At the beginning of school they started advertising about Clear Creek. They needed some parent volunteers and it seemed like the right thing to do, especially since I was already in the system and didn't need to go get finger printed. Bonus. Ivory was very excited that I could go with her.
We showed up at the school on Wednesday morning and Ivory was all packed and raring to go.
We took a selfie for good measure.
Once all the girls had arrived, we divided into groups. We were in the red group. Here are our girls: Top row (left to right) Kimberly, Ivory, Jane, Sage, Kaya, Kaylee, Avrie and Avery. Bottom row: Rebecca and Olivia.(You read that right. Two Avery's and an Ivory.)
The bus ride was not too bad. It is only about an hour long. I sat with Ivory and Carolyn (a girl from my neighborhood). The kids sang songs, I braided hair, we played a little Boinx. It was an enjoyable ride.
When we arrived at camp, we got all our luggage stowed in the cabins. They have nice cabins with running water and flushing toilets. There are even mattresses, although I wouldn't say they were terribly comfortable. Ivory's bunk was by a doorway with no door. You could just see into the other room and bunks. In retrospect, I wish there had been a door there. The girls on the other side were the ones who decided to stay up late giggling.
We were housed in Pot Gut Hut. So far, it is a family tradition.
After lunch, we went up to the lodge to make banners and a cheer. I was a little late getting up there because Jane decided to fall out of a tree almost instantly upon arriving at camp. Nothing was broken, she was just a little bruised, but it took her some time to get to the lodge. (She also swallowed her first pill. What a trooper.) When we got up there, the girls were hard at work. They decided to call themselves the Red Robins.
Ivory got a leaky marker and got it all over herself. I tried to wipe it off her face and only succeeded in giving her clown lips. At least they were red so they matched the group color.
Our finished poster. If you look in the lower right hand corner, you can see my tribute to June. (Sorry blog book, you probably can't see it.)
Next up was the cheer. I actually liked the ones the girls made. Ivory came up with most of it.
Robins fly
Why can't I?
We're gonna fly by
So high
RED ROBINS!!
As cheers go...not too bad.
Our second rotation was playing outside. They did four square for half the time and kickball the other half. I was the only mom who bothered to play. It just seemed more fun than watching, but I am usually the mom who joins in with the kids. I'm about the right height after all.
Third rotation was the ropes course. This area was really fun. The girls went again and again. We even got all the moms to try it at the end.
Also part of the ropes course was Shark Island. All the girls had to swing across and try to pile on one pallet. They could get about ten girls on there, but then they would fall off and be eaten by sharks. The girls were pretty good, but I'm thinking there weren't too many hungry sharks by the end.
Last rotation was boondoggle or lanyards as I used to call them. Ivory struggled with this one. She had trouble tightening hers and it frustrated her to no end. This smile is not genuine.
You could have more plastic rope if you finished your first one. I thought Ivory wasn't even going to complete one. After a little drama and the confiscation of her boondoggle, she got her ducks in a line and stopped pouting. In fact, I believe that was the most drama I saw the whole trip. Not bad for a group of 50 girls.
They fed us well up there, or at least I think the food was good. Especially for camping.
We had some free time after dinner. I spent it chatting with moms and watching deer across the field. They obviously frequent the camp.
The evening began with game night. Ivory played some Blokus with her friends. Later we picked up a fun game that was like Dominoes but using colors. Ivory was quite good at it.
(I'll tell you a secret. They used to do a campfire in the evening with s'mores and the whole nine yards, but it was overkill. Everyone came back smelling like smoke and with sticky fingers only to be given more candy for the movie. It was not a win/win. So someone suggested game night. I think that person is a genius.)
The skits were fun to watch. My favorite was a skit based on the book Falling for Rapunzel. I had never heard it before and the kids did such a great job. Ivory's group did That is Not a Good Idea. They were very good. Sadly there were a few skits that bored me to tears. I'm going to blame the books and not the kids on this one. Some stories are better for skits than others.
Then a movie. I was actually surprised that the evening was going to go so late, but it made sense. If you send the kids back to cabins early, you will have girls that will be awake for hours being annoying. With a late movie, you tire out many of them, and the truly annoying ones (who would be annoying either way) will hopefully be tired as well and won't drive parents crazy for too many hours.
All the kids brought in sleeping bags and they gave them treats. They were all in heaven.
I did not want to watch a movie. I wanted to read the book I brought. (Big surprise.) I figured I could sneak into the kitchen where there was a little light. What I found were the teachers playing cards. They invited me in and I had a lot of fun getting to know them better. Teachers are some of my favorite people. They work hard and are dedicated to kids. In general...really good people.
Finally, it was time for bed. Good thing too since we needed to be up early to clean the cabins and pack. I was impressed how many kids brushed their teeth, without a mom or dad to remind them.
As I mentioned before, we had a few gabbers that stayed up late. I eventually fell asleep and missed the mom who came to chastise them. (Oddly, the one from across the cabin...not the one sleeping underneath the chatty Kathys.) Ivory was out like a light right away. She told me in the morning that she was homesick for her bed, but she didn't seem to have any trouble falling asleep.
Early morning cleaning and packing went fairly well. That way the cabins were ready whenever the boys arrived later that day. Breakfast was yummy. Both of us were bright-eyed and bushy tailed.
The girls made journals after breakfast, although while doing more boondoggle. There was a constant stream of kids going up to get more. (Moms included in that line.) The girls were so creative with their journals. When they were finished, the teachers Mod Podged them and put them on a table to dry.
Our last activity before we left was a hike. It was such a gorgeous day and the hike was not long or too hard. It was the perfect end to a lovely trip.
I think we got everyone in our group picture. This was a good group of girls. I didn't see too much drama. That is really nice.
This is my favorite one.
Got to get a sun flare picture.
Then it was time to go home. The boys had already arrived. We wished them a good time and we were on our way. The ride back home seemed faster. There was a lot of singing, including Da Moose, Da Moose. (I had heard that song before, but the mom who sang it was so funny, I don't think I'll forget it again.) We worked on our lanyards to finish them up. I got almost five done while we were there.
It was such a fun trip. I'm so glad that Ivory was happy to have me come along. I know sometimes daughters don't want their mothers, while others are thrilled. It was a great opportunity. I think she will be all ready to go again in the summer.
Sounds like you had a great time. Doesn't surprise me - you're just like a big kid yourself.
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