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Ohio 4-H camps offer variety of activities for kids

From local reports

Now that the long, hazy days of summer are here, kids across the state are looking for something to do, besides playing video games or doing chores, so why not go camping? There’s nothing like summer camp to meet friends and enjoy the great outdoors! Each summer, thousands of kids from across the state attend one of many camps coordinated by Ohio State University Extension, which are offered to all youth, not just 4-H members. Most Ohio 4-H Camping programs focus on developing knowledge and skills related to: outdoor education, creative arts, citizenship, recreational activities, singing, and other special activities that have immense appeal to young people.

Here in Washington County, there are four 4-H camps that provide the opportunity to develop this knowledge and skill set, for all area youth, not just 4-H members. Cloverbud 4-H Camp invites youth ages five to eight who have completed kindergarten to attend on June 7. Beginner 4-H Camp, for youth who have completed second grade and through the age of 10, will be June 7 and 8. Youth who have completed third, fourth, fifth or sixth grades can attend Junior 4-H Camp July 3 through 7. And finally Senior 4-H Camp, for youth who have completed the sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth grades, will be July 10 through 14. All Washington County 4-H camps are held at Hervida 4-H Camp near Waterford. Hervida has a swimming pool, girls/boys cabins, modern restrooms, many activity areas and hiking trails.

Organized camping is more than mosquito bites and soggy tennis shoes. It is an important “learning laboratory” where children can and do develop many life skills. The Ohio 4-H program defines organized camping as cooperative group living in a natural environment which focuses on the individual’s social, spiritual, mental, and physical development. Important life skills learned at camp include: responsibility, decision making, cooperation, leadership, and increased self-esteem. The development of these skills result from living with carefully selected and trained adult staff members and teenage camp counselors who teach by the way they relate to each other and the campers, solve problems, and care for materials and equipment. Another aspect that encourages learning and reinforcing the development of these life skills is the context of “camp”–simply living in a cabin with a group of kids of the same age, laughing together, working together, and sharing experiences unique to the camp environment.

Activities at the camps include nature classes, crafts, campfire, recreation, swimming, and group living.

For more information about the 4-H camping program or enrollment, contact the Washington County Ohio State University Extension office at 740-376-7431, or download a registration form from http://go.osu.edu/4-H-Camp

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