Country Bumpkins 4-H Members Camp and Learn
The Country Bumpkins 4-H Club has had camping on their mind for the last three years. However, finding a time that fit everyone’s schedule proved challenging! While not all club members could make the date, club leader Terri Hardin put it all together for the youth on March 10th – 12th.
Along with their club leader and parents, members Ava Knowlton, Nikolas Halling, Josiah Huggins, Myra Miles, Faith Hardin, Matthew Speros, William Speros, Jeremy Speros and Beau Miles went on a LNT (Leave No Trace) camp out at Florida State Caverns Park.
The object of this educational camping experience was to help youth understand the importance of making sure they keep the area clean and leave the natural state of the outdoors unharmed. Members arrived Friday, March 10th after school and camped until Sunday, March 12th.
One of the biggest lessons learned during this experience was how to survive without electronics! Members were asked to not use cell phones or electronic games. Club leader Terri Hardin says, “So many times nowadays kids have their heads attached to electronics and they miss seeing the beauty in nature.” Members were allowed to check in with their parents but other than that, no cell phone use was allowed. Youth were asked to use their imagination to make up a game using balance, hand and eye coordination, by using logs to stand on while tossing a water bottle to one another. You may think this sounds like a simple task, but keeping your balance while tossing a bottle requires a lot more skill than you think. Needless to say it was entertaining to watch!
On Saturday, club members participated in a service project for the park. The youth cleaned wood debris off a three mile stretch of road from the entrance of the park leading to their campsite, making it easier for mowing equipment to be used by the park service. The members were also given the chance to become Junior Rangers. They had to complete assigned tasks and pledge to continue to spread the word regarding the importance of the work done by Rangers, to preserve nature. The members received a Junior Ranger Card and a Passport that they can take to other parks that participate in the Junior Ranger Program that allows them to complete more tasks and collect more stamps as they continue their learning.
Club leader Terri Hardin was happy to report that there were no issues, everyone got along great and there were no first-aid issues! It was a very successful camp out and this experience proves that youth do not need electronics to have a good time.
We would like to thank club leader Terri Hardin and volunteers Belinda Mitchell, Johnny Miles and Joseph Speros, for their time and dedication to providing these educational experience for our youth.
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