Fond du Lac County 4-H wrapped up another successful summer by finishing with four engaging day camps in August. Art Camp, Cloverbud Art Camp, Cardboard Camp: Cardboard City, and LEGO Camp were the final 4-H Summer Camps of the season. The camps were well attended and provided youth with opportunities to learn new skills, express creativity, make friends, and build confidence in a welcoming environment.
The largest of the August offerings was the three-day Art Camp, which reached youth in grades 3-8. Each day featured a unique theme: Art-Rageous 2-D, Super Sculptures 3-D, and Creative Cultural Arts. Throughout the week, participants explored a variety of artistic techniques, materials, and cultures through hands-on activities.
During Art-Rageous 2-D, youth created sketchbooks, learned printmaking techniques, completed stained-glass-inspired projects, painted acrylic canvases, and experimented with watercolors, Perler beads, and pastels. On Super Sculptures 3-D day, campers stained wooden boxes, sculpted with clay, created CD animals, designed colorful coral reefs, crafted felt flowers, and learned to make pinecone succulent boxes with guidance from guest speaker and 4-H youth leader Hannah. The final day, Creative Cultural Arts, introduced youth to art forms from around the world, including Aboriginal dot painting from Australia, Turkish marbling, origami, tiki mask creation, paper mosaics, weaving, bracelet making, and bead animal keychains. Participants demonstrated creativity, problem-solving, and perseverance while developing new artistic skills.
The final Cloverbud Day Camp of the summer featured an Art theme and provided younger youth with a fun-filled day of creativity and exploration. Camp began with interactive name games to help participants get to know one another before diving into a variety of hands-on projects. Youth created rock cactus pots, alcohol ink coasters, watercolor bookmarks, and stained-glass-inspired art. After lunch, campers participated in a chalk obstacle course game that encouraged movement and teamwork. The afternoon included rotating art stations where youth experimented with Perler beads, beaded keychains, and printmaking. Throughout the day, Cloverbuds explored new artistic techniques, built friendships, and expressed their creativity in a positive and supportive environment.
The final two camps of the summer were Cardboard Camp: Cardboard City and LEGO Camp, both three-day experiences that encouraged creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving. During Cardboard City Camp, youth worked together to design and construct different parts of a community using cardboard and recycled materials. Campers created features such as dance studios, basketball courts, ice cream shops, amusement parks, and other imaginative city attractions. LEGO Camp provided youth with opportunities to develop building and engineering skills through creative challenges and collaborative projects while making new friends.
Evaluation results for camp are still being collected due to their timing at the end of the summer. However, youth participants shared positive feedback and excitement about their camp experiences, with many already looking forward to next year’s summer camp opportunities.
The goals of all Fond du Lac County 4-H summer camps were for youth to learn something new, be actively engaged, increase their interest in the camp topics, and foster a sense of belonging. Through hands-on learning, creativity, and friendship, the August camps provided a memorable conclusion to another successful summer of 4-H programming.