It’s Wednesday which means we’re half way through our KOA 2024 trip. But tonight two more boys come up (both had cancelled and then this morning I found out they both could come up today!) so there is anticipatory excitement among our crew.
For those of you who are new(ish) to the blog, this is my fourth summer trip to the KOA. The first trip was in 2021. I’m sure you remember that summer, when camp spots were impossible to secure and overnight camps were only offered for three week increments. My daughter and her friends were 10/11 years old that summer and had never been to a sleep-away camp, so three weeks felt like an intense way to start, especially after spending a whole year at home. So we decided to creat our own away-camp feel by spending 10 days at the Petaluma KOA. We got a big cabin and the moms traded off nights up there. All 8 of us were there for the weekend.
It was a super fun time, and we made a reservation for the next summer before we even left. In 2022 we rented a big cabin and a small cabin next to each other. We stayed for one week and all the moms were there for three nights. It was a blast.
Last year I brought up three girls and my son and his friend for three nights. We did not have a “biggest” cabin with the bunk beds which meant the boys had to sleep on a couch bed. This caused some disputes between the older girls and younger boys. It was not the best trip.
{In attempting to link to older posts about the KOA I’m realizing I haven’t written that much about our past trips. Interesting…}
This year the girls went to DC with two moms, so I brought up just the boys to the KOA for four nights. I am intent on making sure my son gets some of the great experiences my daughter gets because I’m friends with her friends’ moms, even thought I have not made an effort to befriend his friends’ families. This is one of those experiences.
The KOA is great because the kids can have a lot of freedom here. I have a “no device” rule so they have to find stuff to do. There is a pool (that allows float toys!) and a bounce pillow and a Gaga ball pit. The kids can ride bikes all over and roam around with walkie talkies and head lamps. I do let them watch a couple hours of TV a day and the KOA presents a movie every night that they sometimes want to watch. Otherwise they just hang out, putz around and play.
When I was kid I spent A LOT of time putzing around without adults. In Hong Kong (where I lived from ages 7 to 12) I was given a ton of freedom to hang out on the grounds of our apartment building without supervision. I also took public transportation all over the city alone and with friends. I want that kind of freedom and independence for my kids too, but it’s harder these days. The KOA gives them an opportunity to experience that “what should we do next?” laziness of unstructured days, and the freedom and independence to just jump on bikes without a destination in mind. I think that is so valuable and I’m so glad some of his friends were available to make the trip extra fun.
Of course, being with a lot of friends for a long period of time can also be challenging. We’ve already had one significant blow up. I hope we don’t have too many more.
And now it’s Wednesday night and I’m officially tired and officially ready to head home on Friday.
Thank goodness there are only 40ish more hours.
The KOA experience sounds amazing. You are such a cool mom. How do you feed all those kids? Do you cook or is there food provided there?
The freedom to roam around freely is super important.
Food! I didn’t even mention that. I do have to prepare food for them. Breakfasts are Eggo waffles and cereal (they provide a toaster). Lunch is bagels (no one really likes sandwiches) and instant ramen. Dinner is Mac n cheese, hot dogs over the fire, spaghetti and then Mac n cheese and chicken nuggets (I was going to grill hamburgers but that didn’t happen). I also have carrots and fruit for them to eat throughout the days. They get to buy an icee from the store once a day each day and we roast s’mores twice.
This sounds like a perfect week for the boys. I really love this tradition of yours!
Thanks! I love it too. It was one of those “gifts of the pandemic” because I don’t know if I’d even know about it without away camping feeling out of reach that summer. But I’m so glad that I do know about it, and that I have the time in the summer to take advantage of it.
What a wonderful gift for all the boys and their families…. such great memory builders. Also a good way to get connected with the families of your son’s friends. Will be so valuable as he and they continue through school. Teens and parents need that support
Looks like a wonderful place.
Thanks for sharing.
I do hope they remember this. They are old enough that they just might…
I mostly lurk here but I love your blog. I love that you do this for your kids and their friends. Can you write another blog post explaining how/when you organize the trip and other details? I feel like other parents would be reluctant to leave their kids with a solo parent (while some might jump for joy at the offer 😆). And what do you do when the kids are put-zing around…do you get bored or do you actually get to relax or are you constantly busy prepping meals and navigating arguments?
Yes I will write another post! These are all such good questions. I will say that I do get in some downtime. I did a Pilates class on the porch one day. At the pool I don’t get in to play with them, but I have to be on the deck so I read a lot. Or look at my phone. I spend some time making meals and cleaning them up but not a ton. It’s definitely a slow paced couple of days, which is nice. I’ll write more about that, and logistics, soon.
This sounds really nice. Is it lonely being there without other adults? Or are the kids entertaining? I haven’t spend much extended time with my son (same age as yours) and his friends so I wouldn’t know what to expect.
These are good questions. I’m getting a lot of good questions so I think I’ll write a follow up post. The short answer is, it would be lonely but a friend who lives in nearby was able to visit me on Tuesday and Thursday so that helped break up the week of being the sole adult. I think I’d go a little crazy without any adult interaction all week (because no, the kids are not that entertaining to me.)
Wow, I have heard of KOA, but not in detail- so thank you. I will absolutely explore it for future trips and when the kids are older.
How do you maintain relationships with other moms? I have a mom group but over the years, some connections have fizzled out and I do not know how/whether to bring them back.
Ohhh, the “how do you maintain relationships with other moms” question is a good one. And I know it is because I’m not sure how to answer it. I became friends with three of my daughter’s friends’ mom kind of by luck? The pandemic actually helped because we were bubbling with them a which meant they couldn’t be distracted by all their other friends and family for about a year. With my son’s friends’ parents I just try to strike up conversations with them at events so I know them well enough to text them about play dates and other stuff. But I don’t put in much effort there. I will think about it more and maybe write a post about it. I’d love to hear what other people do too.