One of the merit badges my son worked on while camping with friends was the Fishing Merit Badge. In addition to classwork, the badge also requires actual fishing and cooking! My son was an ace at the academics but had to be patient with the practicals. He spent a couple of days not catching anything while he figured out the best spots and the best techniques for catching a fish.
Fishing off the dock
Getting some help
One of the tough parts is baiting the hook. My son wasn't too squeamish about getting the worms but putting them on the hook was a bit tricky.
A box of nightcrawlers
He did succeed at catching a fish, though he did not want to do the traditional pose for fear of losing his prey.
Moving the fish into a smaller body of water
The only thing tougher than putting the worm on the hook was getting the fish off the hook. He was patient and methodical and got the job done.
Unhooking
The first catch
He did try some more fishing but got no more bites.
Trying from a different part of the dock
Back at the house, he worked on preparing and cooking the fish. First, he had to kill the fish, then get the scales and head off.
Pointers on what to cut off and what to keep
With a few more cuts, he was ready to fry that blue gill up.
Frying up a fillet
The finished product
The merit badge requires catching and cooking but not eating. He didn't try a bite though it did look pretty good at the end.
My daughter has joined our church's American Heritage Girls troop. They went on a camping trip in October. She had gone with my son and me to a Cub Scout camp out back in the spring and she was excited to get her own experience. She also insisted that Mommy come along and not Daddy, which Mommy wasn't so excited about (but she did have a great time).
They camped at Fort Frederick State Park, which was having a re-enactment weekend. A small troop of soldiers demonstrated various firing techniques and formations.
Reenacting military drills
The fort had more than just soldiers there. Another re-enactor was demonstrating embroidery from the 1800s. The woman soon had the whole troop surrounding her. She gave out small practice projects to all the girls and taught them the back stitch.
Demonstrating embroidery
Like others in the troop, my daughter did not wait to get home to try it out!
A stitch in time gets the job done
An hour later, still working hard
After several hours of happy work, she finished her first project. She enjoyed it so much that she went back and asked for another kit to work on in the evening.
Done!
She then wanted to go fishing. Most of the troop had already gone. Another mom and daughter also wanted to go. They had experience so they were perfect companions. The other mom was especially helpful at finding bait (sorry earthworm!) and hooking it on the fishing lines, actions for which my daughter averted her eyes. She did learn casting techniques and was able to catch the only fish of the day for the whole troop!
Throwing out the line
Reeling something in
With advanced imaging techniques you may be able to see a 3 inch fish in the water.
Blurry view of the catch
Returned for a peaceful life
After dinner, my daughter got back to her second embroidery project, using the headlamp to ensure two free hands!
Getting more work done!
The next morning the Tenderhearts (1st-3rd grade) were in charge of breakfast, so she helped cook.
Getting instruction in the camp kitchen
Slicing up muffins
The morning was rainy, so people did not stay long. It was a fun trip anyway, even for Mommy.
Finding Nemo (2003) co-written and directed by Andrew Stanton
This summer has lots of sequels and remakes coming out, so I'm reviewing the earlier works and seeing if they will inspire me to see the new films!
Nemo is a clownfish who lives with his father Marlin. Marlin's wife and the other children were all killed by a barracuda when Nemo was still an egg. Naturally Marlin is overprotective of Nemo, but that needs to change now that Nemo is old enough to go to school. The first day's lesson is at the Drop Off, an area where humans have been known to show up. Marlin races after the class and tries to take Nemo back home, especially since a trio of kids is playing "how close will I swim to the boat" with Nemo. Nemo is mad about the overprotection and swims all the way to the boat. A human diver shows up and captures Nemo. Marlin can't keep up with the boat and enlists the help of Dory, a Blue Tang who has a short-term memory problem. She saw where the boat went but they go astray and have all sorts of odd and exciting adventures following one clue (a lost diver's mask that has an address on it) to find Nemo. Nemo meanwhile makes friends with the other fish in the diver's office fish tank and helps with their ongoing escape plans.
The computer-animated recreation of the underwater world is amazing and beautiful. Marlin and Dory wander through many environments (a deep-sea trench, a field of jellyfish, a tidal current, a whale's mouth, etc.) that are distinct and detailed. Their journey is a Homerian odyssey, meeting many strange and enchanting characters.
The movie is thematically moving. A parent's search for a lost child is a classic story made more dramatic by Marlin's trauma-enduced attitude toward Nemo. Marlin is a classic case of a father who loves not wisely but too well. As he goes through his journey, he learns to trust others and to take risks, giving him a more balanced outlook on life, a happier attitude, and a closer bond with his son.
Highly recommended, though having watched it a dozen times with the kids, Finding Nemo has lost some rewatchability (which is not true for The Incredibles--I'd watch that again in a heartbeat by myself).
The sequel Finding Dory (out in US theaters as this posts) looks suspiciously similar to the original, judging by the trailer:
If the kids want to see it, I'll go with them. I'd have to hear some good reviews to watch it on my own.
The Children's Museum of the Treasure Coast is famous for having a gigantic pirate ship inside. We wanted to see it, so we made a visit over Christmas. Parking is near the Life's Journey Fountain, a memorial to a woman who died too young.
Life's Journey Fountain
Museum entrance
Once inside, J and L made a beeline for the boat, hoping for fun adventures. Christmas decorations were still everywhere.
Posing by the Christmas tree
The ship Marti Frances
A quick climb brought us on deck where the most popular duty is firing the cannons!
On deck
J and L work together
View from outside the ship (sort of)
J gathers more ammo
Later, their cousins joined in the fun.
Fire cannon number one!
Fire cannon number two!
Cannons back in the day could be fired eight times an hour by a crew of six cannoneers. It took a lot of coordinated work. Lucky for the kids they could do it single-handed (mostly).
Not as fun in real life
Also on deck are scents of the sea and spyglasses.
Smelling land?
L looks for land
A capstan sits in the middle of the deck so children can weigh anchor. The simple mechanical device allows a few seamen to lift a thousand pound anchor from the sea bed!
Capstan in action
After such hard work, J and L went below decks for a rest.
L in the hammock with crocs on
J's well deserved rest
Other displays below deck discussed food and cooking, but the most fun thing was this model boat.
The San Jose
Just outside the ship J and L tried their luck at fishing.
J works a line
He catches the famous blur fish
After getting their fill of the pirate ship, we headed off to see the rest of the museum. Which will be in tomorrow's post!
Posts
