On March 31^st-April 1^st, 2022, 4H Agents from the Franklin County Extension Office facilitated an overnight “Environmental Camp” at J M Feltner Memorial 4-H Camp for 71 fourth grade students from Peaks Mill Elementary School.  An overnight camp with an emphasis on Environmental Studies not only builds partnerships between local schools and Franklin County’s 4-H program, but also connects lessons from the classroom to the real world, sparks student interest in the environment and promotes a sense of independence. 

Environmental Camp encourages “learning by doing” with classes such as Pond Studies, Fishing, Nature Hiking, Owl-Pellet Dissection, Night Vision, Tribal Luminescence and more. Students had the opportunity to learn how the cones and rods in their eyes work in the day versus night, what owls eat by studying what could be found in their undigested food (owl pellets) and observed Tribal Luminescence, a chemical reaction that can be achieved by chewing Wintergreen Lifesavers in the dark. Lessons such as these address Kentucky State Core Standards for Fourth Graders. 

Fourth Grade students were the target audience for this program because a student becomes eligible to participate in 4-H at 9 years old. Peaks Mill Elementary was the only participating school this year because this camp is a tradition for them, but it is a goal to include more schools next year. There was also an identical camp held on April 14-15, 2022 for their Fifth Grade class. 

The success of this camp would not have been possible without partners from surrounding counties and agencies offering their time and resources.  Fayette County’s 4-H taught a class on Pond Studies, Scott County’s agent taught Survival Classes and Madison County’s agent introduced students to Kentucky Mammals. Teachers from Peaks Mills and camp staff from North Central 4-H Camp attended as counselors and Fish and Wildlife provided fishing poles. 

At the beginning of camp, most students were nervous and apprehensive to participate in activities. Some of them had never been away from home before, had never been fishing, on a hike or slept in a cabin. By the end of camp, student were digging into owl pellets and piecing together mice and bird skeletons, bating their own hooks and releasing their own fish, pointing out constellations and telling none-stop stories about their experience. The impact of this camp was noticeable and the objectives were clearly met.