Watch out, Denver, because the Killer Wildcats are here! Our first day of Session 3E was a blast. After picking up campers we drove to Cherry Creek State Park, to the Lake Loop where we set up our base for the day. Campers were fantastic at helping us unload the van and get our gear station set up. The next thing we did was sing our first morning songs of the session. Staff member Kaela sang “Fred the Moose” while Zach sang “Little Red Wagon.” The group enjoyed getting to be a bit louder out in the open grass. Campers then ate a small snack while the staff members reviewed Altogether Outdoor’s important rules. Campers listened attentively to why we should ‘leave no trace’ and why it’s important to stay with the group. We played a morning game called Mingle, Mingle where campers find commonalities with other members of the group. Campers have similar pets, favorite foods and colors, and favorite sports. We finished the morning by creating our group name (the Killer Wildcats) and decorating our very own waterbottles. During lunch we tried to trick one another by telling 2 lies and 1 truth to the group, and other group members had to figure out the true fact.
After lunch we explored part of the park. We visited the side of the lake, saw many aquatic birds, and had did fair share of mosquito slapping. After exploring campers chose to have play time. Some campers played with our beach ball while others played cards. Campers then performed a teambuilding activity to get their AO t-shirts. One at a time campers mimed the color and size of shirt they wanted to the group. The group had to agree on the color before going to get it- all with out speaking! They did a great job. To finish our time at Cherry Creek we ate snack (we eat GORP, a version of trail mix) and planned tomorrow at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. In the van on the way home we discussed the favorite and least favorite parts of our day (our rose and thorn) and taught the new campers the words to “On Top of Spaghetti.” What a great first day!