Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Camp Nawakwa

I just spent my fourth night with a cabin full of sweetheart girls at Camp Nawakwa, visited by our school early each May. This was Marian's first year to stay overnight because now she is a big 3rd grader.It was as awesome as ever, though possibly more so. First, tie-dye. Great tees this year! Our particular cabin (self-named the Forest Pixies) was so delightful, full of fun and love for each other. We stayed up later than the other 3rd grade girls' cabin--a major pride point--with card games and a good session of scary campfire story-supplanting forest/beach/waterfall/mermaid imagery. They were sweetly self-reflective about the experience, aware of what a special night and good friends they had.Our school is affiliated with the university, so the kids have the benefit of being taught rotating hands-on ecology lessons by college education and science students (the camp is their "final"). Here, Marian is a spawning salmon, about to make the trek to her home stream and face natural predators and man-made obstacles to getting there.
Marian taking a quiet moment with a tree identification guide.I grinned the entire time I was there. So green and lovely.




I found some soggy sticks with a particularly "waxy outer cambrium" (courtesy of a professor dad I consulted) that I happily emptied during one of the kids' lessons to yield a bag full of twig tubes.Perfect for bark rings.For freckled forest pixies.

8 comments:

sallyavena said...

Camp Nawakwa, I loved my time there! We always had a week long 6th grade camp there and high school students were the camp counslors. I did both and had so much fun. Just the other day I was thinking how sad it is for Jakob not to have a 'camp' experience in his 6th grade year. Looks like you had fun!

Paul said...

This is awesome! What a great way to get children out into nature. I wish all public schools did something like this.

Kathi D said...

Oh my gosh! Can Marian look any cuter? Those freckles! And those cute braids. Wow.

You have the kind of family that deserves a series of books in the style of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Just precious.

Braden Bell said...

Love the freckled forest pixie. And the spawning salmon. Not often one gets to be both of those things in the same day.

Nicci G said...

Valerie-
Look at that big girl! I am in awe. So thankful about Ruben-I wept of course. Wish I was still part of the team (but I am in spirit)! How do I get a button?
Nicci

vfg said...

Send me your address, Nicci, and it's IN THE MAIL.

Mindy said...

Oh, Marian looks so old! I need to see her and hug her.

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