[My son's summer-camp this year is a do-it-yourself affair with a couple of friends from his special-ed class hanging out at our house. I'll post a run-down of our activities daily, for others who may be looking for ideas. If you're doing something fun, too, please share it in the comments.]
Friday was messy craft day, or so it turned out. The plan was papier mâché, and when I couldn't find starch at the supermarket, I substituted the flour-and-water goop recipe on About's Family Crafts papier mâché page. It worked fine for sticking paper to balloons -- and for sticking flour and water to clothes, table and floor -- but it seriously freaked out one of our campers, who must have some sensory sensitivity to thickish liquids. She managed to get her balloon covered, but described it later in her journal as "gross." The first layer's drying now, and we'll try it again Monday with starch if I can find some. Anybody know if using two different kinds of goop invites disaster?
After the goop and damp newsprint was cleared away, the kids did some homework, and then we made pigs in a blanket for lunch with hot dogs, cheese, and crescent rolls. After lunch they played some board games, wrote about the goopy morning in their journals, and it was time to go home. Our first week has passed now, and so far, I think it's going pretty good. The kids haven't been too bored or too uncooperative, and the moms haven't been too panicked or too uninspired. Can we keep this up for nine more weeks? Keep checking back here to find out.
Photo: Terri Mauro