Day two of camp has come and gone. I learned from day one that it would be a good idea to do my best to wear the campers out early so they'd settle down for the more sedentary activities. We did a metamorphosis relay race which proved to be just another excuse to run in ever widening circles. Then we went on a hike and turned over logs, finding a variety of millipedes and a fat spider who had recently eaten the better part of a caterpillar. Like yesterday, the kids started getting hungry before 10 am. It turns out that at least some of them hadn't eaten breakfast. Come on parents! Don't you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?
I used a variety of tricks to get them to pay attention. My favorite was telling them to pretend to be bugs, so that whenever they heard me do a bird call on my nose flute it meant that they had to be still and silent in order to escape getting eaten by the "bird". It kind of worked. Nothing is ever totally effective when you're dealing with kindergarteners.
Later, we made butterflies out of coffee filters and clothespins, using colored markers and water to good effect. While these were drying, we went inside and the kids got to hold Bess bugs, Mealworms, and Hissing cockroaches. A few of the children decided that they would rather just look. Later, I discovered that YSI has an overabundance of Hissing cockroaches, so I brought some home. Jen will be pleased.

cds I listened to while driving a little faster and getting home a lot earlier: Lech Jankowski "Institute Benjamenta" soundtrack, Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows "Songs From the Inverted Womb", Spasm "Meating Disorder Three Point Turn", Nina Nastasia "Run to Run", and Sorrow "Let There Be Thorns"