Karen's Campout

by Ann M. Martin

  “How?” asked Christine.

  “I saw you pack something you did not call out, Hannie,” I said. “I saw you pack a rubber snake.”

  “I knew it would come in handy,” giggled Hannie.

  Finally we reached our camp. I called Karen away to look at a bug (there really was no bug), and Hannie slipped the rubber snake under Karen’s backpack.

  You should have heard Karen scream.

  “AHHH!” she yelled. Then she burst into tears.

  I felt a little bad. I did not think Karen would be that scared.

  “It was only a joke,” I said.

  “But what if a real snake comes to the campsite?” asked Karen. “What do we do then?”

  “Time for supper, everyone!” called Rikki.

  I could tell Karen did not feel much like eating.

  Hot Dogs and S’mores

  Thanks to Karen, we did not have to take picnic baskets with mess hall food on our campout.

  Before we left, I heard Karen say to Old Meanie, “That would be too, too boring!”

  She begged her to let us have a cookout instead. You know what? Old Meanie was not so mean. She said yes.

  So this is what we were going to eat: hot dogs, corn-on-the-cob, and s’mores for dessert.

  We had two jobs to do. One was to gather up sticks for our fire. The other was to take the husks off the corn, then wrap the corn in foil.

  Rikki and Nora made the fire and cooked the corn. Then each counselor or CIT helped two kids, and we got to roast our own hot dogs.

  “Not too close, Hannie,” said Jody. “Nancy, I think you need a longer stick.”

  Finally we finished cooking and started eating. Everything was delicious.

  “This is the best meal I ever ate!” I said.

  The s’mores were perfectly sweet and sticky. (In case you do not know it, s’mores are chocolate-covered graham crackers with a marshmallow in the middle, cooked over the fire.) I was still scraping marshmallow off my face when it started to get dark.

  Suddenly, I saw something moving overhead. It was swooping back and forth. Back and forth.

  “Look, everybody. I think I see a bat up there,” I said.

  We looked up and saw lots of bats. Ooh, spooky.

  “Now, let me see,” said Rikki. “Here are the things Karen suggested we do tonight. Play Murder-in-the-Dark — ”

  “No!” said Karen. “I changed my mind. Let’s just sing songs.”

  “But we always do that,” said Rikki.

  “Let’s tell ghost stories!” said Sasha.

  “We always do that, too,” said Rikki. “Karen wanted — ”

  “Ghost stories! Ghost stories!” chanted the girls.

  “I know a great one!” I cried.

  It was completely dark now, except for the moon and the stars and the light of the fire. And the woods were quiet, except for the rustling of the leaves in the wind, and the chirping of the insects.

  I took my flashlight out of my backpack and held it up to my face. I wanted to look as scary as could be. Then, in a deep and creepy voice, I began to tell my story.

  “Once upon a time, on a dark, dark night, in a dark, dark house, a man sat in a rocking chair and rocked. Creak, creak went the chair. Suddenly, there came a knock at the door.”

  I looked at the faces around the campfire. Everyone was listening. They were waiting for me to go on. So I did. I told my scary story.

  Karen, the Scaredy-Cat

  If it were not for me, we would be camping in Mohawk Meadow, like the little kids. From Mohawk Meadow you can see the mess hall, the infirmary, Old Meanie’s office, everything. Thanks to me we were camping out in the woods.

  “Hey, Karen. You are going to walk with us, aren’t you?” said Nancy. “The Three Musketeers have to stick together.”

  I was glad Hannie and Nancy were talking again.

  “All right, everyone, let’s go,” said Rikki.

  We left the campgrounds and walked into the woods. I felt as if we were walking forever. I started getting a funny feeling in my stomach. It was a nervous butterfly feeling. I decided I did not like being in the woods.

  The more we walked the worse I felt. I was glad when we finally reached the campsite. We dropped our backpacks and started looking around.

