Week 3 update!

Good Evening 4-Hers!

Phew, what a crazy few weeks we've had here! We apologize for not updating more often, it gets a little busy out here! Last week our internet was out, so we had some issues getting on and connecting with people for which we sincerely thank you for your patience! Now we are officially back up and running, and we have a lot to tell you about!

The campers have been having a fantastic time out here at camp and we've been doing a LOT of activities. We've been having contests on the farm to see how many chickens can fit on one camper; last week we had 15 on one camper and today we broke the record with 17 chickens on one camper! The kids have been having a great time walking the goats, feeding the pigs, playing with the cows, and working in the garden. Parents keep telling us all the fun things that they are making with our crops when they take them home!

Last Friday we had our first Zombie Survival Camp Out of the summer! The first week we got rained out, so we were very excited to get out there with the kids stocked up with nerf guns and nerf swords to take on zombie attacks throughout the night. Counselors went periodically in hoards through the evening to "attack" our survivalists and test their skills. We're happy to report we came back with all children fully in tact!

Our sports program has been in full swing this summer with a number of new programs for the kids to try. We started a hockey program that the campers are really enjoying and developing great new skills. The campers have enjoyed playing softball as well as the start of our rugby program this week. It's certainly a thrill to watch a youth camper take down one of our staff members!

Our council fires have been huge now that BJ, our fire man, has arrived for the summer! Our council fires have been very lively with a ton of campers signing up to sing throughout the night! It's so exciting to see the great amount of talent that our campers have each week! We've also been thoroughly entertained by our new camp band - Extra Medium, with their hit singles "Lettuce Yes!" and "Luke Dilworth"

Tonight our Teen girls and boys are off doing cabin nights, in which each cabin does it's own activity and spends the evening bonding. Some are making smores, some are going on night swims, and one even is having a pokemon night! The Youth boys and girls are having their unit nights, where the Youth girls are playing Manic Panic (a big scavenger hunt), and the Youth boys are having a cook out! Tomorrow night our CITs (Counselors in Training) will be hosting our co-ed evening program, Wild Wild West! We're looking forward to fun games and some wild dance moves.

Until next time, 4-Hers! We can't wait till you're here to join us!

Week 1 Check-In

Hey, readers! I'm Faith, The CIT Director here at camp this summer, and I will be guest blogging here on the DPF 4-H Camp Blog. (CIT Stands for "Counselor In Training" for those of you unfamiliar with the camp lingo)

So far the week has been AWESOME! The campers and staff are full of energy and it shows in all of the games and activities we do throughout the day. We had Monday Night Madness  activities on the Rec Field two nights ago, organized by our Sports Director Eric. All of camp was divided into teams and we played games such as World Cup, Ships & Sailors, Nuke'em, Parachute Game, and Knock-out.

Tuesday was the first day of classes. Campers have been going down to the beach to swim in our Sound, shooting targets down at our archery range, cooking cinnamon apples over a campfire, feeding goats, bunnies, and pigs at the farm, hitting home runs on the softball field,  learning Zombie survival tactics in Outdoor Survival, riding horses, climbing the rock wall in High Ropes, and crafting to their heart's content in Arts & Crafts. And that's just to name a few!!!


This afternoon some of our Mini Campers will be heading back home, but we hope that they come back and join us later in the summer, and/or for more weeks next year! It was so nice to see so many new faces and to share camp traditions with you!
In our dining lodge, we have a sign over the fireplace that says; "He who enters is a stranger but once." So remember that you are always welcome to come back here to Camp 4-H! :)

Worried about Ticks?

As a sleep away camp in the woods, we do have deer on the property. With deer usually comes the chance of ticks, as I'm sure many know! We spray on the camp 2 times during the summer, at the beginning and in the middle of the encampment. We know parents still have worries, as there are a number of stories that surround tick bites. We encourage daily tick checks (multiple times per day) and will bring the child directly to the nurse when they discover one to have it removed. The nurse will follow up with the parents to alert them, and send the tick out to be checked (this occurs weekly). If there are any abnormalities, the nurse will follow up with the parents. Our tick bites do not happen very often, and we encourage the daily use of bug spray to assist in the repelling of them.

For more information on ticks for the summer, we have located a website where you can receive some more details! Just click the link below!

