Not just archery and bug juice anymore

This summer my daughter Sara spent what she calls the best 2 weeks of her life at Swedish language immersion camp in Bemidji, Minnesota. The camp is at Concordia Language Villages, a total language immersion camp designed for kids aged 7-18 run by Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. Sara decided that she was interested in learning about Sweden after watching a television show on Scandinavian music, and soon developed an interest in learning the language. Unfortunately, there aren't many opportunities to study Swedish in the States, so she started out by using the Rosetta Stone language software. Remember learning about the Rosetta Stone in 8th grade? OK, neither did I, but thanks to the internet I was ready when she asked me exactly what is a Rosetta Stone, anyway? (I know you're looking it up now...it's OK). So this year was her first time at overnight camp, and we wanted to find something very cool for her to do. When we found Concordia Language Villages, we were super excited to see that they had a Swedish program and that it looked excellent. We quickly signed Sara up for the 2-week session and figured we would have months to prepare her for the potential frustration of an immersion program. Amazingly, Sara embraced the study of all things Swedish with full vigor, to the point that she drove us a little crazy with it, and by the time camp started she was already singing their national anthem and having short conversations with herself. Even Sam knew a few key phrases, just by listening to Sara. My Mom and I flew halfway across the country to attend the parents' day at camp and see what Sara had gotten herself into, and I was just blown away by the positive energy and enthusiasm of the staff and of the campers. They were on cloud 9, even though they were hot, sweaty, and not smelling too terrific. I was moved to tears watching the kids sing in Swedish while Sara had a huge grin plastered across her face, something I hadn't seen in a long time. As soon as we got home, I set to work immediately on finding us a home exchange with a Swedish family. Tack så mycket, Concordia! Vi kommer alltid att minnas dig!

Paper Doll Heaven?

photo: Davide Guglielmo

Remember making these paper dolls as a kid? I used to make these all the time with my Mom, and then we would decorate each of the dolls with crayons and even glitter (!!), and sometimes even make clothes for them. I don't remember how to make them anymore and I want to make them with the kids. Does anyone know how to do it??

Speaking of missing things...

Earlier I was writing about childhood, and it made me think about play-doh. Remember the way a brand new, never-been-touched-before can of play-doh felt between your fingers, the way it squished out of your fingers as you squeezed it so tightly? I wanted Sam to have the same experience and was looking for a way to make it a fun thing we could do together. I found a recipe for DIY play dough courtesy of Instructables and got to work. Instead of using food coloring full of dyes and other nasty bits (I don't know why but I've started using more and more British phrases lately), I bought some individual packets of Kool Aid and once I finished making the dough, I divided it into 2 sections and added a packet of Kool Aid to each. It takes a quick kneading to incorporate all the Kool Aid crystals into the dough, and the Kool Aid also scents the dough with memories of childhood summers. The dough felt amazing between my fingers and I was transported back for a minute...until I almost burned myself on the sauce pan that I had used. In any case, Sam and I had a fun time making our dough and it was so easy and inexpensive that I am pretty sure some of you will be getting this for Christmas this year.

Being a kid

photo: Nick Cowie

Yesterday I went for a walk with my 4 year old son, Sam. Momma, he asked me, if I step on a crack, will your back get broken?

My heart melted and I started thinking about the innocence of childhood. I can remember looking forward to being old enough to ride my bike across the street alone. If I made it, I would be able to buy a pack of the coveted chocolate gum for 16 cents. I remember being so proud when I turned 10 that I was finally a "double digit." I wouldn't be able to sleep the night before our family left for our annual month-long beach vacation because I was so excited to see my friends again. I didn't worry if they would still like me, or if our rental home would be clean enough, or how I would pay my bills after taking a month off from work. All I needed to think about was finding my friends and when I would get my chocolate gum. What a luxurious vacation!