Two summers ago, I was tasked to babysit/chaperone at a mother-child camp called "Moms & Tots" at Camp Sunrise in Gibsons, BC.
In my previous blog post, I have mentioned that I did a co-op work term at The Salvation Army. I was hired as a summer intern at one of their offices here in Vancouver. I assisted with various programs run by this unit, which includes a breakfast program, a gardening club, and a women’s group, and helped with administrative tasks.
Summer time is a busy time for The Salvation Army as the organization runs a variety of camps for families and children of various ages. One of this is the Moms & Tots Camp.
The Moms & Tots Camp is a 3-day & 2-night camp for mothers and their younger children as an end-of-summer bonding/mini-vacation opportunity before school starts in September. It’s an annual camp organized by The Salvation Army for families in the lower-income bracket and/or those with certain vulnerabilities.
A number of participants coming from cities all over the Lower Mainland attended this camp. My rough estimate would be around 80 - 100 mother and children participants. In order to reach Camp Sunrise, the participants and I rode a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale Terminal. It was a 40-minute ride to the ferry terminal, and a 15-minute walk to Camp Sunrise. I was in-charge of chaperoning a group of 7 mothers and 8 children; we stayed in one cabin.
Spending time with these mothers and children, I’ve observed various parenting styles and dynamics of each family. Some children had strict sleeping schedules while others had flexible ones. This would often translate to their eating habits and play time as well.
Speaking of eating, our meals were SO GOOD! There was a large variety of food - buffet style! No complaints! For breakfast, we had pancakes, waffles, bread, eggs, bacon, sausages, cereal, yogurt, and fresh fruit. For lunch and dinner, we had vegetable salad, pasta, soup, meat dishes, and fresh fruit. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take photos of the dining hall :(
I spent most of my time here with the children especially while their mothers attended seminars and participated in camp activities. I was around the younger children (toddlers and preschool-aged) babysitting them in the playground or in the activities hall. I had so much fun with them! I got to talk to them, play with them, and help them out with games/puzzles.
Being at this camp took me back to my own childhood years - to the times I played outside our house with my sisters or neighbours, to the times our parents would take us swimming, and to the many times I was being picky with food (not anymore! HAHA).
I realized how blessed I am to have parents that love my siblings and I so much! I am blessed that my parents chose to spend their time with us whenever they were done working. I am blessed to have a childhood where all I had to think of was school and extra-curriculars.
Here are some of the photos I took during my break. A 10-minute walk from the cabin will bring you to the shore of this island. You could see the ferry dock from this point. There were logs scattered along the shore that people use for sitting. I went here in the morning for some quiet time for myself.
The only time I had a break from chaperoning was a few hours in the afternoon. This time was allotted for mothers and children to bond together. They were able to roam around the campgrounds, swim in the pool, or to freshen up. I, on the other hand, would get some rest, and/or explore around.
Want to know what I was up to during my downtime at Camp Sunrise? Wait till the next post!
AUG 2016