Greeting campers as they arrive

A Day in the Life of a VeryVera Camper

VeryVera camp is a summertime tradition here in Augusta. I attended camp when I was a child and now as Camp Director I get to see the whole operation from a different angle. For those of you who are not as familiar with the VeryVera Camp Program, I’m going to walk you through a typical day at camp from beginning to end.

  • 8:45 Doors open and campers arrive. Campers find their seat and begin working on their arrival activity. Campers are free to talk as they work. On Monday we open the doors at 8:30 so that parents can get a tour of the facility.
  • 9:00 Camp begins. The Camp Director will give opening remarks, go over rules, and give any notes from the previous day.
  • 9:15 Campers are divided into groups of 6. They get new groups each day to encourage making new friends! From here the groups head into the education room, the craft room, or the kitchen. Each group does all 3 rotations every day.
  • 9:15 (In the kitchen.) The kitchen rotations are 1 hour and 15 minutes long. During their time in the kitchen the camper:counselor ratio is 3:1. Campers work with counselors to prepare 3-4 recipes, depending on difficulty of the recipes.
 Advanced Campers make crepes

Advanced Campers make crepes

 Advanced Beginners practice dicing

Advanced Beginners practice dicing 

  • 10:30 Snack and restroom break. Campers get a snack and water break every day. During this time campers are free to talk amongst themselves and use the restroom. At this time, counselors are setting up for the next rotations and mingling with the campers.
  • 10:45 Craft room.  (The time in the craft and education rooms combined is 1 hour and 15 minutes. Campers switch halfway through so they are in either room for about 35 minutes) Campers do 1-2 crafts every day, accompanied by a lesson. The purpose of the craft room is to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in campers by helping them create innovative packaging and to foster creativity. The craft room is also used to reinforce lessons that campers learn such as table settings and table service.
 A camper paints a tote bag

A camper paints a tote bag

 Two Advanced Campers in the craft room

Two Advanced Campers in the craft room

  • 11:15 Education room. Campers that are in the craft or education room switch to the other room after 30-35 minutes. Some campers may go to craft first and some may go to education first. The counselor:camper ratio in these rooms is 3:1. The education room is where campers learn home economics, napkin folding, etiquette, nutrition, and much more! A favorite lesson from last year was our taste bud activity where campers learned about sweet, salty, bitter, and umami and which parts of the tongue each taste corresponds to.
 Beginners practice table service

Beginners practice table service

 Campers are doing a taste bud activity in the Education Room

Campers are doing a taste bud activity in the Education Room

  • 12:05 Lunch preparation begin. Campers begin to break away from their groups around 12:15 and start washing their hands and setting the table. Everyday a new group of servers is chosen randomly and tasked with the responsibility of serving lunch to their peers.
 6-7 year olds help each other set the table for lunch

6-7 year olds help each other set the table for lunch

  • 12:20 Lunch is served. Campers generally eat whatever they made in the kitchen that day. We encourage campers to taste everything on their plate, you don’t have to love it but you do have to try it! Our pre-beginners surprised us by being the most adventurous eaters last year!
 Pre-Beginners enjoy a lunch of macaroni and cheese with ham, blueberry muffins, and apple slices

Pre-Beginners enjoy a lunch of macaroni and cheese with ham, blueberry muffins, and apple slices 

  • 12:45 Campers clear their plates.
  • 12:50 At every VeryVera Camp Banquet, campers give a brief introduction to the group. We use the last 10 minutes of every day to practice introductions in order to take some of the fear out of public speaking.
  • 1:00 Campers go home!
 A Camper speaks at the banquet

A Camper speaks at the banquet

VeryVera Cooking Camp is more than just a few recipes! We are an etiquette school, a teacher of traditions, a lifetime of memories, and the #bestsummerever! Be sure to go through our other blog posts from former campers and counselors to get an idea of the lasting impression that VeryVera Camps can leave.