SUMMER 4-H FUN!!

2023 4-H CAMP AT LAKE SHETEK

Youth in grades 3-6 from across southwest Minnesota gathered at Lake Shetek outside of Slayton, Minnesota for a three-day, two-night 4-H camp this month.

4-H Staff and trained high school youth counselors provide leadership for the camp activities. Youth participated in swimming, camp fires, cabin time, camp games and more! Youth also participated in four one-hour educational tracks including food science, STEM, survival methods and fine arts.

During the STEM session youth built a contraption to protect an egg dropped from a tall height. Youth learned how to make a healthy s’more and write a recipe in the food science lesson. In the survival methods lesson, youth created a woven bracelet that could be used in an emergency. Youth learned about needle arts and worked on a small cross stitch project in the fine arts track.

Murray County 4-H once again had the top number of campers at 32 and counselors at 8 throughout the week of learning and fun. 4-Hers in Murray County who help fund raise for 4-H are able to attend the camp at a reduced rate of 75% of the fee with a youth program where the Murray County 4-H pays 75% of all fees for out of county events including State Fair, Summer Camps, and educational opportunities.

Murray County 4-H camp at Lake Shetek attendee Maggie Keller said “my favorite part was swimming with friends in the lake”, Penny Barnes another Murray county 4-Her said “the best part was also the swimming and the new friends I made.”

“We are very fortunate to have the summer camps we have in Murray County,” Kim Hause Extension Educator “the relationship 4-H has with Lutheran Ministries is a great partnership, their staff and facilities meet our needs so well and the 4-Her’s really enjoy the time we spend at camp.”

Our regional 4-H camp experience is generously supported by Lyon-Lincoln & Nobles-Murray Electric Cooperative’s Operation RoundUp trust funds.

On June 26th, 2023, Murray County 4-H hosted cupcake decorating for the kids. All the young 4-Hers were told to bring baked cupcakes that were ready to be decorated. Frosting, fondant, and sprinkles were all supplied to ensure the kids could be as creative as can be. At the end of the day, frosting and sprinkles were everywhere, including faces, but a lot of fun was had. sixty kids decorated cupcakes, and seven of the ambassadors helped to supervise and mix up frosting.

Each kid had so much fun and got to be very creative in making their cupcakes however they wanted. The kids were taught how to use piping bags with different tips, how to use fondant, and how to be extra creative with their cupcakes.