Some Things Don't Change
By Nancy Stiller
I first went to Tanadoona as a Camp Fire leader taking my Camp Fire club to day camp for a week. The kids were in 2nd grade and excited to be there, scrambling down the path to our assigned camp site. Everyday, the kids had to gather wood for the fire at our camp site so we could cook our lunch. Many of my memories of camp revolve around the sound of twigs snapping, the smell of the camp fire, cooking and singing around the camp fire.
As the years progressed our club went to day camp through Junior Hi. The kids developed wonderful camping skills and were able to cook anything over the camp fire that could be cooked in a kitchen! They were able to take the skills they learned and become teachers for the younger campers. They went from being afraid of the smoke from the fire (we told them the smoke always followed the prettiest one!) to being competent campers who respected and enjoyed the environment around them. My daughter became a resident camp counselor and led groups on trips up to the Boundary Waters.
Today, my oldest granddaughter is going to Tanadoona for her second summer. Last year after her camp session, she was singing all of the silly camp songs we all know and love and couldn’t wait until the next summer when she would be able to use what she had learned to advance to more difficult activities. Happily, some things don’t change at Tanadoona…silly songs, having fun and developing life skills that will build confidence and respect.
