Hogwarts in the (Perth) HIlls

I spent last weekend at Hogwarts. Well, maybe not THE Hogwarts, but the kids at the first gifted family camp in WA seemed pretty sure that was where we were and there was no mistaking the Harry Potter theme especially on the Saturday evening.

More than 40 children ranging in age from 6 to 12, along with about 20 mums,  dads and a Grandma spent the weekend at Camp Woody in the hills, enjoying the chance to meet new friends and mix with like minds. Many families travelled from country areas for their kids to have the chance to attend.

During the weekend potions were dreamed up and tested, anatomy was studied, healing balm made (not strong enough unfortunately to soothe my tired feet, but certainly marvellously for scratches and bites), magical creatures were designed, owls, marauders maps and whomping willows were created, teams completed a wide range of tasks for the Challenge Cup and there was still plenty of free time to spend with new friends.

It was amazing to see how quickly the House teams came together as a group, how students who are more usually reserved relaxed their guard and got right into things and how much energy 40 gifted children can generate when they are passionately involved in things.

The camp however was not just for the kids. The parents also had plenty of time to share their stories with each other, to share what worked for them and the ways they manage the challenges of life in a gifted family and to be able to talk about topics that interested other gifted adults. Many of the parents embraced the theme of the camp, dressing up for the Saturday night and even becoming part of the concert. Many commented on the difference in their child in a setting with like minds.

I did not hear anyone claim to be bored all weekend. In fact one boy lamented the fact he hadn’t had time to complete one activity in a workshop because he had been too involved in another and asked to come back in his own in free time the next morning so he could do it then. In fact the only complaint was that we ran out of time for the planning Quidditch game on the final afternoon. That really was a shame because I was also looking forward to seeing how it could be done.

Despite many tired bodies by the end of the camp (not just the kids) their minds seemed energised. I heard from several parents over the next few days how, contrary to expectations, their kids did not sleep on the way home. Rather they recounted events, wrote spells, made plans, continued drawing maps and talked about new friends.

The comment of the weekend would have to be “Why can’t these kids be my class all the time?”