Why Camp Barnabas is So Special

While Gess has Down syndrome, she is pretty high functioning and has attended our local church camp with me going as her counselor. She could participate in most things, it was pretty much a week of her tagging along and trying to be a part of the crowd. That's her every day life. People are warm and welcoming, but after a few minutes of conversing with her they are back to their own conversation and she struggles to keep up or moves off into her own space. They aren't mean and it's not their fault really, it's just life. They are at a different pace and a different communication level. It's tough, but she adjusts and never complains.

Then there is life at Camp Barnabas where suddenly, for just one week, her world turns upside down. For that week friends go hand in hand together as one. You want to do a ropes course but happen to be in a wheelchair? No problem! Camp Barnabas can hook you up - literally!  There is nothing they won't help you do! No one stops and stares, gets impatient, or criticizes you. Instead you are celebrated! You are wanted! Everyone takes time to get to know you. YOU! You are why they are here. No one tells them "no you can't." You now get to decide what to do!

This, to me, is why Camp Barnabas is so special. It's for this one fact. For one week Gess gets to live as if she didn't have special needs. That's a gift you can't give in a box! Thanks Camp Barnabas for working so hard to make that dream come alive!

Camp Barnabas is a Christian camp and there is no better way to share the love of Christ than to accept everyone just as they are. That's what they do at Camp Barnabas! To learn more visit their website or watch this movie explaining the difference that it makes in the lives of everyone who goes, camper and counselor alike.

Making costumes

Gess is going off to Camp Barnabas this summer. It is an amazing Christian camp for people with special needs. This will be her second year going. Every day they have a special theme party for which you dress up. This year's themes are Super Hero Showdown, Noah's Ark Water Park, A Knight's Tale, & Blast From the Past.

I will start with the most complicated costume we made.
  
Noah's Ark Water Park

Gess loves learning about dinosaurs and realizes they were actually on the ark. While this sounds unreal to some of you, when you understand the average dinosaur was the size of a sheep and know that God didn't have to choose the largest of them all to be on the ark, you get it. They were there!  So she wanted to be a dinosaur. I found this simple and fun DIY Paper Dinosaur on Pinterest. Using the paper as a template I hot glued the paper pattern to green cloth. I actually glued it in the wrong place so it doesn't go over Gess' head, but I felt this would work as it was. We got her stuffed lizard out so she could take him along and actually be 2x2. He doesn't spikes on his head so it was even better. What do you think?

Super Hero Showdown

Gess recently informed me that Superman was her favorite super hero so we went and a bought a Superman T-shirt, cut up an old red t-shirt utilizing the sleeves to help tie it in front and grabbed some blue shorts. Ta da!  Superman, or woman anyway!

A Knight's Tale

The best we could find at thrift store was one that might fit a peasant lady at the time. We got a scarf to go over her head. She may not look like royalty but she sure is cute!

 Blast From the Past

This one was easy. Every year Gess is a part of a local fashion show and this year she got some really wild looking pants. They reminded me of the 70's - my generation. So here she is in her 70's get up with things we already had around the house!

I'm down for a bit due to surgery

I have struggled to keep up with my blog but I haven't been quite frank about why. I have had some medical issues that require surgery. That's all I am comfortable saying publicly. Today, as you read this I will be under the knife - the first time ever for me which makes me nervous. My pastor has a joke he likes to share about the difference between major and minor surgery. He says its minor surgery when its for you and its major surgery when its for me!  Well, I have watched my daughter go through some pretty major stuff, so I know mine isn't on that level but still, it isn't something to take lightly either.

I hope to be up and around enough to write in a week or so. I was hoping to have some blogs scheduled so my down time wouldn't seem to stark but that just didn't happen. I haven't had the energy and what energy I did have was spent preparing my household and family members that I take care of to be ready in my absence. My house is clean and ready. Ladies from church are providing some meals and my daughter will be looked after by her brother. All is ready and now its time for me.

I must rest and get better. Hopefully I will feel like writing since I won't be able to do much else for awhile. No driving for sure!  Please keep me in your prayers and I will try to check in when I can. Thanks for faithfully following. You are a blessing to my me!

Summer Math - Cooking

Since Gess has special needs we really focus on life skills math. So this summer, instead of just doing "math" we are making sure we do fun stuff that involves math. Part of that includes cooking!

Gess loves to help in the kitchen but now that she is almost 14 I am trying to make sure she starts doing things more on her own. This summer we are focusing on following a recipe. To help with that I got her some easy to read measuring cups and spoons.

I really don't like the plastic ones because I know that the numbers will wash off soon but stainless steel ones are hard to read.Still, these will work for now. I think I will order the Cake Boss ones soon as they look really easy to use.

So far we have baked some cakes. I tried to really let Gess take control of that one!

The only thing I did was help her scrape the batter out of the bowl and even out the pan once she poured it in. I was very proud of her. Oh and the cake was so good I caught her sneaking some of it.

Then she helped me make the batter and filling for my Blintzes that we made to celebrate Pentecost (Shavuot). We used the recipe from Food Network - Blueberry Blintzes but I used raspberries instead. This was my first attempt at making them and I was thrilled with the results!! The helpful tips from the recipe really work!

 Anyway, we will be doing a lot more cooking this summer. It will be a fun way to practice math and reading by learning how to follow a recipe. To help a child with special need I use utensils easy to read and use, print out the instructions in a large font so it is easy to read or have her use a magnifying glass. Either way we have fun and the food is, as my little chef would say, "quite tasty!"