Second camp was just as incredible as the first camp….fifteen young author’s graced the doors of Belden School. The temps kept rising along with the chance of rain each day. Everyone was hydrated and given an apple, but this time from the teachers. Children were given incredible lessons on writing and illustrating a children’s book just like our first camp, and of course, the camp t-shirts were worn like badges of honor. As before, not one pencil was quiet in our cozy one-room schoolhouse setting. Children had incredible ideas for their stories and executed each and every one like a pro.
Several washroom breaks to Shenandoah Stables was the norm during the three days of camp. The necessary trip had our young author's stop what they were doing...pencils down on the desk and their characters frozen in time, that is, until they returned. Our children resumed their writing without hesitation and their characters were back in action!
Reporters came and went to witness what they had only heard about. For both camps, two separate reporters from two different newspapers interviewed our young authors and asked their thoughts about the Belden Boy Writing Camp, taking pictures of our writers in action.
Midway through our second camp, we were able to experience something incredible! When in our life have we ever experienced a full blown thunderstorm while in a one-room schoolhouse writing? I think I was as excited as the children were….things became very dark, the thunder rolling over the hills...the winds were blowing over the tops of the trees in the forest setting! Wow…it was breathtaking! Our authors know now what the Belden School children must have experienced in the old days! Our picnic lunch that particular day had to be inside. Children ate at their wooden desks with the ink well on the top…perfect for holding each child’s drink! Recess was also held inside which consisted of playing marbles and board games. But believe it or not, many children wanted to continue to work on their picture books. It was a wonderful sight to see!
On our third day, the heat was so great outside that we chose to stay in behind closed doors at Belden School . We needed to keep the cool air inside. Our little limestone school sheltered us from the intense heat outdoors by just a few welcomed degrees cooler!
Great memories were had by all, teachers included, sending our camp experience with the 'cherry spitting' contest! The winners were Garrett Yeh and Mrs. C ! Garrett continued his excitement inside Belden School and played a game of chess with Mr. Scrima before the camp ended! I wonder who won that round?!
Thank you, everyone! Your incredible support has made our unique Belden Boy Writing Camp something very special indeed!
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