Day Three - We're Pooped!

 Artwork courtesty of Gia

The eldest and youngest of the campers (Eva and Eliza) were both asleep this evening by 7:45 pm.  Ethan and Gia are holding out - they're watching a movie but I noticed heavy eyelids at dinner.

We had another fun day!  It started with the raising of the flag (Gia's turn today!) and camp calisthenics lead by Poppa Joe.  

After flag-raising, the kids head to the bulletin board where the day's schedule is posted along with announcements, camp rules, mail and daily KP duty assignments.  Eliza discovers that today she is on KP duty which means she has to put the pepperoni on the pizza for tonight's dinner!  (We even have an official CSP KP apron).

"Don't Let the Rain Come Down' on the schedule, turns out to be a class on how to make a shelter if you're lost in the wilderness.  Earlier we covered the lessons the Hug-a-Tree program teaches kids - should they become lost.  Today's class carried it a step further....keeping things like wind direction and weather in mind when building a shelter.  What can they use for insulation?  (pine needles!) etc.   Conveniently, Joe and Anne have a giant spruce in their front yard which was perfect for the emergency shelter.   Eva is whittling a four-pronged fish spear so they won't be hungry tonight. 

 

Half the photos I took today have a mysterious blob on the lens.  Jello? My apologies for the blurry photos. 

The next class was 'fire making'.  After all, the theme for this year's Camp Sweetie-pie is SURVIVOR!   Joe shows them how to start a fire with a magnifying glass.....and even the little magnifying glass that came with the whistles that we gave the kids, had dry tinder smoking within minutes.  Eva showed how you can use a baggie full of water or ice, which works in much the same way as a magnifying glass - and finally Joe demonstrated using flint and steel.

Next on the schedule was "Use Your Noodle" - which is sort of like field hockey or soccer using pool noodles and a half-deflated ball - no teams - it was a free-for-all.   The goal was to get the ball into the bucket.  

The best money invested in Camp S'pie was the $50 I spent on the pool about four years ago.  It's small (12' across) as there isn't much level lawn for a larger one - but the kids love it.  It comes with a pool filter and I check the chlorine level twice a day. 

It's even more fun when they cram all the boats into the pool and do their best to sink each other.

Get him!

There's time for games.....

And projects at the creativity table....

Then a watermelon-eating-competition!!

Then a little more R & R and back to that all important question, 'Who am I going to marry'?

The annual Camp Sweetie-pie makes me painfully aware of how quickly these great little kids are growing up.  Twelve-year old Eva and ten-year old Ethan have said they'll keep coming to camp, even when they're 'old' (16 or 17) so that their little sister, Eliza, can have the experience too.  I told them that I hope they pass it on and do a Camp Sweetie-pie for their own grandkids. 

Tonight when the Camp Store opened and the kids cashed in their bonus bucks, three-year old Eliza was so excited when she bought a pair of swim goggles, 'so that I can hold my breath and go under the water'!  I didn't have the heart to tell her that this is her last day at this year's Camp Sweetie-pie though this is only day 3 and the older kids are staying for another 3 days.  But when I first started Camp S'pie, the length of camp was determined by the kid's age.  Every year I added a day.  Eliza is three - so she only stays for three days.  This is fair as it gives me time to spend with the older kids....but I will really miss her.  

It is Camp tradition that on the last day, the kids trace their hands on the flag.  It puts a lump in my throat when I see the accumulation of all the little hand prints, getting bigger every year.

Good-bye Eliza!  It was so much fun having you at camp this year!   You get to stay FOUR days next year!!