For the second year some neighborhood girlfriends and I have done a rotating "craft camp" to help keep the kids busy and the mom's sane during summer break. It's similar to a joyschool--moms take turns having the children over for 2 hours one day each week, during which time the kids do crafts. Each week has a "theme". For example, one mom did crafts and activities on nutrition, one on Mexico, and one on Bubbles, Balls, and Balloons. I feel so lucky to rub shoulders with these women. They are all three incredibly creative and talented! Last year, we each took one week per month. This year, schedules made it more conducive to have each take three weeks in a row. I wondered how this would be...if we'd get burnt out, but I actually liked it better. You could (pardon the term) "get your turn over with" and enjoy the rest of the summer, plus (and to me this was the best part) if you had a larger theme that encompassed more than you could fit into one day, you could spread it over the three week period of time. I chose HAWAII for my theme. We had a fun three weeks making seashell creatures, tissue paper flowers, "grass" skirts (out of crepe paper), learning the hula, eating Hawaiian foods, and even learning about the ukulele with a special musical guest who came and played for us (thanks, Grandma Dixie!). I also made little workbooks for the kids to fill out and they seemed to enjoy that. It really was a lot of fun. The only thing I would have changed was the crafts...they were awesome craft ideas I found online, but I didn't stop to think about the fact that the younger children (4-5) would need so much one-on-one help with them. Oh, well...lesson learned.
We wrapped up our three weeks with a Craft Family Luau. A couple things didn't go as I'd planned (I actually forgot about TWO of the games I'd planned--DUH..., and you couldn't hear the Hawaiian music outside coming from the indoor speakers, so I was kind of bummed), but in all we had a great time hanging out with these families that we just like SOOO much. 
The kids played a couple games and had a hula-hoop contest, and even the dads were good sports with our race to see who could don the grass skirt and coconut bra the fastest (they so did not want to do that, but were nice enough to humor me). The wives had a riot and deep down...I think the men liked it...
We had pulled pork sandwiches, fruit kabobs, mango salsa & chips, corn, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, and believe it or not, banana bread. (Trusty Wikipedia told me it's a common ingredient to authentic luaus. So it MUST be true, right???)
Have I ever mentioned how much I love this guy???---
When it was over, the kids got a kickout of Daddy squirting them with the hose.
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I made him clean up the wet clothes afterwards.
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I made him clean up the wet clothes afterwards.
2 comments:
I am so impressed. You are such a GOOD MOM!!! You always have the funnest ideas to keep your kids entertained and educated! SO NEAT I hope I'm half as good as you!!! BTW Your backyard is AWESOME, you guys have worked hard!
Thanks Hope! It was a really fun night! We appreciate all the hard work that you put into it. We still talk about it and hoping to keep the tradition up next year. We love craft camp.
And way to go Halle! What a great idea to sell water at the parade. My girls would be jealous. They had to work for ME in order to earn their money. If they knew there were other ways to do it and to earn a lot in one night I think I would lose my helpers. Let's keep it our secret. I can't wait to hear about your doll when you get it.
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