A Magical Sturgeon Moon Campout!

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We invited all of the Luna Hill Wild School families & a few other moon-loving families over to campout in the backyard & celebrate the full Sturgeon Moon with us. We ended up with six different families & 13 kids staying with us through the weekend & boy, did we have a blast!
We started out with hot dogs, brats, & veggie dogs over the fire for dinner.
After we ate we went to Lake Gilbreth, took a short walk & found a sight that seemed almost too perfect to be real! I remember looking out, listening to the splashing, the giggling-the hopping & hollering and thinking, ‘I don’t think childhood gets better than this.’
It might have been hard to leave, but I think it was made easy when we all shrugged our shoulders and said, ‘sure, why not!’ when the kids asked if we could come back in the morning. (Plus, we were planning on making s’mores when we got back!) Some of the kids got a chance to fish, but not everyone, & they were eager to cast some poles in. This cycle, at our Wild School, we have been have been having a lot fun with fish & water…..so this experience was just exactly what it needed to be. Simply going with the flow & soaking up all the beauty & abundance that late Summer has to offer!

I’m so sad there aren’t any pictures, but I had a seriously amazing time reading all the kids a bedtime story—–in the treehouse! The lights were strung up around the tree & a few kids had flash lights that they pointed to the pages as I read & they commented along. It was pretty magical & I am so grateful for the opportunity! We had just finished the flooring a few days before with the kids from our Wild School & it was so special to me to be sharing this moment with them, in our treehouse that we built together! We read one of our favorites, Talulah, about a mermaid who finds that not letting others define your worth or happiness is the way to go….so funny now that I’m reflecting & thinking of all the ways that this simple story applies to our journey. Starting the Luna Hill Wild School was such a leap for us, with a few folks in our lives who were less than supportive of our big dream, but we persisted, and oh my goodness, words fail to express the joy & purpose that this program has given me!

Suits hanging out to dry from the night before.
We woke up around 7 am to the gentle sound of approaching thunder.
Some stayed in the tent to enjoy the incoming rain. One momma told me her and her daughter chatted about away about what it would be like to live like this, in a community. Thinking about all the things they wouldn’t have to do when they woke up, only the simple things, like tending to the garden & the animals….
While the thunder rolled, the kids & I got to work on breakfast-a casserole with eggs they got from the coop & a green pepper we picked on our way in. Some chose to play at our beloved light table that Johnny made for Hank’s 3rd birthday.
Vicki was up bright & early preparing corn & potatoes she brought over the fire. So after our casserole breakfast, we all had a pretty great second breakfast.
As some parents took down tents as the rain let up, a few of the kids treated us to the treehouses first ever play, while others happily swing away & watched with smiles.
The rains came back & we headed in to hang around the kitchen & chat, while the kids continued their play in the Yes Room(if you’re wondering what that is, it’s basically their play room, but with no ‘toys’, just swings, things to climb, a slide, & a perfect platform we built to perform on)
The rain didn’t last long & by ten we were all packed in as few cars as possible & headed two minutes away to the lake & started casting in poles right away.
We took turns taking kids out on the kayaks…

We painted our faces with clay & the kids jumped from a rock in water that was only a foot & a half over & over….yes, it was as perfect as it seems 🙂

Thank you so much for those of you who chose to spend your weekend with us, camping out, sharing food, stories, & love for our children with one another. We are so grateful to be giving this gift of adventure & love of life to our children!

-Amanda Jo

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