A Very Full Day

After a quick pep talk at Prairie Creek, the Heron's decided to enjoy their campout to its fullest even though it didn't include an overnight. We had a very full day which included getting on the cross country skis for the first time, studying the effects of friction and gravity on the human body (sledding), making a lot of pita bread (and learning about the chemistry of leavening agents), taking some time to do a water color sketch of winter time nature for our nature journals, skating on the lake (and marveling at the bravery of those trying it for the first time and the graceful skill of several of our classmates) tasting, sniffing and learning about many of the ingredients the ancient Greeks used in their cooking, cooking a massive feast (5 different recipes), and then setting a formal table, devouring our feast and, finally, playing a long awaited game of Skittles.

Whew! It's no wonder there were some very tired kiddos at the end of the day. Many thanks to the many volunteers who made the day possible: Jennifer Sawyer, Michelle Gaydeski, Jenn Hanlon, Sarah Deel, Joe Bowman, Bob Hauck, Kirsten Stolberg, Robyn Peterson, Kristin Moorhead, Steve Wilmot, Elizabeth Treat, Cindy Varley, Cyndy Miller and Christopher Sawyer. Many hands made light work. Thank you all.

Here are two videos. The first is a montage of different moments. The second is the kids eating — I'm a big fan of cooking new foods with kids. They are often much more willing to try new foods if they've had a hand in creating them. In one of my favorite moments of the day, a child asked where the barley soup she'd made was. I pointed to the pilaf on the counter. "No, where's the soup we made? It was all liquidy." I assured her she was looking at it. "Then where's all the liquid?" "The barley soaked it all up so that each grain is filled with the chicken broth — taste." After a moment's hesitation the child ate the spoonful I offered, her eyes fluttered a bit, "Woah. That's really good!"

There were many such moments — too many to recount here. I hope that your Heron had a lot to share with you.