Important Dates for 4-H Camp! Camp Forms Available Now! May 18 Camp Registration Ends

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1 Campbell County February 2018 Vol. 1 - Issue 1 Cooperative Extension Service Campbell County 3500 Alexandria Pike Highland Heights, KY (859) Fax: (859) Important Dates for 4-H Camp! Camp Forms Available Now! May 18 Camp Registration Ends July p.m. First Year Camper Day A flier will be sent to first time 4-H Campers only, lunch is provided. Participants will learn about camp traditions, meet some counselors, have a Question & Answer time, see camp slide show and lots more! July 10-7:00 p.m. Camper/Parent Orientation July 17-7:00 p.m. Camper/Parent Orientation July H-Camp! Camp Questions Contact Sherri Farley sfarley@uky.edu New this year! 4-H online store: North Central 4-H Camp is a special and magical place We hope your child is excited about returning to camp! Adult and Junior Counselors for 4-H camp are ready; and some are already planning their classes for the week. The summer 4-H Camp staff are gearing up for their training and memorable and fun-filled summer of 4-H Camp! Some camp facts: North Central 4-H Camp has 334 acres for us to enjoy at camp. The camp reopened in The camp is located in Nicholas County near Carlisle, Kentucky. There are three other 4-H camps in the state (London, Lake Cumberland and Dawson Springs). North Central 4-H Camp serves 34 counties and accommodates over 400 campers and counselors per week. There is a state 4-H Camp website: camp New and Exciting Things continue to happen at 4-H Camp For many people, 4-H Camp is a memory that has been a part of us for many years. When someone mentions 4-H to someone; that usually sparks a did you go to 4-H camp? discussion. 4-H Camps have been around for many, many years so there is a need to modernize and expand the camps. The Kentucky 4-H Foundation has been active in recent years developing a Camp Improvement Campaign. This year at North Central 4-H Camp, we will see: New siding and roofs on cabins Air conditioning in cabins and dining hall Fire pit improvements New siding on multi-purpose building

2 Camp Theme for 2018 Homesickness Many first-time campers worry that they might miss home while they are at camp. More than 95% of all campers report having some homesick feelings on at least one day of camp. It s normal! Our counselors are trained prior to camp on how to identify the homesickness signs and how to work with campers who may experience it. Factors for parent to consider: Children are more likely to get homesick if they have little previous separation experiences, if they feel forced to come to camp, if parents express doubt about their going to camp, or if there is something about their home situation that makes them worried. Some ways to prevent homesickness: Parents can write letters to campers, although please consider the wording in your letters. It s great when campers get mail but when they read how much you re missing them, what their siblings are doing at home, etc., it may cause homesickness to arise in the camper. Talk about how much fun camp will be for them, what activities they may be doing and the classes they will enjoy at camp instead. Send them to camp with some stationery so they can write a letter home to you during camp. If your child has never, or rarely, spends the night away from home, PLEASE start NOW by arranging for this to happen before camp gets here! Whether it s at a grandparent s house, a good friend or another relative, please do NOT let four nights at 4-H Camp be the first time they have stayed away from home! When you bring your camper to Crossroads Elementary to leave for camp, please do your best NOT to cry or emphasize to them how much you will miss them. We know it s a big step for some campers (and parents!) for their child to be going to camp but it will help your camper in the long run for you to focus on the fun they ll have and not what they re missing at home! Do you think your camper might be lonely at camp? Print a digital photo of your camper and their friends on a sheet of iron-on transfer paper then press the image onto a pillowcase. Ask each friend to sign their name with a fabric marker. It makes it fun to look at and fall asleep at camp. Do you want to send a creative care package to your camper? Here are some ideas to put in the care package: string for friendship bracelets, playing cards, drawing pads, colored pencils, joke book, slinky, temporary tattoos, and travel-size game. Make sure to mail your package at the beginning of the camp week so it makes it to camp before the week is over! 4-H Camp Newsletter February Page 2

3 Campers Basic Needs All children (actually, all people) have four basic needs. Meeting these needs, is important because people try to get their needs met. At camp the counselors and camp staff strive to meet the camper s needs in a positive way. The four needs are: Belonging each camper needs to be accepted and feel they are part of the cabin group. Mastery campers need opportunities to learn and be successful. Independence campers need opportunities to make choices and face consequences; having responsibilities is necessary to learn responsibility. Generosity campers need the opportunity to give to others and experience being needed; caring for others helps make important bonds with them. At 4H Camp, the children in my group -"my kids"- have the chance to scream at the top of their lungs, canoe, perhaps shoot a gun for the first time, and meet other kids their age. Seeing familiar faces the next year means I did my job- I ignited their camp magicand for one week, we party in paradise. Katelyn Helton Technology at 4-H Camp In a recent American Camping Association magazine, an author was quoted, loyalty to your mission (camp) is not about being anti-technology or pro-technology, it s about being pro-camp and prochildren. Many studies have been conducted to determine the benefits of camping. A Virginia Tech study found that at camp youth learn to: Make new friends. Develop new skills Become more independent and able to take care of themselves. In this same study, parents indicated that as a result of time at camp, their child showed a change in behavior in the areas of: Taking care of their own things (self-responsibility) Becoming more independent/taking initiative Sharing Many things play a role in making these benefits happen such as: trained counselors, effective programs and schedule, enthusiastic and trained camp staff. Technology at camp, specifically cell phones, is not compatible with the mission of 4-H Camp. Campers benefit from the wonders of nature, ongoing communication with their friends and other campers and interaction with the counselors and staff. The biggest problem with campers talking on cell phones to their parents is that they are not talking to the camp staff or to their camp friends and counselors. Contact with parents is important, but as one parent expressed, It s a wonderful thing to write a letter. I will keep my son s handwritten letters from camp forever and treasure them. We have a 4-H Camp Facebook page that will be continually updated during the week while we are at camp. Be sure to like Campbell County 4-H on Facebook now to get updates and pictures before, during and after camp. We hope you will support our no cell phone mission at 4-H Camp. You can make friends anywhere, but at 4H camp, you're part of a family. Dylan Boling Safety at camp is our #1 Priority! # In order to keep everyone safe, camper discipline is an area that counselors are trained on before we go to camp. We also review the rules and camper expectations at the Camper/ Parent Orientation. However, there may be instances where campers try to test the rules of camp. Fortunately this doesn t happen too often at 4-H camp but in the case of campers not respecting their counselors, using profanity, or other rule violations, those campers can be sent home. Parents/guardians of any camper who does not respond positively to discipline will be contacted to travel to camp and transport the camper home. There will be no refund if this happens. Please help us by reviewing and reinforcing the expectations and rules with your child prior to camp. 4-H Camp Newsletter February Page 3

