Newberry County 4-H Alana West Agent

February 2, 2021

NEWBERRY COUNTY 4-H – NEWSLETTER

While restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to the general routine of Newberry County 4-H and forced many of our programs towards a new format, we managed to reach 63 local youth through our multi-county virtual summer camps. Virtual goes against the very nature of 4-H, which prides itself on years of hands-on learning with the help of volunteers. But virtual allowed both youth and agents to learn and practice skills using technology rather than face-to-face meetings.

Four summer camps were offered to Newberry County in partnership with Saluda, Aiken, and Edgefield counties. These camps were offered via Google Classroom. Each day during the week of camp, participants were granted access to that day’s activities. These activities included videos, recipes, science lessons, read-alongs, service projects, virtual tours, and trivia. The first camp focused on the Fair, highlighting livestock projects, fair food, rides, and exhibits your might see at the State Fair. The next camp took us camping across America to experience the Statue of Liberty, Washington DC, and ending just in time for July 4th fireworks. Lessons included solar oven smores, coin rubbings, paddlewheel boats, fireworks in a jar, pinwheels, sugar drink alternatives, and straw towers, each related to a stop on our trip. We followed Camp America with a US Road Trip via Hwy 4-H which allowed participants to experience two National Parks each day during the week of camp. Stops included the Dry Tortugas, the Everglades, Mammoth Cave, the Gateway Arch, Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Redwoods, the Grand Canyon, Kenai Fjords, and Hawai’i Volcanoes National Parks. We ended the summer with an International Culinary Tour that took youth across the world, virtually, exposing them to cultures and foods from places they may not otherwise get to go.

While things may have looked different, we feel that virtual opportunities now have a place in what would normally be all hands on and face to face. We are proud to have stepped out of the box to continue to make the best better.