|
|
|
Saturday, June 12, 1999
By SARA SYVERSON Journal Staff Writer Energy and creativity were high, the weather was decent, and the time was right for 55 children from third- through sixth-grades and mentors to experience the O.K. Kids Club camp Wednesday through Friday at Flandrau State Park family camp. The three day camp is organized through Brown County Extension Service and sponsored by the Brown County Families First Collaborative with the goal to provide a camping experience for youngsters who may have not had the opportunity otherwise. Of the total 55 youth in attendance, approximately 10 youth were called "mentors" and they were of high school and college age. Some of the highlights of the camp this year were a visit from the Climb Theatre from the Cities Metropolitan area on Wednesday, the Department of Natural Resources gave a presentation on Thursday and on Friday the children spent time in small groups doing crafts, playing games, learning about nutrition and swimming at the Flandrau State Park swimming pond. "The benefit is that the kids get to go to a camp free of charge and they have mentors- and the mentors learn something, too," said O.K. Kids Club Camp Director Emily Crabtree, "It's a nice relaxed atmosphere." This is Crabtree's first year as the camp director. Crabtree, who is a New Ulm native, is a college student who is studying elementary education at Northwestern College in Roseville. "I liked everything about the camp," said one of the campers, Ricky Flores. One of the mentors, Heather Marth of Sleepy Eye said, "I learned a lot. We learned more about kids and they'll do what you do." Another mentor, Missy Martens of Sleepy Eye said, "It teaches me to be a positive role model." Patricia Stoppa and Gail Gilman-Waldner of Brown County Extension were instrumental in helping to organize the camp and accept referrals for kids to participate in the camp from the Sleepy Eye public school system, Brown County Public Health, and Brown County Family Services. Brown County Extension Service then does the outreach for community connectors to include all cultures in the camp. Stoppa said the children kept a journal since at the beginning of camp and they were also given a disposable camera to use. On the last day of camp, the film was developed and the children were able to include the pictures they took over the course of the camp into their journals. "This camp is flexible, many kids bring their siblings," said Stoppa, "If some couldn't bring their siblings they couldn't come to camp." Stoppa estimated that half of the youngsters at camp either brought a sibling or a cousin along with them. Gilman-Waldner and Stoppa said that probably all but a half of a dozen of the children at this year's O.K. Kids Club camp were new to the camp and some of the mentors are also new. Joy Gerard and Ina Christopherson have been cooks for the O.K. Kids Club camp for the past five years. "I like the camp. I kinda look forward to it every year," said Christopherson, "The kids this year knew a lot about nutrition." Gerard said one of the most valuable things that she see the children learning is that it's all right to try new foods. One of the snacks the children helped make was a sheep made of a piece of cauliflower for the body, four hunks of string cheese for the legs adhered to the body with cream cheese, and three raisins for the face.
|