Summer co-op camp, day one

I found this leaf while cleaning up. Day one: nature crafts embodied

We've had two days of kid camp so far, and the memories of both make me grin here at my tired HP so late at night.

Day one was as lovely as I'd imagined. It was most successful from my standpoint because I wasn't teaching and could dedicate a lot of time to chasingthough probably not quite as much as I should have. This kid has an instinct for driving me crazy. That dislodged board in the photo above, for example: no matter how many times I lined it back up, he would move it "open" before he walked past. Which was frequently, because the iron gate was a mighty temptation to my hinge-loving man. If only I was so persistent in straightening up after him at home....

I loved that Isla (tribal queen) & Reuben showed up matchy-matchy green and brown
But while she painted her face, Reuben painted his clothes and I had to scrub them while the paint was wet because I like those funny one-pieces WAY more than my husband does :), so by the end of the day...well, they still matched, even green gone.

(Alas, the naps were far too brief. Reuben's, for instance, was cut short when I asked Becci to bring out her gourd instruments to play show and tell. And play. Oops, mama...).

Our activities for the first day were great. They seemed especially magical to me, I think, because I didn't do anything other than show up and admire, which I am good at.

Rock painting



Artist trading card sandpaper prints (do you know about artist trading cards? Do read the wiki if not and make plans...)

I couldn't shut up about this one; the results were amazing and the kids loved it: crayon on sandpaper, iron transfer it to cardstock & watercolor wash the background. I can't wait to try it on fabric.The ironed wax had a little halo that the watercolor wash highlights. Audrey called this one Hestia's Flame (and I don't need to explain that to Lightning Thief fans).Pinecone bird feedersand A nature scavenger hunt
with great details like twig scrolled instructionsand little bookletswith clever envelope covers

and "leapfrog from the walnut tree to the gazebo" tasks.(about 1/2 the kids, after they completed the scavenger hunt)

We feasted on mint tea made from leaves (apple mint, lemon balm, and spearmint) the children gathered themselves during an introductory tour and homemade granola bars.And finished up with time in Big Spring.56 degrees year round. But shallow and fairly slow and so very lovely.
Luckily your feet get numb pretty quickly and then it's not too bad :).