Successful EcoAdventure camp held at Rock Eagle

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Camp EcoAdventure held April 4 – 8 2011 was a great success. Forty-three campers attended the weeklong day camp that provided hands on learning experiences in the outdoor classroom. This year the children got rustic on Survival Kids day. During this camp they learned to canoe, build shelters, start fires, use a compass, and ate some delicious s’mores for snack.

Survival Kids was followed by a day of flyers during Awesome Aviators. Things were soaring high this day as the campers learned all about birds of prey when they met Rock Eagle’s raptors. Then the campers had the opportunity to see the affects of gravity when they did an egg drop. After learning all about our flighted friends, campers glided into the third day of camp “Fish Tales.” Fish Tales was a day consumed with our water dwelling gilled friends. Campers learned how to use fishing poles and practiced their skills along the shores of Rock Eagle Lake.

Since the campers spent the morning looking at the lake, in the afternoon they got to get in! Campers were given nets and got into the lake exploring the critters that camouflage amongst the muck. After practicing their detective skills in the lake they campers were well prepared to become Eco-Detectives on the fourth day of camp. They began the day by exploring the Rock Eagle Mound.

As the new detectives hiked back from the mound they got to choose a tree and learn all about it as they filled out their very own “Adopt a Tree” book. As their day as detectives went on they learned all about animal markings and tracks and then the campers got to make their very own mold of an impression of an animal track. The fourth day of camp ended with a scavenger hunt around Rock Eagle to see who lives here. The final day of Camp Eco-Adventure was all about team work.

The theme for the day was “Helping Hands.” The campers started the day by meeting “Digger” Rock Eagle’s resident Gopher Tortoise. After meeting an animal that moves around by walking on the ground they headed outdoors to meet some critters that move around through the air, the Honey Bees! The campers were given the opportunity to see inside Rock Eagle’s honey bee hives and learn how the bees work as a team to take care of one another.

All in all Camp Eco-Adventure was an amazing experience and it wouldn’t have been possible without the awesome help from the Rock Eagle staff and the volunteers. We would like to give a special thanks to our 4-H volunteers: Carol Jackson, Betty Jean Jordan, Sherry Deaton, Tracey Hays, Jeri Ford, Katelyn LaVelle and the UGA Honeybee Program for their support. To inquire more information about Rock Eagle’s Camp Eco-Adventure please contact Becky Collins at (706) 484-2836 or visit www.rockeagle4h.org.