cooked while the girls bonded in the lounge and were pampered with manicures and pedicures.

A delicious braai for dinner filled everybody’s tummies and then it was into the hall for the evening programme – a Game Show.  Team work was the name of the game and each person in each team had a chance to answer questions. 

After another busy day camp has gone quiet as campers tuck up into their warm beds to recharge again for another exciting day at Higher Ground.

The Beginning

Day 1 of our camp for young adults with an intellectual impairment has been incredible. It's a simple equation - your sons and daughters are some of the most incredible people we've had the honor of meeting. Add to that a group of dedicated, loving, fun volunteers. It's a recipe for success!

Fires burning in the hall welcomed campers this chilly Monday afternoon. Those who didn't join in the impromptu soccer warmed themselves around the fire and caught up with friends, new and old.

At 4pm it was time for a Scavenger Hunt. Everyone joined in and enjoyed the challenge of trying to be the first team to finish. A great way to learn the layout of camp and get to know new people.

After that it was time for "Getting to know you" games. Fun and creative ways of learning everyone's names. 

From there it was time for our daily guys time and girls time. The girls huddled around the fire in the hall and chatted while the guys went out to gather firewood for the campfire.

 

 

Dinner tonight was delicious roast beef, roast potatoes and veggies followed by 'cookies and cream' ice cream. Yum yum!

Walking out of the dining room campers were welcomed by a roaring campfire. Songs were sung and games were played. Michael enjoyed staring into the fire and Ross joined in every song enthusiastically!

What a great day!

As you can imagine, after such a fun-filled and busy afternoon, lights are out now and campers are in their warm beds charging their batteries for a day of fun, friends and adventure.

If we can't post photos tonight they'll be included in tomorrows blog. 

Tune in tomorrow for more Higher Ground happenings!