Roughing It- DAY 2

I got a jump start on Day 2 around 0445......meaning 4:45 AM.....before the sun was up....AND 2 hours before I HAD to be up.

Why 0445?? Well that's the time the food delivery truck backed its way into the camp area. Yes, backing up. And we all know what sound accompanies a truck backing up!

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP........now multiply that times 20 minutes!!!!

SERIOUSLY!

Anywhoo, as the moms got ready and met up with our boys, we discovered that most of them had one thing in common....not much sleep. Not because they were giddy with the excitement of being at camp, but because So-and-So's Dad "snored like a warthog", "snored the paint off the walls" and "kept us up all night".

I broke the rules and let Lego-Man have caffeinated coffee, or he wasn't going to make it.


The highlight of Day 2 was an event the camp is known for, the re-enactment of the Underground Railroad. The campers go through a series of stations around the camp that allows them to "experience" situations the slaves may have encountered while trying to get to freedom.

The 5th graders just completed the book "Listen for the Whippoorwill" which is a fictional book about a little girl who attempts to escape from her life as a slave on a plantation.

The children played the part of a traveling choir. That was their cover story as they began their journey on the Underground Railroad.

The camp counselors took their roles seriously and even warned the parents that, at times, the intensity level would get pretty high.

And look who paid the price for looking the landowner in the eye, after being asked to keep his head down:



Yep, that's my boy! I thought the intensity of the moment might intimidate him, but clearly it did not.

As the children moved through the different stations, you could feel the tension level drop as they were moved to more secure areas, until they finally reached the area of freedom.

I think most of the kids and grown-ups enjoyed this activity. And, as a parent, I felt like it was a great way for the kids to get a VERY SMALL idea of what life may have been like for those traveling this trail to freedom.


After a delicious lunch (corndogs with a side of mac-n-cheese), we headed back out on the trails for a few more activities:

The "Sensory Trail" where the kids are blindfolded
and have to figure out what objects they find along the trail.


A brief lesson in Botany.

We all wrapped up Day 2 with a camp fire by the lake. The counselors and even some parents entertained us with a little skit action. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard!!

Awkward moment of the evening came when I had to try and explain to my son's friend what the word "ghetto" means.

As we walked back to our cabin, WITH flashlights, we looked for spiders in the woods. We were told that if you shine your flashlight just right into the woods, you can see the reflection from the spider's eyes.

Umm, yea, just for the record I didn't slow down the pace just to see spider's eyes in the woods. After all, I could look a spider in the eye in the not-so-privacy of my very own cabin!



Day 2, DONE, and I survived!


Barely.