By "Camp Leader" Holly Engel-Smothers
I have realized that I am a glorified camp leader. The pay isn't very good, but a summer spent with Camp Leader Mommy includes a package deal of activities, and emotional and intellectual stimulation, complemented by memories that build character, respect for nature, family time, and thirsty minds and hearts. Among the unscheduled interests of stick collecting, puddle wading, and fly-swatting, here is a list of summer activities that, as Camp Leader, you can offer to your family.
Sport Fishing: I taught my twins how to fish when they were only two, and my youngest daughter, Jaynee, has practically grown up in meadows dotted with fish ponds. We regularly fish at our family farm where "fish nuggets" are the catch of the day. (Check into Nature Centers or Parks & Recreation for fishing holes near you.)
Hiking: I have always enjoyed hiking and walking. We have plenty of woody trails near the Nature Park and lots of hilly roads right in our own neighborhood. (Don't forget sunscreen, hats, and bug spray.)
Botany: There are always plenty of dandelions to pick all summer for a daily fresh bouquet. Clover patches mound my yard as quickly as I can mow them, always offering a new collection to examine for four-leaf clovers. Plus, my grass is usually long enough to make "green angels" (similar to snow angels, but a different artistic medium).
Campfires and S'mores: Being a veteran family camper since I was two, I am the chosen professional campfire builder. And, believe it or not, I had to teach my husband how to make s'mores when he was 36! (Check your neighborhood rules about open campfires or look for the latest model of chimneas aka outdoor fireplaces.)
Songs: I've got enough songs in my repertoire to teach to my three campers all 100 days of summer. After a few practices, who can get the rousing verses of "Fried Ham" or "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy" out of their heads? If all else fails, we can always sing "100 Bottles of Pop on the Wall." (Check websites for new and old classics.)
Educational Field Trips: Believe it or not, most people have historical sites or National Parks practically in their own backyards. People drive by the same roadside sign for years without realizing that the world's biggest ball of twine, for example, is only a 15-minute drive from home! Pack a picnic lunch and that ball of twine becomes a super background for pictures.
Gardening: Gardening has almost become cliché in parenting magazines that boast about the satisfaction of planting an organic garden in the alley between buildings or in our own yards. Planting a few vegetable seeds with my daughters takes only a few minutes and, if the garden is taken over by weeds or eaten by deer, we can always go to the Farmer's Market on Saturdays. (Contact Chamber of Commerce or check local newspapers for times and days.)
Insect-ology: What would a summer be without nightly bouts of lightning bug hunts? And just how much energy does it burn to scream bloody-murder at a bumble bee that surely looks like his sights are on us, but is actually only being blown around by a breeze? I certainly have had my share of gnats or small bugs in my picnic lemonade, resting assured that they will only drink a little bit. (Bug repellant usually keeps mosquitoes and chiggers at bay.)
Astrology: Over summer break, there may only be a few nights that truly have a full moon, but that doesn't stop my girls from howling like coyotes on the back deck at night. All it takes is a little fingernail sliver of a moon hanging in the warm sky to bring them back to their basic animal instincts. (Older kids can use binoculars or telescopes to get a closer look at "the man in the moon" or star constellations.)
So, as the Camp Leader, I order you to have a healthy, safe summer, take lots of pictures, and hug your twins--even if you are hot and sticky!
[NOTE: This column is one of many from talented writer, mom and educator Holly Engel-Smothers, who will be sharing her tales of life with twins (and a twingle) with readers through this "TwinGrins" column, which will appear on a regular basis on TwinsTalk.]