We began our weekend with an Art Fair where campers got to rotate around various art stations and express their creativity!  Campers decorated their own bags for their crafts, created bead animals, and even got their faces painted!

Saturday was filled with awesome classes.  Campers got to create leather craft projects with Jaws, decorate the basketball courts in side-walk art with Shelley, create their own commercials and movies with Flush, and create several spring crafts including foam flowers with Mamaweez! 

Saturday evening began with a newspaper fashion show where each group of campers created 2 fashionable outfits out of newspaper, tissue paper, and tape.  Both boys and girls got to show off their creative outfits! 

Later in the evening, special guest Derby came in to demonstrate German traditional dancing.  Suited up in his lederhosen, Derby explained a little of the history of traditional German dancing, demonstrated, and then taught the campers some moves of their own!

Ask your camper how to say his/her name in German!

 Campers got a chance to interact with local police officers, and learn about what happens at a crime scene.  They got to practice their new knowledge as they dusted and lifted fingerprints from paper, cd’s, and tiles! 

Campers also got a chance to take a look through a microscope at different fibers.  Campers observed several different fibers magnified up to 400x such as cotton fibers, dog hair, and even their own hair!

There was also a mystery that needed to be solved: who stole all of the cookies!?  Campers used thier new knowledge and high tech gear (hand held GPS units) to find clues to solve the mystery.  The result?  Cookies for everyone!

Overall, the camp was a huge success, and it’s all thanks to our dedicated volunteers.  The camp wouldn’t be the same without their undying enthusiasm!  Summer staff, adult volunteers, teen volunteers, instructors, and local police officers:  Thank you!!!!!

We chose the Foodbank of the Virginia Penninsula to donate our time packing food to help with two of thier programs.  Tony, Dan, Kate and Katie collected bulk foods for the SHARE program, getting the food ready for local distributors to be able to give families in need packages of food on a monthly basis. 

Marlie and Vickie (later helped by the rest of us) helped out with the Backpack Program.  This focuses on children who are given help and food during the school week, but often don’t have access to food on the weekends.  This program packs a weekend full of meals and snacks into a backpack or bag, and sends it home with a child in need.

Overall, we had a blast packing food! 

Thanks so much to the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula for a great day!

Top to bottom, Left to Right: Ninja, Jazzy J, Jaws, Twist, Cricket, Mamaweez, Rasta, Flush, Flounder, IC, Meep, Stomp, Squirrel, and Hoopz!

With 9 weeks of camp, we had a pretty busy summer!  The kids were amazing and never stopped having fun- even when it was 105 degrees back in July! 

Campers have buddy check at the poolThere were tons of awesome activities such as canoeing, kayaking, swimming, forestry, archery, marine science, outdoor living skills, crafts, and so much more. We also had tons of evening programs throughout the summer such as talent show and carnival!Talent Show!

Getting an archery lesson!

Now that summer is over and the camp is quiet again, we’re starting to make plans for 2011, and getting excited about camp coming up..  only 255 days left til next year’s summer camp!

Check out the Outdoor Education Catalog!  It’s newly formatted on our website for easier viewing!! (Below is a mini version… Click HERE for the big version!!

Even with all the hard work from the William and Mary students, there was still much work to be done. Thankfully, the cavalry had arrived, and the ever-determined 4-H Millennium Riders, a 4-H horse riding club,  stormed in from neighboring York County to finish the grounds. Armed with rake, wheelbarrow, and ingenious use of a tarp the Millennium Riders braved 95 degree heat as they cleared the grounds, improving the appearance of the 4-H Center greatly.

However, bees-ness (business…it’s our attempt at being punny) was not done. As some may know, for many years there had been a buzz about Lodge 5. Honeybees had inhabited the floorboards and had made the underside of the Lodge there home. Thankfully, the Colonial Beekeepers swarmed in and gently removed the bees.

The bees had a expansive hive due to their industrious and gentle nature . This proves that 4-H is not only for positive youth development in humans, but in bees as well.

My thoughts were fueled by a presentation done by Nancy Roche, 4-H Extension Agent in Mathews County.  She’s been working with the Mathews Maritime Foundation to begin a sailboat building project.  Six sailboat kits will come from the Mathews Maritime Foundation, will be built by youth ages 12-18, and volunteers from around the region.  Once built, the boats will come to the Jamestown 4-H Educational Center, and make it possible for summer campers to take sailing classes during the camping season!

The cost of the project is estimated to be $12,000.  There is an “Adopt a Boat” campaign giving interested groups the opportunity to raise and contribute $2,000.  The adopted boat will carry the name of the organization as well as fly thier flag.

Once the boats are complete, sailing teams will be orgainized to deliver the boats to the Jamestown 4-H Educational Center in a Sail-In Regatta.  The winning sailboat crew and its builders will recieve trophies.  The festivities of the day will include a picnic luncheon for the sailors, builders, families and friends. 

If you or someone you know might be interested in making a donation, what ever change you can spare to help put wind in these sails, is greatly appreciated (and tax deductable!!)

Please contact Pete Hall of the Mathews Maritime Foundation (phal27@cox.net or 804-725-4444) or Nanche Roche, 4-H Agent, Mathews County (nroche@vt.edu or 804-725-7196)  or send your donation to the Mathews Maritime Foundation, P. O. Box 1201, Mathews, VA 23109.

We started out with some games, and then went right into classes!  In the Clover Cakes class, the kids got to learn about baking cakes, and then got to try thier own hand at some cake decorating!  By the end of all 4 classes, we had 4 heart shaped cake peices.  You know what 4 green hearts make?  A CLOVER!!!!     We also had Shocking Science class, where campers got to make thier own playdough, ooblek, and other awesomely edible treats!  Nature Studies, taught by our local Nature expert, John, told the kids all about turtles, skinks, and snakes.  We also had some really awesome pens made in our crafts class!  Campers took silk flowers, pens, and floral tape, and created some wonderful boquets of pens for themselves and thier parents. 

 We also played some super fun parachute and relay games.  Later in the evening there was a sock hop, ice cream social, and an indoor campfire! (no worries- it’s a pretend flame) 

 All in all, we had a very successful weekend- countless smiles and laughter. 

We can’t wait to see everyone come out for our next Cloverbud Camp in July!!!!

Thanks to all of the adult volunteers, teen counselors, and summer staff who helped make this wonderful weekend happen!!!