Civil War Day Camps

This week, John (11) and Mary (9) attended a day camp at Latta Plantation. I am not a parent who fills my summer with day camps, as I tend to hear about them and think they are utterly exhausting for the parents and provide no relaxation at all, but I did stumble upon this one and thought it a wonderful opportunity for Mary to experience a form of camp life, even if we're not yet shipping her off to an overnight camp: it would be daytime only, and her big brother would be just across the plantation!

As a mom of six, most still quite young, I think that getting kids out the door early each morning is FOR THE BIRDS! I'm sure that if I had to do this daily for school-school, I'd become more streamlined at the tasks over the months and years of doing it, but it would never be easy with a bunch of wee ones.

The first morning, I was so worried about them going hungry that I served for breakfast a feast of something like leftover French toast, sausage, eggs, berries, and steel cut oatmeal. I had brainstormed what on earth I could send them for lunch where there would be no refrigeration and no microwaving/heating, and then was stymied when a mere 12 hours before the first morning, we received an email forbidding any peanut products at all.

There went half my foods.

Suffice to say, they did not go hungry and by the end of the week, were eating cold cereal for breakfast and coming home with half their sack lunches uneaten anyway.

Pioneer Girls Camp 

Pioneer Girls 
Formerly known as Ms. Jane's Academy, this exciting camp takes girls ages 8-12 back in time to see what life was like for women during the time around the Civil War. Hands-on activities include making fans, sewing, weaving, open-hearth cooking, making ice cream, tie-dying, primitive shores, and Olde English Country Dancing to name a few. Girls will enjoy strolling the grounds and learning of life in the North Carolina backcountry during the 19th century. Campers will have a showcase and graduation the last day of camp to demonstrate their skills, including a dance performance, to their parents.

Hand-weaved basket

Mary had a delightful time at camp, knew all the girls' names by the end of the first day, and was a born leader there. Throughout the days, the girls worked on their various projects--always talking amongst each other!--while repeatedly practicing memorizing their song ("Goober Peas") and the Virginia reel dance.

Handicrafts and skills they learned were:

• stamped leather with monogram and sewed leather into coin purse
• basket weaving
• learned to dance a reel
• learned to sing "Goober Peas"
• sewed an apron
• sewed a "housewife" (see here)
• cooked sausage and apples over an open fire
• made ice cream 
• tie-dyed a shirt
• constructed and painted a fan, and learned "fan language"
• weaved cloth
• made a corn husk doll

Preparing to sing Goober Peas

On the final day, all the girls showed the gathering of parents their handicrafts, sang and danced for us, and then politely served us all cups of lemonade and trays of cookies.

Practicing her fan language

Mary came home with so many handicraft keepsakes as well as three new pen pals. She already has her sights set on becoming an assistant teacher at this camp when she turns 12 years old.

Civil War Soldiers Camp

CIVIL WAR SOLDIER'S CAMP
An action packed week filled with drills, battles, and 19th century plantation living. Children will enjoy exploring the grounds and hiking throughout the woods while in a mock battle. Participants will receive a kepi hat, canteen, toy musket, and camp t-shirt to keep and use throughout the week. A graduation will take place the last day of camp while parents visit to see the rookie soldiers demonstrate an actual American Civil War battle which they study throughout the week. This highly interactive, and educational, camp welcomes boys and girls ages 8-12 . 

John was learning the military arts all week on the Union side of the Civil War. I wish I could better record for posterity all he told me about ranks and maneuvering, how to use a gun, all about how guns and gun powder and bullets work . . . but honestly, it makes my head swim and I would be smiling and asking questions while not understanding at all as he told me all about it each evening.

But John understands it well! On the final day, the boys re-enacted for all of the parents Picket's Charge, which is apparently a famous battle that could have changed the course of events at Gettysburg. (John is fond of animals so, when he spotted a frog on the battlefield during the fight, he scooped him up and stored him in his haversack till he could get him to safety later.)

They showed us their maneuvers and received their certificates of completion. It was so neat to see in both the boys' and girls' camps how the teenager assistants who are already hobbyist historic re-enactors engaged the younger ones. They have a passion for it!

During the battle demonstration, Thomas was terrified of the loud blanks being fired, so Mary, Margaret, and I had to take turns covering his ears for him while he quivered.

Protecting Tom's ears, as he is very afraid of loud noise

He told me that I needed to call Daddy at home (45 minutes away) to "bring me my ears," by which he means his noise-cancelling headphones that he puts on anytime he hears a blower or a lawnmower. My sweet boy!

John came home with a wooden (play) rifle, a canteen, a haversack, a Civil War cap, and a tee-shirt. In a magnanimous gesture, John bestowed his rifle onto his five-year-old brother Joseph, who has been asking for such a thing--some might call it pestering--for about a year. I know you moms of boys can imagine the joy in Joseph's face!