My camp experience was at Boy Scout Summer Camp… both as a camper and as a counselor. We did most of what has been listed her, but I don’t see any posts about the “Trading Post”: The one place where campers and counselors can get your junk food fix, t-shirts, camping equipment, and generally have a place to hang out.
Another part of the camp experience I have not seen mentioned was the “Flag Ceremony” In Boy Scouts, it was assembling at the Flag Pole for Flag raising just before breakfast, then assembling just before dinner for Flag lowering.
Campfires were for bad skits and fun songs, but also for awards.
It was the Tuck Shop / Snack Shack for us. We had flag raising, which I think hardly anyone enjoyed except for the people doing the raising / lowering. It was always hard for most of the kids to stand still long enough.
Pre. For some reason there is something about archery. I’ve heard about bad archery experience (hang around, get to shoot six arrows, hang around, return to cabin), but not at the girl scout camps my scouts have attended. They set them up with lots of room, so you are shooting about half the time.
You mentioned singing, but only around the campfire. We sang all the time, and I do mean all. The. Time. I came home completely hoarse and usually with a cold, which was attributed to sleeping one night outside, on the ground, and waking up covered in dew.
I loved camp. Ours had a playground, with all the regular equipment, which was beloved by the younger set. Crafts were wonderful; we painted ceramics, tie-dyed T-shirts, and attempted lanyards which always looked like crap. Mine was a Catholic camp, so we always had Mass outdoors, which was fun in a minor way. I liked archery and adored horseback riding. Canoeing and rowboating on the lake was fun. How could that not be fun? We also fished, played basketball, sat around and told stories in the cabin, dreamed of being a teenager, dreamed of having a boyfriend. Listened to the probably made-up tales of those who did have boyfriends.