During the last week of June Charlotte & Eloise spent a week at Safety Camp which was offered through our local police department for 1st-3rd graders. I saw the advertisement & thought it sounded perfect for these two curious little girls. $25 per child for a week long camp sounded perfect to us! They were a little nervous but after check-in confidently walked to their professional looking desks, gave me a smile & three boys + mama bid them farewell.
Each day was filled to the brim with presentations & tours. On the first day they learned about the role of a police officer, their uniforms & got to check out an SUV, sirens & all. They loved sitting "where the bad guys ride"
They also got to check out a Fire Engine & learn about the uniform. They really liked this one!
In the mix of all the sessions they learned about poison & water safety, gun safety & emergency conditions. My favorite conversation with Char regarding her time there went like this. "Mom! Today was so fun!" me- "That's awesome! What was your favorite thing you learned about?" Char was talking extremely fast about internet safety then stopped abruptly & said "wait....do you know what the internet is?" I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I regained composure & attempted to explain how we didn't even have internet when we got our first computer in the mid- 1990's & it was a BIG deal to get dial-up. Anyway, it was hilarious. She was adorable & did learn a lot about the new-fangled idea of a world wide web.
While they enjoyed all the sessions it was a toss up between bike safety with McGruff the Crime Dog & learning to be safe around animals with Richardson Animal Control. Regarding the first on the favorites list, does anyone remember McGruff? He came out in the 80's...if not, search on that thing called the internet, find a picture & if you went to public school, I'm sure it will ring a bell.
Anyway, the girls talked non stop about the bunnies & kittens they were able to pet. They learned that when they turn 15 they will be able to volunteer. The countdown is on! I should have them make a paper chain just to give them an idea of how long it will actually be. For Charlotte there would be 2,555 links & for Eloise, 3,285, ha! That would certainly keep them busy for awhile & their hands may never be able to function normally again after cutting & attaching that many papers together. I just acted excited with them & let them know they would be fantastic volunteers. They told me they already knew how to be safe around animals....the session was just a bonus. That may actually be true because they have cleaned out the shelves of the Richardson Library animal section week after week & they watch Wild Kratts. They are always spouting off facts I have never heard & I usually just go with it!
McGruff also taught them a bit about bike safety which is exactly what we need around here. In actuality it would have been extremely useful for two maniac scooter riders. Eloise was so excited that she had just gotten the hang of riding her bike the week before. There was only one kid that had training wheels & she was proud to be without. They came home talking about this incredible obstacle course they went through & asked if we could make our own. When asked to describe it they said the best parts consisted of big boards that were bumpy & a scary see-saw like board. When these pictures were posted I smiled ear to ear being reminded of how something so simple (on our part) feels like the coolest thing ever! While we haven't filled our cul-de-sac with a neighborhood obstacle course I think it would be manageable to put together a couple pieces.
While the girls were learning about safety, the boys & I were practicing ours!
We drank bubble solution & helped our pit-bull take a nap...
We wore goggles while completing household tasks like scrubbing dishes or taking out the trash which are both things that are on Arlo's chore list...no kidding. Owen stuffed his face with a cookie making me think through my Heimlich Maneuver procedure. He also stood up in the grocery cart.
Arlo tried to scale the refrigerator while Anson coated his nose in peanut butter & let Bella lick it right off.
I practiced safety while retrieving my children from camp until the last day. It was only about 20 yards to the check out station that was inside double doors yet I was convinced they would give me a ticket for leaving my children unattended in my vehicle. So I unbuckled, hauled then re-buckled my best buds until the last day when I decided I would rather get a ticket than release them from car-seat captivity. We really did have a great time just the four of us. They are still busy but without two other mothers there to boss them around they played so well together & didn't stress me out (till that last day).
Mid-week Charlotte sat down & began composing her thank you notes to each of the officers. I wish I would have taken a picture. They were sweet talking about how they are so good at their job & how she wants to be a police woman someday but I'm guessing that is only if she doesn't work for animal control.
Eloise is our little artist & came home each day ready to add more pictures to her paper. She drew a picture for each thing she learned then on the last day wrote "Thank you for teaching me how to be safe." One of the officers came to tell me it melted her heart. Pictured are the following- guns..lots of them, a helicopter, spider, snow, a tornado, rescue boat, spikes that a police officer would throw onto the road (her favorite part of their job, haha) & various other items that I can't identify but she certainly could.
They made it to graduation day which Eloise kept referring to as "congratulations day." I'd say those terms are interchangeable right? They were proud to receive their diplomas, eat a special cookie or five cookies & drink red Kool-Aid. They came home the first day saying they drank the best drink ever & it was called "koo-luh." It took me a few days to realize what they were referring to & then they had the nerve to argue with me about whether it is called "koo-luh" or "Kool Aid." Whatever it was called, they loved it. I even took a swig of the blue raspberry at the "congratulations" ceremony. Bob & Jeannine had come up to have lunch with us so they enjoyed seeing the girls smiling with their favorite, Officer Evans.
