One thing I know is it takes time to create engaging camping programs. Add a topic area like science that sometimes is outside of staff’s comfort level to teach and you have yourself a difficult task ahead of you. That’s why I wanted to share this tool that several agents and I worked on in 2022 and again in 2023.
In 2022 Georgia 4-H Agents in South Georgia hosted an in-person 3-day camp for the Moody AFB School Age Program. We started by asking our audience what they wanted to learn about, which ended up being Environmental Science. From there agents and myself researched and pulled together lessons to create the camp. We even sent one staff member to the Growing Up Wild training to learn more about teaching younger children about environmental science, which ended up being a major asset!
Instead of letting those plans sit in our computers collecting “dust”, we are sharing them with our partners in hopes it supports staff with carrying out a 3-day interactive science camp. The target age group is elementary age with a larger focus on the 4th and below. Daily topics include Things that Move, Water, and soil. You will see lessons on the water cycle from Project Wet, a soil layer demonstration, a book reading from Our Planet, a herpetology lesson, and a partnership with the UGA Extension Master Gardners to talk about careers in the outdoors. Lessons, handouts, schedules, supply lists, and flyers are included in the file download on our website (screenshot below). If you have issues accessing reach out to laurwalt@uga.edu. I am happy to share the file as a Zip Fli
I understand the plans might need to be tweaked to fit your audience, length of camp, or overall design. However, my true goal is to help save you a little time and provide you with a starting point. In fact, there were things our team had to adjust in 2022 when a presenter was unable to attend or when supplies were missing. So no worries about sticking with the exact plan. However, I tried to edit plans in 2023 based on things learned from 2022 and provided details so that if this plan works for your audience you could literally “pick it up” and go with it.
