Outdoor Recreation Camp hits target with new activities
Campers practice archery skills during the Ritchie County Schools Outdoor Recreation Camp at North Bend State Park. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)
Campers search for salamanders and crawdads in a North Bend creek. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)
North Bend naturalists help campers pour concrete into their track molds during the Track and Scat program. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)
Campers practice archery skills during the Ritchie County Schools Outdoor Recreation Camp at North Bend State Park. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)
Campers search for salamanders and crawdads in a North Bend creek. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)
North Bend naturalists help campers pour concrete into their track molds during the Track and Scat program. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)
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Ritchie County Schools will wrap up its Outdoor Recreation Camp Thursday at North Bend State Park.
The camp followed the four-week Academic Learning Camp in schools. This is the third year for the Outdoor Recreation Camp at North Bend.
Participating in the two-week program this year was 160 campers, all Ritchie County students from 2nd to 8th grades. New activities were available for them to explore.
"It's a really good program. There's a little bit of everything," Ritchie County Schools Superintendent April Haught said. "We can't tell who's having more fun, the kids or the teachers."
The Outdoor Recreation Camp idea started before the COVID pandemic under the previous superintendent, Jim Brown. The 2021 camp was for getting the kids outside to do things while safely social distancing and showing them what their county had to offer them.
The first camp had 75 to 100 campers and eventually grew to 115 campers during the second year.
The camp is free and Ritchie County Elementary School prepares breakfast and lunch everyday for their campers. Second through 8th graders also experienced many different activities during their two weeks at the camp.
The program Tracks and Scat taught them about identifying the animal tracks and scat found in the woods or on trails. In Creek Critters, they went to a creek and searched for crawdads and salamanders.
Students also made tie-dye T-shirts, paracord bracelets, found their inner artist in rock painting, played the North Bend mini golf course and participated in scavenger hunts.
"We've even added a new archery program this year that is taught by our gym teachers," Kelsey Waggoner, district director of the camp, said. "We've also partnered with Cairo Outdoors for their indoor rock climbing for the younger grades, and Rivertown Climbing from Ravenswood for outdoor rock climbing for the older grades."
North Bend Outfitters at Cokeley Campground offered pontoon boating and kayaking to the campers. For the older campers, Fire and Shelter is a program taught on survival skills for the wilderness. North Bend also provides the pool to the campers at the end of every day with Twisted Toppings Sundaes and Scoops ice cream available for purchase.
"Kids always tell their friends about the camp, so we're always expecting more kids," Waggoner says about next year's expectations. "We're going to keep adding more programs and our goal is to keep the kids active and engaged."
The camp is continuing for one more year through the grant received to start the Outdoor Recreation Camp at North Bend.
"We are trying to find a way to get more funding," Waggoner said. "The camp has been such a great mental and physical health reliever and it has promoted good wellness and healthy living for the kids as well as the teachers. It also promotes and utilizes the park and surrounding area businesses."