I remember reading about Kennedy family dinners from when Bobby & JFK were kids. Every day, the kids were expected to learn a new thing and tell the family about it. What a great exercise, right? So when I learn something new (and as I get older and my brain fills up, it takes a little longer to find my new thing) I like to check the time and notice how long it took for me to gain some new knowledge.
This week at Girl Scout day camp, I am finding that I learn that new thing well before noon, usually before 10 o'clock. Pretty cool!
I've learned a bunch of knots. Before camp, I only knew the square, overhand, & lark's head. Now I know the taut line, bowline, and clove hitch. And of course the granny knot which is kind of a derisive label considering it is usually an intended square knot that got messed up on the second step. I don't really know what a granny knot is good for and if I can forgive naming a knot that is in some way dismissive of grannies and the role they play in peoples' lives.
I've also learned how great it is to be open to gaining knowledge from young adults as well as my elders. I have been learning all kinds of outdoor skills from my 19 year old co-leaders. I've also been learning about the history of scouting and the history of the island from my retired teacher and Girl Scout 1st class recipient (gold award from back in the day) co-leader. I only hope that I have something valuable to teach them.
The girls themselves are not without wisdom to impart as well. In fact, on the very first day of camp, one girl informed me that blue berries and raisins were both bad for dogs. I had blue berries in my lunch and there were raisins served at snack. I tried to be vigilant with Holly given this new information. Another girl told me that Toto from the Wizard of Oz was a Cairn Terrier. I had no idea! You would think I would know that considering my life long love affair with that movie. I was writing out the girls' camp names and when I came to Doughnut, I had spelled it the Dunkin' Donuts way which is wrong. She told me that I had spelled it wrong and that she knew that it was d-o-u-g-h-n-u-t because she even looked it up in the dictionary. Damn spell check! I need it implanted into my brain.
I have become impressed with the teen aged Program Aides. Before camp I was all stressed out about not knowing enough Girl Scout skills to competently teach the girls their progressions but it turned out I need not have worried. The PA's are all very skilled and know their stuff. The girls in the unit all look up to them and I know both the PA's and the girls are learning valuable life lessons.
I am also enjoying the silly songs at camp. I do, however, wish the infamous Vegas commercial applied to GS Daycamp. What you do in camp *should* stay in camp. My princess is constantly singing a song about a weenie man who sells everything from hot dogs to buns. Someday she'll be his weenie wife and share his weenie life. Oh, how she loves that weenie man. Cute song the first couple of times. We're now on the 3rd day of the non-stop singing of this song. I go to bed with it running through my head. Please. Help. Me.
All in all, I'm having a blast. I'm so excited to be part of this community of women and 3 men. There are 2 young men watching the boys unit which is comprised of the brothers of the girls whose mothers are volunteering at the camp. There is a dad who is working at base camp and is our resource manager -- essentially he's in charge of the U-Haul trailer where we lock up our gear. It is amazing the kind of work and coordination that goes into this event.
As an aside, here is the boys' unit cheer. I loved it, and even though they've since truncated it because the little boys couldn't remember all of it, its brilliance must be recorded and shared:
We are boys
We are diverse
and noticeably loud.
We are boys
attempting one verse,
and we can't rhyme.
Oh, and my official camp name is now TESTING 1-2-3. Like it? I thought it would be a good one considering that it sounds so much like my real name. I actually respond when people call me.
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