Tick App

Packing for Camp

Good Morning Camp Families! Only 26 DAYS until the first day of camp! We can't believe the season is almost here! We are so very excited to have all of our campers and staff with us for the summer. You are probably doing a lot of head scratching trying to figure out what to bring with you this summer. Never fear! We have compiled a list of basics that you can base your packing off of to come prepared for an awesome week at camp. Now, of course you can stray from the list and personalize it to yourself, but please strictly adhere to the DON'T's of packing to make sure they can thrive in our environment. Any questions please feel free to ask!

Did you know...?

DPF is very well known for it's working farm program! The farm stretches over 40 acres of land, including plots for animals, coops and hutches, a barn, an orchard, and numerous gardens! We run a popular "Farm to Table" program while camp is in session. The kids that engage in our farm activity will have the opportunity to go into the gardens and collect ripened fruits and vegetables to deliver to the kitchen for the following meal. We grow numerous types of potatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchinis, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and have apples in our orchard throughout the year. We are also gathering eggs from our chickens and packaging them by the dozen! Not only are the vegetables get brought to our camp kitchen, they can be brought to your kitchen at home! At the end of every session, we run a vegetable table that allows for parents and campers to take home crops that were picked that week for donations. Can't make it out to camp? We also bring our crops the the East Meadow Farm location of Cornell Cooperative extension, located on Merrick Ave. in East Meadow for weekly farm stands throughout the summer!  Starting in June and running through October, the farm stand is open Fridays 4-7pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm. There will also be plenty of plants available grown at the East Meadow site in their plots. Support your local communities and local 4-H camp by paying them a visit throughout the summer!

Staff Spotlight International Edition: Alice Walker

Meet Alice Walker, senior counselor at DPF 4-H!

We are lucky enough to have people from all over the world come to stay with us during the summer at camp. One of the highlights of having international staff is allowing our campers to know about other cultures and countries, as our staff bring many traditions, accents, and walks of life with them to share! Last summer we brought Alice over from England to work with us and she did a phenomenal job! The kids absolutely loved getting to know her inside the cabin as well as in her self-defense classes! We heard so many campers reflecting on how much they loved hanging out with Alice and how well they bonded with her. We're happy to share that she'll be back this summer and we know you can't wait to see her! We touched base with Alice across the pond to talk about her experience last summer and share what she's excited for this year.

How was your experience with us last year as a first time counselor? 

I had such a good first summer at camp; I came without really knowing what to expect and with pretty much no warning before I flew out. The first few weeks were fairly over-whelming; learning the day-to-day routine as I went along whilst having to be in charge of campers who knew a lot more about how things run than I did! Once I’d got into the swing of things time seemed to go so quickly. I made some amazing friends, some of whom I can imagine knowing for a very long time. 

What are some of your favorite memories from last year?

There are definitely too many to list; my friends at home are sick of hearing about camp stories! I remember having some rather hilarious nights, dancing like an idiot during every coed, sock wrestling in self defense classes, and even dressing up as a gangster bride during one unit night. Things that I definitely didn’t imagine I’d be doing when I came to camp.

What are you doing in the off season (school, jobs, hobbies, etc.)?

Back in England I’m at the University of Nottingham (in the middle of the country), studying math and economics in my second year; apart from studying I do regular studenty things (going out with friends, shopping, sleeping etc). I also train in Aikido (martial arts) a couple of times a week, and am the president of the club at my university.

What are you looking forward to most about returning this summer?

Probably getting to see all the other counselors and campers I met last year. I’m looking forward to not being the ‘newby’ so I’ll actually know what I’m doing from week one this time, and know what to expect. I can’t wait to have another amazing summer and have a laugh with good friends.

We can't wait to have you back Alice! 

First Open House Update

We are proud to report that this past weekend's Open house was a huge success! The sun was shining and we had over 20 families come out to visit us and met with over 30 prospective campers! What an exciting time for us! All of our staff members and leadership weekend participants did a fantastic job on the tours speaking with all of the parents and campers that came to visit us. We got reports that they were very helpful and informative while answering questions and showing the facilities. We even treated them to Snowflake's homemade ice cream afterwards for doing such a great job. Way to go guys!

For anyone that missed this open house, never fear! We will be having 3 more open houses this season before camp starts. You can check out the following dates to plan a visit with us:

• Saturday, April 25th
• Saturday, May 16th
• Saturday, June 6th

If you attended our open house and had a positive experience, be sure to tell other families that are thinking about coming!