Pennsic Parents's topics - tribe.net

Babysitters?

Fortune — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:48:29 GMT

Does anyone know of any teens or adults looking to do babysitting the first week? i have a few shifts at YIV and the person i thought would sit can't...

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies

Question about Single Parent with kids going.

rachel — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:37:17 GMT

I would like to go to Pennsic this year but my husband (is in the military) is deployed and unable to go. We have three boys (7, 4, and 1-by pennsic). Anyone else going and will be a single parent? Or have gone in the past as one? Was it really difficult? I just want others opinions who've done it to help me make up my mind.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 4 replies

Pregnant at Pennsic

cindy — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:35:59 GMT

Hi! Any advice for someone that will be very pregnant at Pennsic? I should be around 34 weeks pregnant and I am just not sure if this is a good idea and would love to hear from some feedback from others who have been in the same boat as I will be in! I am also camping at the bottom of the hill, so alhough I think the exercise will be fabulous for me, I am also a little concerned. In addition, I was wondering what kind of medical expertise might be at Pennsic just in case something were to happen...Thanks!

posted in Pennsic Parents - 21 replies

Diaper Bags

Karlana — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:35:26 GMT

How are y'all going to handle doing diaper bags at Pennsic?

With my first, I made a tapestry bag with a long, double-sided trim handle and a single hook to hold it closed. I still have it but my first has also snagged it and declared it hers.

This time I would really be keen on a backpack style bag but have no idea what would be period looking. Any ideas?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 3 replies

A new Plague for Pennsic

Robin — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:36:50 GMT

Hello,

Once again, the Circus of the Damned will be unleashing a Plague upon Pennsic. Hopefully, the brave children of the Realm will follow in their predecesor's footprints, step up, and save Pennsic from this year's disaster. Our seers tell us that the omens point to Tuesday of War week (8/5/08) as being the day that this year's Horror will descend upon the Marketplace and Food Court. Any child helping to capture one of the troublesome beasties and turn it in at the Children's fete will receive a Royal Proclaimation and a prize. Keep a look out in the Pennsic Independant for more information!

-Rania

P.S. A little history for those parents new to Pennsic : The Circus of the Damned has run a large scale "scavenger hunt" for the children of Pennsic for the past two years. It has been so well received by the children and the visiting Monarchs, that we have embraced it as one of our House traditions.

In the wee hours of the moring on Tuesday, Gypsies sneak though the Market place and Food Court and strew little toy critters around on the paths. We try and continue to sneak around several times during the day on Tueday and early Wednesday, as well, to make sure there are plenty of critters to be found (last year, we made and "hid" over 500 viscious Vorpal Bunnies). Children are asked to find ONE beastie and bring it to the Children's fete to claim their due honors. If your child does not find a beastie on Tuesday, please come to the Fete on Wednesday... Gypsies are notoriusly bad zoo-keepers and we have MANY critters escape inside the fete itself.

We look forward to seeing all of you at the Fete!

Sincerely,
Rania Iskramor
Circus of the Damned

posted in Pennsic Parents - 2 replies

Kind of Off-Topic

Seadhli — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:48:54 GMT

I am currently planning activities for 'It Takes MY Child to Raze a Village' (a children/adults co-operative event) that will take place in 2008. The autocrat is finalizing the date and location this and next week, it will be somewhere in Canton of Weldlake, Pentamere, Midrealm (Brighton/Howell, MI).
I need to know everyone's favorite Youth/Children's Activities from an event or SCA activity. If you saw something really cool being done, if you or your child really enjoyed something, if you've always wanted to see something done, please let me know (either here or email me at ladyseadhli@gmail.com)

I am cross-posting this in several places on and off tribe.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 11 replies

The annual Unicorn Hunt

Erissa — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:22:27 GMT

At Pennsic each year we let loose a pressious Unicorn and the children must seek and find it.... No not really the Unicorn hunt is a tour of Pennsic. We use it to show where important places are like security, lost and found, first aid.... Our camp in relation to the rest of the world. We also take them around to visit "safe places" like camps where they now they can get help if they need it while they are out and "friendly faces" who are particular people who can reder assistance if needed. My son won't be wondering around Pennsic alone for a number of years but it is never to early to be oriented. We will be havign older children in camp this year who may wish to go off on their own and it is a good thing to give them a foundation of safety and security so that they can spread their wings wth less worry.

I am asking for who and where we should visit. Are you a "friendly Face"? Is your camp a "safe place"? Do you have people or children in your camp that would like to tour arond with us? This is also a good idea for Newbies (even full grown ones). I am also asking for volunteers to come onthe tour and act as shepherds with me.

Last year we intended to play the Unicorn hunt and have an actual Unicorn Toy of some sort but that never materialized. If you are the creative type that can make this happen let me know and we can do it but mostly the tour just travels around and we always just miss the Unicorn as in "I thik it went that way".

I also do not have a date and time set for this. I am thinking early second week like when all of our children arrive.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 46 replies

Reaching out to Royalty X-post

Robin — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 04:02:56 GMT

Hello,

I have been attempting to contact the Royalty of Outlands, An Tir, Calontir, Caid, Northshield, Glenn Abhann, Ansteorra, and Æthelmearc through the "official channels" regarding a Children's event that my camp is sponsoring this Pennsic War. I have received support for the following request from all other Kingdoms, but have not yet heard from these eight.

I want to make every effort to reach out and include the Monarchs of every Kingdom, if they so desire, and I hope that any associates of the current Royalty of these Kingdoms can help me in my efforts to contact them.

I am copying my letter here, in the hopes that it can be forwarded to the appropriate Kingdom chamberlains or to the Majesties, themselves. The response from the other Kingdoms has been, overwhelmingly, positive, and I am fast approaching my printer's deadline.

Please help if you can.

In Service,
Rania Iskramor

>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hail and Well met,

During Pennsic XXXV, Circus of the Damned sponsored a game for the Children of Pennsic called the "Great Pennsic Plague". This game reached out to every Pennsic child and called upon them to save the Pennsic War from the ravages of a Great Plague by capturing "Plague Mice", and turning them in during the Children's Fete for prizes and Royal Commendations. We were honored to have the monarchs of the East, Atlantia, Calontir, West, Gleann Abhann, and Ansteorra endorse this game, by allowing us to use their names on the "Royal Commendations".

All in all, over 400 children participated and the game was a great success.

During the Pennsic XXXVI, Circus of the Damned will again be sponsoring a "treasure hunt" for the Children of Pennsic, and the call will again ring out throughout Pennsic for the children to help save Pennsic from certain doom. This year, a new breed of ferocious creature will need to be tamed and captured by the Children, allowing them to serve the populace of the Knowne World and become heroes.

We would like to request that you add your support to this year's endeavor by allowing us to add your names to the following proclamation (one of which will be given to every participating child).

-----------------
Royal Commendation

Let it be known that this child has, without regard to their own safety and well-being, helped to save the populace of the Great Pennsic War of the year 2007 from certain disaster.

As such, we give Our Royal Thanks and Gratitude.

Bon Viviant!

Signed this day of August 8th, in the year of 2007.
-------------------------

Please consider this request and forward your answer to me no later than July 24th, so that the Proclamations can be designed and printed in time for War.

Thank you for your time and attention.

I can be reached at RobinCaputo(at)aol(dot)com.

