Camp Wild Day 5

Kyya Chocolate Factory in Elm Spribgs, Ar

This small operation makes a big difference! Kyya is the official candy bar for the state of Arkansas. They pick up their cacao directly from the farmers and bring it back to the US themselves. A portion of the chocolate sales fund an orphanage in Africa. The owners, Mike and Cindy, are a wonderful couple with a wonderful message. They taught the kids about the different flavors of cacao based on where the beans are grown. We tasted 70% dark chocolate from Madagascar, Guatemala, Equador and Uganda and they were remarkably very different. One was  nutty, one was earthy, another was sweet, and one was so fruity it was as if a chocolate liquor had been added. The tour was fantastic. I'm signing the kids up for Bon Bon Chocolatier camp next summer! 

Terra Studios in Elkins/Fayetteville, Ar

The pot throwing demo was very cool. I was dying go get my hands on that clay and I think the experience would have been so much more fun if the kids had been invited to try it out. Anyone know a place that offers a ceramics class for kids in NWA? It seems like everyone only offers pinch pots, but I think Quincy and Corbin would both find deep satisfaction wedging on a wheel. 

Gingers unite! 

Glass blowing. This is such a beautiful art. I could watch these guys make bluebirds all day long. There's something very satisfying about the end of the process, when they clip off a clean, glowing chunk of molten glass and it settles into a little blob for the newly created bird to sit on that makes me really happy. Like playdough...that you can't touch because it's 1,000 degrees. 

Happy campers in the gazebo of happiness.

We limited our outdoor time due to heat, but the labyrinth, sculpture trail, Wizards cave, and chalk wall were all enjoyed.

Sloane was an angry elf during our tour. That happens when you're a teething baby and you sacrifice naps 5 days in a row to be schlepped all over Missouri and Arkansas so your siblings can have the time of their lives.  It was unbearably hot on Friday and we skipped most of the outdoor activities because of it. But my little angry elf turned into a happy Sprite in the sculpture garden. I think she found her "people" among the grumpy trolls. She walked up to all of them, giggling and saying, "Hi! Oh hi!" She kissed their cheeks and told them secrets and put her fingers in their mouths. It was  adorable. She found the magic at Terra Studios.