Pam Santer from West Virginia University at Parkersburg teaches yoga to the children 12 years old and younger at 4-H camp Wednesday afternoon on Butcher Bend Road in Mineral Wells. (Photo Provided)

MINERAL WELLS — Although 4-H camp looked a little different this year, some of the same traditions remained as the camp reopened this summer.

Earlier this year, it was decided that the camps would be day camps with the children going home and coming back each day as opposed to the traditional overnight stays.

With the change, Jodi Smith, 4-H extension agent for WVU Extension Service, said the group did all they could to make camp just as fun as previous years.

“The kids ended up having a blast, I think they came into it unsure because it’s not typically what they’re used to,” she said. “We try to keep as much of our traditional camping program as we could and (with) the day camp program, they said it ended up making them more exhausted. I think it’s just because we were trying to give them as much as we could in a short amount of time.”

With the different format, WVU Extension Service allowed each county to pick times to go to Jackson’s Mill, the state 4-H camp facility.

Shayleigh Garb, 12, 4-H camp nurse Danielle Lockhart and Shyanne Deargh, 13, made friendship bracelets during craft class at camp. (Photo by Candice Black)

Sixteen campers and six counselors went and Smith said they got to experience some new activities.

“We pretty much had the whole state camp to ourselves for the first couple days. It actually worked out well and the kids had an awesome time, they absolutely loved it,” Smith said. “They got to experience things you don’t normally get to do at county camp. It was a lot of fun, it was different than what they’re used to here.”

Campers Shayleigh Garb, 12, and Shyanne Deargh, 13, went on the Jackson’s Mill trip for the first time and both said they had fun.

“That was really fun, it was more fun than what I thought,” Deargh said.

Throughout the camps, the two different age groups, 13-21 and 12 and under, focused on service projects, STEM and cooking classes, recreation, sports, crafts and campfire activities.

Smith said the favorite tends to be campfire because campers get together with their tribes and plan a skit or song to perform for their fellow campers.

“They love their classes but they also love council circle. Even though it’s not as late in the evening as we normally have it, they’ve still really enjoyed it because that’s where they get a chance to express themselves and show the things they’ve created,” Smith said. “They do little skits and funny stuff, they create songs. That’s where they get a chance to showcase what they planned and did as a group.”

For service projects, campers wove plastic bags into mats for the Salvation Army, made dog toys, blankets and crafted cards for hospital workers.

The blankets made will be donated to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization that makes beds for children.

Garb and Deargh said they both enjoy coming to camp. Garb said she can’t pick a favorite part of camp, she loves it all. Deargh loves interacting with people.

“I like how kind people are,” she said.

Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.