Anna Grows

Anna at Girl Scout Camp Anna just returned from a fun-filled week at Girl Scout camp.  This year she was old enough to go to Camp Coles Trip, which is on a bay area off of the Potomac River.  This is a water camp, so she spent her days on the bay learning to paddle board and sail along with kayaking. Girl Scout Camp is definitely roughing it.  The camp is in the woods and girls stay in platform cabins with screens.  Anna shared a cabin with 4 other girls.  Mosquito netting is very important at night.  The only electricity is at the dining hall, health center, and activity building.  The girls are also responsible each day for doing "kapers" or chores.  They take turns helping serve meals, cleaning the bathrooms, and general clean-up.  They are also responsible for keeping track of their own things and carrying their bags. Anna had a fantastic time, despite the lack of modern conveniences, and is already planning her return next year....

Greenland display on International Day The school year at last came to an end.  Anna if officially a "rising 6th grader."  There were a lot of lessons from 5th grade - mostly involving be responsible for your work and yourself.  There was the brand new 5th grade teacher (so new that it was his first teaching job), which came with its own set of lessons.  Mostly we are just glad the year is over.  Fortunately there was ample opportunity to celebrate the completion of some major milestones. Each year there is a major school project that the students spend the year working towards.  This year's project was international day.  Social Studies this year focused on regions of the world.  Each student picked a country and did a series of smaller projects about the country throughout the year with the grand finale of international day.  Anna chose Greenland (this is still a mystery to her parents).  One of the projects was cooking a recipe ...