Wonderful Wednesday

We know we probably sound like a broken record, but this weather made for another beautiful day at 4-H Camp!!! We are so spoiled this week! We're getting ready for the dance and all kinds of fun yard games, but here are a couple of snapshots from earlier in the day.

We also spent a lot of time at the "ool", but water and cameras don't mix, so we don't have any photos of that.

Planning their final performance for tomorrow's closing ceremonies, here are the youth of Theatre Arts!

 "Crash" helps a LEGO builders participant with her design work.

"Applejacks" hangs completed T-shirts on the drying line.

Don't forget! Parents need to meet the buses at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow at Madison Primary School. We hope to send the luggage a little early, so if you can help unload the trailer around 5:15, that would be great! 

Required Statements Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, 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

Scenes from a Terrific Tuesday

We are happy to report it's been another great day at camp! Today's Spirit theme was Red, White, and Blue, and this is one patriotic bunch! These fabulous four are donning a previous camp staff shirt, and we so appreciate their volunteerism. We couldn't do camp without them! 

"Sharpie" on staff made an extra effort to participate in our spirit day, plus she helped the Skunk pack earn bear claws! 

The T-shirt Art folks show off their handmade flag print shirts.

Today's project involved tie-dying. This is a Tuesday project so the shirts can dry before coming home with the luggage!

 Salty and Pepper have some incredible workouts for the fitness class! Try exercise sliding across the auditorium. Feel the burn. :)

The evening program centered around marshmallows since our overall camp theme is "There's S'more to Explore at 4-H Camp".

One marshmallow game involved seeing how many marshmallows you could stack on your counselor's forehead. Thanks for being a good sport, Lil Red!

This relay involved teamwork and a quick reaction time.

Here, campers had to use a ruler to hit a marshmallow through the grass, around their counselor, and back to the front of the relay line. 

 The marshmallow toss was fun, but things got a lil sticky when holding the marshmallows in your hand!

"Mallow Ball" was the big winner for the night. It was a hand ball version of Quidditch, affiliated with Harry Potter. Packs worked together to score.

 Again, we are grateful for our strong adult volunteers. They make such a difference at camp!

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 Tuesday Class Updates

Our traditional campfires include "class reports" where the campers share what they've learned that day. Here are some updates for our readers!

Archery class was aiming for the bullseye.

Shazam, Archery instructor, is an Orange-Madison alumni!

Catchphrase was teaching tent set-up.

And then they were testing their structures. :)

Fishing class was casting off the dock.

Canoeing found a beautiful day on Lake Culpeper.

Campfire Cooking used pie irons in their wood fire.

And Sharpie, cooking instructor, is certainly dressed for the part on Red, White, and Blue Day! We love her camp spirit.

Intermediate Swimming took to the diving board.

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

Campers Brave Frigid Temps for Polar Bear Plunge (Just Kidding, Parents!!!)

We were surprised by the number of folks who got up early this morning for the Polar Bear Plunge. Since the weather has been so unseasonably nice, the plunge was actually much cooler this morning than in previous years.

The sun was just peeking through the clouds as we headed down the hill to swim.

Look at this incredible turnout! Their friends stayed in the lodges to sleep.

Champions pose...

Love the reflections in the water!

And they were off! There's a video below so you can appreciate the excitement.

Tough guys who braved the frigid temps. (Actually, they were fine in the water; it was getting out that was the problem!)

Here's a video of the plunge!

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

Afternoon Rec and Evening Talent Show Fun

With the amazing weather here at camp, we've ENJOYED being outside the entire time! Look at the good old fashioned fun during afternoon rec!

Gau-gau is life at 4-H camp, and you can see how many kids flock to it each chance they get. Gau-gau is best described as dodgeball in an octagonal sand pit. A playground ball is hit back and forth, but it cannot touch your feet or below your knee. If so, then you're "out". This fast-paced play is exhilarating to play and watch.

There was some serious jump roping going on, too. Several campers made a contest out of it. The record number of jumps after the rhyme was 70, and that's because she was cut off due to time!

Checkers and chess were options for those looking to sharpen their brains and enhance their strategic thinking skills.

The evening program was a talent show, and we had over 20 wonderful acts! Parents, you should be proud of your kids' courage, stage presence, and talents.

There were gymnastics.

Magicians.

Comediennes.

And a whole pack who performed a skit rather than selecting individuals.

We also had plenty of singers, instrumentalists, and dynamic duos. What a fun night!



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 Morning Moments

Editor's Note:  Oops! We thought this published before lunch! We got so wrapped up in a great day of camp that we failed to complete the post. Oh, well, nature, friends, and learning are more important than technology anyway, right???

Brought to you by Blondie, Teen Counselor

Here are some photos of our classes this morning!

T-shirt Art students were using masking tape to start their designs.

Lego Builders had loads of fun while starting to create their masterpieces.

Duck Tape started their first project which was creating flags!

Blow Off STEAM started off by looking through all the fun materials to start their projects.

 Riflery all took turns shooting at the first sets of targets.

Basketball class members were learning skills and scrimmaging each other.

Bubbly Bob introduced the model rockets project. He was impressed by one camper who knew all about physics and started into great detail to answer Bob's question. :)

Sports Mix played kickball, a game that involved everyone!

Goldfish makes a flying leap to make a catch and get the "out".

Then we were off to lunch for turkey sandwiches. 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