MURRAY COUNTY 4-H HOSTS FIRST THREE SUMMER DAY CAMPS

Murray County 4-H kicks off the first three sessions of their 2024 summer day camp series, featuring the Robotic AG Challenge, Herbtacular Gardens, and the Great Grilled Cheese Challenge!

All three sessions have been held at the Murray County 4-H Building (3048 Broadway Ave Slayton, MN 56172) starting at various times throughout the late morning and early afternoon. The cost of these events were free for youth to attend and anyone from K – 13 could attend!

The AG Robotic Challenge was held on June 6 with 27 youth participating. During this event, youth were challenged to create functional robotics that would be used to help in their farm production systems. The kids were given various farm toy obstacles and mazes to control and operate their robot through. Youth were also able to alter their robot to make it different shapes and sizes to help teach them what works the best for their scenario.

On June 10, 36 youth were present to learn how to plant an Herbtacular Garden. This was hosted by our two summer interns, and they taught about various herb types, how to maintain them, and what foods they could be used in! Each participant were able to take two plants home with a seed of their choice so they can take what they learned and apply it firsthand.

The Great Grilled Cheese Challenge presented a lot of unique opportunities for kids to “earn” their ingredients to create their grilled cheese. There were various nutrition and food trivia questions asked to the groups and if they answered correctly, they were able to select the bread, cheese, or topping of their choice. Kids were encouraged to step outside of their comfort zone and try new foods that they haven’t already had with a grilled cheese sandwich before. Options included raspberry jam, various mustard varieties, spinach, cucumbers, cilantro, mayo, honey, cinnamon, and the list goes on. “The kids really enjoyed having the freedom to experiment with all the exciting flavors and ingredients. I was very impressed with how much they knew about nutrition and food facts. It really made the activity enjoyable because of how well they were able to interact with one another,” says Kim Hause, Murray County 4-H youth development educator. This was held on June 11 with 41 youth participating.

There is still time to sign up for the remaining sessions: Arts & Crafts – 3 County Fair ready projects - June 24, Cake Pops - June 25, Power Protectors- July 15, and to conclude the series, the Murray County Amazing Race will be held on July 16.