Family Camp 2009
Family Camp arrived last Monday! It was really nice to see familiar faces!
Family camp is unlike junior camp in many ways. Instead of having a camp full of kids we have a camp full of families, from Mom & Dads to children & babies we even had a Grandma here this week (and if I do say myself did an AWESOME job on the high ropes course). Because most public schools are still in school most of the kids are home schoolers. The families have more free time then junior campers and only three classes instead of four. These families come from all over Virginia from Charlottesville to Fairfax. In past summers we have had families from Florida, however those 2 families were unable to come this summer and they were definitely missed.
The week started out with a registration and check in, the cabins are for the most part, first come first serve, so families start lining up at the gate hours before it was time to check in, just to get the cabin of their choice! Then the usual camp things happened like health check and swim test.
The early evening program was class sign ups. Each family picked a number out of a hat and were called into the dining hall to pick their classes. While the other families were picking classes the rest were enjoying some watermelon. The late evening program was carnival. During training week the staff revamped carnival and came up with a bunch of new games and were definitely prepared to lead them. Then it was time for bed.
Tuesday through Thursday there were classes in the morning and then free rec and more programs.
Other activities that campers participated in included;
Night swim
Campfire
Dance
Teen Surprise (Game show, are you smarter than a staff member! It was awesome!)
Talent Show
Lake Canoeing
James River Trip
Climbing Tower
3D Archery
Land & Water Olympics
and tons more!
Everyone had so much fun with the family campers. There were a lot of crazy characters who we cannot wait to see next year. It was a good learning experience for all the new staff members and even the returners. It was really sad to see them all leave but 24 out of the 25 families paid their deposit to be back next year!
Nicknames!!!
Well Thursday night all the new staff were given their new names for the summer! As part of their emergency procedure training they all participated in a scavenger hunt that hopefuuly helped them remeber where all the severe storm locations are.
Their reward was their nickname. The rerturning staff pay close attention to the new staff and watch for little quirks or funny mistakes and "BOOM" nickname. All the staff have a story to go along with their nickname and no one will mind telling you it! All are funny! All you have to do is ask.Returners included: Gadget, Salmon, Spiderman, Chicken Little
We now have:
Cobbler
Badge
Waldo
Wall*e
Freakshow
Rusty
Feat
Zing!
Mayo
Hamster
Feat
Suga
Everyone was worried about what their new name might be, but all were embraced immediately! As soon as everyone recieved there name it was like they had been called that for years, responding quickly on the radio to their new name and using it when they introduced their selves!
Camp is in the air!
The weather is starting to get warmer, the flowers are bloomed, the trees are covered with leaves, and the pool is a pretty blue. Camp is in the air! Shortly the sounds of laughing, singing, and cheering will be filling the air and speaking for everyone at the center we are excited!
The staff arrived last Monday and headed off to state-staff training. State staff training is an event that happens every year where all the summer staffs from all six centers get together to share ideas and learn all the important parts of camp. This year state-wide training was held at Jamestown 4-H Center. The staff came back with new songs, new ideas for programs, and a bunch of new friends
This week is our center training where the staff learns all the ins and outs of the center, from procedures to where the light switches are. So far they have been creating lesson plans, practicing skits and coming up with new program ideas! This is also the week where they earn their nicknames, but that information will have to wait for another entry, because it must remain a secret until Thursday night.
Friday is when the staff usually goes to the James River for a canoe trip, however with all the rain recently we are not sure how possible that trip will be this year, the water is really high, but who knows what could happen by then.
Even though the staff has only really know each other for a few weeks, they seem to be getting along like old friends. It will definitely be a rock awesome summer! There are only 2 returning staff, Spiderman and Packet (who skipped 2 years but is back), 2 used to work at the South West 4-H center and the rest are teens who have been to camp before, so everyone already know what camp is about and are here for the right reasons...the kids!
Camp officially kicks off Monday morning with the arrival of Family Campers! Family Camp is a prety unique camp, instead of just sending the kids, the WHOLE family comes, from grandmas to baby brothers. It is a lot of fun, pretty laid back, and a great way to start the summer by giving the summer staff practice for when junior camp starts!
Here is the schedule for the summer:
May 25-29 Family Camp
June 1-5 Louisa
June 8-12 Albermarle/Nelson
June 12-14 Cloverbud Camp
June 15-20 Forestry Camp
June 22-26 Prince Edward/Buckingham/Charlotte
June 29-July3 Appomattox/Lynchburg
July 6-10 Fluvanna/Greene
July 13-17 Brunswick/Lunenburg/Mecklenburg
July 20-24 Campbell
July 27-31 Amherst
Aug 3-7 Amelia/Cumberland/Nottoway
Aug 9-13 4-H & NRA Shooting Education Camp
A Typical field Trip
April is the busy season for the Natural Resource Education Department. New
The buses roll down the hill anywhere between
Classes vary for each group, depending on interest and what the students are learning. All of the classes offered are hands on and are correlated with the VA
After all three classes the students once again gather in the amphitheater and a post test and evaluation are given and goodbyes are said. The students load onto the bus and head back to school.
New groups are always welcome and so are volunteers who would be interested in teaching classes. If you would like to volunteer or plan a field trip please contact Tamara Arrington, the Natural Resource Education Coordinator by phone (434) 248-5444 or by email tamaraa@vt.edu
NRE Fluvanna Middle School
So far both groups arrived late so we had to shorten classes a little but we still had fun.
They were split into 3 groups Alligators, Bats, and Coyotes. Tomorrow we will add the Deer. They are attending 3 different classes; Soil Studies, Aquatic Ecology, and Water Chemistry.
So far everyone seems to be having fun. Every class some of the kids seem to hesitate when it comes to getting in the water and search for invertebrates (Aquatic Ecology) and dig through the soil to look for insects(Soil Studies) at the beginning of class. It takes a few minutes and by the end of it, its hard to get them to stop. In my soil studies class, the girls today were screaming every time they saw a bug (we even had some boys do the same) but by the end of it they were asking to keep the worms and beetles they found.
In Water Chemistry the students learned that our lake is pretty healthy and about conserving the fresh water that we have available to us. My biggest worry for that class was something or someone falling in. Yesterday the wind was blowing pretty hard and a couple of the station sign fell into the water, we saved one, but we lost one, its new home is the bottom of the lake. Other than that nothing, or noone fell in to the lake!
It has been raining and pretty cold but the students don't seem to mind which is good to see!
A Day in The Life of a Civil War Soldier-Amherst Co.
Amherst County just arrived with a bunch of kids! It is so nice to see and hear kids running around again, it was a long winter.
There are 4 old fashion tents set up on the lower rifle range for the soldiers to sleep. I hear there will be 2 cannons delivered later tonight.
The classes listed on the schedule are as followed;
- School of a Soldier
- Artillery Drill
- Camp Life/Cooking
- Skirmish Drill or Surgeon Class
They are broken up into groups
The 27th Va Infantry Stonewall Brigade and the 1st Stuart Horse Artillery folks are here so far. They are going to be seeing reenactments, doing formations, marching. rounder games and all types of fun stuff. They are even getting a visit from Bubbly Bob! Many pictures will be taken.
This seems to be a fun way for the students to learn about the history of our country.
Welcome
