Summer Camp Recap

I am in the fortunate place where I have what I would consider a superb job. It’s a career position and it is part-time.  It’s easy…with challenges thrown in it. It is flexible when it needs to be. It pays well. It’s a good gig and I know it. 

The one flaw? It’s year round.

Ughhhh.

Work me like a dog in the winter- that’s fine. But summer? It kills me to work in the summer. I just want to play with my boy!

What does this have to do with Alec and his adventures?

Well, we can’t have as many adventures (we sure do try though!) because I am working. This creates guilt. Oh the guilt.  He has to have a place to go in the summer. We struggled with what to do with him this summer. We threw around so many ideas, hashing and questioning; trying to figure out what would be the best scenario for Alec and his summer vacation.

Finally we reached what we thought was a good solution. He got to stay at home and be babysat for a few weeks…then he got to go to a few different camps before staying at home with a babysitter for the rest of the summer.  It seems we may have hit a decent compromise. 

The month of July was all about the camps.

Alec spent his first  week at the YMCA camp. We thought it might be a good fit because he would know some kids from daycare and it was a comfortable spot for him. It was not. By day 3 he wanted to be done.  I was not impressed for various reasons and he will not be going there ever again if I can help it. I have no pictures to show.

After that  we were out at the lake. Ahhhh…good memories.

Next up was Ferry Beach Ecology School. click here  for link to FBES .  I have no idea how to even explain this camp. It was neat. Weird. But neat. Alec enjoyed his week there for the most part. They did things (?) in the morning- and after lunch spent the afternoon on the beach.  The things they did in the morning? Yeah- I am still not sure. From what I could tell- there was structure but it might have been a little loosey-goosey. Maybe a little too loosey-goosey for Alec.

 

  

He learned a fair bit at this camp. He has shared lots of composting tips with me- he gained a fair bit of knowledge about different bugs and plants. He overcame his fear of bee’s. And thankfully (unlike the Y) these children had patience and kindness. No foul language or mean spirited behaviors were learned. Phew! The was his 2nd favorite camp and thinks he might like to go back next year.

Next up and last in our camp recap- his favorite and mine; The Longbarn Summer Camp held at our CSA farm at Broadturn Farm. He loved this camp and is already looking forward to going back next year. It was the perfect mix for him. Feeding the pigs and taking care of the chickens were the highlight for him. His boots were so stinky by the end of the week from the pigpen and he couldn’t have been happier. He was in a great mood every day when I picked him up and on the last day- he even lingered and didn’t want to leave. Everything about this camp was positive. 

    

 

 Hindsight – we should have spaced out the camps a little more with babysitting in the mix more. July was an exhausting month for him (and for us). We are now into the 3 weeks of babysitting before I have the week off to spend with him before school starts. 

Did I just say school starts? 

Ohhhh…summer is flying by.

It’s bittersweet to me.