Hi! I’m Harley, writer of the monthly Kidz Korner newspaper article.
Summer is in full swing! Although there is some debate as to the official and actual start of the season, many children – including myself – have already been at camps for weeks.
If you’ve read the Kidz Korner before, you might know what American Heritage Girls is. AHG is a Christ-centered scouting program for girls ages 5-18. There are different Levels for all the ages, but we’ll get to that in a moment.
Camp Deep Waters, the only AHG summer camp in Florida, has a different theme every year. My first year, 2022, was Shipwrecked. Last year was Game On! This year was Polar Expedition, where we had an Animal Encounter each day and earned the Zoology badge. Camp Deep Waters (CDW) was from June 2-8. However, I had also attended my Middle School church camp at Lake Placid the weekend before, so I was already losing my voice (LOL).
I am now a Pioneer (age 12-14)! Ever since I joined AHG in late 2022, I have been an Explorer (9-12), so this is a very exciting change! Therefore, I’m a newb at Crew Leadering. But that’s okay, because my co-leader was an experienced Patriot (14-18) named Bella. We decided to call our crew of eight campers the Loyal Least Weasels. All the campers had different “Skill Sessions,” but this is what my schedule looked like:
Flag Ceremony
BREAKFAST!
Celebration Time, where all the campers took part in our Animal Encounter. According to the camp director, it was called Celebration Time because a celebration is the name of a group of polar bears. It could also have been called the name of a group of crows, which is a murder, but that’s not what it was, and that is that.
My first Skill Session of the day was the Book Adventurer badge (Skill A). It was led by a Stars & Stripes (AHG’s equivalent of an Eagle Scout) Recipient, so it was pretty much guaranteed to be a blast! From interviewing author Anna Travis (if you like Christian fantasy, check out annatravis.com) via Zoom to making bookmarks and discussing The Princess Bride, the requirements we covered were a great success.
B – Wild Card: This class truly was a wild card, with scavenger hunts, getting to paint narwhals made out of gourds, and a new surprise every day, all led by Stars & Stripes Recipient Shannon Meuter.
Then came a picnic lunch, separated by crews, in a different location every day. This was a great time to get to know your crew and, of course, memorize/recite Bible verses.
C – Canoe 2: It was called Canoe 2 because there was a Canoe 1 available for girls who had not earned the Canoeing badge before. Our advanced techniques included Canoe Battleship, long-distance paddling, rough conditions, and obstacle courses.
BOB (Body on Bunk) Time and then Free Time!
D – Chapel: Learning about how God used animals to make a difference, like Balaam blessing Israel
E – Archery: The main highlight was getting to shoot watermelons!
DINNER, where the best meal was eating spaghetti with chopsticks
Service Areas (cleaning up the camp)
Crew Time – We got to make crafts, like bee hotels (aka AirBnBEE)
Some extra activities included the well-planned but sadly short-lived sloth stuffies wedding – aka my first-ever Pioneer-Patriot Private Party – and a fun tradition, Friday night skits (my cabin’s was Animal-erican Idol).
All in all, CDW was a fun camp! Since Camp Deep Waters, I’ve been on my first international mission trip with my youth group, and up next this summer we’ll be traveling to New York. I’m sure you’ll hear all about that next month! 🙂
See you later this summer!
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. Isaiah 43:2
Harley Isabel Smith is a homeschooled 7th grader who has been featured on TV as a philanthropist, has a heart for evangelism, and writes monthly for the Gazette’s Kidz Korner. Visit https://harleyisabelsmith.com where she is constantly adding written and video content to entertain and educate children. Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”