  “Hey, Karen, come here a minute. There is an amazing bug I want to show you,” called Nancy, pointing to a log.

  I bent over the log. “What bug?” I said. “I do not see any bug.”

  “Oh, it must have crawled away,” said Nancy.

  So I started unpacking.

  Suddenly, I screamed, “AUGHHH!” A snake was under my backpack.

  Hannie, Nancy, Christine, and the other kids were laughing. It turned out to be Hannie’s rubber snake.

  I knew my friends were just trying to be funny. But that snake scared me. What if a real snake came along?

  We ate hot dogs and corn and s’mores for dinner. But I could not eat much. I was not hungry.

  By the time we finished it was dark. Bats were flying all over the place. I started thinking about how far we were from our cabins.

  Then Hannie told a ghost story. It was so scary that I screamed again. I could not help it.

  “Come on, Karen. Don’t be such a scaredy-cat,” said Becky.

  I did not want my bunkies to think I was a baby, so I shut my mouth and did not scream again.

  Finally, Rikki said, “Time for bed, girls. We are heading back to camp early tomorrow.”

  “Good night, Karen,” said Hannie and Nancy.

  “Night,” I mumbled.

  I hurried into the tent I was sharing with Becky. We said good night, then I crawled into my sleeping bag. But I could not fall asleep.

  I heard noises in the woods. Hoo. Hoo. Crick, crick. Whoosh! They grew louder and louder. HOO. HOO. CRICK, CRICK. WHOOSH!

  I jumped out of my sleeping bag and ran to Nora’s tent. I was crying. “Nora, Nora, wake up! I am scared!” I said.

  Nora put her arms around me. I told her all the things that were scaring me.

  “You know, Karen, I was thinking that maybe this week you have been afraid, not bored. This is your first time at camp without Kristy, isn’t it?” said Nora.

  I nodded.

  “Well, maybe it is scary without her and the other big kids who were here last time. Maybe you have been acting bored to cover up for being afraid,” said Nora.

  “Maybe. I am not really sure,” I replied. “But I feel much better now anyway. Thank you.”

  I crawled into my own tent. This time I fell asleep. But I was very tired the next day.

  We had an awards ceremony back at camp and I slept through the whole thing. I slept all the way home on the bus, too. I think the kids were singing “Big Blue Frog,” and “B-I-N-G-O.” But I am not sure.

  When I woke up, someone was calling, “Karen! Karen, you’re back!” It was Andrew.

  I tumbled out of the bus and into the arms of my little-house and big-house families. I could tell they were happy to see me. And I sure was happy to see them.

  Mail

  I was glad to be home. My dolls wanted to know about camp. I told them everything.

  Then I said, “Maybe I will go again next year. Only I think I will just try to have fun, and not be a know-it-all or a scaredy-cat.”

  They thought that was a good idea.

  “Karen, here’s some mail here for you,” called Mommy.

  Hurray! Mail. That is one of the best things about going to camp. When you come home you get lots of letters from your camp friends. I knew that Hannie, Nancy, David Michael, and Linny were writing and receiving letters, too.

  Karen’s Cool Campout Activities

  You’re Here Because You’re Here!

  Where are you? You’re at the activity pages in the back of this Baby-sitters Little Sister Super Special! And you will be glad you’re here, because there are all sorts of gigundoly fun camping things to make and do. So what are you waiting for? Turn the page.
That’s where the fun begins!

  Sing Along!

  When you’re on a hike, singing makes the walking even more fun! Here are some super songs you can sing with your friends. Hannie, Nancy, and Karen think they are gigundoly fun.

  The Ants Go Marching

  The ants go marching one by one,

  hurrah, hurrah.

  The ants go marching one by one,

  hurrah, hurrah.

  The ants go marching one by one,

  the little one stops to suck his thumb

  and they all go marching down into the ground

  to get out of the rain.

  Boom boom boom.

  The ants go marching two by two,

  hurrah, hurrah.

