Camping?!

The boys and I went camping last Thursday.  We were the sole tent in the entire campground so I am fully aware that it was a slightly crazy activity.  If you feel that you need to read me the riot act about the dangers camping by myself with they boys in late October, several people have fulfilled that duty for you…

But we had FUN!

The boys explored while I set up camp and got the fire going (twice.) We cooked on just the fire-pit which was more fun than using a camp stove.

We explored the beach of Deception Pass, and the boys collected so many rocks in their pockets that they gained 10 pounds each and had little rock-projectiles flying out from their coats as they ran and jumped over driftwood.

I asked Owen what was a reasonable number of rock souvenirs to bring home.  He decided that 7 would be great since he was 7.  Jack wasn’t keen on going with age, and he went with “a small handful”.  It is so interesting to watch the boys ideas of fairness emerge.  Jack loves tiny things, so his “must-have” rock collection came to 11 or 12.  Jack looked at his pile and Owen’s pile (of 7 much bigger rocks) and declared them fair (if not equal.)  Owen, who is a numbers guy, had a very difficult time calling a quantity of 11 rocks equal to a quantity of 7 rocks.  “Mom!  That’s not fair!”

I encouraged Jack to explain his his ideas.  Owen eyebrows furrowed at Jack’s explanation that explored size/weight/volume.  Owen slowly nodded, seeing that the space that Jack’s rocks took up was less than the space his own rocks took up.  He agreed the two different groupings were acceptable as fair.  But Owen still kept his firmly-held number theory.  Owen’s rocks were “more” when it came to occupied space.  Jacks rocks were “more” in quantity.  Each rock-group was “more” under one method of measurement, and 1 win=1 win, therefore the decision was fair.