Karla Meikle, NDSU Extension, 4-H Youth Development

Dates to Remember:

March 20 – Field to Fork webinar: One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four, 2pm
March 25 – Spring Garden Forum: Vegetables, Morton County Courthouse, Mandan, 6:30pm
March 27 – Field to Fork webinar: How to Identify, Manage and Prevent Diseases in Your Garden, 2pm

Thinking Ahead to Summer

Youth who attend the North Dakota 4-H Camp this summer will be able to get involved in fun activities such as archery, learning about robotics and rocketry, making garden compost, fishing and improving their livestock handling.

Registration for the 2019 camps is open. Visit https://www.ndsu.edu/4h/camp for the camp schedule and descriptions, and a video about the camps. Contact your local Extension office for more information.

The camp is on 80 acres nestled in the cottonwoods along the Missouri River near Washburn.

North Dakota State University Extension’s Center for 4-H Youth Development offers a variety of camps every summer. They include special-topic camps that have a hands-on educational component, such as Livestock Camp and Hardcore Archery Camp. The Livestock Camp teaches youth to improve their animal care, handling and showing skills. Hardcore Archery Camp is three days of intense archery activities designed to improve shooting skills.

Other camps, such as the Adventure Camps, are packed with a variety of education and fun hands-on activities, such as exploring nature, canoeing, and learning about outdoor science and healthful living.

Other 4-H camp experiences include fishing, jerky making, caring for small animals, geocaching, outdoor cooking and learning about soils.

Youth do not need to be a 4-H member to attend the camps.

The North Dakota 4-H Camp was renovated and expanded recently. The latest addition is the Butler Outpost building, which will be used for shooting sports and livestock activities.

The North Dakota 4-H Camp has been committed to providing a safe environment where youth build new friendships, master new skills, and gain independence and confidence for more than 50 years.

NDSU Extension agents, state specialists and volunteers who are experts in their field staff the camps. They design the camps to provide campers with a solid foundation of knowledge and experience to strengthen their abilities. The camp also has counselors who care for campers, monitor camp chores and conduct the recreational activities.

In addition to the planned education program, each counselor leads recreational opportunities such as hiking on walking trails, getting dirty in the mud pit, experiencing evening campfires, going down the waterslide, tackling the obstacle course and participating in dances.

The gaga pits also are a popular attraction at the camp. Gaga is a fast-paced, high-energy sport similar to dodge ball.

Camps also include a Healthy Camp Challenge in which campers get points for making healthful food choices, having healthful habits and getting exercise. In addition, youth can win the Golden Plunger Award for cabin neatness.

Camp scholarships are available to youth based on financial need or special circumstances. The North Dakota 4-H Foundation provides the funding for those scholarships. Some counties also provide scholarships, so youth should contact their local Extension office for more information.

Check out the camp Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ND4HCAMP to see the fun campers had last year.

2019 Camp Schedule

            May 28-31                   4-H Summer Camp Warmup
            June 2-6                      Just Starting to Ride: Wish I Had a Horse Camp
            June 2-6                      4-H Adventure Camp
            June 9-13                    Livestock Camp
            June 9-13                    Whopper Club: Fishing Camp
            June 14-15                  Clover Camp
            June 16-20                  Survivor: Extreme
            June 16-20                  Hardcore Archery Camp
            June 23-27                  It’s Greek to Me:  All about Horses
            June 23-27                  4-H Adventure Camp II
            June 28-29                  Clover Camp
            July 7-11                     4-H Adventure Camp III
            July 7-11                     Chef Camp: Kitchen Knockout|
           July 14-18                   STEAM Explorer Camp
            July 14-18                   Survivor: Explorer
            July 21-25                   Military I
            July 21-25                   Military II
            July 27-Aug 1             Survivor: Discovery
            August 4-8                  4-H Adventure Camp IV
            August 4-8                  Junkin’ It Camp: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle