Yesterday marked the last day of Summer Camp for the boys and I. In honor of this occasion, thought I would share some pictures from the program.

Camp went out to a glorious summer renaissance. Last week we all wore sweaters all day. This week there was many a scorched toe as we navigated the sun broiled river rocks on our way down for a swim!

For each of the last nine weeks, we started each day telling a nature story and making a costume. For the final day, the teacher asked that each child bring his or her favorite costume to wear. Elijah wore his bunny mask, while Iain choose to be a black squirrel. They were joined by two deer, a tree, a turtle and a flower.

In the morning we told stories and played games as usual. For our craft we made flower presses, allowing each child to bring home some flowers from the gardens. The flower presses were a very simple design that never would have occurred to me. We used two tiles held together with thick rubber bands (if you decide to try this, be sure to separate the flowers with small sheets of paper).

The children bid farewell to their own little gardens at camp. They had quite a bountiful harvest for such little plots! They have ever-so-much more sun there. We’ve brought home a great many zucchinis, radishes, bunches of Thai basil, and summer squash.

Several of the other parents joined us for the last hour of the day. The teacher (also our neighbor, babysitter, and very good friend!) wrote out a little card for each child, thanking them for participating in the program and praising them for the strengths they brought to the group. I had copies of a group picture I had taken printed out for her to paste into the cards.

There was lots of watermelon to share and playing in the water, sand and clay. At the very end of the day the kids gave a performance. They sang a song with made up verses representing each of the creatures they came as. It was very cute! I was able to film it on my digital camera so Steve could see it when we got home.

And now we are looking forward. I’m not sure how the summer slipped away so fast, and yet, here we are starting our “school year” up again next week. I have two very anxious little scholars who are ready to get on with it already (several weeks ago they told me that they really don’t like it when they we are not “doing school”, that being said, I can whole-heartedly assure you that they thoroughly enjoyed their freedom this summer!). It’s time. I can feel the shift in the air. That slow turning from outward to in.

I do have some concerns this year about how things are going to work considering all of my building related commitments. I’m just going to have to take it one day at a time. I foresee a fair number of homeschool related posts coming your way, as that’s where my head happens to be these days.