overnight adventure!

Hello!! I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend :)
I had quite the adventure this Friday/Saturday. My AmeriCorps site had an overnight field trip with the 4th-6th graders. I wasn't required to go, but I thought it would be a really great way to connect with the kids and get to know them on another level. At first I was apprehensive about the whole thing, recognizing that after spending two hours with these kids in program, I left exhausted and sometimes rather defeated. I wasn't sure how the overnight would go, but I decided to pump myself up for it, thinking of it as a great way to get to know the kids.

making pizza Friday night

The overnight took place at a cabin on Crystal Mountain (in Washington state). We had four adults and nine kids--a perfect ratio in my mind! We played games, sang songs, made meals and went on a hike. It was so much fun seeing the kids in a setting that most (if not all) had never been in before.Most of these kids had never hiked on a non-paved trail, been without cell phone service, or seen a camp fire before. It was so humbling to see this trip through these kids eyes, to recognize the simple beauty of nature and to  and experience their joy and excitement (and their fears) of each element of the adventure.

plaster face masks!

The kids got to see my goofy and fun loving side. It turns out that it wasn't so much me getting to know the kids more, but THEM getting to know ME. One girl even told me, "Kate, you're not shy anymore." Hmmm... how easy it is to focus on what I will get out of a situation. We had a great time, and I came home exhausted. Completely exhausted. It was nothing but wonderful though to spend the night with these kids, and then come home to a long night sleep before starting the week again.

peace and love,
--kate


ps. have you noticed a change? I've decided to move my blog from wordpress to blogspot. Both have been easy to navigate and have advantages and disadvantages--what it came down to was something as simple and silly as the look of the page and accessibility to other blogs. I hope you find this site enjoyable too!