Christian Peterson: reporter@riverbendnews.org
Throughout the summer time, the UF-IFAS Extension Lafayette County 4H hold different summer camps. Each week they have a different focus for different ages. Each week includes different events as well such as trips to other places, games, food, arts and crafts.
The summer day camps were kicked off by the youngest group with Clover Bud Camp. While these children ages five to seven are not 4H members yet, they are already learning the basics. They were first paid a visit by the Lafayette County Health Department representatives Beverly Fountain and Penny Philmon. Together the duo taught the young ones about the importance of good hygiene. After that, the Clover Buds were taken to the library to learn about animals, and were even given the chance to touch a Madagascar Roach, Wallaby, tortoise and snake. With animals the subject of the week, the children did arts and crafts centered around that including making a handprint Nemo fish as well as a dirt cake with gummy worms. Of course, the week couldn't be complete without a field trip. The Clover Buds were taken to Wakulla Springs state river park. They were taken on a riverboat to see local fauna and after lunch traveled to Panacea for the Gulf Specimen Lab. Once again the kids were given a chance to interact with animals by holding both horseshoe crabs and fiddler crabs.
Of course the youngest group is not the only group that 4H focuses on. For the third year in a row, Lafayette 4H joined forces with Madison County 4H and Taylor County 4H for the Tri-County Cherry Lake day camp. The goal is to imitate an overnight camp without actually sleeping at the camp. Over a hundred kids ages 8 to 18 came for four days to the camp, 25 of them from Lafayette. Students had all sorts of things to do at Cherry Lake Camp, such as partake in archery, air rifle activities, marine biology activities, kayaking, swimming, yoga, line dance, dying shirts and other kinds of team building exercises.
In week three kids ages eight to 12 were invited to the Inventors Camp. Twenty-four local youth members arrived to learn more about how things work or even implement their own ideas to make something better. Together they built telegraphs, marble roller coasters and towers out of toothpicks. Then they were given the option to put their creativity to the test with play dough and Legos. The week ended with another field trip, this time to the Cade Museum, in Gainesville. Here the kids got to see the lab where Gatorade was invented, while getting to engage in hands-on activities throughout the museum.
One of the highlights of the camps was the Great Worm Race of 2023. Another visit from Fountain with the Lafayette Department of Health brought some fun and games for the students. She helped each student pick out an earth worm for some earth worm races. Worms were put on a dry paper towel, pointing towards a moist one. The worms then took off wiggling their way to the finish line, while they were cheered on by the students. Of course afterwards, students were given a review on how to properly clean up after a messy event such as an earth worm race.
The final most recent week of the summer camps was Camp USA. For three days, campers were taught about different documents in American government. They were taught how the government works as a unit and its three branches. The students even held mock elections to see how elections work. They had the option to create their own aged looking constitution, along with spangled wreaths, wooden cut out trucks, sun catchers and jewelry. The field trip for this summer camp was to Tallahassee where students visited the governor's office. They also saw both the State House and State Senate chambers. They were able to witness the House of Representatives legislature debates from the gallery and later received the opportunity to debate their own mock bill.
Ultimately, the past few weeks have helped teach 4Hers all about different things while keeping them active during the summer months.