Is it really halfway over?

This Friday marks the end of my sixth week in extension, and I can't believe my internship is already halfway gone and next week it will be July! The last two weeks have been some of my favorite so far, as I am finally feeling comfortable and confident in the extension setting and getting into the thick of my summer project.

Week 5:

This week was filled with summer camps and teaching physical activity to elementary aged children.  I have read the Spriggles book so many times now I could probably recite it. The summer camps here in McCracken County have quickly become my favorite thing. Being around kids can be so refreshing. A lot of times their teachers seem frustrated with them and apologize for their behavior but they are mostly good for me and seem excited when I get there.

I attended a few extra camps this week with Denise and Stephanie. They mostly focus on physical activity and dental hygiene, while I talk more about nutrition and wellness. I began the OrganWise Guys curriculum at Hendron Elementary and the kids loved it. They have had so much fun getting to learn about the "characters" (their organs), learning where all of their organs are located, and why it is important to teach them healthy. They surprisingly ask a lot of in depth questions about what specific organs do, especially their liver and pancreas, and where they are found in the body. I'm finally glad I took anatomy in college and happy to say I have retained it.

This entire week was really focused in attending the summer camps, so I was at Farley Elementary three times throughout the week. We practiced jump-roping, learned about exercise for being healthy, talked about screen time, and worked on sorting foods into their the right food groups. The kids really love playing games and love when you bring them things, even if it is a bottle of water.

Week 6: 

This week has definitely been the most diverse week of my extension experience. On Monday, I attended the McCracken County Fair and worked as a judge for the Holidays crafts. It was a good experience and a lot of fun! I like getting to spend the day with the local Homemakers and see how much work they put into the fair each year. I never realized how much work went into putting on the fair and how many people worked on the entries. A lot of the contestants worked very hard on their entries and it was hard to choose the best ones.  Here are some pictures of some of the entries:

I also went to a summer camp every day this week and continued with some of the curriculum I have been using.  Monday was a very busy day, as I was at the fair all day but had to leave a few times to go teach a class. I taught about fiber at the Senior Citizens Center and handed out some PlateItUp recipes along with a tool for making them. I ran around the community for a lot of classes this past week, and I have loved every second of it! On Thursday, the McCracken County office hosted a Canning Day taught by the Graves County FCS agent. I have never had any personal experience with canning and have been excited for this day since my first day in extension. It was so much fun learning how to can and seeing how the process really worked. It takes a lot of time and dedication but can be so worth it when done correctly. The participants visibly enjoyed themselves and seemed to make a lot of new friends. Here are a few pictures I snapped from the canning class: 

This is the participants learning how to can in a hot water bath. 

Here is the pressure canner that we used. I learned it was important to always have boiling water on hand in case more was needed during the canning process. One of the things highly stressed throughout the class was not to mix a hot with cold while canning because the jar will bust and ruin the food. 

These are the carrots that we canned in the pressure canner.

This is the freezer jam we made. I say "we" liberally because the class participants did most of the work, but it was enjoyable to be able to help them and be a part of the process in whatever way I was needed. 

I had to leave the canning class for a couple of hours to teach my class at Farley Elementary's summer camp, which I also really enjoyed. The kids seemed to be extra wound up for their teachers, but I let them create skits to practice good table manners and showcase bad manners.  We all had a lot of fun, probably because I was giving them an excuse to act crazy and not be on their best behavior for a few minutes. They can be so funny and are very imaginative. 

As the title of my post suggests, I can't believe I have already completed six weeks of my internship and can't wait to see what else I get to do while I'm here!