Camping with the kids...

Many of you know that each summer we try to give the kids in each of our group homes a "family vacation" experience. This year was no different and very different at the same time. During our first few years of having the group homes we took the kids away from the house and from town to the Black Sea. Our goal was to bond them as a family and to give these children who have had few positive childhood memories something to look back on happily!


As you can see, this water doesn't look like the sea... and is not at a beach. This little spot is only about an hour away from town and is a great little lake camping spot called "Bezid." We want our kids to have great memories as children, but also want them to have a realistic view of life. Most families do not go on a beach vacation each year (especially not in Romania) so we wanted to find other things to do with them this year that would still make memories, but not build up an unrealistic expectation that every year they would go to the beach.


At least two days of "vacation week" with a camping night in between, were spent at Bezid. The kids loved putting up their tents, swimming in the lake, playing games, hiking up the hills and just being together!


The campfire was also a hit as the kids roasted their own hot dogs and marshmallows (brought in from America for the occasion) for s'mores!


As you can see... this year's vacation may not have been a big trip to the Black Sea, but the kids had fun just being together in town and hanging out at the lake! A special thank you to all the educator/tutors who spent the week with us for these vacations so that all the house moms at our group homes could have a week off!