Sincerely,
Robin Caputo
(aka Raina Iskramor)

posted in Pennsic Parents - 6 replies

Faerie Tea Party

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:20:06 GMT

On land grab Sunday (July 29th), my oldest daughter, Stephanie, will celebrate her 9th birthday. Steph has a very mild form of autism, and because of this, unfortunately, her traditional kid birthday parties are often very thinly attended. I hate that kids are like this. Anyhow, when I asked her if she wanted to spend her birthday this year at camp, she was really excited about the idea. Our camp is throwing her a surprise birthday party on this day to celebrate. It will be a faerie-themed tea party, complete with lots of dainty little snacks, and faerie makeovers for all attendees. If you have or know any little girls who will be at Pennsic this day and would like to come, please let me know. It should be a really fun time!

posted in Pennsic Parents - 7 replies

Seeking babysitter for Aug. 2nd 4 hours

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:14:45 GMT

Our camp will be hosting an adult dinner the evening of August 2nd, and if possible, I'd like to find someone to watch over my two girls during the event, so I can help with everything. If a mom would like to help me out, I'd be happy to exchange babysitting time. Otherwise, I'm quite willing to pay. My youngest daughter is 6, and is very bright and very energetic. My eldest will turn 9 on July 29th, and has Asperger's Syndrome, a very high-functioning form of autism. This doesn't make her "difficult" at all - but she does have some repetitive behaviors and such that may seem unusual. If you know someone who might be willing to help, please let me know.

Thanks!

posted in Pennsic Parents - 27 replies

Pennsic Chef's Tribe - X-post

Robin — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 05:08:57 GMT

Hello everyone,

After reading a bunch of threads on "How do you cook this over a campfire?", "Can I feed myself at War?", and "Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into!?!", I thought it would be nice to gather as many years of Pennsic cooking experience into one place as possible.

This tribe embraces all forms of cooking at War... from period recipe redactions, to tips on avoiding mass food poisonings, to “been there, done that” evaluations of the latest in camping cookware and gadgets. Whether you're looking for the 12 "best" ways to roast a pig, ten tasty things you can actually bake in a campfire, "the best mac & cheese EVER", or just looking find our what Pennsic people do to keep their food safe, this tribe if for you.

Visit us at: http://tribes.tribe.net/pennsicchefs and let's talk turkey....or duck, vension, beef, pork, chicken, tofu, soups, stews, seafood or freshly baked bread... whatever gets your mouth watering!

-Robin

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies

Pennsic Preparations

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:54:49 GMT

I'm sewing like crazy, while trying to keep my little princesses from killing one another over summer break. To make matters worse, I'm teaching vacation bible school next week, which I completely forgot about, so I'll pretty much lose a full week I thought I had to get ready.

So how are everybody else's preparations going?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 3 replies

A bunch of stuff to bring the kids to...

Erissa — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 00:30:25 GMT

Tuesday, July 31 - Field Trip to Lake Moraine State park for swimming and showers. Any who wish to come along should let us know before war starts and so forth so we can set up a ranedveu

Sunday, August 5 - 3ish or after naps - THAW Bubble Party - all kids and adults and kids at heart invited to play with bubble and get bubbley. To join in on the fun just come on up to the Hundred Acre Woods around 3 that day. Bring bubbles if you have them but plenty will be provided

Monday, August 6 around noon - Unicorn Hunt - I will lead the children and some Pennsic first timers around on an orientation tour. This is an opportunity to see where important things are (Chirurgeons, Security) and a few allies around Pennsic. It is a grand walk and we may just find that unicorn this year after all.

Tuesday, August 7 - Time TBA - THAW music Drums and Noise Party - anyone and everyone invited for a ruckus and some singing, Special guest Vincent d'orleans and his music wagon

Wednesday, August 8th - 1p.m. The Children's Fete will be held at the Barn. Be there or be quadrangular. Be sure to look for the plague rats in the market place to win a prize at the Fete.

Whew I am just exhausted writing about the schedule!
I do hope you will all come.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 7 replies

Pennsic Plague XXXVI

Robin — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:38:44 GMT

Hello,

Due to several requests, Circus of the Damned will be sponsoring another game for Pennsic this year, similar to the Plague of Pennsic XXXV.

Just like the "Plague Mice" from last year, special items will be scattered throughout the Merchant Area on the Tuesday of War Week for children to find. If they turn in their find at the Children's Fete on Wednesday, they will be rewarded with a prize.

(Don't fret if they don't find one of the items in the Merchant Area, we'll have plenty on hand to scatter throughout the Children's Fete, as well. We made sure everyone was a winner last year, and we're hoping to do so again this year.)

We're still planning the final details, but we're hoping to have another story run in the Pennsic Independant, announcing the, particular, "danger" that's brewing this year and letting the most people possible in on the story and the game. If not, look for posters in the merchant area and at Children's Point. They'll be loud and colorful and look something like this:

http://people.tribe.net/3a03e0b5-dc2b-4f43-abb9-508aad1d420e/photos/5a6ec0a9-95f6-4db2-94fa-8c2f4943b642

I hope you all enjoy it.

Sincerely,
Robin
(aka Raina Iskramor)
Circus of the Damned

posted in Pennsic Parents - 2 replies

Twins at Pennsic?

tribalmeg — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:49:43 GMT

Has anyone ever taken their toddler twins to Pennsic? We won't be making it this year as hubby just had hernia surgery this week, he won't be up for Pennsic, but we're planning next year to take the boys, who will be a month shy of 4 years old next August, to war with us. We would *probably* camp with our barony, but I've suggested the Hundred Acre Wood to the hubby, but he wants to be near his knight so HAW may not fly with him. If you've taken a 4 year old, or better yet two 4 year olds, to Pennsic before, any tips or advice? What garb is best for children in the heat, what kind of shoes are best at Pennsic, recommendations for keeping them busy and under control? I've been in the SCA for about 15 years, 4 Pennsics and 6 Estrellas under my belt, but these are my first kids and we've been a little inactive since having twins and are just starting to get back out regularly. We did our first overnight event in February at the Tourney of Ymir (polar fleece garb under the linen tunics and pants!) and stayed in a hotel and they were fairly well-behaved considering they were only two and a half years old. We're planning to hit Kingdom Crusades this October and camp with them for the first time.

I've been thinking about building a baby prison for them since they like to run away from me. I have a SuperYard, a large plastic enclosure (see here: http://www.amazon.com/North-States-Superyard-Play-Yard/dp/B00020L78M/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_3_txt/103-5003689-7581409 ), and was thinking of a more period-looking idea, either out of wood lattice panels or canvas panels. I was thinking out of canvas panels tied to rebar poles spiked into the ground? If I stretch the canvas tight enough they wouldn't be able to climb out from under it. Am I crazy to plan this? Does it sound feasible? The last couple of events we've been to I'd have killed for an unescapable enclosure for them.

I'm reeeeeeeeeeeeally hoping they'll be potty-trained by next summer too *crossing fingers* Even with Elmo's Potty Time DVD every day (they love it *twitch*) and offers of Thomas the Tank Engine undies, they have very little interest in trying to go on the potty. Would you recommend bringing a training potty along even after they are potty trained, for convenience?

Thanks all,
Berengaria de Montbeliard, mka Megan
Barony of Marinus, Kingdom of Atlantia

posted in Pennsic Parents - 7 replies

Bath time at Pennsic????

Dawn — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:51:39 GMT

Hello,

We will be bringing our 20-month old for her first Pennsic this year. Any suggestions on bath time? I can take her in the shower with me, but I'm afraid that she will try to drink the water (actually, I KNOW she will try to drink the water). We have a big ice-type bucket, but she just barely fits in that now. I'd rather not go out and buy a giant tub...do I have any other options?

Thanks,
dawn

posted in Pennsic Parents - 4 replies

New Pennsic Carpool tribe!!!

VKeva — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:27:06 GMT

This tribe is for people looking to get to Pennsic and People with some extra room: http://tribes.tribe.net/pennsiccarpool

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies

I need advice on Pennsic

Dzaya — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 01:00:43 GMT

I will be taking my going to be roughly 6 month old and we will be going for the whole two weeks....what are somethings that I can do to help make it fun for him, and to make sure that I dont go crazy? Any suggestions would be great...

posted in Pennsic Parents - 13 replies

Roll Call

Erissa — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:31:44 GMT

The Hundred Acre Woods has some pre-regged names on the list that we do not recognize. I am asking that Michelle and Micheal Posser please post to us so we can get acquainted with who is going to be in camp this year.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies

What we do with our kids at Pennsic

Erissa — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:27:35 GMT

There is so much to see and do at Pennsic that I owuld like to start wrting down the must sees and must do's to see if there is any chance of my making it to cerain events this year with the kids. For example, there is a Children's Fete in the barn at some point, anyone know when that happens? I would like to see if a play date at the sand box can be arranged. I know I will be taking the kids of my camp off to the Lake Morain at some point just to blow off some steam, if other people and their kids want to go we can arrange that outing. There will be two gatherins each week at THAW. There will be a Bubble Party in the first week and in the second week. There will also be two music and Noise parties at THAW. (we willpost dates for that soon) What else do we know we are going to do with the kids at Pennsic this year?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 3 replies

Who is going to Pennsic with children this Year?