  The ants go marching two by two,

  hurrah, hurrah.

  The ants go marching two by two,

  the little one stops to suck his shoe

  and they all go marching down into the ground

  to get out of the rain.

  Boom boom boom.

  (Now keep going using these words.)

  Three … touch his knee.

  Four … shut the door.

  Five … see the hive.

  Six … pick up sticks.

  Seven … go to heaven.

  Eight … open the gate.

  Nine … sit on his behind.

  Ten … to start again.

  Ooey Gooey!

  (Gross-out alert! This song is really yucky!)

  Camp food’s made of ooey gooey gopher guts

  mutilated monkey meat

  little birdies’ dirty feet.

  All wrapped up in all-purpose porpoise puss

  and I forgot my spoon!

  Oh no!

  One Hundred Bottles of Pop

  One hundred bottles of pop on the wall

  One hundred bottles of pop

  You take one down and pass it around

  Ninety-nine bottles of pop on the wall!

  Ninety-nine bottles of pop on the wall

  Ninety-nine bottles of pop

  You take one down and pass it around

  Ninety-eight bottles of pop on the wall!

  Now keep counting backward until you reach zero bottles of pop on the wall.

  Arts and Crafts Time!

  Nancy and Christine like to go to arts and crafts. Here are some of the great things they have made.

  Acorn Dolls

  You will need:

  1 acorn

  2 small stones

  a paintbrush

  blue, black, and red tempera paint

  six strands of yarn

  two strands of a different color yarn

  modeling clay

  clear nail polish

  glue

  Here’s what you do:

  1. Paint a face on your acorn.

  2. Make two braids using three pieces of yarn for each braid. Then tie the strands of different-colored yarn in bows on the ends of the braids.

  3. Glue the braids to the sides of your acorn face.

  4. Use the modeling clay to make your doll’s body.

  5. Set the acorn head on the body. Glue it into place.

  6. Use the small stones as feet. Glue them to the bottom of your clay body.

  7. Let the modeling clay dry for two days.

  8. Paint the modeling clay.

  9. When the paint dries, coat your whole doll with clear nail polish. Allow the polish to dry before you play with your doll.

  Tie-Dye T-Shirts

  This is mega-messy! Wear your oldest clothes, because anything the dye touches will be permanently dyed. Be sure to make your tie-dye shirt with the help of an adult.

  You will need:

  1 white T-shirt

  one, two, or three colors of clothing dyes (depending on how colorful you want your shirt to be)

  rubber bands

  a pail

  rubber or latex gloves

  Here’s what you do:

  1. Gather up a section of the T-shirt and tie it tightly with a rubber band, as you see in the picture.

  2. Twist a second rubber band halfway down from the first.

  3. Repeat step two in other places on your shirt, as you see in the picture. You can gather as many sections as you want.

  4. Pour the lightest color dye into the pail. Follow the directions on the box to mix the dye with the right amount of water. Ask an adult to handle the hot water part and to mix the dye.

  5. Put on your gloves. (Do not touch the dye with your bare hands!) Dip the shirt completely into the dye. When it is covered in dye, remove the shirt from the pail and ring it out.

  6. Clean out the pail. (Be sure to dump the dye only into a stainless steel sink or tub. It will stain ceramic tile!) If you are using only one color, skip to step nine. Otherwise, pour in a new, slightly darker color. Follow the directions to mix the dye with water. Again, you will need an adult to help with this part.

  7. Now dip each of the gathered sections of your shirt into the pail. The darker dye will cover the lighter color, so don’t dip the gathers all the way — leave some of the first color showing on your shirt.

  8. Now repeat steps six and seven, using the darkest color. Dip only the very ends of the gathered sections into this color. Leave the other sections as they are.

  9. Let the T-shirt dry without removing the rubber bands. When the shirt is completely dry, remove the rubber bands and rinse your shirt in cold water. Be sure to wash the shirt by itself a few times before putting it in with other clothes.

