North Central 4-H Camp was most definitely an experience. This was my first time attending 4-H Camp...EVER! I was nervous about the week because I was told by a few people that camp is a different type experience and is "roughing it outside in the wilderness". However, I loaded up my car and drove to Carlisle, KY with no fears. I had a camp survival kit that kept me sane and happy and will hopefully help you too.
Item #1: A cabin full of cooperative girls between the ages of 9-14 and another AC, JC, and CIT. My cabin had great listeners and were ready to have fun and enjoy their time at camp. They were happy and excited, so their smiling faces made me smile.
Item #2: Good food. I brought snacks to camp, only to realize I wouldn't need them! The food at camp was actually good and fulfilling.
Item #3: Sunscreen, aloe, a fan (or three), bug spray, and bug repellant. It's sunny and hot at camp so sunscreen is an absolute must for everyone! Aloe is for the lack of sunscreen you put on your body before. The fan (or three) is to keep your cabin cooled down. There is no air conditioning and you're going to want to have some circulation going at all times! Bug Spray is a must and extremely helpful if you don't want to see creepy crawlers. Bug repellant is to keep the creepy crawlers off of you!
Item #4: Ability to have fun. If you aren't able to have fun, then of course the camp experience will leave you miserable. Luckily, I have that ability and got out there and tried new things. Ga-ga ball (which was amazing) is the complete opposite of soccer. The ball cannot touch anything below your knees (hands only). I learned how to do the "Ditty" dance. I Sallied Down the Alley a couple of times (dancing skills not required), I read the moral story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" to the entire camp for reflections on the second night (I was nervous, but it was a ton of fun and I learned I was a great storyteller!).
Item #5: The ability to bounce back when things go wrong! I taught a class for crafts that was based on science experiments. My first day went amazing; we made lava lamps. My second day, however, failed during the first class. In the mist of making our bouncing balls, they turned into a silly putty type of material. While making our slime, they became bouncing balls. So, for the next three classes I eliminated the silly putty like material and worked solely on making a new invention called "slimy bouncing balls". Unlike, those bouncing balls, I bounced back and made it fun and reassured the classes that science is about experimenting, you don't always get it right the first time. And even when you don't, get back up and try again. :)
Item #6: A group of great interns. My camp was filled with Woodford County, Scott County, and Franklin County. There were four other interns there, which made for great people to converse, share stories, and laugh with. Whether, we were telling kids to get in a straight line, taking them to get their medicine, helping them from homesickness, making them feel welcomed, giving them confidence boosts, playing games and water games with them, dancing, laughing, teaching a class, passing out t-shirts, etc. we had a smile on our face and were ready to take on any tasks.
I couldn't have asked for a better week, peers, agents, or group of kids to camp with. The week was perfect and I'm glad I went and experienced the wonder of camp when I did.
-Ebony Davis
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