Erissa — Fri, 11 May 2007 00:37:10 GMT

Well? Are you?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 22 replies

PennsicKids?

SlimGypsy — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:40:26 GMT

Hi, me again! Good news/bad news - they called me back to work. Stinkers. But, it means a turnabout in pennsic plans, namely, I'm going :)

But, that's not what I wanted to post about - I was wonder, you folks with computer savy kids, would kids be interested in a PennsicKids tribe? Have to be 20-under to get on - that sorta thing, except lil' ol me the moderator (although I hardly act like an adult :))

Would pennsic kids be interested in such a thing?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 3 replies

single mom; first time at Pennsic

Cathy — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 03:00:32 GMT

I have been lurking around your posts for about 6 months and finally made an eleventh hour decision to attend Pennsic on my own this year and bring my 13 year old son next year. I preregistered as a single but forgot to name myself as a land agent so I will be single camping. I have no clue how or where to pick a camping spot; I don't want to be near wild all-night parties, or swampy bug infested areas. I've tried to look at the topo maps but still can't quite figure out what the areas "look" like. Any advice? It seems like you have mostly younger children, so perhaps it might be quieter with earlier bed times than some areas but perhaps you can steer me to those with teens for advice.
Thanks for your input.
Safiya

posted in Pennsic Parents - 7 replies

The Slim Is (Sorta) In.

SlimGypsy — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:27:14 GMT

Hi folks, after touching base with Tribe the other day I realized that I sorta left the place here all to its lonesome. But hey, what'cha know, new faces are still popping up (HI! I'm the guy who started this tribe *waves at the monitor*) and the old friends are still posting.

Whew, glad this idea is still working then :)

As I have no plans for making Pennsic this year (unemployed and such) I'm not keeping myself too heavily in the whole Pennsic headset. Why torture myself that way, eh? (although...Pheadon DID have a damn good arguement...anyways) If you need me here drop me a direct message and I'll clean up any mess that might have found its way here.

In the meantime, continue to enjoy!

posted in Pennsic Parents - 2 replies

The Hundred Acre Wood compiling tenants

Erissa — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 14:29:27 GMT

If you are a family of at least one child and parent(s) and would like to camp with other people who share your need for understanding and a child friendly atmosphere, the Hundred Acre Wood may be the camp for you. We are currently accepting requests to camp with us. We offer other parents for support. We have Round Robin babysitting so adults in camp get to go out sans child during the day or in the evening. We also have a heady schedule of children's activities and entertainment, field trips and long walks to keep kiddos occupied. This is a camp centered around kids and parents. We know how kids can be and no one will complain that your kid is keeping them up at night because our kids are keeping us up too. We camp up in the B-Blocks were there are only one or two crazy parties and generally night time is quiet (for Pennsic). We have a kid's play house and lots of kids toys and projects of age appropriate interest. We are fun for kids and easy for grown ups. We offer the village atmosphere that makes it so much easier to have kids at Pennsic. If we all watch the kids, the adults have more time to enjoy their vacation and less stress overall. Our enrollment is easy all you have to do is chat with us at the Hundred Acre Wood Tribe and tell us about yourself and you family. Then you have to preregister.
SO if you are interested in camping with us please let us know ASAP.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 3 replies

Children's Period Games and Crafts Ideas

Dulcinea of the East — Thu, 24 May 2007 19:45:51 GMT

Just thought I'd share this site with all you parents. I rec'd the link from the Stonemarche list; it has a lot of great ideas and games in it. :)

www2.kumc.edu/itc/staff/rknight/MoC.htm

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies

looking for insight on three year olds

Erissa — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:49:17 GMT

Drew is three. He is taller than all the other kids and this causes adults and other children to think he is older. I had to pull him from daycare because the teachers kept thinking he was older, expecting him to behave older and therefor getting upset and frustrated that he wasn't acting older. But I am finding that I, too am judging my child's behavior by how I feel he should be acting. This disturbs me. And I am wondering if I am expecting him to behave better too soon. Does anyone with a three year have insight to offer.
Drew is very active and even more crazed and whirl windish when he is tired. He is very rough with his love (this may have to do with the rough house play he and his father participate play but jumping on grandma and grabbing her face is just wrong). He can also be very sweet and affectionate but generally not for long. He has become very fastinated with my nipples of late but he didn't breast feed. I am usually quite certain that my son is totally normal but lately there have been suden fits and bursts of defiance for no reason at all, to say there is nothing to defy at that particualr moment. He crazed and angry at one moment and then flirting with the bank teller or whatever pretty girl is nearby, the next. I thought we had eeked through the "terrible twos" of which there was not much terrible about it, is this just delayed twosomes? Am I giveing him too much reign? Am I expecting too much from him? Do I just not know what i am doing? Am I a terrible mom? Who knows about three years and for that matter four year olds (cause heavens know I will be heading into that far too soon). It is also the Holiday Season where my stree levels are very high and my patients in stretchs to maximum. I don't know how to manage my son right now.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 16 replies

Cloth diapers and Pennsic

sarasyn — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 19:44:45 GMT

Okay, so Caelan and I have decided to deal with cloth diapers to save money. Has anyone had to deal with cloth diapers at Pennsic? I don't know if it'd even be possible! I may just buy a stock of disposable ones to last for the event, but I just wanted to know if anyone had any experience with this, or advice. Thanks!

posted in Pennsic Parents - 4 replies

Pre-Reg is upon us

Erissa — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 15:03:53 GMT

Hey there folks, we are half way there. Who is going this year? Who is camping with Hundred Acre Woods? Who has more kids this year? All that. Wake up folks it is time to start planning.
Cheers.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 2 replies

The Logic of Kids

superjen — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 14:16:39 GMT

I have no idea where kids get their ideas. Some of the ideas are really wacked out. However strange, once they work something out... it tends to be consistent.

OK- here's an example. Since this is a Pennsic related board I know most of you will be able to relate. My husband and I were discussing our D&D game when my daughter asks what we were talking about (she's 5). I said Dungeons and Dragons, to which she replies... "Dragons aren't real. But faries and unicorns are real. They live in the wild." No idea why dragons aren't real but unicorns are. We had a nice conversation about the faries' and unicorns' habits and habitats too.

Who knows what she'll come up with next.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 14 replies

What a cute baby!

arani — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 01:25:59 GMT

Sorry, that's my boy as our tribe mascot up there :)

I tried to take a "one year later" pic of him in horns at MDRF last weekend, but he was having none of it... I'll try again at PA Ren on October 8...

posted in Pennsic Parents - 3 replies

Is Pennsic for Me?

Carnildo — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 20:19:19 GMT

Hi! I'm new to the tribe and have a few questions to satisfy my curiosity, if you don't mind.

Sorry if you've seen this on another Pennsic tribe forum ,but i was just pointed over here and thought i'd repost:

First my background: I'm 39 have a wife and 2 little girls (ages 6 and 3). We all enjoy pretty rigorously accurate as well and completely imaginary costuming. I for one am involved in the study of the medieval period as well as some peripheral mythology (Celtic, Arthurian, Norse, etc.) My wife is very into the Belly Dance scene as well as the costuming thing. Neither my wife nor I have ever been affiliated with the SCA and probably won't be due to time contraints and this weird idea I have that maybe we're getting to old to be noobs. We are renaissance faire regulars (MDRF and PARF) as well for what it's worth.

