Magical Moments at Centauri – Part Two

This past summer, we challenged our counsellors to find ways to incorporate magical moments into all their camp activities. At the end of the summer, we asked about some of the specific things they had done with their dorms as a result. Here are a few of their responses, with more to follow in ‘Magical Moments’, Parts Three and Four over the next few weeks.

”The most magical moment I had with my campers took place in a grassy area at the back of camp, surrounded in trees. A magical place anyway, but one night it was filled with fireflies. We were playing a ‘getting-to-know-you’ game, interviewing each other, and that turned into a dance party. We all danced, and the fireflies danced around us.’

‘I ran a series of dorm hours with one group that involved solving a mystery. My campers got a letter from the mysterious ‘Mr X’ and the letter gave the boys missions to accomplish. I created a fictional world for them, then it expanded with the help of their imaginations. They invented characters, and the mystery story got deeper and deeper. This showed me that if you put in some thought, you can create so much magic in life for others. But when they also buy in and create magic for themselves… that’s when truly incredible things happen.’

‘One dorm hour, when we were sharing an activity outside, we had a moment of magic that no one planned at all. It was time to head back to get ready for evening program, but no one really wanted to move, everyone was relaxed, and a few campers flopped down on the grass, looking up at the sky. So I did it, and everyone followed. We started looking for shapes in the clouds. They were moving so fast, over the top of us, you could feel the earth spinning. We saw animals and other things in the cloud shapes. One camper said looking at how big the sky was made her feel small, but in a good way. Then everyone fell silent. I thought to myself, sometimes if you don’t rush children from one thing to the next, they create magic all for themselves. We just lay flat in the grass for ages. Thinking our own thoughts.’

More magical moments to follow soon!

Julie
Director
Centauri Summer Arts Camp