Wednesday, June 19, 2013

How is it Wednesday already?

We have had a great week!  For those of you who couldn't come, we hope you can live vicariously through these photos of our experience! 

4-H is a community of young people learning citizenship, and one component of this is our daily flag ceremonies.  Here, members of the Owl pack help Romeo and Tarzan lower the flags for the evening.  

These volunteers help fold the flag.


After flags, it was time for the DANCE!!!  This is a big highlight of the week and a special event for the last night of camp.  The auditorium is ROCKIN' tonight!









The smiles say it all, and we have had a great week.  Thank you to all who participated!  In case we don't get time to blog tomorrow, we just want to let you know that we will know our 2014 camp dates by late September, and we welcome all kids in grades 3-8.

Also, both Orange and Madison 4-H offer summer workshops from next week until school starts.  Check with your local Extension office for options and pricing.  (Many are FREE!)

Required Statements Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disbility, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Extension is a joint program of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and state and local governments. If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in any of these advertised activities, please contact the Madison Extension Office at 540-948-6881/TDD* during business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. *TDD number is 800-828-1120

More Class and Afternoon Photos

We program from sun-up to past sundown around here.  More photos for you to enjoy!

The tie-dyed T-shirts are so vibrant.


Our counselors were good sports when the campers had to make beards for them Monday evening.  Has anyone seen Marrs Bar or Ninja???


The counselors work on new songs for the kids.  Little Red Caboose is an oldie, but goodie.  Choo-choo!


Play ball during afternoon rec.

 We are CRAZY for ga-ga over here.  New this year was a ga-ga tournament!!!  Which pack won?


See that big hill???  That's where the fourth "H" in 4-H comes from: Health to Better Living!

Friends are an important part of camp!


Our adult volunteers are priceless and we sure couldn't offer this experience without them!  Smylyn and Goldilocks guard the bank vault as campers choose how to spend their money on the last day.  Sorry, parents, but we don't think they're bringing too many dollars home.  (We know you're surprised!)


Look at these pool moves!


Sparky and a camper got decked out for the plaid spirit day.


Fun times hanging out in the "ool".  If you don't know, ask your camper why it's called the ool.



Woodworking students built 2'x2' gardening boxes. We can't wait to hear what they plant when they get home! 


Nightly campfires are special.  After a rainy Tuesday, we were happy for a clear Tuesday evening!





Required Statements Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disbility, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Extension is a joint program of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and state and local governments. If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in any of these advertised activities, please contact the Madison Extension Office at 540-948-6881/TDD* during business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. *TDD number is 800-828-1120

So What Do Campers Do in 4-H Camp Classes Anyway?

In case you have been wondering what happens in our 4-H camp classes, here are some snapshots!

Tie dying has been on the agenda for T-shirt Art class.


 The digital scrapbooking class learned to take photos with iPads and then created photo collages with their captures.


Rocketry campers had to study the directions in order to know how to build their rockets and pack the parachutes.


Canoeing was calm on the waters of Lake Culpeper.


Teamwork and communication were skills learned and practiced on the Low Ropes course.


To the top of the wall!  That's where campers in High Ropes went.



Required Statements Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disbility, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Extension is a joint program of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and state and local governments. If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in any of these advertised activities, please contact the Madison Extension Office at 540-948-6881/TDD* during business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. *TDD number is 800-828-1120

Guest Blog by Olivia Camper

Good morning!  This post is brought to you by Olivia, one of our fabulous campers!

Hello, 4-H Camp! I was with Ms. Kaci and she asked me to be her guest and I said yes, so here we go! OK. So my favorite class if Riflery because I shot my first air rifle ever. I love Broadcast Journalism. It's all about getting over your fears, and I love this camp. Plus, did you know that Monkey and Chimp are sisters??? Plus, I wanted to give a loving shout-out to my mom, sister, dad, brother, NeNe, PaPa, Emmie, Reptar. I just wanted to say I love you guys. Please be reading this. I love you.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

We are having so much fun we couldn't blog!

It was rainy most of today, so we couldn't blog much because we were too busy having fun with all the schedule changes! We still held all our classes, and we all had the option to swim! Say tuned for stories and photos tomorrow!

Polar Bear Plunge this Morning!!!

