Family Fun
How to do the Challenge with Kids and Survive
Credit for this part goes to a Mom and preschool teacher who did the Challenge with her two young sons and managed to keep them entertained and engaged.
Some Ideas That Worked
- ask questions of the volunteers. How many bricks? How many steps? Any shipwreck stories? Every worker/volunteer was eager to share what they could which encouraged more questions.
- keep a total of your steps. After every climb wrote down the number of steps. Add them along the way or save it all for a grand total. Who can guess the closest number.
- trunk snacks! After each climb we popped the trunk for a snack to enjoy on our way to the next location.
- give them the gps. Mine is on the dash but they liked being the ones to navigate for me and to look out for the lighthouse when we were close.
- look for the unusual. My kids were so excited to find a chamber pot at East Point and bats sleeping between the screen and vents at Finn’s Point. (They learned about chamber pots over the summer on a different adventure.)
- give them freedom with rules. I’m not as fast as they are so if it was clear, they were allowed up to the next landing. They knew to wait until I caught up and were polite to others who were walking back down.
- give them a camera too. Both my sons took great and not so great pictures. My older one was fascinated by the boats at some of the life saving stations so we have over 100 pictures on an old phone now.
- we enjoyed the shell whistles that at the one location the veterans were passing out to kids. They even taught my boys to use it as a whistle. Yes it can be annoying to listen to but watching them learn something new is priceless. And it’s better than them whining “when are we done” which I did not hear once.
- guess the ages of the locations then ask when you arrive. Did you guess the oldest/newest?
- try to stump the federal park rangers at Sandy Hook. My boys had a ton of questions by the time we reached it last (loved the celebration for our last checkpoint) they were shocked to learn it’s the oldest active in the US. My littlest asked where the oldest active lighthouse in the world was and the ranger wasn’t sure. He was so excited to hear even grownups still need to learn things.
- checkpoints. We didn’t count it until we made it to the check point table (as gamers they considered it a real life game to complete in one weekend.)
So you think you'd like to be a lighthouse keeper?
How to be a Lighthouse Keeper
The job of lighthouse keeper wasn't easy. You never got a vacation or even a day off. Sometimes your family could live with you, but sometimes it was just you and your assistant. And the uniform was kind of cool but there were lots of rules you had to follow - 74 rules to be exact. Here are some of the rules:
In July 1881, the United States Light-House Board published "Instructions to Light-Keepers." The Board listed 74 instructions. Here are the first few instructions to the keeper.
- The keeper is responsible for the care and management of the light, and for the station in general. He must enforce a careful attention to duty on the part of his assistants; and the assistants are strictly enjoined to render prompt obedience to his lawful orders.
- In the absence of the keeper his duties will devolve upon the assistant present who is next in rank. No keeper shall leave his station without informing the assistant present who is next in rank of this intention, and of the probable length of his absence; and no assistant shall leave without the previous knowledge and consent of the keeper; but this regulation will not justify the keeper in denying an assistant any proper leave of absence.
- An accurate report of absences, with the reasons therefore, must be forwarded monthly to the Inspector by the keeper.
- Watches must be kept at all stations where there is aassistant. The keeper on watch must remain in the watchroom and give continuous attention to the light while he is on duty. When there is no assistant, the keeper must visit the light at least twice during the night between 8 p.m. and sunrise; and on stormy nights the light must be constantly looked after.
- No keeper can excuse an assistant from his regular share of duty, except on account of disability. When such disability continues, immediate report thereof must be made to the Inspector.
- Light-keepers may leave their stations to attend divine worship on Sundays, to procure needful supplies, and on important public occasions. As no specific rules can be established limiting the times and durations of absences, keepers will be held to strict account for any abuse of privileges.
- In case of sickness, keepers must provide efficient attendants for the lights; but when a keeper is, or is likely to become, incapable of duty, the Inspector must be informed at once of the need for assistance.
- All keepers must acquaint themselves with the workings of the apparatus in their charge. Upon any doubtful point questions must be asked. When the station is visited an officer or employee of the Light-House Establishment, especially while the machinist or lampist is there, the keepers must take pains to acquire knowledge of every detail regarding the mechanism of the apparatus. Ignorance upon any point will not be considered as an excuse for neglect of duty.
Maybe that's enought rules for now, but if you want to know them all, just go to the Tinicum Rear Range Light page on Facebook. They've listed all 74. And maybe you want to reconsider if you'd really like to be a lighthouse keeper.