4 Getting Ready for 4-H Camp Preparation for camp starts in January with counselor application and selection process. Returning counselors express their desire to return, new counselors are recruited and camp promotion for campers begins in early spring. Events and trainings are planned so the campers and counselors are prepared for this year s camp. All of the information on camper forms is put into a database so mailings can easily occur, cabin sheets can be prepared and information to take to camp is updated and current for this year s camping group. When there are over 350 campers and over 60 counselors going to camp, organization is a key element! Thanks to our secretaries at the 4-H office who do an awesome job organizing and maintaining those files as well as fielding many phone calls from parents with camp questions. What Parents can expect for their children at 4-H Camp To have a safe and happy camp experience. To learn new skills through classes and activities. To establish a greater sense of independence, responsibility and self-confidence. To learn more about relationship building with peers and adults (other than family). To gain a better understanding and appreciation of our environment. To be supervised by trained volunteers and camp staff. To have qualified emergency health care available, if needed, through a Camp Healthcare Professional. To have many happy memories of their time at 4-H Camp. If you or your business would like to be a part of the Camp Improvement Campaign, making a gift is easy, go online at or by contacting the Foundation at (859) or ben.carr@uky.edu. We thank you in advance for your continued support of your Kentucky 4-H. 4-H Camp Newsletter February Page 4

5 Outpost Group Camp is my happy place! I forget about everything in the outside world while I m there. It is such a joyful experience that I look forward to every year! Bridget Shaefer Last year, we had our first girl s Outpost group. Outpost is a primitive-style of camp for older campers. The campers and counselors stay in shelters but participate in all aspects of camp. They get to have a campfire every night! If your camper would like to be at Outpost please mark it on your camper s registration form in the appropriate box. We will be keeping a list of all potential boy and girl campers who would like to camp at Outpost. Depending on the number of interested campers, counselors will be recruited and a mailing with more information will be sent to the Outpost group. Campbell County 4-H Get pictures and upcoming camp information! "4H camp is something to look forward to and is a great way to make new friends." Peyton Stagner Summer Camp Strategies Packing Does your camper make it home with all the items they took? Lay out each child s bag with its contents on the floor. Stand on a chair and take a digital photo of the items. Print the photos and put them in the bag so the camper can check before they pack their clothes to come home. Does your camper know what they bring to camp? Make sure your camper helps pack their own bag so they know what s in it. You can double-check it to make sure all the essentials are there! Does your camper not know what to wear each day? Pack each day s outfit in a large ziplock bag, which can then be used to store soiled clothing. You can also put the daily theme items in separate bags & mark them with the appropriate day s theme items. 4-H Camp Newsletter February Page 5

6 Keeping in Touch Do you want to get letters from camp? Create a collection of preprinted notes to make keeping in touch fun & quick. Write the statements, and the camper either circles the answers or fills in the blanks. For example: On Tuesday, we went (circle one) swimming/ hiking/canoeing. To make it even more fun, add lines like: One crazy thing the counselor did today was. Do you want to send letters to Check out the attached fliers about some fun & helpful ways to be a part of 4-H Camp! Sponsor a Bunk Bed & Mattress Campaign 3-day Family & Friends Camp North Central 4-H original hand painted watercolor print fundraiser. French Toast Stick 5K Run/ your camper in a different way? Hide notes and other little things among the articles in the suitcase for them to find as the week goes by. To keep them from finding them all at once, tuck them into pockets, roll them up in shirts, slip them into their toiletry bag. Things like notes, extra money, and snacks will lift the spirits of any camper. Do you want to make it easy for your camper to write you a letter? Fill a cute pencil case with markers, stickers, and prestamped, preaddressed postcards. It makes writing home quick and fun. Walk North Central 4-H Camp Open House 4-H Camp Rental Rates Important Information: Camp forms available now! Cost for 2018 Camp: $ Camper Age: 9-14 years old camp questions to Sherri Farley: sfarley@uky.edu Visit our 4-H online store at: 4-H Camp Newsletter February Page 6

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