Running Away With The Circus

Camp is not what it was when I was a child. To us, "camp" meant you went away for a week or more someplace in the woods with cabins and a lake. "Day Camp" was in a park someplace, with arts and crafts and campfire songs sans campfire. In Mia's world, camp is a shorter, fun version of preschool. They have a different theme every week, such as Circus or Rain Forest. Mia's preschool offers 8 weeks of camp (several mornings a week) over the summer, and we signed her up at another camp in the remaining weeks. I have to admit I didn't pay much attention to the weekly themes, we just signed her up for everything.
Last week, Mia's regular preschool (which we'll call "Camp") was not in session, so she went to a place we'll call "Alternative Camp." She took a while to warm up to it, but boy did she enjoy it. Alternative Camp has all-indoor play on some great indoor gym equipment, plus arts & crafts, storytime, and the like. Last Friday when I went to pick her up, about a dozen children ages 2 to 6 were sitting in a big circle listening in rapt attention as a teacher (dressed in a clown suit but without the white-painted face, thank goodness) read a story about the circus. The kids had on these festive little paper collars and party hats, and their faces were painted. (For the life of me, I don't know how they got Mia to sit still long enough to paint her face. Or keep the collar and hat on, for that matter. She took it off as soon as we got into the van, and refused to wear it for the above photo.)
At the conclusion of the circus story, the children marched in a circus parade with little noisemakers, to the tune of Stars & Stripes Forever. Of course, Mia didn't want to leave, so the teachers invited me to join in the march. I complied, of course. (In case you hadn't picked up on it, I love these excuses to relive my childhood.) When the march concluded and the other parents began arriving to pick up their children, Mia delighted in making me chase her all around the play area. I finally had to ask the youngest, most athletic-looking teacher to team up with me.
I wish I'd had my camera with me to capture Mia's sheer joy during the circus march or ensuing game of Catch-Me-If-You-Can, but I'll settle for sheer preciousness instead.