Kids running around playing tag and jail, the whistle blowing to signal flag time, trying to get through forty-five names, and singing silly songs. This is the way one passes the time at the day camp at Bay View, a close-knit, summer community in Michigan, for Fawns (five and six year old boys and girls)…until the next activity starts.

The job of a camp counselor for five and six year old boys and girls involves being crazy and being responsible at the same time. A counselor during the morning helps the campers with activities such as crafts, constantly being with kids during the activity, explaining directions, and of course getting ready for…SNACK! Every day a “cookie monster” brings a snack for the campers and if any snacks are left over, the leaders get some…yum.

When morning is over, thirty minutes of lunch is followed by tennis lessons with levels two, three, and JD on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and levels one and four on Tuesday and Thursday. Don’t forget about the raffle on Friday! Level one involves dropping balls and trying not to get whacked in the hand…or bombarded by kids throwing tennis balls, flamingo, and jail. Level two involves dropping at the baseline, flamingo, and jail. Level three involves forehands and backhands and single’s champ. Level four involves doubles champ and singles champ. JD involves singles champ, serving, service champ, and doubles champ…BOTH GONE!

While being a camp counselor is fun (and it looks good on one’s college application), it’s also exhausting, working from eight to three five days a week, and sometimes later to earn extra cash. If you talk to the counselors at Bay View, not one would say he or she wished they did something else. Nothing replaces seeing the joy on the campers’ faces when they perfect something or just have an awesome day at the club.