More ideas to keep them busy

Camp can't function without a schedule. Every hour of every day is planned out from the the time the camp flag goes up in the morning until it comes down at night. People ask, how do you handle two kids for FIVE days? I've got more than my share of adrenalin but having a schedule really helps me. Camp SP plans are top-secret...the kids don't know until I post the camp schedule each morning exactly what they'll be doing that day. Better to keep fun things a secret until the day of..... otherwise I'll be hounded with, 'are-we-there-yet?'

Every day has a major activity that I usually schedule in the morning before the heat of the day. As my area also gets afternoon thundershowers, I can change the schedule if need be. This year, free time has been added to the late afternoon schedule. The kids are avid readers - so this gives them quiet time to read - and time for me to recuperate.

As the kids grow, I can include activities they wouldn't have been ready for the year before. This year, we're doing LETTERBOXING. The following is taken from www.letterboxing.org. www.AtlasQuest.com also has information on letterboxing and locations of letterboxes.

"Letterboxing is an intriguing “treasure hunt” style outdoor activity. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like parks) and post clues to finding the box online on one of several Web sites. However, clues to finding some of the most highly-sought boxes are passed around by word of mouth. There are about 20,000 letterboxes hidden in North America alone. Individual letterboxes usually contain a log book, an often hand-carved rubber stamp and may contain an ink pad. Finders make an imprint of the letterbox's stamp on their personal log book, and leave an imprint of their personal stamp on the letterbox's logbook .

Letterboxing is said to have started in England in 1854 when a Dartmoor National Park guide, James Perrott of Chagford, left a bottle by Cranmere Pool with his calling card in it an an invitation to those who found the bottle to add theirs. Eventually, visitors began leaving a self-addressed post card or note in the jar, hoping for them to be returned by mail by the next visitor (thus the origin of the term “letterboxing;” “letterbox” is a British term for a mailbox). This practice ended in time, however, and the current custom of using rubber stamps and visitor’s log books came into use. It caught on in the US in 1998 after an article in Smithsonian magazine.

To get started, you’ll need a “trail name,” rubber stamp, pencil or pen, small sketch book, one or more ink pads or brush markers, a simple compass, and clues."

Note to self: add compass to shopping list!

To get the kids started, I'm going to hide four letterboxes in my neighborhood - so they can get the hang of it. Then we'll go out looking for a real letterbox that is hidden a few miles from here. Finally, the kids will make their own official letterbox that they'll hide in a public place for others to find. (letterbox location are found online)

I found a variety of rubber stamps at Michael's for $1 each along with inexpensive little notebooks. Letterboxes are often found on public trails - and as my son and family enjoy hiking, perhaps they'll continue letterboxing after Camp Sweetie-Pie.

When all else fails and boredom sets in, the kids have more fun looking at their funny reflections in my stainless steel Berkey water filter, which sits on the kitchen counter. (see photo above)