The weather was warm on Saturday, August 16, but that didn’t stop a group of Smith County 4-H’ers from having a blast at our Forestry & Wildlife Day Camp at the Cordell Hull Visitor’s Center. Twelve students joined us for a full day of hands-on learning.
Our day started with a rousing game of decomposer tag, where students learned about food webs and the important role of decomposers in our ecosystem. 4-H’ers spent the rest of the morning learning from Park Rangers Stone Fagan and Shelia Kirk. Students worked in groups to assemble bluebird nesting boxes that will be placed on federal land, teamed up for a water safety STEM challenge, and listened to a career talk about potential careers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
After lunch, we hit the nature trail for a leaf ID scavenger hunt, did some mindful nature journaling, and then played a game to better understand bird beak adaptations.
Participants in our day camp were Jordan Alexander, Kylee Allmon, Emmy Bibbings, Easton Bibbings, Luke Chartier, Peter Chartier, Titus Chartier, Josie Harville, Tana Harville, Turner Harville, Chance Maxwell, and Owen Meeks.
Special thanks to Stone Fagan, Shelia Kirk, and Ashley Webster for helping us plan and execute our day camp and for letting us take over the Cordell Hull Visitor’s Center for the day!
If you would like to learn more about the many forestry and wildlife activities available through Smith County 4-H, please contact Rachel Petty or Susanna Clouse at 615-735-2900.
by Rachel Petty – UT Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development
