And…once again Boogaloo Camp is history… for this year. Oh, but the memories will keep us happy until it’s time to do it again!
***Lots of pics here, but it’s all about the documentation***
Joy and I arrived at The Sandcastle on Monday and spent two days watching the rain pour and pour and pour! Which wasn’t too bad. Gave us a great chance to catch up and just spend time together. We did manage to get to the grocery store. I had chicken salad to make…which is a tradition at BC….and Joy wanted Potato Salad, too…so we did that, too! The girls and boys arrived on Wednesday! Fun was just waiting to happen.
We started off with me explaining to the boys what a Scavenger Hunt was. And, then I gave them a list of things to be looking for all week…such as a red straw, a throw away cup with writing, a rectangle shaped napkin, a smooth rock, a lea with two colors, a ticket stub, etc. They did great. They stayed busy everywhere we went looking for those 12 items!
Another continuing project we did was weaving. I tore up an old canvas and used just the frame. We tied jute on tip and bottom . Then we learned about weaving…under, over, under, over….then over, under, over, under. They caught on pretty quickly. We even used some palm fronds and drift wood and finished off by tying on some shells they found with holes in them!
That tropical storm didn’t bother us…we saw a break in the weather and made a beeline for the Panama City Beach Pier! One of our little campers wasn’t sure if it would be sturdy enough for us to walk on, but soon those fears gave way to fun! This was probably not the best time to go walking on a pier. Winds, we found out later were at 40-45 mph! We were blown sideways by that mighty wind! The boys had a ball! But, us girls, had mighty tangles in our hair! Oh my!
We stopped at a restaurant just outside the pier, Hook’d, and had delicious fish tacos! The rain held off, but the wind continued to blow!
Up early the next morning and an art project to start. We tried to do tie dye last year, but, ran out of time. But, we got it in this year! The boys designed their own shirts. They decided on the design they wanted and picked their own colors. Us girls all made us one, too. We had to let them set overnight…so we began another project…String Art. We had previously hammered nails into a circle on a slab of wood. The boys then used all different color string to wrap the nails and come up with their version of a beach ball! Looks pretty good!
And, here’s how the shirt making turned out…
We took a little trip over to Destin, because I wanted the boys to experience the fun of eating at LuLu’s. (In case you don’t know, this is a restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffett’s sister. It’s on the water, and all open air. Their is a big sandy playground for the children complete with water play, and bungee jumping . The boys loved it! We all did, actually!
We stopped and did some very minor shopping…you know…two little boys…not what they wanted to do…whines and “let’s go!”. Back home the girls took the boys for a walk out on the beach…almost dark.
Then they stopped for ice cream. Joy and I stayed home and rested!
Bright and early the next morning…we started another art project…this time we made candles. We decided on color…and scent…and containers. John Thomas was the instigator of this fun idea! The boys were amazed that they could actually make their own candles. They measured and leveled, added wicks, and leveled again! And, boy did they ever smell good.
The sun was out in full force and it would have been terrible not to have enjoyed some sunshine and swimming! So off we went to the PC Water Park…which has a wonderful facility for younger children! It’s the boy’s favorite place to go. We spent several hours there. And, SURPRISE !!!!…our Lori showed up! We had missed her, but her work wouldn’t allow her to be with us all week. But, there were 2 happy boys when she showed up! She lightens up all our lives!
And, after showers, we all went out to BoonDocks for a delicious meal!
And with that, we had to begin gathering up supplies…cleaning up…
…and preparing to leave the next morning!
A FEW MORE PICS…
The boys had a pillow to color and went about their work diligently.
Levi made a very interesting color choice on his and I complimented him and said, “Levi, I like how you are using your artistic eye!” He turned and look at me…did this…
and said, “Actually, Lulu, I have 2 artistic eyes, don’t you know!” So you do, my Little Man…so you do!
I taught them to play Old Maid…that was lots of fun!
John Thomas looking cute in his new outfit…
I bought the boys some cute shorts and painted them a shirt to match…
Another fun project was a little tedious…on my part. I made pics of the boys in the same location. We then had them printed. I taped the picture to a stack of 6 square Duplo Blocks, then carefully cut apart the picture between each block with an exacto knife. Then I handed the boys a jumble of pieces and they had to put themselves and their cousin together. Then is was so funny to put the wrong legs or the wrong arms on the other person! Picture Blocks!
They each have a set, and can take each other home and play together whenever they like! We used one rectangular block on the bottom so they would stand side by side.
John Thomas designed, painted and lettered the Boogaloo Camp sign at top of this post!
PaPa Clyde…we were thinking of you while we were gone…
Scavenger Hunt went well…they found all on their list and both won prizes!
And, of course, Thomas’ Doughnuts was visited quite often!
I could go on and on here about the blessings we have and the memories we made on this trip! But, I’m going to leave it here with just this thought. Every good thing…every happy thought…every burst of laughter…every sweet hug…every goodnight kiss…and every Good Morning…is a gift from Almighty God. He causes His favor to rest on us all. He gives us more than we deserve. He sends His love to us in so many ways. I praise Him and honor Him and thank Him for this beautiful week!
“It is God who has given us these times of joy.” Psalms 81:4
Hello, my name is Everly. I am a blogger living in New York. This is my blog, where I post about interior design and decoration. Never miss out on new stuff.
Hi! I’m not really sure how I ended up here on your blog but I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed reading about your trip. It sounds fabulous! I am a primary school art teacher and just love all the art projects that you included in your trip. We go to PCB as a family every year and I know all of the places that you mentioned. Reading about your adventures made me miss having a little guy that gets excited about tie dye and scavenger hunts but I am thrilled to have a grown son that is such a joy and blessing. Thank you for sharing the special vacation that you had with your family and the wonderful blessings and memories.
Dear Leisa, What a lovely email! Thanks for responding. My sister and I have one grandson each. And, it looks like that will be it! Her grandson lives about 25 miles away. So, because family is so important to us, I started a Boogaloo Camp when the boys were small. (Boogaloo just because it is fun to say!) We take a few days each summer and spend it together at our little cottage in Laguna Beach, FL. It's just my sister, myself, my daughter in law and my two nieces. We all make it a priority every summer…no other plans get made till Boogaloo Camp is on the calendar. I have kept my grandson since he was 6 weeks old and this year he will be going into first grade. It has been my pleasure to instill in him a love for art and using his imagination. (He is the youngest of the boys). We also have a craft day in the fall at my home! I so believe in teaching children the importance of feeling free to express themselves with all sorts of media. I have been in preschool education for 40 years! I live in Dothan, about 80 miles north of PCB. Hope your vacation there is full of fun this year! Thanks again for the visit. Blessings to you and yours! Tonja
Once again I thoroughly enjoyed my week at Boogaloo Camp! Oh that's right, I wasn't there. I just felt like I was, haha!! I LOVE all the creativity!! I could learn so much from you!