Project, Project, Project, CAMP :)

We finished out our last week of Project Days with Horticulture, Woodworking and Electricity, and Home Environment! We helped 4Hers make nice trinkets to fit their personalities and make their homes more inviting. 4Her's made bird feeders, pop can lamps, dish gardens, no sew fleece pillows, color collages, pin up bulletin boards, perennial planters and they planted their own root vegetables. The best part about project days is seeing the kids express themselves through the different activities. Personalities truly do shine in these activities! We also had a nice visit from Dr. Quentin Tyler, who made a great example no sew fleece pillow! On Horticulture Day, I gave the children an opportunity to learn about soil and soil layers. I taught them about each layer and rewarded them with a yummy "Nature Cake" (Dirt Cake) treat filled with oreos, pudding, gummy worms, and other delicious goodies that they love! Along with Project Days, I had the opportunity to observe and assist Kim Cowherd, previous Hort Agent for Franklin County, with a Children's Program at the Paul Sawyer Library. We helped the kids at the library plant their own root vegetables which goes along with the theme of their Summer Reading Program. One thing I have learned about 4H is it's always rewarding to expose children to new and exciting adventures. They may be timid at first but with the right encouragement and a little push, they break barriers and develop new found loves for the things they once feared!

Speaking of breaking barriers and exciting adventures, I attended my first Clover Bud Camp and my first 4H Camp all in the same 7 days :) :) :) This is an experience I will never forget! Campers were filled with enthusiasm and sass! I couldn't get enough!! At Clover Bud Camp shared a cabin with two other counties! I really enjoy meeting people from all over Kentucky. Being a newcomer, it makes me feel quite welcomed and appreciated!Along with all those fun activities, I got to see the kids excel and overcome challenges. Clover Bud Camp was such a blast!! The camp staff was great, I got to canoe, I got to tie-dye a shirt, it was just like being an 8 yr old all over again! 4-H Camp at North Central was also a success! My Supervisor, Whitney McKoy, was the Program Director and the other 4-H Agent here, Leslie Reynolds was one of the Dean of Women. It's always nice to have great role models in the places where you're learning! Camp was filled with normal camp activities like canoeing, basketball, volleyball, ect all the things I was used to and aware plus a new one, "Sally Down The Alley." How cute :-) Since we had camp during 4th of July we got to have fireworks and we also had an amazing Veteran come speak to us about the Purple Heart Honor. Kendriana and I also taught team building which was hilarious! All the kids wanted was candy haha! These two weeks have been action packed and fun filled, I wonder what my next two weeks will be like ;-)