3rd grade camp out

This week I went on a field trip with London's class. It was a 3 day/2 night camp out (in cabins) with 45 third graders! We left the school around 9am on Wed. morning and drove out the road, to the Southeast Methodist Camp. They have cabins, a lodge with a kitchen, and working toilets and showers. I didn't take a shower because the floor was kind of gross and the shower heads didn't work very well, but it was nice to have sinks and real toilets.

I was not happy (initially) about this field trip. First, we don't do "spend the nights"... period...and this was sleeping over for two nights. Second, it was a $40 field trip. Third, I don't really even like camping (tent camping to be more specific, and this was going to be cabin camping so not too bad, but still...) The only way London was going to get to go was if I went with her. (Yes, I'm that protective... =P )

I ended up really enjoying myself...and London had a ball. There were a lot of activities that kept the kids engaged and active all throughout the day. I was in a cabin with 16 third grade girls and four other moms. The first night the girls WOULD NOT settle down. After getting their breakfast last the next morning (for bad behavior) they didn't make a peep the next night.

This was just a REALLY funny cart. They shortened the name of the camp to make it fit...but they didn't think about what it said on it. We took the 3rd graders to the "SE Meth Camp"! I told one of the moms, and she joked "Yeah, next time we should take them to the Pot Farm"!



The first day the kids played several games. In this one, the kids were predators, and they had to sneak up on a sleeping kid who was the prey. The "prey" had on a blindfold and had to point if he heard any sounds, and the predator he heard would have to go back to the start.

Wednesday night, we walked over to Eagle Beach and had a BBQ. I hadn't ever been to Eagle Beach, and it is really beautiful. Incidentally, that night during the BBQ was the only time it rained the whole three days! We have had such a wonderfully sunny spring...more sun than rain, which is amazing.

Thursday, the kids cooked their own lunches. They were given a hobo stove made out of a coffee can, and a can of heat made out of a tuna can filled with cardboard and wax. They cooked hamburger patties on the hobo stoves, and had chips and a drink to go with it.

The parent helpers got their hamburgers cooked on a grill, since we were all needed, to make sure no one got burned and had fully cooked hamburgers to eat.

London and I roughing it! ;)

During the day on Thursday, the kids were broken up into four groups and had four, hour long activities to do. One was weaving, one was locating mosquito larvae or bugs and inspecting them, one was learning about survival, and the final was a nature hike. Me and one other mom, along with a high school student volunteer, took the kids on the nature hike. The other mom and I thought it was quite ironic that the two moms who were most afraid of seeing a bear, were assigned to lead the nature hike! We taught the kids about beavers, an alluvial fan, nurse trees and had them do a "micro-hike" with magnifying glasses. We (the moms) also learned about "dancing with devil's club", but I will explain more about that in a different post.

London and I in the devil's club

I am explaining the micro hike to the kids.

London on her "micro-hike"

She found mosquito larvae...but you can't really see it in this photo.

The last day was spent cleaning up camp and then going on one more hike. I helped clean up, but didn't get to go on the hike, because I had to run home to shower and catch a plane to Idaho to surprise my family. I had way more fun on this field trip than I ever thought I would, and even found myself getting excited that we would still be living here when Isaiah is in 3rd grade, and I can go again! (It actually startled me that I was excited to go again!)