Caregiver's Weekend Recap

As you can see from the great picture Jim took of the pond looking towards the Center, we had a great weekend weather-wise at camp. Clear skies, refreshing breezes and cool nights. There were 30 kids and 25 adults plus many wonderful staff that attended. Caregiver's weekend is for anyone who might be responsible for a child with diabetes when their parents want to go out, etc. There were grandparents, aunts, and some parents of more newly diagnosed kids in attendance, all of whom were great participants. The days were run like a usual camp day- regular meal times and activites inbetween meals with campfire to close out the day. And, of course, some camp songs:)Here's a picture of the kids (and a few kids at heart) learning "The Princess Pat" after a meal in the dining hall.

The kids and the adults were split up for most of the time except for meals and the after dinner activity. Kids played games and learned about diabetes and the adults learned about diabetes basics. One of the messages the kids took home with them is that you can make your cookies and eat them too- you just have to know how many carbs they have! Don't those Cookie Bake-off creations look yummy? Mini marshmellows, chocolate chips, some flour and oatmeal plus a few other ingredients were included in our cookies. I've seen some more wild creations though- the kids usually have a bunch of ingredients to choose from, which they have to measure. One time as a joke the staff added ketchup and mustard to the usual ingredients available, and one group actually used them!

Half the fun is seeing the kids creativity and willingness to try new things. One of the activities I had a blast participating in was called Dutch Auction. We were divided into our family groups and had 10 minutes to gather random items- costume pieces from the dress up closet, benches, sticks, whatever you might think would be useful. Then the Auctioneers would tell us what they wanted and we had to work together to create it- whether that be an alien, a boat, or a throne for a queen- using what we had gathered. Even our Auctioneers dressed for their part. The one in the blond wig is our Camp Director, who has been a part of the Barton family for 17 years!

To be continued....