One Small Step for Man...One Large Step for 4-H Biotech

  Every once in awhile our best plans don't always work out.  Wednesday for our 4-H Biotech Day Camp was just that way.  However we are all in agreement that our rearranged schedule worked out just fine.  We started the day by meeting at the Robeson County Office where we played a variety of team building and communication games that would come in handy for later.
   Our first adventure of the day was to head to the Robeson County Planetarium where we took part in a program about the Hubble Telescope.  We learned about everything from stars, galaxies, and constellations, to how a telescope really works.  It was impressive knowing that science thought of years ago are helping us explore the universe today and constantly challenging our knowledge.
  After our incredible program our group was a little hungry.  So we headed to Golden Corral where everyone could find a little something to make their stomachs happy.  Our youth split up and we were no longer separated by county lines as our day campers reached out to make friends and are looking forward to seeing each other, each day.
  After lunch we loaded back up in the vans and headed to the Lumber River State Park.  There we met with Park Ranger Ronnie.  He told us all about the state park and introduced us to some of the animals that live there.  None of these animals were hunted and killed, becuase they are safe in the state park.  Some were killed by automobiles, or other instances and are now on display so youth like our day campers can learn what these animals look like (and how big they can get).  When Ranger Ronnie was finished with our youth it was time for us to do a little science at the park.
  We headed down to the Lumber River and learned all about black water rivers.  Then it was time to do a little natural magic.  Armed with mason jars, coffee filters, cups, and bowls (not to mention what was around us) we set out in teams to build water filters and filtered the river water, into what we hope would be drinkable (although we didn't try).  Our filters took many forms and we tried several types before we found something that worked.  The teams did great jobs and were able to make a noticeable difference with their filtered river water.
  After all that it was time to head back to the office and start processing what is coming up tomorrow...everyone is getting ready to bring their magnifying glasses with them as we solve the puzzle of What's Up? tomorrow.