Monday, April 28, 2025

Camp Widjiwagan - 5th Grade Trip

I had the opportunity to chaperone the girls' fifth grade learning trip up north to Camp Widjiwagan. It's a wilderness YMCA camp on the border of the Boundary Waters. The trip was a Tuesday night through Friday (March 18-21). I rode up with another mom who was a chaperone, the kids all took a charter bus. 


Hearing the camp rules once they got their gear delivered to the cabins.


Playing an outdoor game as a big group. 


The main role as a chaperone was to be with the students before and after meal times and then bedtime and overnight. The other times the camp had tons of sessions planned for the students. They had smaller study groups and the camp staff was in charge of each group. The first night we did a night hike and the chaperones were invited to tag along. Here's Mary's class learning all about eye anatomy, seeing in the dark, and how light can affect the eyes before heading out on our night hike. Super fun!



Lots of game playing back in the cabin. Me and the other mom had 12 girls in our cabin. 




The next day we had lots of free time while the students were out learning with their study groups. Another chaperone and I went for a wonderful hike! 


Emma's group learning something. 


After lunch we played a big game of predators and prey, it was super fun! They taught us all about the cycle of life and prey animals, etc. before explaining the game. I love how much education was provided sprinkled into everything. Like at meal time, they would weigh and chart the food waste from the group as a whole and the kids could see and learn that when they make a small change of only taking what they want to eat instead of piling their plate our impact on how much food was wasted ended up being huge.



Chaperones got to play the game too, I was on the team weasel. 

Card playing in the cabin before dinner, there was really only 20 or so minutes of downtime between activities. 





Dinner then a constellation slide show since it was cloudy outside. 



  


Thursday was the last full day, while the students were all busy on their full day Eco Hike, me and another mom went into the town of Ely, which was about 20 minutes south. Then we came back for our lunch (kids all had lunch out in the wilderness) and then 4 of us went for a walk across the lake - which was still very much frozen up there. 


The students returned and shared skits that they put together sharing all the things they had learned at camp. Here was Emma and Mary's groups. 



After dinner everyone had the opportunity to do a polar plunge. It was super fun and exciting. Most all the girls choose to, even some of us chaperones! 


Emma went, then Mary. 



  

Then I dipped in. 

 

If anyone wanted to go a second time they could. Mary did and even put her head under!


It was a super fun experience. 


When the girls were done we headed back to our cabins to change and head to the camp store while the boys took their turn at the ice hole. 

Friday was a short day, wake up, pack, eat breakfast and prepare to load the bus. We got a group photo before leaving. 36 kids and 6 adults. I'm so grateful for getting to go with them! 




















 

Sunday, April 27, 2025

March 2025

Finally got a good dump of snow on March 5th. Emma and Thomas were already going to miss due to illness but everyone stayed home. 


  

Of course there were friends going sledding, I took Mary and Thomas however Thomas we just getting over illness and the trek of the hill a couple times wiped him out! 


 

Isaac was ill first, then Thomas, then Emma, then I finally got it. The weird thing was for all three kids after their fever had been gone over 24 hours they all had crazy calf pain!


Sleepy Oakley :-) 


Mary's basketball team


Thomas decided to do SLP baseball one more year for machine pitch before joining in Edina for 9U travel. He had went to the tryout clinic for edina but was the youngest one there so this will be a better route for him this year. Edina doesn't have anything before 9U travel. 


 

Spring is coming!



My friend and her daughter in a skate show


Girls didn't have school March 28th so we had a fun day together. 
 


Backyard wiffle ball is back!




Then the kids had spring break. It lined up this year that both school district had it at the same time. I had taken off work a few weeks for things prior and couldn't miss any more work. Kyle needed to go to Missouri to help get his dad settled in a new assisted living place so we decided he'd take the kids to see the grandparents and I'd stay back with Oakley and pick up extra days at work. 
 

They left on a Monday as I left to teach my barre class. Then they came home on Friday. 

 

My mom came up to visit them at Kyle's mom's house and they all went to the county museum to see my grandfather's veteran momentos 
 

  


And a pic with Grandma Cindy:


More snow to ring in April. This was April 1st. 



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