Bear Lake Reunion - Cousin Camp

Look at these awesomely wonderful children! We are so blessed to be able to claim them as our grandchildren!!

We were excited to get them all together for our family reunion, yet we also wanted to have memories of happy and contented kids, not cranky and miserable ones. At an age range of 3 months to 11 years, that presented a bit of a challenge. Lack of naps, too many sweets, and strange circumstances can be difficult for adults to navigate, much less toddlers. So, we determined to bring plenty of patience, flexibility, and fun activities with us. 

Remembering (from past Cub Scout Day Camps) that having a theme helps narrow down the myriad of game and craft possibilities, and wanting to bring an element of spirituality into our activities, "The Glory of the Sun" (from D&C 76:70, part of that week's Come Follow Me reading assignment) became our theme. There's a lot of fun that can be had with the sun and light!

The sun may have great power, but we must not have a lot of skill, or patience. Using a solar oven to make s'mores sounded good in theory, but really didn't turn out the way I thought it should. However, that didn't stop us from enjoying our chocolate and marshmallows and graham crackers! (If it had worked, we would also have tried making nachos - melting cheese on tortilla chips.)

Note to self: Chocolate-filled marshmallows (or Stuffed Puffs) aren't really worth the extra cost, although maybe if you factor in the "cool and unusual" factor they could be.

It was a bit breezy, so we had to keep "re-setting" the objects, but we learned that you really can make sunprints using construction paper.

Supposedly, if you leave grapes out in the sun, they turn into raisins. Cutting them in half and covering them with cheesecloth should speed up the process. We started the experiment in Texas, but the wind kept blowing the plate over. Besides, it's supposed to take a few days, and we were only there for one. We didn't even try in Utah, when we had more time, because it was quite windy there as well. However, it still seems like a good idea, so maybe we'll try it again someday, when we can keep an eye on the process better.

New sunglasses were a big hit!

And so were sun-themed balls and balloons. (Another lesson learned from Day Camp: Oriental Trading is a great resource.)

Grandpa decided he wanted in on the fun - popsicles, sticky balls and bubbles! (He also realized that Sunny Delight, CapriSuns, and Sun Chips - great picnic additions - fit our theme perfectly. So do StarBursts and Reese's Pieces if you want a sweet treat.)

Every time these cute kids see the sun, I hope they remember that our goal as a family is to make it to the celestial kingdom. And I hope they remember we can have a lot of fun together along the way.