. .in 80 days 8 hours. .
(And more like 6 hours if you want to get really technical.)
That was the theme of our 4-H Day Camp this past week!!
We've been planning it since March. .
and it was fun to see it all come together Wednesday!
I find so much information and ideas on the internet. .
that I will probably post more detail than many of you would like to know. .
in the hope of helping some googling person in brainstorming their own plans!
I started here
and copied off several themes that I thought would be feasible to suit our needs. .and several of us decided on this theme. The idea was to get some culture into our kids! It was a fun theme, and the kids seemed to enjoy it as much as we did!
We had a great day, one of the best, weather wise. .it was cool in the morning and cloudy, with a very few light sprinkles about the time we ended! We started with registration at 8:30. Our teenage counselors took the kids in their groups to play some games while waiting to start. We had around 50 kids show up (less than in years past due to some conflicts with other events). We divided them into 4 groups. .Australia, Italy, England, and China.
Then they rotated through 5 different stations. Air rifles. .
are always done, regardless of the theme because the kids enjoy them so much. .
Archery is another "must do." And Shelly brought foam targets to shoot at this year instead of paper targets.
We had a station on Japan. This presentation was put on by a 4-Her who has hosted Japanese students in their home. .
. .and who will be making a 2 month exchange trip to Japan this month. The kids enjoyed seeing slides, learning to speak some phrases, playing a Japanese game. .
And eating Pocky. .
a Japanese treat. .
Pocky is a straw shaped biscuit dipped in chocolate!
Quite tasty for sure!
Crafts are also always on the agenda. .and Gwen didn't disappoint this year!!
The kids made didgeridoos. .
an Australian flute.
They sanded on the PVC pipes and decorated them. .
and we enjoyed a lovely chorus of noises made as the children picked them up on their way out that afternoon!
They are quite long. .
and can make an interesting array of noise sounds. .
based on how you scream blow into the ends!
Foods is the other class that takes place. .
and that was my big contribution to the day.
We traveled to three different parts of the world in our class. .
China, Middle Eastern countries, and the Islands. .like Haitii, specifically.
The kids saw slides depicting the areas. .learned some interesting facts about food and dining. .
like the fact that Chinese eat unusual things such as shark fins, seaweed, frogs, snakes, and occasionally. .cats and dogs. .and the fact that Egypt only gets an inch of rain per year. .making it pretty hard to grow much of their own food!!
A highlight for many was getting their own set of chopsticks, and getting to practice using them.
We learned NOT to point our chopsticks at others. .since that is VERY bad manners in China!! 
I am always thoroughly amazed at how well kids will try something in the presence of their peers. Only a handful of kids refused to eat one thing or another. .and overall. .many of the foods were new to the kids, and relatively well received by them. .
We sampled edamame and tofu from China. .
Hummus and pita chips from the middle east. .
And dried figs and Pineapple Nog from Haiti.
Amazingly, tofu was a HUGE hit among many of the kids. .as were the figs and edamame.
I had one brick of tofu left after day camp. .which I took home and cooked up for my crew. We stir fried it into some veggies with an Asian peanut sauce. Devin and Jeremy ate theirs exclusively with the chopsticks that we had brought home. Unreal. .I would STARVE if I were left to chopsticks!
Our snacks were German. .Pretzels and cheese sauce with apple juice. .and our lunch ladies served us food with an Italian flair. .
Lasagna, salad, bread sticks and gelato (or plain ole ice cream cups. .but who knew the difference!)
By now the teenage counselors were wearing out!
And they could be found lounging on tables, leaning on fences. .
and watching the kids from the pickup!
After the last afternoon session. .
the kids met back up to play some international games. .
Like Mbube, Mbube. .
in which the blindfolded mbube (lion) chased after the blindfolded impala within the circle of laughing children. .a major hit!!
They also played a game from Denmark called Pencil in a bottle. .
where each kid tied a pencil around their waist.
And squatted until they got the pencil into the drink bottle!
Take it from someone who couldn't be left out of THAT one. .
1. It's harder than it looks. .
2. It's even harder than that when the wind is blowing your pencil around!
3. Nonetheless. .it is a doable project. .even for the old!
After serving the kids fudgcicles. .
We said goodbye to them around 2:30. .
and went home to crash for the rest of the day. .
only in our dreams!!
It's always nice to break the monotony of the day to day duties. .
with a little something different!
It also got Tristan and I practiced up for the wired up kids we'll hang with tomorrow!!
Genesis 2:2-3
On the 7th day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. And God blessed the 7th day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation. .
Rest up today. .
Monday is on it's way!
Hoping to bring some
Reflections from Camp Lakeside your way soon!
