It is so incredibly hard to believe that my final week has come! This week - and the entire summer - went by so fast. This week we hosted our final day camps and their showcase. The crafts and outdoors camps went so well! We held the ZOOMs as well as having the Flipgrids available for How To videos. I got to spend my final day on ZOOM with campers and inventorying what was left of the supplies for Carol. This summer was a new, amazing experience. I will always be grateful for the Shenandoah County Extension Office and all of the things I got to do this summer!
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This week was just a somewhat normal as the others. I did get to see another function of our Extension offices! On Tuesday, I got to help Karen Poff with one of many webinars she has held as a series. They allow for discussion on "money crunches" and how to budget, etc. These were also tailored more specifically to our new COVID-19 world and how that can affect your money or budget. Karen works out of the Frederick County office. She has so much knowledge and it was so great to be able to help with this webinar. Carol and I wrapped the week up by preparing the last set of Day Camp boxes for the following week. I am getting a bit sad however, that next week will be my last week as the Shenandoah County Extension Intern.
As mentioned in my last blog, the next two Day Camps in a Box were given out this week. We gave them out on Tuesday and did the ZOOM calls for both camps together. It was awesome to see another two camps come together! This week we put together our final two camps and have them the following week. It was great to continue to come into the office this week. I also had another awesome opportunity pop up for me! I went this week to the Page County Extension Office! I helped Molly Beardslee do a food demonstration on a spinach and peach salad. You can watch that here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=758107298275981 ! I am sad that my time to go back to school and leaving the office is approaching. I hope that time can slow down just a bit more.
I got to kick start my week off by heading to Winchester to monitor spotted lanternflys! I went out with Mark Sutphin (Fredrick County's Ag Agent) and Annaliese Jenkins (Fredrick County's Extension Intern). We went to five different sites to look for this invasive species. This species is not just being looked at by Virginia Cooperative Extension but also the USDA and VDACS. Make sure to check out my photos section to see pictures of the spotted lanternflys. My week continued on by working on the materials for County Officer training. I also got to attend a 4-H and FFA Livestock Committee meeting! This was a cool experience for me since I have not ever had or shown livestock. I will be able to attend at least two more meetings before my internship is over. I got to go into the office this week to begin to put together our next two camps - cooking/baking and STEM. Unfortunately, Amazon did delay our deliveries so the boxes will be given out next week. I am still excited to see how much fun these campers get to have!
It is so hard to believe that I have been a part of Shenandoah County Extension for 5 weeks now! So far I have been able to help with Day Camp in a Box, been a song leader on those virtual Zoom calls, begun to update county officer training, and attended countless webinars to learn more. This week was special however, as it was the kickoff and opening session of Virginia State 4-H Congress! I personally attended part of Congress back in 2017 as a state winning Public Speaker and being installed as a 4-H All Star. So it has been a few years since I have been as well as the changes for being a virtual conference, it was almost a new experience. Virginia 4-H did a great job of being inclusive of the entire state in the opening video. It was so cool to see what is being done across our Commonwealth! This was a short, holiday week so I have tomorrow off. However, I hit the ground running on Monday by going to work in Fredrick County with Eric and Annaliese in monitoring spotted lanternflys. I can't wait!
This week was another week spent entirely at home! While at times this is nice (being able to stay in PJ's and all), it is also quite weird. This week I started a new project for the 4-H clubs. Each year with the election of new officers there is a new officer training that is held. In normal years, this is held at the county building after a county council meeting. However, as many other things, there must be a plan B in place for these unusual circumstances. This plan B for Shenandoah County 4-H comes in the form of an option for virtual training. I have been going through and putting all the information into power-points and recording over the slides. This can be used in not just virtual training but also for those that miss the training. I am enjoying the process of creating these materials! I cannot wait to see what the finished project will look like!
Carol Nansel, Bethany Gochenour, and I were able to organize, distribute, and hold Shenandoah County's first sets of Day and Cloverbud Camp in a Box. There were 49 campers for both camps. Each morning of camp there was a Zoom call to sing songs, go over Flipgrid, and discuss the day's activities. For the Day Camp, we had anywhere from 7 to 8 campers on the call. For Cloverbud Camp, we actually had 11 to even 13 campers on the call. These participants throughly enjoyed themselves and talking to each other. There was also a showcase held for each camp so that we could share Flipgrid videos and the pictures submitted by parents of the campers. The Day Camp had about 4 campers in attendance. The Cloverbud Camp had 7 campers in attendance. It was an awesome turnout and I cannot wait to see what the four upcoming camps will hold!
My third week ended up being a bit short but also my first week being entirely at home. Nonetheless, it was just as eventful as the other two! Myself, Carol, and Bethany held the second camp of the summer! This camp was for cloverbuds whose ages range from 5 to 8 years old. I was able to lead songs and hear all about their favorite activities. The showcases for the day camp and cloverbud camp were also held. They were different than in-person but we were still able to sing a song as well as watch all the videos they made through Flipgrid. I also was able to attend "Coming Together for Racial Understanding" held for VCE personnel. It allowed for small group discussion between VCE across the state. I was also able to attend the BANR (Board of Agriculture and Natural Resources) webinar on COVID-19 and the Food and Agricultural System. Former United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack as well as Former Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, A.G. Kawamura. Both speakers gave great insight into not just the current situation but also how to prepare for future pandemics and other situations. This week was not just fun but also very informational!
This week flew by faster than I expected it to! It was not only a camp week but also a week of preparation for the Cloverbud Camp next week. This camp will only be two days compared to the 5 days of Day Camp. Bethany, Carol, and I spent the week with a very similar schedule! The week went Zoom with campers every, checking in with each other, ordering supplies for camp, assembling supplies for camp, and putting together documents. These boxes held supplies, crafts, recreation, instructions, and snacks - just as the week before! I was also lucky enough to not only make the how to videos this week but also to get to give out the boxes. There is no better feeling than the smiles that we have seen, not just on the child's face but also the parents. I am hopeful that this upcoming week will hold just as much excitement!
I was able to spend a few days in the office on my first week of working. I not only got to meet the office staff and join weekly meetings but I also dove head first into my first project! The week's work was focused around the Day Camp boxes being assembled and give to 50 campers. These boxes included activities, crafts, recreation, snacks, and instructions for all of the above! The box and schedule giving each camper what would be done in a normal camp week but at home. I was able to help Bethany Gochenour, the 4-H Program Assistant, in creating documents, assembling boxes, and being able to create how to videos for what the campers would be doing. The how to videos were one of the highlights of this week working. I put together things like hydroponics in a jar and solar powered s'mores ovens! We used the app Flipgrid to share not only the how to videos but also for the campers to post what they were doing. I am hopeful that we will have lots of campers join the Zoom calls to sing songs and play games virtually!
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