Friday 13 August 2010

Dreamy


Chloe and Carmen have been doing a day camp at a historic village here in Calgary all week.   Last week they were beside themselves in anticipation.  They planned their authentic pioneer lunches (basically I baked all week, but I drew the line at washing their costumes by hand).  We went to Value Village to find just the right black leather shoes and baskets for their lunches.  We found pocket watches for 25 cents each, which we strung onto chains for necklaces.  We practised french braids all summer waiting for this week.
I wouldn't have thought it possible, but somehow the camp itself has been even better than we could have hoped!  The girls have been living somewhere in between Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie.  They've learned how to be an old-fashioned telephone operator and listen in on conversations, they've collected eggs, they've baked a cake in a working 1905 kitchen at the ranch house, they've made prairie diamond rings (nails turned by the black smith).  They've had fun spinning buttons on a string, and going to school in a one room school house.  They participated in planning important social work like closing down the snooker lounge and having a church bake sale to raise money for poor Farmer Brown . . . and so much more.
Ken remarked to me that Heritage Park has got this one figured out because the presence of the day-campers in the park really adds to the charm of the place, and it's true.  When all the adults who work at the park are dressed in period-appropriate clothing it's to be expected, but when on top of that there are children in the park doing chores and school and games for the public to see, well that's just darling.  We paid to send our kids, meanwhile it improves the authenticity of the park.  Possibly Carmen and Chloe have been the most enthusiastic campers ever.  The line between reality and make-believe for them often seems blurred to me.  Add some costumes - and fantasy becomes reality.  Our girls adopted British accents and have been pretending to be recent emigrants to Canada, which has been reflected even in their food: I baked english scones with currants for their lunch today.  They probably deserve to go to back to the Time Travellers Camp again, but on scholarship next time.

5 comments:

Kelly said...

Oh, they're so cute!! Avery has been on a big Little House on the Prairie reading binge this summer, so I'm sure she will love to see this picture!

melanie said...

I'd like to live somewhere between Anne and Laura too. Adorable photo.

Jill said...

What a cool experience for them! What little girl wouldn't want to do this, especially if she has read Anne of Green Gables or the Little House on the Prairie Series.

Marie said...

Is there an adult Time Traveler's Camp?

Tiffany said...

What darling girls wearing such cute aprons! Lucky pioneers!