  Daisy Chains

  You will need:

  pencil

  scissors

  paste or glue

  white, green, and yellow construction paper

  oak tag or poster board

  Here’s what you do:

  1. Draw a daisy (see picture), a medium-sized circle, and a leaf on your oak tag.

  2. Cut the drawings from the oak tag. These are your stencils.

  3. Trace 30 daisies onto the white paper. Cut them out.

  4. Now trace 30 circles onto the yellow paper. Cut them out.

  5. Trace 15 leaves onto the green paper. Cut them out.

  6. Glue one yellow circle to the center of each daisy.

  7. Glue the flowers together as you see in the picture. They will form a circle you can fit over your head.

  8. Glue the green leaves to the bottom of some of your flowers. (If you want more leaves, repeat step 5.)

  Now wear your pretty necklace. Talk about flower power!

  Leapin’ Lanyards!

  Every but every camper makes lanyards — necklaces made of long plastic strings. Kids wear them around their neck and dangle whistles or keychains from them. The most popular lanyard stitch is the box stitch. The box stitch may seem tough to do, but before you get boxed in, read these simple instructions.

  You will need:

  two different colored strands of lanyard, each six feet long

  one lanyard hook

  Here’s what you do:

  1. Thread the strings through the lanyard hook so that three feet of each lanyard hangs on either side of the hook.

  2. Let’s say that your lanyard is pink and black. Loop one side of the black lanyard toward you. Loop the other side away from you. Look at the picture to see what your loops should look like.

  3. Now take the side of the pink lanyard that is closest to you. Thread that side over the near black loop and under the far one.

  4. Take the side of the pink lanyard that is furthest from you and thread it over the far black loop and under the near black loop. Pull all four strands tightly. That is one stitch.

  5. Now loop one pink strand of lanyard toward you. Loop the other pink strand away from you. The pink strands will look just like the black strands in the picture next to step number two.

  6. Take the strand of black lanyard that is closest to you and thread it over the the near pink loop and under the far one.

  7. Take the strand of black lanyard that is furt
hest from you and thread it over the far pink loop and under the near one. Pull all four strands tightly.

  8. Keep going until you’ve finished the lanyard.

  After your last stitch ask a grown-up to light a match and melt the four strands together.

  Enter the Mess Hall!

  Here are some quick treats you can make and eat!

  No-Cook Hot Dogs

  You will need:

  three slices of thinly sliced bologna

  2 slices of swiss cheese

  1 hot dog roll

  mustard

  relish

  Here’s what you do:

  Layer your food this way — bologna, swiss cheese, bologna, swiss cheese, bologna. Roll your food up tightly until it looks like a thick hot dog. Put your dog in the roll. Top with mustard and relish and take a bite!

  Marshmallow Taffy

  You will need:

  two marshmallows

  Here’s what you do:

  Use your fingers to squish the two marshmallows together. Now tug and pull at the marshmallows until they are turned inside out, and the sugary outside is mixed in with the gooey inside. Keep going until the marshmallow takes on a hard, taffy-like feel. Now eat your taffy or use it to make …

  No-Cook S’mores

  If you can’t get to a campfire, these tasty treats are the next best thing!

  You will need:

  marshmallow taffy

  graham crackers

  one chocolate bar

  Here’s what you do:

  Leave your chocolate bar in a sunny place until it becomes warm. Place a piece of warmed chocolate and some marshmallow taffy on a graham cracker. Top them with a second graham cracker. Now, take a bite! YUMMY!

  Summer Reading

  Rest hour usually comes right after lunch. It’s a great time to lie around the bunk and read or write letters. Here are some fun camp books to read:

  The Bobbsey Twins Go Camping by Laura L. Hope

  Bummer Summer by Ann M. Martin

  Color War! by Marilyn Kaye

  The Cut-Ups at Camp Custer by James Marshall

  Campout Ha-Has!

  What do you do when you hear ha ha ha ha?