What is Camp Really Like?

 

Every camper I asked today told me camp was so much fun, and then launched into a story about their new friends, or something that just happened, or something that made them laugh so hard that the thought made them laugh again and they couldn't tell me.  So you know they must be having lots of fun.

Full disclosure I have to say the day may not have started off so wonderful as our camper woke up to rain.  They got up and did their chores, such as cleaning the cabins, making their bed, sweeping, and getting the cabin ready for inspection.  Then it was time to head to breakfast.  The first meal of the day included sausage and pancakes as well as a selection of cereals and fresh fruit.  They were happy campers filling up for the day ahead.

By 9 am the rain had stopped and out came the sun.  That also meant out came the bathing suits as campers spread across the camp (but in their group) to explore and see what this camp has to offer.   On the schedule for today were some really neat things.  We caught campers doing arts and crafts, swimming, canoeing, riding horses, on the archery range, and much more.  Groups are together by age and switch from one activity to the next.

When it was time to switch to lunch you would have thought these campers had never had breakfast.   The pizza for lunch (both pepperoni and cheese) didn't have a chance.  Our campers devoured it and enjoyed the salad bar to go along with it. usually around lunch there is also a little nap time which is awesome because our campers needed a little down time.  Also thanks to a partnership with the reading program in Rockingham county the campers got a chance to pick a book to have and read.  For many of our campers that book and having a little old fashioned entertainment was a highlight.

Our campers went back out to complete their activities.  Some went to archery, the pool, and even on a hike to the beaver pond.  Mid afternoon is a chance to go to the camp store and get a drink, and little snack like chips or ice cream.  while them eat them in the cool of the rec hall they also have a little free time to talk with other campers not in their groups, play four square, or do other fun stuff and have a break from their schedules.

It wasn't long before dinner was upon us.  Tonight was taco night.  You make your own and have the choices of ground beef, tomatoes, cheese and lettuce.  There were flour tortillas hard shells, and even chips in case you were going for more of a nacho type of construction.  They also had corn to add to this special and fun meal.  After there was pudding for dessert.

Traditionally flag lowering comes after everyone eats.  However because of the morning rain the flags never went up the flag pole so our campers were wondering what was going on.  Well this is also the time for camp announcements and the most important announcement of all-the cleanest cabin award.  The winner of this most important of all camp tradition, is awarded the gold faucet.  Second place gets teh silver toilet seat, and third received the bronze tooth brush.  Today third place went to the boys in cabin 7, second to girls in cabin 2, and first place went to the girls in cabin three!   Campers and counselors are already plotting how to win these coveted prizes tomorrow.

After all that fun you might think we would be exhausted.  Alas, the fun was just beginning as it was time for evening activity.  On the schedule for tonight was water sports for half the group and Night Hike and s'mores for the other half.  Tomorrow they will switch.  Water sports includes the slip and slide, water relay games, pool time, and jumping in the lake (not to worry everyone had on a life jacket).  Night hike goes over the swinging bridge to the pioneer cabin where they play games and make that incredible treat of s'mores.   After all of that it was time for a juice break and off to the cabins for showers and to hit the sack because tomorrow morning and new fun will come early.  

If you would like to see all the photos of the day please click on this link.  Also as counties share photos we will add to each day so feel free to come back to this post and click the link to see if we have added some more photos of our fun.

PS....Parents you may notice I write these post late at night because I don't want to miss anything we have done.  I often try during the day to post photos on our different social media accounts.  I can do this because we have internet at two locations at camp.  However late last night our internet went down  for a few hours and there is no cell signal so writing and posting was challenging.  However I am glad to say in the wee hours our internet came back online and we are back in business.  Please note our plan is to post each night so that when you awake there is a post.  If we are running late it probably has more to do with being in a beautiful albeit non technology friendly zone and we ask for patience and grace as we get our post to you as quickly as possible.   We appreciate your understanding.

 

Camp, Our Favorite Time of Year

   

Sunday morning, bright and early.  That is when we traditionally leave from week long overnight camp at Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center, and this year was no different.  We started out with registration at the NC Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center office.  Ms Wendy came in to help out as folks came in to sign in, and get the skinny on a week away from home and parents.

  We boarded our bus with Ms. Toni and headed to Asheboro for lunch.  Golden Corral was so kind about making sure everyone got fed and took good care of us.  We left there with full stomachs and made the last leg of our journey to Betsy Jeff Penn in Reidsville.