My questions:

In your estimation, would we find Pennsic worthwhile as "outsiders", i.e. non SCA?

Would you recommend hooking up with a native guide or is it the sort of thing we could figure out OK on our own and have a good time (we do know a person or 2 that go regularly)?

Is it really an OK place to bring kids (we are Burning Man vets and as much as we enjoyed it back in the day, and saw plenty of kids running around, I wouldn't bring MY kids)?

Even if it is OK with kids, do you think we would still be able to get much out of it (are the activities grown-up oriented to the point that my kids will mope and be bored all day)?

All in all, I can see it as something I would love to do, but given that you need to commit to a significant time investment (no day tripping), it's the sort of thing I would hate to make a big investment in only to find it a bad idea.

I'd love to hear back from anyone that has constructive input in these areas, espeicially anyone that has been in a similar position. Additonally, if someone out there with kids could give me a sense of a typical day, that would be really interesting as well.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might share.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 4 replies

Event youth/children's activities

Seadhli — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 02:35:51 GMT

I am not a parent, I am a Minister of Youth who is not afraid to be different or creative. I especially enjoy fun, period youth/children's activities. I have a few questions for you. Pretend you are going to an event that has advertised youth/children activities. What would you be excited to find at such an event? What would your child be excited to do at such an event? To be Honest, I am not looking for activity suggestions. I am not asking for "great coloring books" or "wonderful foam crowns".

Some things I have already done: leather stamping, finishing wooden hobby horses, painting wooden viking sheilds (buckler-sized), whipcording, mini marshmallow castle building, whip tops, Hold/Lay-on (Red Light /Green Light), archery tournaments (real and foam), and of course, Youth Boffer tourneys

posted in Pennsic Parents - 1 reply

The When and the Where and the How and the Who

vincentdorleans — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 13:40:47 GMT

This morning I stumbled on a poem I wrote some months back. I create new songs and such about every morning, and often forget about them as I follow the next muse. Seeing it again was like opening a present for the second time and being surprised all over. I'm posting it here because Pennsic Parents and Hundred Acre Woods are just those kinds of things, that took someone to imagine to make them happen.

The When and the Where and the How and the Who

Once long ago in a simpler time
What now we call rainbows were only fine lines
Straight to the point and quick back again
Perfectly drawn with never a bend

You must understand that the world was then flat
Nothing was curved, there was no need for that
Clear and direct was the optimal way
It always had been and it always would stay

As for the colors, they came in both two
For light there was yellow, for dark we had blue
One or the other with no in between
And this is the way it had always been seen

Then one day it happened that everything changed
When somebody dreamed of a world lesser plain
And brought us an answer, a path to that truth
The when and the where and the how and the who

They pushed at the middles and pulled at the ends
And created turns where no turns had been
Soon they discovered that round is all right
That circles are magically full of delight

Toys that had never been thought of before
Like balls that go bounce, had us searching for more
Loops that go looping and round rolling wheels
Then a miracle happened, the kind you can feel

A rainbow appeared, only this time instead
Of just yellow and blue, it had orange and red
And purple and violet and shades of bright green
Stretched in the sky in a circular thing

With the gasp of an oooh and the sigh of an awww
They stood in amazement at what they now saw
The world is surprising, the world has great shapes
The world is a marvelous, colorful place

Before something is and is written in history
There is once when it wasn’t and that is the mystery
The power to change, well it could be you
With the when and the where and the how and the who

© 2006 Vincent d' Orleans

posted in Pennsic Parents - 6 replies

P35 Garb collection by Ahz

Erissa — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 02:06:25 GMT

Who got garb for kids by Ahz? Lets have a photo session one day with fashion selection of Ahz's fabric pile. She did a great job. group photo time!

posted in Pennsic Parents - 8 replies

Children events

Aurorawhoo — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 17:06:24 GMT

Where can I find a listing of children's event. Is it all on pennsic.net? Or does someone have a link they could post?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 12 replies

FYI - The Hundred Acre Wood

Dulcinea of the East — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 23:08:32 GMT

I just wanted to let everyone here know that The Hundred Acre Wood will be located at B2 this year. Seeing as how we got our start through this tribe, thanks to Slim, it just made sense to post our location here as well.

We will be having some set activities for the younger kinder crowd during the war, and willing vict ... ummm ... er, visitors to help play with (read "tire out") the poppets are always welcome. Once we have the schedule set we'll be sure to post it here so everyone knows what will be happening and when. (Please remember though, we are not a drop-off childcare service for Pennsic; all parental/guardian units are expected to stay with their children while visiting The Wood.)

Now, where did I put that finger paint? ;)

Dulci

posted in Pennsic Parents - 11 replies

Hey Slim will we have the Kid's Drumming party again this year?

Erissa — Mon, 01 May 2006 14:59:54 GMT

We can host it at Hundred Acre Wood but we will need you to promote it and get people there. Are you up for it?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 15 replies

OT: Had to share

Erissa — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 18:46:42 GMT

This was too cute not to share. ;)

I AM A *TODDLER*

If it's on, I must turn it off.
If it's off, I must turn it on.
If it's folded, I must unfold it.
If it's high, it must be reached.
If it's shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it's pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it's plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it's not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it's in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it's closed, it must be opened.
If it doesn't open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it's a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, computer monitor, or table.
If it's full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it's empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it's a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it's a stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest and must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it's paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it's YOUR toothbrush, it must be inserted into MY mouth.
If it's MY toothbrush, it must be inserted into YOUR mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it's a phone, I must talk into it, unless there is someone on the other end.
If it's a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it's not food, it must be tasted.
If it's food, it must NOT be tasted.
If it has a tail, I must yank it.
If Mommy wants me to come, I must run away.
If Mommy wants me to go away, I must CLING ON FOR DEAR LIFE.
If it's sticky, it must go in my hair.
If it's bath time, I must run around naked until I'm caught.

And I add:
I must not go potty when I am asked but must freely pee on everything as soon as the diaper is off.
I must have the one thing I can reach under the sofa and scream until I get only to not be interested in it once it is in my hands.
I must not take a nap when told to but can fall asleep in the car just as we get to the driveway

Who else has additions?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 14 replies

Busy Work

Karlana — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 12:32:39 GMT

What are you bringing/doing to keep your children busy at Pennsic this year?

My 4 year old is quite active so I'm taking her to visit with friends with 5 kids so she can get some energy burned off. There's the playground and the War Week Wednesday kids event. But, I'm looking for more subdued activities for her, too.

She's in a pre-school program and they have to do their "work." They have a letter of the week and they have to trace out their words of the day. I plan on getting her worksheets for the week ahead of time and bringing them with us. I'm also planning a trip to Joanns on Friday because their $1 kids craft kits are only going to be 69 cents.

Any other ideas for crafts and such?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 7 replies

Prereg for HUndred Acre woods

Erissa — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 04:05:30 GMT

We are doing it! If you wish to camp with us we will be called Hundred Acre Wood and you should prereg under that camp name. We will need a good number of people to make this big enough. So far I have Diego, Dulcinea and someone else interested but I need to know who is trully committed. I also need soemone to tell me again how to register a new encampment and what information I will need before I can do it. What parens with Children at Pennsic this year wnat to Camp with "Hundred Acre Woods" AKA "Der Haven von Kinder"

posted in Pennsic Parents - 21 replies

14 Days Left to Pre-Reg for Home!

Dulcinea of the East — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 14:48:10 GMT

And The Hundred Acre Wood is still accepting families into their fold.

If being part of a cooperative that shares in the camp duties, as well as the childcare (giving you some time to enjoy War as an adult and not just a parent)*, then please visit us over at: http://tribes.tribe.net/thehundredacrewood. A brief introduction about you and your family is all you need to be welcomed with open hearts and arms.

To help make things fun, we will also be hosting some young-child friendly activities like a children's drum circle, a unicorn hunt, an afternoon snack with royalty, and visits to the state park for swimming (not to mention those lovely high pressured showers!).

Happy to have you join us,

Dulcinea of the East
Land Agent for The Hundred Acre Wood

* Please keep in mind that we are not a drop-off childcare facility for Pennsic, just a small group of like-minded people that want to help each other get the best out of War as parents and as adults. :)

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies

Happy Mothers' Day

Erissa — Sun, 14 May 2006 15:14:33 GMT

My house seems to have forgotten so I am sending out the word to all the rest of you just to be sure at least someone remembered. Happy Mothers' Day all you georgeous women out there. Where would any of us be wihout moms so it is very important that we take special heed of this oppertunity to thank our moms. Afterall it is the one holiday we had to earn, you have to be a mom to have Mothers' Day. Happy Mothers' Day Everyone!

posted in Pennsic Parents - 1 reply

More folks!

SlimGypsy — Thu, 04 May 2006 00:00:37 GMT

Erissa just reminded me why I started that drum party a couple of years ago - to get parents together. See, I have nieces and nephews and well... I have a cat... yeah ok, I don't relate :) But, I can kinda see the hassle it is for parents to communicate while watching kids, hence I thought why not give them a reason to get together in one spot.

That being the idea, I ended up starting this here Tribe. Now, I'm a fairly flightly fellow, and I'm not a self-promoter by any stretch, but I figure I'd point out that the more places you mention this here tribe, the more parents you'll know at pennsic. And while 'more the merrier' might not always be the case, it might make co-ordinating mutual needs and interests all that much easier.

And, it's getting back into the online Pennsic swing of things, where the general traffic increases as people think more and more of the coming War. So, it's likely there'll be more and more parents out there wondering how they'll gonna cope.

So, why not direct 'em here? :)

posted in Pennsic Parents - 7 replies

General Camp Necessesities To Keep In Mind

Dulcinea of the East — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 06:57:12 GMT

I thought I'd start a list of the general 'community' items that would make our camp a more pleasant place to live during the war. Please feel free to add to it as you see fit (a few of these have already been mentioned elsewhere by Erissa and Slim), as well as letting us know if a particular item is one that you can provide for the group's use.

1) Perimeter fencing - Something sturdy to not only afford privacy for the camp, but to also help keep the kinder in

2) Camp gate - kind of obvious don't you think? ;)

3) Fire screen - to help protect the kinder from the camp fire, while still allowing the adults to utilize its more enjoyable and helpful properties

4) Camp shower stall/solar shower bags - seems best to have one of very own if at all possible

5) Camp privy - would be handy for middle of the night 'calls of nature', especially for the kinder

6) Camp kitchen - hey, a girl can dream, right? besides, I like to be an organized cook. ;)

7) Camp table(s) - 1 is a necessity, but 2-3 would be very handy!

8) Large tarp/screen tent/pavillion fly - nice to have for community dry space in case of rain (which we're sure to have at least once or twice from all I've heard)

9) Seating - any extra chairs, benches, and such would be nice in the community area of the camp, especially around the table(s) for mealtimes

10) Coolers - for community food &/or beverages

11) Wooden wagon - for ice and Cooper's Store runs

Also, we should think about whether we want to do some sort of meal plan and, if so, how we want to arrange it.

As we get closer to the time of war we'll also need to draw up a Kinder & Camp Care schedule so we can all get this cooperative of ours off the ground. :)

posted in Pennsic Parents - 11 replies

A kids show for Adult

Godfree — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:08:13 GMT

This is a link to a video full of innuendos. I don't know if it was planned or not but I thought it was hysterical.

http://www.compfused.com/directlink/62/

posted in Pennsic Parents - 1 reply

My Perspective of The Hundred Acre Wood

sarasyn — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 04:05:38 GMT

I posted this on a thread in The Hundred Acre Wood tribe about how we forsaw future Pennsics for our little camp. I was told that perhaps I should post this here, so, you know what, why not? I think it's important that people know what we're trying to do here. I think it's good that people know what we're trying to create to see if they're even the kind of person who would be interested in our little community. And after all I've heard about people asking "Why should I leave my established camp to be a part of The Hundred Acre Wood?" I've come to realize that maybe there's some clarity to be made here. We're not looking to steal people from other camps. We're not trying to convince you of our better way. We're trying to show you a different option, a different perspecitve, and a different way things can be done. Whether you choose to be involved by living with us durring Pennsic, simply visiting to spend some time with the kids or to join in our events, or if you wish not to be involved with us at all, at least you'll know what we're all about. So here it is, my views on what The Hundred Acre Wood really is:

You know, when I was thinking about Pennsic in the first place, all I could think about was how I would have any fun if I'm always tied down to a child. Once she's old enough to do things on her own, that would be one thing, but what do I do for now? I'd have to either miss things I want to do because of my child, or I'd have to drag her along and let her be bored out of her mind. Yes, I could leave her with her dad, so that does free up some of my time, but that doesn't make for a lot of time for me if her dad still wants to have some fun. And what if we want to do something together? I don't exactly want to be sitting around watching my daughter do things she wants to do all day. So where does that leave us?

In this case, a children's camp seems ideal. Not only does it make for shared responsibility for the children, but it also means that I can let my child run free in a safe environment playing with other kids or working on a crafts project while I talk to other parents that I'm actually taking the time to get to know. After all, if you camp together, you really do get to know your neighbors. A community forms where it's not just okay to have my child around, but I can actually have some grown up fun and do some of the things I want to do right in camp with other adults while the children run around and do what children do best, wait, that's get into trouble... Perhaps what they do second best then. It's a lot more than just sitting around with other parents while my daughter is doing a child friendly activity. It doesn't mean dragging her to something I want to do and trying to convince her to sit quietly and play out of the way while I do whatever it is I'm there for.

A children's camp has so much to offer. Just the example of having notable people walk through the camp for kids to meet and interact with kind of brings in an element of not only the realism for the kids, but also another level for the overall experience. In real SCA period cities and the like, there really were kids everywhere. Granted they would more often be working than playing, but we can't have everything to the cent. Quite honest;y, there would be an element of historic realism in that alone. Then there's the way that children can so easily draw adults into their fantasies. It's so much easier to play let's-pretend with a child than it is with a bunch of adults. While the adults may be able to play the part and throw themselves into the role, children don't play the part at all. They don't throw themselves into anything. They simply choose to believe that they are there. The choose to believe that their little fort made out of some chairs and blankets really is a mansion with a hundred rooms per floor. For them, as much as they know it's just pretend, they're the masters of suspension of reality. I think just based on that alone, the camp will have this magical quality of something lost in time, no matter how historically acurate we are or are not.

As for unicorns and satyrs, as much as they don't really historically exist, that doesn't mean that years ago adults couldn't have done the same thing, dressed up as mythical creatures just for the purpose of festivities. For all we know there were small villages that would dress up in such means and parade around town with children following them or playing with them. There were certainly enough other strange things to come out of that time period. Besides, traditions such as dressing up for Halloween had to start somewhere! Children will always have their fantasies, so as long as there are children, there will always be an element of fantasy to everything they do. Besides, as much as I've heard that the SCA is all about historical acuracy, I've seen more evidence than not that historical accuracy often gets blown out the window at Pennsic. As a result, a little inaccuracy to keep the children entertained shouldn't be seen as that far out of the ordiary.

I know that it'd be great to have A drummer for the children to hear perform but what about drummerS? One thing I've noticed at the drum circle I go to every month is the number of children that have started showing up since I started to bring Corde. It's all of the sudden like there are children everywhere! And they're all dancing, drumming, and having a good time. What if we had a drum circle for the children? It certainly wouldn't be drumming until all hours of the early dawn, but I know how much of a good time Corde has at a drum circle. I think it'd be nice to bring that magic to the kids. I'm sure you could get a really good thing going for bed time stories every night, seeing as I'm sure there are excellent story tellers at Pennsic. I wouldn't mind doing a dance performance for the little ones, but I'd be more tempted to teach them how to dance. I'm not sure how well bellydance would go over with the boys though. Still, there are a lot of options and a lot of talented people out there who could bring a lot to the kids of Pennsic. I'm sure you'll find a lot of those people naturally gravitating to the group with children of their own.

