The other day, I was thinking about a story from this past summer that always makes me smile.

A group of campers were playing soccer. One camper — known for being just a little competitive — passed the ball to a friend… who missed it. The other team grabbed it and started kicking it down the field. 

You could see the frustration building on our competitive camper’s face.

Before it could turn into anything more, his counsellor, Wheels, locked eyes with him and shouted across the field:

“HOW MUCH FUN ARE WE HAVING???”

And the group knew exactly what to do.

All the campers shouted back, 

“TEN OUT OF TEN FUN!”

Just like that, you could see the anger melt away. The camper smiled, laughed, and jumped right back into the game.

That’s the magic of knowing your campers. Wheels saw what was about to happen and helped redirect it — not by calling him out, but by bringing him back in. Back into the group, back into the moment, back into the fun.

At Adventure Valley, we believe that’s where real growth happens — in community, in connection, and in knowing each child deeply enough to meet them where they are. We believe that it’s only when a child feels safe, feels like they’re part of something special, and feels grounded in their community that they can truly learn and grow.

That’s why our staff training doesn’t stop at safety or logistics. We spend real time helping counsellors learn how to know their campers — how to ask follow-up questions, build trust, and spot those little moments before they turn into big ones.

It’s one of my favourite things to watch — those moments where a counsellor really gets their group, and you can see the confidence and joy that follow.