Spring Kids Camp

Every season here at El Rancho, there is a one-week holiday kids camp. This year's spring camp took place from October 7th to 11th with around 180 children. The theme this time was Circus.

About a month ago, we were asked if we would like to be part of the Spring Kids Camp crew, and I seized the opportunity. At that time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
A few other volunteers and I plunged into the adventure of looking after 8 to 10-year-olds for a week – from waking up to going to bed. We were their points of contact and helped create an unforgettable holiday week for them. Together with three others, I was responsible for a group of 11 children. This included everything you can imagine. I uploaded a daily schedule as an example in the pictures.

The weekend before was for preparation. On Saturday, October 5th, we first got to know all 80 leaders aged 13 to 19. Many of them support the camp every year. Sunday, October 6th, was packed with workshops and in the evening a “Fancy Dinner”.
On Monday, October 7th, I then moved into my cabin with the other leaders for the week to always be available for my children's group. In the afternoon, the kids arrived, and I was really nervous. But when the first faces lit up at me, the feeling quickly disappeared, and we all welcomed each other warmly.
The rest of the day was filled with a tight schedule. I never thought it would take children soooo long to get ready for bed! Already in the evening, I noticed that there were many different characters, and I had already grown fond of them. The first two or three days were intense: getting to know the kids and understanding them, sticking to the schedules while still having fun. I particularly wanted to avoid doing or saying anything wrong since it was all completely new for me. On Wednesday, October 9th, I thought to myself: “I won’t do this again,” but by Thursday, October 10th, it became so cool that I could unleash all my energy.
By always presenting 100% motivation for the kids, my brain quickly believed it, and I was bouncing around like a rubber ball. Of course, there were also a few low points and difficulties. On the first night, my group stayed up until at least 2 AM, and they woke me up since I was sleeping right next door. Generally, I often stayed for a few more hours in their cabins at night, playing Disney audiobooks until there was no sound left. Particularly the last night was challenging because everyone was overtired, and the different characters became more pronounced. I was grateful to have support from the organizers.

On Friday, October 11th, all the children were picked up, and after a final exchange among the crew, it was time to go home – or rather up the road to my Tiny House. I was a little sad because I had just started to really get to know the kids. On the other hand, I was also glad to be able to take care of my own needs now.

Many wonderful conversations, games full of laughter, and 80% of the moving around involved cartwheels will stay in my memory. Many of you know that I was luckily able to keep up with that.

I am incredibly grateful that I had this opportunity and not only witnessed the activities with the groups as usual but got to dive into the full experience. Let's see if I will be part of the next camp again :)

☆Tine☆