I guess the point is that we're not trying to get people to leave the gravity of their own home camp. If they've come to one mindset as to how they're going to live durring Pennsic, then we can't change their minds. All we can hope to do is allow those who leave their kids behind, or aren't happy with the experience they've had with their child to have a place where they can bring their child and actually enjoy Pennsic. We're certainly not going to be looking to recruit those from other camps, but it'll mean those who are interested can have a happier Pennsic, one they're glad they could have gone to. It won't be like so many other events that I've gone to in the past where I feel like I don't belong and end up asking myself why I keep spending all this money if it's not the time of my life. And who knows, maybe some day our children will grow up and stay in the SCA. Maybe they'll move on to other camps for a while, but they may just gravitate back to their old home once they're ready to settle down and have children of their own. So now not only are we finding a place where the parents of the next generation can have something to offer their kids, but we may even be building a home for the children of the next generation of Pennsic goers.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 19 replies

HUndred Acre Woods and the Unicorn Exposition.

Erissa — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 04:16:33 GMT

We are planning to adventure for the ellusive Unicorn at Pennsic this year. This is going to be a dress up in silly costumes and go out looking for the ellusive unicorn expostion and we need ideas. Already we are planning to dress up as princesses and wizards and noble knights to go out and follow clues and pick up fellow adventurers along the way as we look for the unicorn but I wondered if anyone else had any thoughts about how to do this and is anyone else interested in joining our quest and should there be a unicorn ultimately and all that. DO you think a Unicorn Pinata filled with candy would be a fun reward? I had thought it would be a great way of guiding the kids (inone big group) around pennsic. I had thought that I might send missives out to certain services or encampments to encourage thier participation in carrying on the quest. Like we go to Troll and they say oh no the unicorn was here to pay its site fees but went off that way to set up camp check with (fill in next step). Do you think folks would play along? Would youlike us to come by your camp to get you to join up? Would you ilke to play along? Do you have any idea how this might work with the minimum of set up? I just need more input.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 15 replies

Camp Schedule

Erissa — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 19:03:34 GMT

Godfree, Drew and I plan to be camping for the full two weeks. Who else is going to be there for the full two weeks? Who will be there for only the second week?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 4 replies

Mommies Unite!!!

Tue, 30 Aug 2005 16:02:32 GMT

CROSS POST

Warning...mild pity party ... about to commence...

When my daughter is with me...it is all about her... my schedule revloves around what she wants to do... Darter is usually off "working" photographing something. So as she is my child , the burden falls primarily on me. I knew this going in, but, due to that it is really not a vacation for me. I am just parenting without the luxurys of everyday life.

At night. I am in camp with my child and reading her to sleep. ( note: now that we are at Pentwyvern this is less of an issue, I loved it there and so did she and the people their were wonderful with her...we were happy this year, but the previous two years were very different!)

I will not leave once she is asleep. I am a parent. I watch over my little one... and I miss the parties. Darter gets to go as he is often "booked" to take photographs, and I insist ( even though we all know we women insist but can still resent it) if I went without him, and he watched my daughter... well why bother. It is being with him that makes it enjoyable.

So for me, because I do not have a network (as of yet) of Pennsic Parents I trust. Having my little one with me at Pensic is not always fun for me. At times it feels a bit " pity party for me why did I come"

OK now that that whine is aged to perfection, let me just throw it out as undrinkable...ok?

Pity party offically over. I would like to coorespond with other mothers and find a small managable group of us with similar mores ( as in ...I would not take my 10 year old daughter swimming at the classic,with nude adults...if you would. I would prefer not to leave her in your care) and values and work on perhaps creating a co-op for childcare. Or set up play dates for our kids at the play ground.

If there were enough of us we could do a shopping day and several evenings out. And the moms could go together if thier mates were not attending an event they wanted to go to.

If there are enough of us...two could watch say a maximum of 10 kids and 8 could shop then take thier turns. The "coinage" would be in hours not dollars. and the kids could have a "sleep over" at Pennsic.

The rub will be at what camp? the mothers? or would it be best to choose a camp in the serenghetti or create a single camper entity to achieve this?

what do all of you think and do you think this is a viable option?

Either way it is nice that Slim created this tribe. It is nice to know there are other parents out there who care and do not abandon thier kids for the day at the classic or in the market place to fend for themselves.

I am always... mommy first ...big protective giant cat of a mommy ...first and foremost... but I would like to be mate and companion a bit more if given the chance.

Solange'

posted in Pennsic Parents - 15 replies

Camp Cooking / Food Plan

Diego — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 13:14:52 GMT

Rave was absolutely right when she said that is never to early to start thinking about a meal plan.

For long camps, like Pennsic, a meal plan lets you keep "freezer" coolers. Pack 'em with dry ice and food from later in the plan so you don't have to open them (which lets the cold out). Frozen food should stay frozen at least 5 days that way.

One thing I like to do is make pasties at home and freeze them. Variety comes in the filling. Here are a few: Beef Stew, Broccoli & Cheese, Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, Mushroom & Onion, Mixed Veggies, Turkey in Gravy.

Of course there are some things we have to have to keep the kids happy: Hot Dogs, Mac & Cheese, Cheerios, Marshmellows, Peanutbutter Crackers, Hot Cocoa, etc.

Let's hear your ideas.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 15 replies

Sad mad bad

Godfree — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 19:49:14 GMT

If you are a parent and having a bad day, or you are just depressed or right out mad at the world, I have the cure for you. If you can't perk up after this, you might need a specialist.

http://www.compfused.com/directlink/1239/

posted in Pennsic Parents - 5 replies

Recycling

SlimGypsy — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 00:09:43 GMT

Something posted elsewhere made me think of this -

A thread for folks to offer up or ask for those grown-out-of for Pennsic stuff. Hey garb is just as good a hand-me-down as anything.

Course, it's still winter here, but the pennsic bug's sure to bite sooner or later :)

posted in Pennsic Parents - 15 replies

The Hundred Arce Wood

Godfree — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:32:12 GMT

Well we have our own tribe now. If anyone who is thinking about camping with us and/or wishes to be part of the developement of the camp are all welcome to join.
http://tribes.tribe.net/thehundredacrewood

posted in Pennsic Parents - 1 reply

Portable Clay Oven - HELP?!?

Dulcinea of the East — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 19:40:57 GMT

So I have this bright idea to bring a portable clay oven (just a small one, mind you) to Pennsic. (A more authentic way to cook, don't you know.) The problem I'm running into, though, is that I can't find any relevent info on where to find pre-mades (in this country at least) or how to make my own.

I'm finding some info on how to build a large, permanent, one (6'x8'), but not for a portable . Am I just dreaming here, or have any of you seen anything like this in your years at war and other activities?

My hope is to find, or build, one about 2.5' x 3.5' or so, and that would take only 2-3 people to easily move. Since I'm part of a small group, I figure this size would be good to go along with dutch oven for cooking camp meals.

So, anyone have any suggestions or links?

My thanks in advance for your assistance,

Dulci of the East

posted in Pennsic Parents - 4 replies

OT: Curious George

superjen — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 23:37:12 GMT

Went and saw it yesterday... excellent movie! Not sure how it compares with the originals, but I liked it. I suggest that anyone could see this... they made it modern without losing the feel (example, there is an actual realistic explanation for why the guy is wearing the yellow suit with the silly hat)- also there is some tension without any violence.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies

Pre-Reg Update for the Group

Dulcinea of the East — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 05:19:46 GMT

I just wanted to let you all know that we finally made it into groups list from the main PennsicWar page, but we're still waiting to be added to the group drop-down list on the actual pre-registration page.

The Deputy Mayor, Baron Devon Adair Bartholomy, has asked that we be patient until mid-march. At that point, if we have still not been added to the pre-reg drop-down list, he asked that I contact the Coopers directly, as it's their staff that maintains the pre-reg site/data.