   Arriving safely at BJP we unload the bus and headed to the craft shelter for the boys and the top of the hill for the girls.  We got checked in and found out which cabin was ours.  We picked bunks and unpacked, making friends pretty quickly.  We took a little tour, played some games and before we knew it it was time for dinner.

  Tonight we had a cookout for dinner.  Hot Dogs with all the fixings, baked beans, chips, watermelon, and fresh chocolate chip cookies.  Yum-Yum!  After we got our fill (we got seconds until it all ran out) we headed to the rec hall. 

  The rec hall tonight we learned some camp rules, and met all the staff and agents.  There sure are a lot of adults on hand.  After meeting everyone we went on a riddle tour.  The older youth actually got a chance to jump in the pool and take their swim test while all of this was going on.  

Then we kicked back and enjoyed our first campfire complete with repeat after

me songs, skits, and just some good old fashioned fun.  After campfire it was time to go back to our cabins, shower, and go to bed.  It has been an exciting first day and tomorrow will be filled with exciting fun.

  We start our day early with breakfast and cabin cleaning chores.  That's important because tomorrow is our first ever cabin inspection and the golden faucet award is up for grabs.  To see our photos from today, please click here.

TweenSPACE

About TweenSPACE

The aim of this study is to better understand how children's eating behaviors are related to their sleep, activity, and environment. This study is being conducted by the Family Health and Eating Lab at Penn State University (Principal Investigator: Dr. Emily Hohman). What will happen if I participate? - You and your child will attend a virtual research visit using Zoom. Before the Zoom visit, we will mail you a package containing everything you need to complete the study. During the Zoom visit, a research assistant will help you measure your child's height and weight to confirm their eligibility. If your child is eligible to continue with the study, the research assistant will then go over how to complete the two week at-home data collection protocol. - Your child will wear two activity monitors (similar to a Fitbit) on their wrist and hip, and answer surveys on a smartphone several times a day for two weeks. We will not ask your child to complete surveys during school hours. - Your child will attend a second Zoom visit with a researcher to answer questionnaires about their sleep, eating, feelings, and health. - You will complete an online survey about your child's behaviors and your home and family environment. - You will mail the study supplies back to the research team using prepaid shipping supplies that we will provide. - You and your child will receive up to $200 in gift cards for participating in the study. If you are interested in seeing if you qualify to participate, please click the link here (https://redcap.link/tweenspace) and complete the eligibility survey, or call us at (814) 865-5245 to complete the survey over the phone.

Lending a Helping Hand

 

 I need to start this post by saying thank you.  Thank you to Lumber River United Way for giving us this
opportunity.  Thank you to our 4-H members, volunteers, and families for coming out and staying as long as you could until we go the job done.  It took a chunk of your time and we sincerely appreciate your assistance.

 To better explain all that has happened to make this possible let me take a step back in time.  Lumber River United Way's office was in a building that was set on fire.  The majority of items received smoke and water damage.  Thanks to the Robesonian, they had temporary offices at the newspaper until their new office was to be ready. The city of Lumberton had donated a building for Lumber River United Way to use, and it needed some extensive renovating for them to move into it.  The new office is perfect for the four person staff however it does not have room to put together campaign packets like they used to.  In casual conversation one of the staff members mentioned this and we hatched a plan to utilize the NC Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center auditorium and put the call out to our 4-H members, families, and volunteers.

  The call went out and out families responded.  We had more than 20 volunteers who stayed for anywhere from an hour to four hours until we got the job done.  Almost 2700 packets put together and bagged for Lumber River United Way to use as part of their annual campaign.  Our 4-H families are giving United, how about you?  To see the fun and adventures of the day please check out our photos.

Not Your Grandma's Etiquette Class

   
     Etiquette.  A word the is synonymous with good manners and grace.  A word that strikes fear in children who think it is another form of punishment causing you to drink with your pinky out, nose up, and have more utensils on a table than any one person should ever need to use.  When all Etiquette really is, is the use of polite manners in society.  Something that helps people feel at ease among one another.  Emily Post is the heroine of sharing the rules of polite upper crust society with the world, truly allowing everyone to be on a level playing field and feel comfortable with everyone around them.  Did you know that 100 years ago Emily Post's first Etiquette book was published?  A new version of this classic best selling book was written and released by her great grandchildren Lizzie Post and Daniel Post Senning.  They put a modern day twist on the rules of polite society focusing on consideration, respect, and honesty.  That is what we tried to share with our youth during our Etiquette Day Camp.

    Learning to find and understand the little signs is what we focused on in our day camp.  Our youth arrived dressed in their Sunday best as we learned what etiquette means, the top 10 rude behaviors to avoid, safe conversation topics, and even how to introduce our selves.  We gave them tips of what to remember and our teen volunteer, Maggie Underwood, told them different situations she had been in and how etiquette helped her through them. 

  Then we focused on the scariest thing of all...how to set a place setting.  With a knife, spoon, salad fork, fork, plate, salad plate, glass, coffee mug and napkin we did our best to set a table.  It sounds pretty easy but when you are not used to setting a table this is tough.  So we talked about some tips like when you sit down you move from left to right.  The first thing you do is put your napkin in your lap so it should be left of the forks.  Next is your salad, so you would need your salad fork, then dinner fork and knife, then a spoon for dessert.  We also talked about fork have four tines and four letters just like the word left, and spoon and knife having five letters just like the word right.  Of course if you ever get confused just watch your host and do as they do, you can never go wrong doing that.  

  We did all of this right before heading to Pinehurst and the Carolina Hotel.  While we were there we had a wonderful lunch where we practiced our table manners.  We actually got to sit in a private dining room and had a full table setting.  We learned about taking enough of something for ourselves whether it be bread or salad dressing (dot, dot, not a lot) and passing it to the next person trying to make sure there was enough for them.  We learned about buttering our rolls one bite at a time (breaking off the bite from the roll prior to buttering it),  and where our napkins go if we should get up from our seats.  We talked about trying everything but not yucking someone's yum (so if you don't like it saying, "It's not my favorite" is preferable to "That's nasty.") or not being appreciative of their efforts to cook for you.  According to many of our youth this was the most amazing lunch ever.

     After lunch the Executive Sous Chef gave us a tour of the kitchen.  Learning how all the kitchens at Pinehurst Resort work and how much food is prepared in this kitchen for the resort was mazing to our youth.  Of course their favorite part was the bakery and the big vats that they make soup and sauces in.  Many of our youth love to cook and like to think about having a restaurant.  This definitely gave them an eye opening into all the things that go on behind the scenes and how many people it takes to make things happen.

     On the way home we talked about the party we were going to host for our staff.  As part of that we practiced conversations with adults and things they would rather talk about than what grade they are in or what subjects they would like, and how to pull an adult into that conversation.  We also talked about guests going first, greeting guests, and making sure there is plenty of food, and in the case punch, for everyone.  When the time came members of our Extension staff were hosted by our youth at a mixer and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves very much.  Which after all is the sign of a great event.

     This may all sound like a lot and don't worry, our campers went home with a 4-H etiquette booklet that will help them through these social situations and more.  If you would like to see our photos from the day
please click this link.   

Dorm Life 101

 Getting ready to go to college?  Want to know what living on a college campus is really like?  Well Dorm Life 101 is geared for youth 14-18 who want to explore just that.  The day camp went over budgets, campus life, cooking in a dorm room, how to do laundry and more.  Robeson and Hoke counties combined to make this camp happen with the help of our colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP).

  We started the day talking about finances and how often college students have to live on a budget.  To demonstrate we headed to Dollar Tree for our first challenge.  Youth were asked to purchase an item that they would need in their dorm room to cook with.  After a little shopping they each found something that they thought would fit the bill.  We had storage containers with lids for the fridge and microwave, plastic bowls for mixing and heating items and measuring spoons and cups.  All great items that they purchased using good budgeting skills.  

   Our next stop was at Helping Our Orphans Thrift Store.  Youth had ten dollars to spend on an outfit and something to either decorate their dorm room with or an appliance.  When we walked in there was a sale on clothing.  Whatever they could fit in a bag was $5.  They took the clothing challenge seriously and spent the time finding clothes they liked and filled their bags to the brim.

  We headed down the road to UNCP for a college tour.  Our 4-H members got a chance to see what classrooms are like, what the dorm rooms look like and what type of housing is available for students.  Our excellent tour guides gave them information on living on campus, some of their favorite things, and maybe even somethings to avoid.  They were awesome with our group.  At the end of the tour they dropped us off at the dining hall for lunch.  Youth got the chance to experience college food and decided it was much better than High School Fair.

  After lunch we headed back to the Robeson County office.  There we started with the real life lesson on doing laundry.  We separated all the clothes we just bought and did three loads, so everyone had a chance to load, put in soap, switch to the dryer and fold.  Clothes were then separated back out to the owners and bagged to take home.

  While the laundry was going we did a little craft project for their dorm room doors.  Cookies sheets, legos, and magnets make a great note board and it was a lot of fun.  Our youth had a great time designing and even made ribbon hangers for these fun works of useable art.

  During snack time our youth made their own snack from the cooking in the dorm room cook book.  Mac and cheese or popcorn were the choices and they all jumped in for the mac and cheese.  They learned about measuring, cleaning up a mess in the microwave and utilizing environmentally sound practices by using their cooking bowls as eating bowls (as well as doing the dishes after).

  All in all we had a pretty good day of fun and accidental life learning during Dorm Life 101.  We will let you know what they think when we get their responses back from the evaluation.  In the meantime we have lots of photos from our day of fun!  

Island & Sound Exploration

   Well 4-H decided to explore something new this year for our teenagers.  In doing so we partnered with New Hanover, Brunswick, Cumberland, Pender, Duplin, Columbus, Hoke, and Bladen County 4-H programs to offer the Island & Sound Exploration Day Camp.  Hoke, Robeson, and Columbus shared vans and headed to the coast.

  The "Island and Sound Exploration" program is designed to introduce Campers to the coast and its wonders. We met Marine educators when we got out of our vans and they joined us aboard to add insights to our discoveries as our campers took part in an array of hands-on experiences that made learning exciting. After boarding our vessel in Carolina Beach, we traveled through Myrtle Grove Sound and the Intracoastal Waterway before landing on Masonboro Island. This pristine barrier island is where we explored the diverse biology of the beautiful beach, marsh and tidal creeks. Once we landed we started by taking a 15 minute treck across the island to do a little crabbing.  And we saw little fiddler crabs all the way up to larger ones.  

 After we learned about the life on the island and found some snails.  We did our best to create a safe ecosystem for them to come out and see us.  We learned a lot about survival of all types of creatures on the island and enjoyed fishing around for information.

  From there we went down the beach a little and did a little shelling, or should I say learning about shells.  Many of the shells you find are home to creatures so taking them away takes away homes, shelters, and safe havens for creatures.  Shells also have the purpose of helping against beach erosion.  We also learned what types of animals live in different shells and why it is sometimes hard to find that perfect shell.

  After our outdoor lessons it was time to head back to the boat.  We split into tow groups.  One group ate lunch under the shade of the canopy and the other got to dissect a squid.  Part way through the groups changed and those dissecting got to eat lunch and those who had eaten got to check out the squid dissection.  It was all very cool.  After returning we loaded up in vans and headed back.   Our teens said it was a good day and they enjoyed doing something they had never done before.

  Stay tuned...we may just be offering this trip up again next year for our teens.   To see the photos from our day of fun in the sun, please click this link.

JMG News

 

BIWEEKLY UPDATE | July 2023 Happy Soil = Happy Campers OSU JMG Summer Camp Almost Filled! Upcoming Trainings and Workshops! Happy Soil = Happy Campers! These youth understand the importance of taking care of the soil! Growing successful plants, first starts off with healthy soil. Allowing your kids to work on their own gardens encourages positive youth development skills such as autonomy! Click the image above to see St. Andrew's Episcopal School's youth building their own garden beds! #caring_for_the_soil Learn about soil testing and cultivating the soil from kidsgardening.org! "Healthy soil is the secret to a bountiful garden. Excellent soil allows for better root anchorage and flow of nutrients and water." Press the button below to read more about helpful tips for improving and maintaining soil health in your school gardens! Click Here to Learn About Soil Health Need help advertising your JMG Summer Camp??? Email us your JMG summer camp registration information by clicking the button below. Email US Here! Only a Few Spots Left for Youth Ages 8-11 to Attend this JMG Summer Camp in Oregon!!! Must Create a Free OSU Account to Register! Register and Learn More Here! Upcoming Trainings and Workshops! July 12, 2023, Fort Worth, TX Teacher JMG & Access Water Training July 15, 2023, Las Vegas, NV Learn, Grow, Eat & Go! Family Garden and Nutrition Workshop July 20, 2023, Fort Worth, TX Learn, Grow, Eat & Go! Teacher Training July 24 – 28, 2023, Dallas, TX The Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas Professional Development Conference Learn More Here! Let Us Help You Promote Your JMG Teacher Trainings! Submit JMG Training Here Junior Master Gardener Program | juniormastergardener@gmail.com CONNECT WITH US: