The thankful list for 9-year-old Toby Kruse is topped by ninjas, tacos and Indiana Jones.

He wrote the items on strips of colored paper he would later link with staples to form a gratitude chain.

"Are there any special people in your life?" group leader Melissa Salvato asked Toby.

"I guess a few."

Toby figured those names would help him reach his goal of filling out 20 strips of paper and elongating his chain.

The colored pieces of paper slowly became healing tools during Central Wyoming Hospice's fourth annual Kids Grief Camp.

Broken clay flower pots symbolized broken hearts. Campers smashed the pots with a sledge hammer, glued them back together and planted a flower in them.

Drawings of Star Wars characters became Toby's way of describing how his body has hurt since his grandma died.

About 26 kids who have lost loved ones attended this year's camp, said Dama Jackson, bereavement coordinator at hospice.

"Kids usually grieve differently than adults," Jackson said. "They grieve physically and in really short segments."

Parents worry kids aren't grieving because "they just go out and play." But Jackson said that is completely normal and kids process grief through activities.

Jackson and volunteers kept the kids busy painting birdhouses, playing water balloon volleyball, using wooden spoons as instruments and dancing on Thursday and Friday.

Between activities, the group discussed death and what it means to lose someone. The kids said the activities and volunteers were helping.

"Last night, I didn't have a nightmare," said Christian Bjorklund, 9, on Friday.

Christian came to the camp because family members thought it might help with the nightmares he has been having since his grandpa died.

"We were really close," said the boy who had accidentally colored part of his blonde hair with a green permanent marker the night before the camp. "I was with him almost 24/7."

Jackson said it's difficult for kids to see parents cry, and they are afraid to ask questions because they don't want to further upset adults.

The camp offers kids the opportunity to ask questions of pastors, health care providers and a funeral director.

They asked questions about cremation, pain and what happens after someone dies.

Former hospice nurse Rob Ewers emphasized to the kids that it is OK to cry.

"It's good to cry," Ewers said. "It clears the air. It is the rain and then the sun comes out."

Ewers spent most of his two days working with a small group of teenagers who had lost someone close. A few had lost siblings.

The boys talked about how they didn't believe it at first and how it all happened so fast. One boy said he thought it was a joke when he found out his newborn sister died.

And they talked about how they finally let themselves cry.

Ewers also emphasized the importance of finding someone - a friend, a teacher, a family member - to talk to.

"You can say, 'Let's go play basketball. Let's have a tea party. Let's go run,'" Ewers said.

To symbolize the people who have helped the kids through rough times, they made garden stepping stones.

Each camper decorated wet cement with jewels and pebbles and let them dry.

This was Christian's favorite part of the camp. It reminded him the most of his grandpa.

Remembering a loved one who has died is what this camp is all about, said Dawson Roscoe, 10.

This was Dawson's fourth camp. He has lost grandparents, an aunt and a hamster over the past several years.

The kids remembered loved ones through memory journals they created. And at the end of camp, each child released a butterfly into the wild in honor of their loved ones.

"We shouldn't be sad all the time," Dawson said. "We should be happy and remember they love us and we love them. We should remember the good times."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.