What kid wouldn't want to go to camp at a sewage treatment plant?
Well, maybe this kid. But, since her best friend was going, and this was Little K's last opportunity to attend daycamp (next year she'll be "too old"), she consented. Of course she had a wonderful time!
We had visited Brightwater before, and their state of the art education facility and partnership with Islandwood Environmental Education Center promised a good time for campers, even if it was located within a sewage treatment plant.
They spent most of the week outdoors learning about wildlife, but plenty of time was devoted to the water treatment plant, too. In addition to a full tour, they got to spend a lot of time with the exhibits in the education center.
Visuals and hands-on activities are the best teaching tools.
The camp "counselors" were all advanced graduates in education and environmental sciences. Their passion was obvious and their enthusiasm contagious.
It was a day camp, and each day we watched another swallow jump from the nest near the education building door. Sadly, on the last day, the final hatchling had waited too long, and was abandoned by the parents who had moved on to the field with the older siblings. The kids were all traumatized to see the dead baby bird below the nest, but it was a true lesson in nature.
While Little K and her best friend were mucking about at camp, my daughter A and I did some "mommy-daughter" things. We looked looked at antique stores. We did some back-to-school shopping at thrift stores. We took long walks and talked.
We went out for brunch at an impossible-to-get-into bakery cafe where even on a Tuesday the wait for a table was 90 minutes (on weekends the wait can be 4 hours or more).
The camp was a bit far from home for a daycamp, but I was convinced it was worth the drive. No other program of its caliber existed closer to home. I felt a bit guilty burning up all that gas driving 45 minutes to an hour each way, given that it was an environmental camp and the kids were learning all about pollution, waste reduction, and how to conserve. At least we were a carpool!
It is sad to think that day camp is over for my girls. There just aren't many options for daycamp once a child turns 13 or enters middle school. We looked into the few offerings for A (who is 13) but they all involved trips to paintball and laser tag facilities, or competitive sports she doesn't care to participate in. Sleepover camp is not an option for A due to her medical condition, but K can do them, so maybe that is what will happen next year. Or more than likely, we won't be able to afford camp at all, and we'll just have to enjoy each others' company!