Camp Wakonda

This was the big kids' second year at YMCA camp Wakonda in the Ozarks. This year, Sam saved many hours of driving because they both went down the same week. While they were gone, Leah kept asking when she would be big enough to go - next year, she's sure. 

Here they are at drop-off!

Just like last year, we could write letters & emails to the kids (which they'd print out from the day before & pass out at meal time), but except in cases of emergency (or maybe extreme homesickness) we weren't in direct contact for the week they were gone.

Last year, someone wrote them every day, but they didn't write home at all - I told both kids I expected a letter! And for them to take pictures with the disposable camera! Amelie wrote a letter & James took pictures with the disposable camera (that we need to develop) so between the two of them they were one obedient child. 

Also like last year, the camp published photos daily so I could stalk them & see if I could spy the kids. There were pictures of James every day, but very few of Amelie. 

Amelie says this was during their campout - they were playing Mafia. She accused Natalie of being in the mafia as a misdirection because Natalie knew that Amelie was in fact in the mafia. 

Still playing mafia - passing out the cards that assign your role. 

Making S'mores. 

Here's James also roasting a marshmallow for s’mores. James complained that he didn’t get to sleep outside - even though every other cabin got to.

 

James says this was at closing campfire. 

He called this "Snack Craft."  

Standing around talking outside of the rec hall. 

Playing Apples to Apples. 

James was the lead in a skit about evil pirates who got shipwrecked. He was the Capitan.

He got a little sunburnt! 

Making totem necklaces. 

Pick up!

They had a good time & came back tired! & with very smelly luggage. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences

We did parent-teacher conferences with the kids back in March & I never posted about it. James got an absolutely glowing report from his teacher, Mr. Gray. 

Here is just a little bit of his work - a story called "Why I Was Late (very late)"  it's not quite finished (or it ends on a cliffhanger) and uses a surplus of quotation marks.

 

 

James had to fill out this reflection in advance - I am not sure what galloping is or why he's working on it. 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what this was work for, exactly, but it's Leah's and seems breakfast-related:

Leah's teacher let the kindergartners sit in her seat and lead the conference  - she felt very grown-up! 

Leah sat at the desk and drew this during James's conference. (A Circus?) Such nice attention to detail - and so helpful that she could amuse herself while we talked with the teacher!

I met with Amelie's social studies teacher & she talked me into supervising field day at the end of the year. And this is what 7th grade math tests look like, now - she got all of them right on the first page. They're doing basically the same things I was doing in high school in Algebra, Geometry, and Trig.

From a band competition:

Here is what a Kindergarten report card looks like in 2023 - actually just the first page of a three page document. James's is in the same format, too.

Leah's Birthday Party

(Back in March) Leah wanted to have a "ninja obstacle course" birthday party, which is what she did last year. She told her teacher very confidently that she was inviting her whole class, so we just went along with it. 

They did the parachute: 

And the monkey bars: 

I liked this photo because you can see her friend Mitchell behind her (& Amelie in the background, too).  

And here's a video of the parachute, too: 
  

I guess this is a ninja pose? 

They had as much fun with the balloons afterward, I think. (There were the same kind of ninja rice crispy treats I made James for his ninja party, too - but that was at the park.)

 

Youtube Channel

James has started a YouTube channel, and I'm sure he would appreciate it if you would like & subscribe & maybe go through and watch all of his videos. 

He is using a free program called Flip a Clip, which was recommended by his media teacher at school.

Here he is showing Leah the ropes. She's the voice of Bob the Frog on some of his videos.  

He didn’t understand why I laughed so hard at his audience demographics - or maybe these are just his followers? - (Sam had plugged it on his Facebook page):

I think I like the trampoline ones the best.

Trampoline 2: Revenge