Skip to main content

First Ever Cousin Camp

 A few months ago I decided I wanted to start a cousin camp tradition.  My oldest grandchildren are getting old enough to do more activities with and most importantly they now live close enough to easily get together.  I wasn't sure exactly how to do it, so I did what I always do in these situations--I found a book about it.  I bought this book:


I won't say the book was all I wanted it to be but it did give me some ideas and encouragement.  Maybe the most important thing I learned from the book was just to do it without making it too elaborate. 

On the recommendation of the book, I decided to do camp with my oldest two grandchildren who are 4 and 6.  They are siblings so it wasn't technically a "cousin" camp but someday it will be when my other grandchildren are older.  Having a few children still at home was helpful but I had to schedule the camp around them.  Camille had her final dental appointment on a Wednesday morning so I decided I would meet my two grandchildren at the aquarium near their home that afternoon.






After a couple of hours there, we went back home and made macaroni and cheese for dinner (this seems obvious but always make something you know they like.)

Mindy had the performance of her play Moana Jr. that night and the kids enjoyed going to that.


The next day after breakfast we had a scripture discussion about Nephi.  He was our scripture hero for camp.  We could have done more with that but we didn't.  We also introduced our camp cheer:  "We are a family and families help each other!" It sounds pretty corny but I think they liked it.  And it emphasized a point I hope they remember.

After that, we picked in the garden--something I needed to do--and that worked pretty well with Mindy and Camille helping plus challenging them to find 50 green beans each.

After the gardening we went to Big Springs for a hike. My husband suggested that location because of the creek the kids could play in.  That turned out really well because the kids didn't really want to hike that much but they really enjoyed the water.  And it was a hot day.  We found a big pipe going under the trail so the kids had a great time putting sticks in one side and then running to see them come out the other.



After lunch, we made baby rocks.  I got this idea online.  It looked simple and like something the kids would enjoy putting together and it did work out well. 






The next thing on my schedule was to go to the nearby splash pad but lunch and the baby rocks took longer than anticipated so we decided to skip the splash pad and just watch the movie, especially since the next day was going to be a water day.

That evening we made a campfire and s'mores and that was also popular.


On Friday we had another discussion about Nephi and obeying the commandments.  Then we headed off to Deer Creek for a water day with all our family members in the area.  We rented a paddleboard and a jet ski, David brought his kayak, and we brought a little raft.  The wind was a little strong at times but it was a warm day. Our new shade was also very helpful.




All in all, I'd say Cousin Camp was a success and I hope to keep doing it for a long time to come.  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Cousin Drew

 This last week, my brother and his wife lost a very precious son, just 13 years old. He collapsed while running with a cross-country team and passed away before he could be revived. Everyone that knew Drew is broken-hearted at this loss. He was the happiest, most agreeable kid we knew. I remember him being at my house without anyone close to his age to hang out with, so he found our Duplo blocks and started building even though it is a toy that boys his age don't usually enjoy. He was so content. He didn't complain that I ever remember. His mother always called him the perfect child. He will leave a big hole in not only his immediate family but our extended family as well.  Here is a poem my aunt shared that seems fitting: Leave Taking How I would have liked to wave goodbye  and watch until you turned and smiled and disappeared on the horizon. You who taught me to dance  and let me teach you,  who laughed at my stories  and winked at me when I was sad. I can  just see you trav
Post a Comment
Read more

Remembering Drew

 This weekend we celebrated Drew's life. On Thursday night, we gathered as an extended family and had a dinner then sat in a big circle and talked about our memories of him. I took some notes and here is what people said. Grandpa (Gary Hansen):  The last time we saw Drew was last week on the 4th. I remember all the cousins on the trampoline, bouncing up and down and playing basketball. Grandma (Susan Hansen):  I asked Drew to come over last winter to teach my Activity Day boys how to make origami stars. He was very patient in working with them even though they were pretty clueless. Eventually they all went home happily with their stars. Paula: This last winter we invited Bruce and Michelle over for dinner and we didn't have anyone his age for him to hang out with. I remember that Drew found the Duplo blocks on his own and played with them all by himself, quite cheerfully entertaining himself. I asked him if he wanted to play with a different toy--maybe something more sophistica
Post a Comment
Read more

Drew's Funeral

Yesterday was the viewing for Drew and then today was the funeral. There were a LOT of people at the viewing. Bruce and Michelle greeted people for almost four hours yesterday and then again this morning before the funeral. Bruce said that if weren't for Drew's death, it would be the best week of his life with so much love being shown to them. Friday actually began with a family run in Drew's honor. We started at a church by the new Lindon temple and ran to Bruce and Michelle's house with breakfast following. Friday night was the viewing. There was a very nice display of all things Drew. This was one of the pictures displayed and I recognized someone I know: We stood in line and the paramedics who worked on Drew stood in line behind us so we got to talk to them. Here's a fun fact:  They cover both Orem and Vineyard but Vineyard gets a lot more 911 calls than Orem per capita. It's a younger population and they are quicker to call. They said it's hard when the
Post a Comment
Read more