Camp Through the Five Senses
If you've never been to Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Nature Center, it can be hard to explain what a day here is really like.
It sounds like laughter echoing through the trees. Camp songs sung a little louder each day. Hand games on picnic tables. An old dinner bell calling everyone together. Cheers for the lunch menu. The strum of a guitar. Campers marching to their next adventure. A hawk calling overhead. And, every now and then, the mysterious excitement of a secret camp game like Frogger.
It smells like bug spray, sunscreen, fresh air, damp leaves after a summer rain, and the woods on a warm summer morning.
It feels like a game of tag, the refreshing splash of cool pool water, humidity, a gentle breeze after a hike, warm sunshine on your shoulders, and the joy of trying something new. It feels like kindness from a counselor, the contagious energy of the camp staff, and the curiosity that comes from wondering, "What will we discover next?"
It looks like colorful T-shirts racing across a field. Kids climbing, exploring, laughing, and creating. Piles of backpacks and water bottles waiting for their owners. A growing lost-and-found collection. Friends encouraging one another. Nature everywhere you look.
It tastes like camp snacks surrounded by new friends, cool water after an active morning, and fire meals that somehow make everything taste even better.
The sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings of camp become part of the memories campers carry home. Long after summer ends, a camp song, the smell of sunscreen, or the ring of the dinner bell may bring them right back to Camp Kum-Ba-Yah.
