Ms. Metevia's Class: Camp Michindoh

I'm so sad to say it's the end of day 3 here at Camp Michindoh. We had a fantastic day! The weather has been very cooperative for us!

This morning we had a yummy breakfast, complete with breakfast pizzas! We had a fun weather skit about Mr. Pechaitis being the best principal in the world (bologna, bologna, bologna!). Then we headed off to our morning classes! Today I watched a group work on Mission Possible and they used some great team work skills and used great communication! Then I headed back on the muddy, muddy path to the low challenge course. I loved watching the boys complete an "Encouragement Circle" and saw them improve their communication skills as well. It's such a great feeling to see smiling faces on every single student! You would all be so proud if you could see what I am seeing. For the next morning class, I went to the reptile house - my least favorite place. We were introduced to several snakes, turtles, lizards, and frogs. Then the kids got to hold and touch the animals - they are so very brave! Spankee (a fantastic camp leader) even helped me hold the GIANT python snake. (Which, if you know anything about Ms. Metevia whatsoever, you know that's a hard task!)

For lunch we had a cook-in which is like a cook out, but in February. We ate yummy hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and coleslaw! Yummy. I am also SO VERY happy to say.... WE GOT A ZERO! WE GOT A ZERO! WE GOT A Z-Z-Z-Z-E-E-E-E-R-R-R-R-O! Way to go fifth graders!

This afternoon we went to my favorite class of all time! The Pioneer Craft Fair! We all went to the same class together and moved through several different stations/activities while pretending to be in the year 1835. We met several characters along the way including a trapper, a fisherman, a young girl, a wife, and a blacksmith. We learned a lot about their lifestyles and challenges they faced back when Michigan was first established. Then we got to have some "free time" and explore different pastimes from 1835. Students made candles, used old tools, threw tomahawks, cooked around a fire, and played a very strange but fun tugging circle game. (I can't remember if it actually had a name...) The kids, teachers, and cabin leaders all had an amazing afternoon! For dinner we had chicken nuggets - but we had 2 ounces of piggy waste. Boo!

Our evening activity was the one and only square dance! We've got some pretty fancy dancers in our class of fifth graders! We learned the Virginia Reel dance tonight and had an amazing time! That was up until the King Walla Walla skit... They lined all of us teachers (and principal) up in chairs with our backs to the students. Then we had to follow whatever Josie was doing. At one point, we stood up, then had to sit back down, only the students put soaking wet paper towel all over chairs! We all sat in water!! Not cool fifth graders! (It was pretty funny, though.)

The students all left the gym in complete silence (a challenge given to them) and walked back to their cabins to begin packing up their belongings and go to sleep. Tomorrow is only a half day - we'll have breakfast, 2 classes, and lunch. After a short wrap up meeting we'll load the buses and head back to Madison. We are hoping to be leaving here at 2pm putting us back at Madison around 3pm. Can't wait to see you all tomorrow!