Stories and Articles

Nature Camp

by Sarah

very summer when my friends head off to family vacations, summer camps, and sports practices, I go to Nature Camp. For five years I’ve been a counselor at Nature Camp helping my group of ten four year olds make crafts, sing songs, and play games. You might be surprised that I actually enjoy spending a week of my summer hanging out with preschoolers. You would probably be even more surprised if I told you one four year old changed the way I think about life.

Rachel was one of the most outgoing, energetic, giggly girls out of my group named, “The Butterflies.” When we did relay races she would always go at least four times, even when the race included running through sprinklers or finding plastic bugs in buckets of spaghetti. She arrived ten minutes early every morning for camp. Her mom always tagged along and I assumed she was one of the parents who was not comfortable leaving her daughter by herself at camp. When Rachel was painting my face, which was supposed to resemble a butterfly, but realistically looked like a green, blue, and orange blob, she declared that she looked forward to Nature Camp during the whole year. Figuring a four year old’s idea of a “whole year” probably meant last week, I smiled and attempted to sound surprised with a, “Wow!” But little did I know that Rachel treasured Nature Camp more than I had ever suspected.

On the last day of the camp, Rachel was walking with me towards the game station, and she tried to climb on my back for a piggy-back ride. But her mom came over and told Rachel to get on the ground and she explained to me, “Rachel had open heart surgery last week so she can’t ride on your back.” I looked at her in disbelief and Rachel smiled and lifter her shirt to show me her scar. Open heart surgery? A week ago? Why was the girl with a five inch scar on her chest from last week the one that was jumping up and down to stick her hands in a bucket of spaghetti? Because she looked forward to Nature Camp all year, that’s why.

From Rachel’s smiling face, I learned more during that one week than a whole year’s worth of school. Two years later, Rachel’s face is still the one I remember from nature camp. Not because she was the adorable blonde pigtailed girl, but because she made me realize that nothing, not even open heart surgery, should stop you from doing something you love. So whenever I think that maybe I’m a little too tired or have too much homework, I think of Rachel. And if little four year old Rachel can do the relay race four times, then so can I.

The “Butterflies” proudly wear their purple shirts and pose for the camera. Can you tell which one is Rachel? She’s the one with the biggest smile, second camper on the right.