Split into groups of boys and girls, 45 children stood Tuesday around two large parachutes. As they picked the parachutes up, a counselor told them grief can feel calm when laying still, just like the parachute.

As they moved the parachutes up and down, the counselor told the children it can sometimes get rocky. While wildly shaking the parachutes, the counselor told them the movement was indicative of really bad days.

It was just one of the lessons children and teens dealing with grief learned as part of the annual Camp Hope. Hosted by Hospice of Limestone County, the camp is free to children ages 5-15 who have experienced the death of a loved one.

It was the fifth such camp for Hannah Kilpatrick, the counselor leading the children through the parachute exercise. She enjoys participating each year because she knows it helps children.

The first year she came to Camp Hope as a buddy was around the time she lost her grandfather.

“It helped me and it’s a good thing for the kids,” she said.

Camp Director Emily Sandlin is on her sixth year as director and said the camp continues to improve each year.

“I don’t know if it’s because I’ve got more years under my belt, but it gets better every year,” she said. “It never gets old.”

How it works

When campers arrive, they are paired up with a buddy for the day. The buddy is someone who gives undivided attention to the camper and lets the camper share any feelings he or she has.

Some buddies like Justice Gilbert keep coming back to Camp Hope.

“I’ve been a counselor for three or four years and I think it’s a good thing and something we need here,” she said. “Grief is hard, especially when you’re a kid and I’ve dealt with a lot of it.”

Gilbert said Camp Hope helps her just as much as it does the campers.

Even first-time buddies, such as Janna Boydstun, seemed to be having a good time.

Boydstun said she knew she didn’t want to waste her summer and when her friend told her about Camp Hope, she decided to volunteer her time to a good cause.

The experience gave her more than volunteer hours — it taught her about the different faces of grief.

“I learned grief comes in a lot of different colors,” she said. “Looking at these kids, you would never know they lost someone but they’re all having fun. They’re learning as they’re playing and that’s something they’ll remember.”

Second-time camper Jordan Cullison came back this year because she enjoyed meeting people who have gone through a similar situation.

“It helps knowing everything you feel when someone passes away is normal,” she said.

Camper Meagan Green has fun at the camp, but she learns from it, too.

“It helps you forget about the bad memories and think about the good things,” she said.

This year was the first year that a separate camp was set up for those 12-years and older. The group of six learned how to play a musical piece on the drums and presented it at the end of the day for parents and campers.

“It was different sounds and different beats,” Sandlin said. “It was so neat.”

Sandlin considered the day a success.

“The new things went over really well and we had a great day,” she said.