Today’s camp was a compromise. First we went for a hike and
a picnic around Lake Redman and then we went to the movies, and finished with a hilarious game of ping pong (in which the camp director was pinged and ponged as she sat nearby writing this). See? Everybody gets
what they want.
I must confess that I'd hoped for more participation and more nature in our week, but I'm learning that as my kids get older, they find spending time with Mom and the natural world less magical and more of an ordeal they must endure if they want a ride to their friend's house. I know we are incredibly lucky to live on our beautiful
hillside, but sometimes I think my kids take this privilege for granted. For
instance, we have three horses that spend most of their days as lawn ornaments
because my children have no interest in riding. Yet, thousands of kids squander
every birthday wish and falling star hoping for a horse of their own. I worry
that until my kids no longer have constant access to woods and fresh air and
animals they won’t appreciate what they have. But maybe that’s the way it’s
always been.
Enough parental angst, back to camp.
This morning everyone
needed a little space of their own and the start of camp was delayed. One
camper communed with his computer, another with her book, and I spent the
morning in my much neglected garden. By the time we’d packed our lunch and set
off on our day, we were all in better spirits than yesterday. There may be such
a thing as camp-burnout.
We had a wonderful hike around Lake Redman.
There were butterflies.
And Lilly pads.
And rocks to throw at the Lilly pads
And there were spiders!
We at a picnic lunch on the edge of the lake and tossed
goldfish crackers to the fish. (One camper worried that this made the fish
cannibals.)
After we’d had our fill of nature we headed to the Dollar
Theater which isn’t really a dollar but is still a great deal. Luckily there
was a movie that pleased all ages and stages - Earth to Echo.
Obviously, this is what all the cool camps do because
the theater was nearly filled with campers from another local day camp. They
had t-shirts and a banner on their bus. I was informed that if I made t-shirts
or a banner for our camp at least one camper would NOT be returning next year.
Speaking of next year’s camp, while hiking today we came up
with an idea. Next summer we’re going to try Once a Week Camp. We’ll pick a day
each week to have camp. This will lessen the pressure on the camp director and
the stress on the campers. It will also allow us to schedule around dentist
appointments and choose days when our selected activities are most feasible.
For example, we really wanted to visit the Wolf Sanctuary in Lititz today, but
it was only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It occurs to me that Once a Week
Camp might be something a working parent could pull off, too.
We had a great time this week. Maybe it wasn’t “real” camp
as one camper lamented, but it was real time. It was time spent intentionally together
exploring our town and our community.
We got to enjoy nature,
created some
beautiful stuff,
learned a little,
and had a lot of fun.
Isn’t that what camp
is all about?
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