Monday night optionals were in a league of their own. The other counselors and I decided that it would be interesting to name every optional with the same abbreviations that we use every day for Capture the Flag. CTF Day included optionals such as Chic, Trendy Fashion and Celebrate the Funetics, but only the counselors were privy to the full names prior to the optionals beginning. The campers were definitely confused by not knowing anything about the optionals except whether or not they required physical activity, but I think that our strategy exposed a lot of campers to activities that they would have never anticipated enjoying.
My optional was Chic, Trendy Fashion, based on America’s Next Top Model. The campers were required to create an outfit out of newspaper and masking tape and then have a model walk the runway while another camper narrated the theme of the outfit. The creativity was interesting and hilarious. Campers came up with outfits that included butterfly wings, a lasso, and multiple crowns. I am sure that most of the campers had no idea what they were signing up for, but they had a great time creating and showing off their work.