Camp Half-Blood

On Valentine's Day, we took the boys to see the highly anticipated movie, The Lightning Thief. The book of the same title is the first in a series of five books which took the pre-teen world by storm over the last few years. If you have someone aged 8-11 in your life, you are probably already quite familiar with the story. For those of you who don't, a quick synopsis. Our hero is Percy Jackson, son of the Greek god, Poseidon and a mortal mother. His true identity has been hidden from him throughout his childhood in order to protect him from various mythical monsters. After a vicious attack during a high school field trip, Percy discovers his true identity. He is then whisked off to Camp Half-Blood, a camp for teenage demi-gods. Here, they are kept safe from evil doers and learn the skills needed to protect themselves. During the scenes of Camp Half-Blood, the four of us started nudging each other, knowingly. There, on the big screen, was what we hope Camp Freedom will resemble some day. The kids were housed in large canvas tents with comfortable wooden cots draped in mosquito netting. The paths were flanked with torches and colorful banners hung from the trees. There was a huge bonfire and a pig roasting away on a nearby spit. The kids practiced sword fighting and archery. They climbed on large ropes and crossed difficult obstacle courses. Their day was capped off with a delicious fireside feast after a ferocious match of capture the flag. We all enjoyed the movie, but the scenes of the camp left the biggest impression in my mind. It feels good to be heading into the spring with a strong visual of what we all want Camp Freedom to be!