First Day of 4-H Day Camp!

Today was the first day of day camp. Although we were in a panic this morning due to our bus being an hour late, we made it to camp right on time and the kids were there waiting patiently. To kick off day camp we played get-to-know-you games and name games. This helped me very much because some of the Dominican names are hard to pronounce. Then we did the Incredible Journey activity, where the campers pretended to be water molecules traveling through the water cycle and collecting beads along the way.  

Next  we proceeded to decorate our drinking cups so the kids would have something to drink out of for the next two days. After that we separated the 45 campers into four groups: verde, amerillo, rojo, and azul. 

Then some groups tie dyed while the other went on a tour of the honey bees sanctuary and the worm compost area where the worms create fertilizer. The tie dye was a lot of fun for the kids. Although I ended up with dye all over my hands, my shirt turned out great.

After lunch we had more fun with crafts. We made lei necklaces and we did some scratch art. Both activities were a lot of fun to do with the kids. Next we made no bake oatmeal peanut butter balls with them that featured PuntaCana honey, since we had visited the beehives in the morning. They all loved the smell of the peanut butter and passed the bowl around to waft the smell. Everyone seemed to enjoy the snack a lot. Even counselors were fighting over the last bite. At the end of the day everyone was completely worn out; it was a very eventful day.

I think today went very well. The kids listened to all of us and showed great respect. Although many of us had a hard time communicating, the message still got across. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we’re all looking forward to tomorrow. What I enjoyed the most today was working on my Spanish speaking skills. It’s great to learn the language in a hands on way.

Submitted by Dakota Funkhouser, Shenandoah County