We had a brave group of campers risk the Polar Bear Plunge this morning!  The early morning swim was refreshing for sure.  Some said it was "freezing"; others were tough and said, "That wasn't cold at all!"  Either way, we are grateful to staffers Chimp and Outlaw for lifeguarding and Extension Agents Kaci and Kelly for chaperoning this event for our campers.  Adult volunteer Asa gets extra credit - he actually took the plunge with the campers!!!

The photos show the sun coming up, the campers waiting on the whistle that okayed them to jump in, and then the actual plunge!  

Last night's evening program was the Duck Hunt - a series of challenges campers had to complete in their quest for rubber ducks.  We'll post more on that later, but we were excited to share the Polar Bear Plunge with you as you sit down to your desks this morning.  

Monday, June 17, 2013

Afternoon fun and Evening Activities

After a great morning learning lots of new skills in classes campers had some time to relax and swim. This evening, with a nod to our Camp Dynasty theme, evening activities included a Duck Hunt. Campers and teens moved around camp in their pack groups and completed activities to earn rubber duckies. We did have a passing shower so campfire was move under the shelter but we still enjoyed this special time.

Guest Blogging by Camp Teen Counselors

From Kel-Bel of the Rattlesnake Pack:
This morning started off great! A couple of counselors and I started the campers' morning off by singing some funny camp songs! After breakfast all of the classes broke out. I helped with Digital Scrapbooking, which is a new class here at camp. We took pictures from home and from around camp to make different types of collages. There are far more picture effects than I can count. Everyone has three classes and is looking forward to a great rest of the camp day. I know I am!
Kel-Bel 
 
From Blondie of the Hawk Pack:
I had a fantastic morning! I got all my campers up & ready. When we got to the dining hall other teen counselors were singing songs to pump everyone for breakfast. The breakfast was really good, too.  We had French toast, bacon & cereal…yum! Then we had flag raising. Classes started; I teach creative crafts first & we were making collages with magazines.  Even though I didn't have all the supplies I needed, I improvised with no problems. I had canoeing second & we learned the proper rules & instructions. We got to go to the other side of the lake & back; it was a lot of fun! So far camp seems to be going great :)
                -Blondie
 

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Great First Day of Camp!!

Tonight after dinner campers enjoyed a great deal of time in the pool. Never mind the adults standing poolside in sweatshirts, the kids thought it was fine! Luckily we I only had a few sprinkles of rain this afternoon, and then it was clear until sunset. 

Campfire was fun. The Little Bear of each pack was introduced, we sang songs, and the Great Sphinx came out of Lake Culpeper. You will have to ask your campers about that one! 

Everyone is doing well and looking forward to classes starting tomorrow.



Saturday, June 15, 2013

Count Down to Camp!

Campers are you ready.  This is your final day to get ready for camp!  Looks like summer weather ahead for the week so make sure you pack your shorts and t-shirts.  You will also need a pair of sneakers so you can take part in all the fun games and activities.  See you tomorrow at Noon.  Remember we are meeting at Wetsel Middle School.

Required Statements Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disbility, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Extension is a joint program of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and state and local governments. If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in any of these advertised activities, please contact the Madison Extension Office at 540-948-6881/TDD* during business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. *TDD number is 800-828-1120

Monday, June 3, 2013

Summer Workshops!!!

Looking for something fun and exciting to do this summer? Join us for one of these great summer workshops!

Rockets Away:
June 25, 9-3pm
Ages 9-18
Bring a bagged lunch
Cost $10
Strawberry Fest:
Ages 8-18
June 28, 9-12pm
Cost $10

Craftastic:
Ages 5-18
July 2, 9-12pm
Cost $15

Gardening:
Ages 9-18
July 8, 10-12pm
FREE
Tea Time:
Ages 5-12
July 12, 11-3pm
Cost $10

Storytime & Crafts:
Ages 5-9
July 29, 12-3pm
Cost $5

Day Camp:
Ages 5-9
Aug 9-10, 1pm-9am
Cost: $10 (day camp only, 1-4pm)
$20 (day camp and camp out)

I Make a Movie:
Ages 9-18
Aug 12, 9-3pm
Bring bagged lunch
Cost $5

Let's Sew:
Ages 9-18
Aug 15, 10-3pm
Cost $10

Camp Millionaire:
For rising 5th graders-9th graders
Aug 20-22, 9-4pm
Cost $25

For more information or to sign up contact the Extension Office at (540) 948- 6881!