First Day of 4-H Day Camp - A Success!

Campers playing Twister

Two of my favorite days throughout this week are when we host our 4-H Day Camp. This morning we all woke up early and headed over to get a good breakfast in and then we headed to the Ecological Foundation at 8:15 a.m. When we arrived we already had a couple of campers there patiently waiting on us playing UNO that they had found in our bag of activities. Then the big rush of campers came in pretty quickly. We all gathered around tables playing Jenga, cards, playing with soccer/beach balls, and socializing with each other. I was so glad to see more Dominican Teens to help us out with the camp, especially because they are bilingual and they could help us when needed to communicate with other campers. Although, one thing I have noticed is that even though we may speak different languages we still can communicate with each other through bits and pieces of our language and hand gestures.

Chase with a special friend

About an hour into the camp I look over and see a familiar face, one of my best buds from two years ago, Edwin. I wasn’t exactly sure if it was him or not so I walked over behind him and said Edwin, to see if he would turn around, which he did. When he saw me his eyes got big and he let out a loud “CHAAASSSEEE”, I have never been so happy to see someone again after so long. We hugged and started talking to each other, with the help of a translator, he was glad to come again this year and he was glad that we got to see each other again.

Painting picture frames

The Incredible Journey

Our first activity for the campers was for them to paint their picture frame which will house our group photo that we will take tomorrow. Then we taught them about the water cycle using the “Incredible Journey Game”. They ran around to different stations (river, ocean, groundwater, clouds, etc.) and collected a bead then rolled the dice to see where they go next as if they were a water molecule. After the Incredible Journey we played games until lunch time. During that time I noticed a little boy sitting on the floor all by himself; I went over and tried to see if something was wrong. He was alright; I think he was just bored. Little did I know when I offered him to play UNO with me that Lucas and I had immediately formed a tight bond. He was the cutest kid I have ever seen, he was so friendly and it seemed like he hugged me hundreds of times today, it really shows you that they really care about who we are and they appreciate what we are doing for them.

Bead necklace at the end of The Incredible Journey

After lunch we split into two; one group made a caterpillar out of pom-poms, glue, googly eyes, and other materials. It went fairly well, though it was a little difficult to get the campers focused, but they enjoyed making them.
The other group went on a tour to learn about the worm composting project and the bees that they raise. It was actually very interesting. When the guide raked his hand through the manure he turned up a ton of worms. I really like that they are doing a lot to make use of their resources. During the craft the campers also got to have a tasty snack of crackers and peanut butter and honey, they loved them.

Worms doing their part to make compost

Then to end the day we had some fun with water relays. The campers loved them and it really made them use teamwork, they were even cheering each other on. Then we did one of their favorites, the water balloon toss. It went fairly well, it did get a little hectic towards the end as they started to throw them at each other and pop them over each other’s heads.

After the water games, the camper’s parents began to show up to pick them up and take them home. It was really sad to know that we only had one day left with them. I love them so much and wish we had more time to spend with them. We all said our goodbyes knowing that tomorrow is going to be a great day. I cannot wait; I plan on spending every precious moment with them.

Caterpillar craft

After camp a lot of us went to the pool and started a game of water polo, which was great! I love playing water polo. We played boys against girls and unfortunately the girls won, because of their backup. Then we ate at the employee restaurant to finish off the night. Well I better get to bed, it is going to be a very busy and fun-fulfilled day with all of my great friends.

Susanna, Arielle, Kelsey and Heather - new friends

Contributed by Chase Smith, Bath County