Lighthouse Day Camps

August 27, 2026

I learned many things while interning for Lighthouse Ministry. From planting to harvesting, to cooking healthy meals, to understanding the importance of being healthy and coveting local produce, to learning about native and non native plants and where certain vegetables originate from. There’s no shortage of knowledge or new facts to discover. But there are things I’ve found that I’m not always aware I’m learning. Like how to be more attentive to others. Knowing how exactly to assume a role of leadership, and not just because you know you have to, but because there are a set of 12 eyes or more sitting in front of you, expecting you to do it. 

Three times a day. Four days out of the week.

Enter Camp.

The mornings are the same as always; we do some garden work with Crew, head in for food literacy if it’s a Tuesday or Thursday, and the day’s over for most of the kids. But for the rest of us, it’s just getting started. The first day of camp, I had no idea what to expect. We’d gone over the run down for how the rest of the week would look, who would be in charge of what. I had to be a time keeper for the first two days and lead a fun game the third. Easy, right?

After a brief lunch, we set up for camp. Taking tables outside, placing out materials for different activities. There would be three stations. One outside, and two inside. The first camp of the summer was Nature Exploration. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Compost, each category receiving their own full day for the kids to be fully immersed in each. Through the camp, they would understand how to better care for nature and its importance. After setting up the stations, which had different activities that included making crafts, playing games, and learning about the particular topic, we waited for the kids to arrive outside, where they covered the concrete in colorful chalk art.

As a timekeeper, all I had to do was be mindful of the time and give every group a ten minute warning before it was time to switch stations. They had a recess time where they could play outside, then onto the next station. Adapting to the longer hours wasn’t easy the first day. I guess my body was conditioned to be home at a certain time, and even though timekeeping in and of itself was easy, having to watch the clock incessantly between each station was very much not.

Then the third day came around. My timekeeping days were over, and I had to take over an activity—alone.

It was a fun game that taught about recycling and more specifically how many everyday items could be recycled. There were three groups, ranging from the youngest kids to the oldest. I will admit, being in charge of a station was a lot more fun than timekeeping, but it grew hectic quickly. And the supposedly mellow sorting game became a fierce competition on who could be the loudest. It was a bit difficult at first, but after I found a good balance of playing the game, and keeping everyone on task, it was as simple as juggling three rocks in one hand while balancing on the ball of your heel—with a hoola-hoop twirling around your neck.

Beyond keeping the kids under control, I also learned how to be more personable with them, so they felt more comfortable. They pay attention far more than you think, even if it doesn't seem like it, so being more attentive to them, for example, remembering facts they shared about themselves, treating them with respect, and even remembering their names—they seem to appreciate that greatly. It made me feel accomplished at the end of the long day. And made up for any difficulties I may have encountered along the way. 

The next camp took place two weeks later in the form of a cooking camp, where we explored three main topics: Seeds, Fruits, and Vegetables. This camp was far less hectic than the first, though it still had its moments. I ended up learning some surprising new things that I never considered before, like how a lot of the produce we eat comes from different stages of a plant’s life. Okra, pumpkins, tomatoes, even peppers, could be considered fruits. The kids did cool activities like making mosaics out of seeds on the first day (seed day) and making bugs, flowers, or a whole car out of fruit on the third.

The last and arguably most fun camp, if you ask my little sister, was lego camp. Also three days long, and a great time to get lost in your own creativity and create something beautiful. I spent all three days trying to make a modern house, with a window and a garden, though it paled in comparison to the other kids’ designs. There were whole villages, buildings, pirate ships, mini worlds. We put our unfinished work on a table at the end of each day, and it looked like an art show. It was a bit of a bummer having to take it all apart on the last day. I still regret not getting a picture with mine. But I guess nothing quite beats a strong memory. So from then on, in the right hemisphere of my brain, is where the lego house lives.

What I admire most about these experiences is watching the kids learn and absorb new things. As Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” There are still things I hold dear to me that I learned as a child; it’s not really in one’s power to know what will stick and what won’t, but it’s interesting to watch youth in the midst of their own backstories, unbeknownst to what memory may follow them the rest of their lives. It’s a normal day for me, but it may be the whole world to them, and if in the slightest chance their experience that I played a part in transcends their memories into adulthood, I would want it to be a positive memory. One they can feel safe in. I’m glad these camps provide such a space.

by Arriyannah Herring

Lighthouse Ministry Summer Intern 2026