Camping {Wivenhoe Dam}

 ^^Our sweet set up

^^Canoeing all weekend

^^ We saw lots of kangaroo's and Pelicans

^^One of the mornings was really foggy. Couldn't see the other side at all.

^^My first time in a canoe in a LONG time. I think I have a fear of deep dark water.
I was scared when we got far out!

^^Heart Cloud. The clouds had been amazing for a few weeks April/May. White and fluffy and big.

We went to Captain Logan Campground Wivenhoe Dam for the May Day Long weekend.

We spent two and half days camping with about 30 people that we knew and about 90 in our group. We loved it. The kids had automatic friends to play with and it was nice to know that if you forgot something (inevitable) you could just ask the people in the tent next door or five up!

The campground is right on the water so it was perfect for the kids to go for a swim, or paddle and canoe. It made for lovely sunsets. There were no mosquitoes (could just be the time of year) and it was super peaceful and quiet (crazy animal noises at night can freak me out sometimes). We did see plenty of kangaroo's and pelicans and woken by kookaburras, but nothing nefarious :)

We packed for the cold but it was unseasonably warm. I was actually HOT in the tent! Crazy.

Showers were $1 for 3 mins which is surprisingly long enough. I pushed two kids in at a time.
Tent Sites were $25 night with $8 extra per child (a little $$ if you have a large family I felt)

The camp area is quite hilly so I was worried about sleeping downhill. A tent pad area is scraped back from the hills to give you a bit of flat area. I had put this campground off for this reason (thinking it was not flat enough for our big tent) but the one positive is that it means the tents are spread out and you arent in anyones pocket. The gentle hills give a good space between each allocated area (definitely needed with our loud family) so what I thought was a negative turned into a positive in the end.

It's been a long while since we've been camping for a few reasons so I was very happy to get the kids back out there. A whole weekend no electronic devices, kids amused and no grumbles or fighting?
Yes Please! Camping is hard hard work (thanks to the dear Mr who does the hard yards!) but worth it.


Other Camping Reviews of places we've beeen:

Neurum creek
Flanagans Reserve
Elanda Point
Somerset Park
Sharp Park Riverbend

FHE LESSON {Speak Kind Words}

We set a challenge for each of our kids to find a inspirational poster/saying/meme during the week in preparation for this FHE


Opening Song:  Let us Oft Speak Kind Words #232

Opening prayer:

We had each family member share their inspirational quotes/posters.

{you could print/display some. We had some from New Era magazine}

Discuss. Point out what you like about them.

Why can inspirational posters be motivating? Why do we feel good?

Is it much nicer to hear kind words than demeaning words?



For the Strength of Youth: {Under Language}

Good language that uplifts, encourages, and compliments others invites the Spirit to be with you. Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith, hope, and charity.


Warning scripture against anger, contention, rumours, foolish and vain imaginings
3 Nephi 11:29-30
Proverbs 16:32
Helaman 16:22

Activity:

We put a chair out in front and had each family member have a turn sitting in it.
As they sat their each person said "I love you...... {insert answer}

{For some reason this may feel uncomfortable and sometimes silly to me but it is always the sweetest game - and sometimes makes you think deeply for kind words and reasons why you love someone}

Closing Song:
Closing Prayer: