There is still plenty of time to register for 4-H Camp
4-H Camp will be held this year from July 25-29. Deadline to register for camp is Friday, June 28. Registration packets can be picked up at the Coshocton County OSU Extension Office or found online at www.coshocton.osu.edu. Cost is $130 per camper. Sibling discounts apply. File | Beacon
COSHOCTON – Britton McCoy has had a ton of fun at 4-H Camp over the years.
“I went to 4-H Camp every year I could and I remember wanting to be one of the kids who were counselors,” she said. “I wanted to take care of the little ones and make sure they had fun.”
This will be McCoy’s first year as a counselor at 4-H Camp, which will be held Thursday through Monday, July 25-29 in St. Louisville. Campers involved in the Ohio State Fair will be allowed to leave and come back after their judging.
Deadline to register for camp is Friday, June 28. Registration packets can be picked up at the Coshocton County OSU Extension Office or found online at www.coshocton.osu.edu. The packets include lists of what to pack and not pack and camp rules.
Camp is open to 4-H members and non 4-H members in grades three through ninth. After that they can apply to be counselors. Cost for camp this year per camper is $130 thanks to a donation from the Earl Patterson Memorial. There are a few activities that cost extra and they are listed on the registration form. Sibling discounts are offered.
Stephanie Snyder is part of the camp’s adult staff and looks forward to coming back each year.
“I’ve been going since I was a baby,” she said. “I went with my parents, went as a kid, was a counselor and now my husband and I are both part of the adult staff. Camp and fair were always weeks I looked forward to. Camp is a really great experience. You are around friends in a different environment and there are so many different activities to get involved in. You make great memories.”
The counselors pick the theme each year and this year’s selection is Camp Bought A Zoo.
“We will have a special program coming out this year that goes with the theme,” Snyder said. “The exotic animal show Jungle Island Zoo will be here and the counselors have been working hard on new sessions too that go with the theme. The kids have options each day and get to pick their sessions.”
Some of the highlights of camp will be the dance on the last night with a contest for the best dressed safari attire, a safari hunt, and the campfires.
“We end every night with a campfire,” Snyder said. “The counselors do skits and get the kids involved. It’s fun to see what they come up with.”
Thirty-four counselors, who are required to complete 12 hours of training, a registered nurse who is onsite during camp and 10 adult staff members are there to help and guide the campers throughout the week.
“We are the parents for the whole week,” Snyder said. “We have to go through things like child abuse training and are treated just like 4-H volunteers. The counselors are working while they are here too and have to learn to do things like build a camp fire.”
Counselors and campers alike learn a lot of life lessons throughout the week.
“They are making choices without their parents being right there,” Snyder said. “They have to decide what to do with their time and weigh their options. They also are socializing without technology because they are not allowed to have their phones.”
McCoy encourages kids to give 4-H Camp a try.
“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “You meet a lot of people and there is all kinds of stuff to do. Even if it rains there is always something fun to do in your cabin.”
Category: Clubs & Organizations
