The Columbus County Cooperative Extension (CCCE) has planned a fun-filled summer for kids in the area. From field trips to learning lifelong skills, children will have a blast while broadening their horizons.
Sewing Camp
CCCE is partnering with the Columbus County 4-H Club and the Family Consumer Science Program to offer a camp for a very unique skill set. The Youth Sewing Camp will give youngsters an introduction to fabrics, where they come from, and how to sew them together using basic techniques. After a morning of learning, the kids will get to apply the sewing methods to making their own cactus plushy with materials involved in the camp.
The camp will be on Thursday, July 12, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Children ages 5-15 years old are invited to attend for $10 each. Registration is required, and fees can be paid by cash or check at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Columbus County Center.
Island Exploration
Take a field trip to explore the largest underdeveloped island in N.C. Youth will travel to Carolina Beach and Masonsboro. Masonboro Island is the largest undisturbed barrier island along the southern part of the North Carolina coast and is located approximately five miles southeast of Wilmington. The site is bound by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to the west, Masonboro Inlet to the north, and Carolina Beach Inlet to the south.
The habitats found within this site include subtidal soft bottoms, tidal flats, hard surfaces, salt marshes, shrub thicket, maritime forest, dredge spoil areas, grasslands, ocean beach, and sand dunes. Loggerhead and green sea turtles nest on the beaches where seabeach amaranth plants grow on the foredunes. All of these species are listed as threatened by the federal government. Creatures who resided there include the American oystercatcher, black skimmers, Wilson’s plovers, and least terns that nest on the island. The waters of the Masonboro Sound are an important nursery area for spot, mullet, summer flounder, pompano, menhaden, and bluefish.
The trip for the island and sound exploration will be on July 11 from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Children age 13-18 years old will depart from the CCCE the morning of camp. The cost is $50 per child.
4-H Exploration
Join the Columbus County 4-H for a day of exploration at Lake Waccamaw State Park. Lake Waccamaw is located in the coastal region of N.C. only one hour west of Wilmington. It is the largest lake out of the 500,000 mysterious geological phenomena known as Carolina bays. A limestone bluff reduces the acidity levels, making the lake an ideal home for several aquatic species that are found nowhere else in the world. The lake is home to the American alligator, the brown-headed nuthatch, the white-eyed vireo, the Parula warbler, bobcat, black bear, Waccamaw silverside and the Waccamaw darter.
Activities include canoeing, snake science, a trip to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville, a visit to both the Lake Waccamaw Fire Department and the train depot museum, archery, zip lining and much more. This 5-day camp will be from July 24-July 28 from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. The cost is $30.
The camp is for children ages 9-12 years old, and pre-registration is required.
Farm to Fork Camp
The county 4-H Club will also be hosting the Farm to Fork Camp from Aug. 7-11. The event will be held each day from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the extension center for kids 8-12 years. The camp will include agricultural technology, food art, pollination and planting, learning to grill, a farm day and other outdoor activities.
The cost is $35 per person, and online registration is required before July 26 at 5 p.m.
If you have any questions about any of the camps or if you would like to sign your child for any of the youth events, call 910.640.6605. Visit https://v2.4honline.com to register online for 4-H partnered activities. To learn about other programs through the CCCE, log onto https://columbus.ces.ncsu.edu/.
