This past weekend, 24 young members, aged 9 to 13, from Quebec’s different 4-H clubs headed to Dunn Memorial Camp in Powerscourt (Elgin) to attend the Quebec 4-H’s Junior Summer Camp. This year’s theme was “Out of this World!”.
After the campers finished setting up their tents Friday afternoon, provincial coordinator Gillian MacDougall welcomed everyone around the fire and started off an icebreaker for us all. We played a few more games, then ate “walking tacos” (a small Doritos chip bag, meat, and whatever other toppings you want inside it) and s’mores. After a few more games and bonding, we brushed our teeth and headed off to our tents.
Saturday morning, we made breakfast burritos on the fire, did our chores, and made crafts such as tin-can lanterns and tote bag decorating. Sticking to the “Space” theme, we also had mini stations to make constellations from pipe cleaners and beads, sundials with a paper plate and stick, and the phases of the moon using Oreos. That craft was then eaten by the happy campers who made them!
That afternoon we went on a scavenger hunt around the campground in our teams, taking photos of things on our list – from spider webs to an interesting cloud to animals out in nature. We did a second scavenger hunt to find the answers to space-related questions as well. The rest of that afternoon was spent by the kids running their own Capture the Flag game, which, if you ask a few, would be the highlight of their time there!
Using the campfire that evening, we roasted sausages for hot dogs and then made banana boats, which are made by cutting bananas in half, stuffing them with marshmallows and chocolate chips, and wrapping them in tinfoil before warming in the fire. The campers did a few more games before lights-out and had a good night’s rest in the light rain.
Thank you to Gillian, and Paige Frost (Quebec 4-H’s president) for all that you did, Christina Knox (vice-president) and Erika Ellison (the newest addition the 4-H team) for chaperoning as well, and to all the members that came from the Valley and those as far from Shawville and the Eastern Townships to join us this beautiful weekend. See you next year!