Dutifully yours,

Dulci of the East
Land Agent

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies

Definition of "Parent"

Aliciana — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 17:38:01 GMT

Pennsic Rules: Minors (age 17 or under) without parents or court appointed legal guardians will not be admitted

How strict is "parent" defined? If the child's parents aren't in the SCA, would an aunt (or other relative) or family friend be acceptable, so long as they had the parents permission? Is there a higher authority you could get permission from for special cases?

Thanks!

posted in Pennsic Parents - 5 replies

The Hundred Acre Wood is Registered

Dulcinea of the East — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 06:24:21 GMT

However, our group has not been added to the Landgroup drop-down list yet on the online preregistration form as yet. So, for the time being, you'll either need to register as "Landgroup Not Listed" (and then go back and update to our group name once we are added to the list ), or you can wait just a bit longer before preregistering at all.

I will post when our group is available on the drop-down list as I am monitoring the situation daily.

Dulcinea of the East
Land Agent

posted in Pennsic Parents - 2 replies

Market Day at Birka

Dulcinea of the East — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 22:24:12 GMT

I'm not sure how many members are located here in the East, so I was wondering if anyone else from the tribe was going to make it to Birka this year. It's held in Manchester NH this coming Saturday.

It's listed on the East Kingdom's Events Calendar, and info can be had at www.birka.org, if anyone wants to check it out. It is a fun event with lots of stuff to do, plus there's a Baronial AND Royal Court, as well as a ball, in the evening. (The merchanting area is HUGE!)

Dulcinea
East Kingdom
Shire of New Wyndeham (incipient)
MEaD

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies

An offer of entertainment?

wchasr — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:56:51 GMT

Well being part of a household and dedicated to camping with them I will nto be a part of "The Hundred Acre Wood". However I would volunteer to come teach juggling for a bit one day? I'm a pretty poor juggler not knowing too many trick but can teach basic to the kids that want to learn. Even the little ones are generally fascinated by it and at least will have a ball tossing a juggling sack up and down. I've had some limited success in teaching the slightly older kids if they are truly interested. If this is the cae I can also come with "supplies" for a nominal fee the kids can have a cheap set of juggling balls to keep too?

Any interest? If so I'll start looking for wholesale juggling sacks (BALLS).

Asked of me at an SCA demo several years ago by a little boy "HEY mister, can I play with your balls?"
My reply "No kid, I can get arrested for that in this county!"

posted in Pennsic Parents - 3 replies

Preferred Location(s) for Hunderd Acre Wood?

Dulcinea of the East — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 06:01:31 GMT

Greetings good gentles all,

As your friendly Land Agent, and before I register our group, I need to get an idea of our top 4 choices for location at Pennsic. While chances are good that we won't get any of them since our group is new, we still need to request our preferences.

Now, because I'm only familiar with the Pennsic map and not the event itself, I can only judge by the best looking locations. Unfortunately, what looks good on a map is not necessarily what would be good for our kind of camp. With that in mind, I'd like to hear from you experienced members about where you feel would be some good places for our family co-op camp.

It's very early in the morning on Saturday now. I'll leave the question open at least for the weekend. If we seem to get a sort of concensus during that time then I'll go ahead and register our group on Monday. (Hopefully we will generate a concensus fast, because I'm very anxious to pre-reg. LOL)

For anyone interested in checking out the site map before offering suggestions, the two websites I suggest for use are:

http://www.pennsic.net/maps/ (each lot will show you which groups and individuals usually camp there)

http://land.pennsicwar.org/maps/ (this is the official map)

Thank you in advance for your help all. Now, start suggesting! ;)

Dulci of the East

posted in Pennsic Parents - 16 replies

what about the teenagers?

SlimGypsy — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 02:40:55 GMT

I've noticed a trend in the tribe here, nothing intentional, and certainly not all inclusive - a trend to focus on the youngins. The kiddies kids, rather than some mention of the not so small variety of kid. (Being a not-so-small-kid-myself I note these things :))

Now, this isn't against the needs of those with the infants, but let's not forget, all you parents with infants will eventually have teenagers. (Bwhahahaha ... eh hem, sorry) So what's the deal, just toss the teenagers outta camp and go back to sleep? What can a teenager expect, and more to the point, what can the parents of said teenagers expect?

Course, if none of you parents out there actually have teenagers then that might explain it. Then again, if you know a pennsic goer (or other SCA type events) that does have a teenager, maybe you can have em post some words of wisdom and experience having been where ya going to be one day. Or maybe ya just needed some prodding.... :P

posted in Pennsic Parents - 20 replies

Getting things started

Erissa — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 04:37:20 GMT

I want to start a new camp. I want to start a camp that is focused on the idea that people bring children to Pennsic. I would liek to have it be a camp that is comprised of parents and children and has some sympathy for the enjoyment of Pensic while being there with children, an so forth. So getting things started I want to know if anyone on this tribe would come with me on this mew adventure? I don't even know how one goes about starting a new camp. Where would we put it? I am thinking B blocks above the battle feild, away from the highway and not on the serengetti but still near conveniences and on the wagon trail as it were. I want help doing this. I don't want to be the sole organizer. I do want to start to work this out now and get committments from peole to participate. Tell me what you think.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 23 replies

Nothing to fear

vincentdorleans — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 10:13:42 GMT

On another thread Slim suggested "Violence comes not from strength, but from fear. Our nations willingness to embrace fear has created a nation of violence...". It got me thinking about the role of fear in child raising. Rather than hijack that thread, I thought it might merit its own. There's two aspects I'm initially curious about.

1. It seems to me violence out of fear is reactionary. Some violence is self instigated for effect. Is fear always the primary reason for violence, or are there other reasons?

2. Considering the nature of childrens stories from my own youth, Grim's Fairy Tales and Mother Goose, fear was very much a consistant aspect. Then there was fear of spanking, fear of God, a general indoctrination of fearing consequences of non-approved actions.

What about today? Is all fear bad or is some fear healthy? What role does fear have, if any, is raising a child the best we now know? Would raising a child in a world as free from fear as possible better prepare them to lead a non-violent life?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 4 replies

Embarassing things our kids do/say

superjen — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:50:28 GMT

So, we've been telling this story to all of our friends, so you get to hear it to...

We go to a local place for brunch every Saturday. We were explaining what "brunch" meant the other day to our daughter- that it is a combo of "breakfast" and "lunch". Later that day she wanted a snack, but it wasn't quite snack time yet. So she decided that she should combine "snack" and "lunch" and proudly shouted out: "Mommy, I would like some snatch!" We quickly changed the contraction to "snunch" but we thought that was terribly funny.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 3 replies

The Village v Family

SlimGypsy — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 03:36:16 GMT

Waaaaaay back on P.N I posted a comment on the idea that "It takes a village to raise a child" and this resulted in some interested comments and debate. Well, seein' as a I have a group of interested parents here (at least interested in Pennsic, feel free to skip this thread :)) I figured I'd revisit the idea.

First off, when I first brought this idea up, it was an interest in the "intentionally created society," be it the SCA, Pennsic, RenFaire folks and so on. How do people create, from scratch, an entire society with rules and structure? Note, such things do have some elements of organic - created as needed - elements, but by and large it's created intentionally to fit a mold.

We never got to that point, folks started debating the Village vs the Family point. Fair enough, let's start there then.

To start, I am of the mind that it takes a village, but I don't actually recall explaining what I mean by that phrase. Best start with that then - As a parent one must accept that you are not the sole source of knowledge and development for your children. Granted, you are primary, but you are not singular. Who are these others adding input to your childs development?

My arguement is that these "others" are that village, and if that village is populated by strangers, half-recognized teachers, unknown neighbors and influences unwanted than the village is failing you and your children. Or, in effect, you don't have a village to raise the child in because you don't live in a village.

For me, "getting back to family values" would be living in such a village, wherein I knew the teachers, neighbors and trusted that when strangers did arrive someone I did know was looking out for me and mine. Of course, I once again point out that I (still) don't have kids. Heck, check the time stamp here, it's 10:30 on a saturday night and I'm posting online :P

But, beyond the likeliness of me having kids, I'd still rather live in a village than with so many strangers. And, it was my original intent to suggest that this appeal is what creates that Pennsic magic.

With that said, are there any of the dissenting voices from P.N (or simply disenting voices that never made it to P.N) here? I'm still interested in a healthy and reasoned debate and conversation on the matter.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 14 replies

Pennsic Parent Practice

Erissa — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 03:33:20 GMT

Does anyone live near me (in Baltimore) or close enough that wants to do a Pennsic Parenting camping trip on a weekend? We could do it out in the woods or in my back yard. It is just a spur of the moment idea. Not really developed fully but is there anyone out there?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 12 replies

I'll be back...

SlimGypsy — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 23:31:46 GMT

Hi folks, sorry I've gone missing - been having problems with the computer and the folks who are suppose to know what to do with such things can't seem to figure it out. A neighbor just loaned me his outdated laptop which can still get online, so I'm here for a bit at least :)

How's everyone been doin?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 5 replies

"Cute" things our kids do

Erissa — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:55:10 GMT

Today we (or rather Drew) discovered that three Kix cereal peices will fit up our nose before it hurts and mommy has to get it out.

Yesterday we discovered that a clothes pin isn't comfortable when stuck down our diaper.

Last week it took mommy a very long time to explain why it isn't "cute" to throw my toy dinosaur into the ceiling fan.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 18 replies

First event

Christina — Sun, 11 Sep 2005 02:01:17 GMT

As I'm new to the SCA and so want this to be a family thing I'm planning to attend the Known World animal Symposium at the end of this month. It's only a weekend event but the first for the whole family being myself , my 9 year old daughter 4 year old son and husband whos comming because I asked him too( as he says "this is your thing but I'll check it out with you") any suggestions thoughts ideas stories for first event? I have know idea how the kids will react once in garb and in a very new setting though they both ask to wear thier garb around the house and I apperantly did such a good job with my sons tunic he begged and I relented to let him sleep in it.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 5 replies

Pennsic childs supplies?

wchasr — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 18:41:31 GMT

Ok I know my wife & I have started a mental list of things that would be required for us to take the grils to Pennsic but haven't set a hard date of when we will take them. So far this is the list as I can remember it.

1) A camp potty (NOT a training potty) We probably won't take the girls until they are both potty trained and even then we will probably invest in a tent potty for us.
2) A small kiddie pool for bathing and cooling off.
3) Easily transportable toys that will keep them occupied but not annoy anyone else in camp (too much anyway). Perod toys would be great BUT that's not too realistic for a week.

These three things come to mind right off.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks!

posted in Pennsic Parents - 19 replies

Photo's

SlimGypsy — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 00:13:01 GMT

HEY! You all are parents! Don't even try that "I don't have any pic's that fit" line on me. HA! I ain't gonna buy that. So serve em up, ya got kids, I know someone's gotta have a pic.

OH, and in case ya missed it, I don't have a photo for this tribe (Hey, *I* don't have any kids :P) so give me a good group shot of kids/parents/pennsic and all that for this here tribe.

And, last but not least, don't be shy folks, start some threads... I feel like a matron at a mixer's party have a hard time getting folks on to the dance floor. :)

posted in Pennsic Parents - 19 replies

How this got started...

SlimGypsy — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 18:20:45 GMT

A couple Wars back I noted that folks with kids were having a hard time getting out. Well, I figured, why not get them altogether in one spot and see if they couldn't help work something out - at least get to know each other.

It sorta worked. The kids loved it, the parents were happy with it, but let's face it, a bunch of kids running about having fun is a bigger distraction than any one kid. Well, here's an extension of that idea, and your kids won't be banging on a bunch of drums while you post. Ok, maybe they will, but that's between you and your neighbors :)

All in all, parents have it hard enough, so if you folks can share tips, babysitters and ideas, I figure it'll help give you a needed break.

Me, I'm gonna take another nap :P

posted in Pennsic Parents - 14 replies

Pennsic Scares

Godfree — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 17:11:15 GMT

This should be a fun topic. There must be a million way to dread, taking a small child to war. My son's first war was a breeze being 4 months old. When it got to hot we would go to a museum. But when he was 1 and 4 months and had found his feet, it was a different matter. I was mortified about what could happen. Would he find a pretty in the coils of the fire or would he squeeze out of the bottom of the tent during the night. I couldn't stop drumming up scenarios of what if. But after we got there we realized that it wasn’t the nightmare that I had imagined. Thou there were a few scares.

One instance was during the first week of war when we didn’t have a sheet was yet. Drew being quick on his feet, and catching me with my guard down, decided that he wanted to check out his surroundings. We were setting up camp up on Hangover/Old Tuchux Hill, next to Black Rose. There were a lot of cars and trucks all lined up along the road. Drew took his chance and made a break for it and headed straight for the road. He was between the tents and almost to the road when I noticed him running all out. I dropped what I had in my hand and sprinted across camp just as he reached the road. I reached out and snatched him up by his shirt and yanked him back just as a pick-up was going by. I think I would of lost it on the poor lad if it wasn’t for the cheers of “Nice Catch!” and applause that I received for The Black Rose. There were some twelve or so spectators over there who said that all they saw was the small tot reaching the road at a very bad point and just as all hope was lost an arm, some thirty feet long reached out and snatched him back into the fold of the camp.
At that point the boy was put into a harness and leash. Shortly there after we put up a great wall that ended any chance of escape.
http://pennsic.net/cgi-bin/pennsic/photos04.cgi?cat=Shakra

Some people would look at us with his dog extend-o- leash and harness and give us looks but we would just say to ourselves, they don’t have kids. I loved it. I would take Drew for walks up and down the road and I would tell people on the road, “Look out, he is out of his cage! Careful he is a biter.” He loved it too. He would growl and make animal noises. Mostly that of a lion.

Well it’s a start. Anyone else have there hair turn gray by a child?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 9 replies

Babysittin'

SlimGypsy — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 00:09:32 GMT

No, no, I'm not recommending myself. Geez, I thought you all liked your kids more than that :P

BUT, I figure a thread where folks can post a request, organize some co-help, and even offer their services (anyone wanna take a bet on how long it takes someone to log on just to offer babysitting services?) might be handy.

Well, here it is. Make it work... :)

posted in Pennsic Parents - 19 replies

Ye olde swimming hole : children and swimming at Pennsic

Tue, 30 Aug 2005 15:31:37 GMT

I am posting a part of what I wrote under a topic on The Vulgar Unicorn started by Darter about the loss of the Family Swimming hole.

Being a pro-active person I do not believe in just bitching and saying "somebody otta do something" I believe in "doing something" to that end I submitt the following:

Next year I will even coordinate a caravan for people who want to go to the lake swimming ( not a day care, baby sitting service ...parents must come with thier children) but a car pool of all of us with minor kids who are wilting in the hot august sun and whining for a pool

Solange`

That would be Lake Aurthur at Moraine State Park...about 10 minutes from the parking lot ( the back way) . No cost, for entry or parking. Flushies and a beach for the parents to relax on. Bring your mundane bathing suits and join us.

Now the question becomes .... what day, and who wants to go?

posted in Pennsic Parents - 17 replies

Connected Tribes

SlimGypsy — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 18:22:29 GMT

I was amazed to discover that Connected Tribes is solely based upon the current members of the given tribe and cannot be edited by the moderator.

http://philly.tribe.net/thread/ab4100f9-7122-44f5-943d-8498379d5d43?tribeid=6abb28b1-064a-4574-99de-18d5fb0539c8&r=10319

There's the thread that explains that. Anyways, as soon as some of you show up, there will be less of my wierd selections up there and a balance of Pennsic'er stuff.

posted in Pennsic Parents - 0 replies