The three days were full of fun and laughter. So when you ask your kid, "How was camp?" and they say, "Oh it was fun," they are leaving out the details.

Let me start with the fact that, every child should have the pleasure of attending a summer camp at least once. Not only have I personally attended 4-H summer camp, but I have now had the pleasure of being a camp counselor for the last three years!

This article is dedicated to the Lake County 4-H'ers and their parents. Without dedicated parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles these kids wouldn't have the opportunity they did this past camp. Nor would they be as well behaved as they are.

There certainly is a difference in the life of attending camp as a camper, versus attending as a leader. My cabin consisted of 6 incredibly different girls. Some I have had in my cabin in previous years and some whom I just met the first day.

The excitement I see in their eyes is the reason I keep coming back year after year, because lets face it...after attending the camp for 10 plus years, the activities can be a little monotonous! However, each year on that first day the campers are full of smiles. They cannot push their parents away fast enough to have that taste of independence for three days. Usually the parents are the ones who are slowly driving away...hoping their kid is in safe hands; which they most certainly are!

The Lake County 4-H camp is held at the Dunes Learning Center in Chesterton, Indiana. A place where education is hidden in a mask of fun activities, nature hikes and campfires. The relationship between counselors at the Dunes and the 4-H Leader Volunteers is impeccable in growth and nature is the catalyst!

On day one, the fun begins right as the children settle in to camp. Hikes all across the learning center are conducted creating stronger bonds between the kids. As a camper, I enjoyed meeting new people who were not in my club and hearing their personal take on 4-H...what projects they are taking, what animals they show and how their club runs throughout the year. Big talk about meeting up at fair and grabbing an elephant ear were always in the making of plans. Now as a counselor, I watch and reminisce as the kids talk about Woodworking, Horse & Pony and Lego. Some of the conversations went as followed...

"I have been working on my farm model for two weeks with my grandpa."

"I haven't started any of my projects because of swim practice."

"I can use all of these pictures for my forestry poster."

"I try to ride my horse every day in the summer, camp is just giving him a little break time."

The kids that attend camp are so incredibly smart. They have their whole summer planned and like many of my 4-H summers it is all wrapped around getting to the fair in August and showing off all the hard work put into the projects!

By the time lunch and dinner rolled around the kids where so hungry from all the hiking and river surveying that you could've set down a big plate of broccoli and they would've fought over it! But lucky to the campers that meal time consisted of kid friendly food! Mac -n-cheese, chicken strips, turkey pot roast and we can't forget a breakfast favorite, tater tot coins.

At each meal, the camp requires a table helper and weather helper. The kids rotate the duties. Little do they know that they are learning how to count heads for the dinner table. The weather helpers learn about the cloud coverage, predicted weather for the day and what to bring for the next activity. They then PUBLICLY SPEAK in front of their peers and tell them the temperature, the forecast for the next two to three hours and what to pack for their hikes. Something that was unchanging in the speech was that the kids were told to always bring PMA, positive mental attitude!

The dunes has a no waste policy and the kids are challenged to only take what they can eat or to split the items with a friend! The kids work really hard to eat everything on their plate to receive an award at the end of camp. They learn about compost and how a compost pile can help the Earth. I could tell connections were being linked back to 4-H when my cabin of kids questioned if a compost pile would help their garden grow bigger vegetables. Of course, I know it helps but I wasn't about to spoil the surprise...so I responded with, "Well why don't you try it at home?"

The second day is always beach day. The kids get their exercise in when climbing nearly 300 stairs that weave with a board walk through acres of forest land in front of the beach. On this hike, the dunes counselors talk about why it is important to preserve these areas for future generations. This really hit me, I walked all these trails multiple times and they are still here for kids 10-15 years younger than myself and now they are enjoying it. It's crazy how they found the same satisfaction I did when trying a sassafras leaf and discovering that it tastes very similar to fruit loops!

Walking across the beach many of the kids were picking up garbage left behind by others, I know for a fact they did this without being told. It took one kid to pick up an empty Lunchables pack for they other to mimic that and do they same. It soon became a game of who could get the most garbage!

After the long hike the kids could not wait to jump into Lake Michigan...the counselors who served as life guards...not so much! The water was certainly cold, but as the saying goes kids will be kids. They had a blast swimming in the lake, building sand castles and burying their bodies deep in the cool sand. There was plenty of PMA.

After the beach time had ended, we all got back on the bus and headed back to camp. When getting off the bus each camper personally thanked Mr. Parker for driving us everywhere during the day. Mr. Parker then thanked the counselors for such fine and well behaved kids.

The fun continued with various games of tag, team bonding activities and arts and crafts. When the sun went down I witnessed the excitement of the children...they were going to get to have a real campfire because the weather helpers informed everyone at dinner there was no rain in the forecast! At the fire everyone was super enthusiastic while chanting campfire songs and got to roast hot dogs on an open flame!

The night now heading into the 10 p.m, hour the children headed back to their cabins somberly as this was their last night at camp. However, my cabin had no trouble falling asleep and the camp was a ghost town at 11.30!

Early the next morning...about 7.15 a.m., the kids met for their before meal time game of touch football, which had become a ritual on the campsite. They met at the wood chips and 242'ed hut hut hiked for 45 minutes before called into breakfast. After breakfast, they all got in a big circle and graduation commenced. Everyone's names were called, t-shirts were handed out and goodbyes were said....very slowly. As they were on the first day pushing their parents away...this continued on the last day. That is until dads offered to carry luggage bags and all of a sudden parents didn't seem so bad.

The cabin bonds were promised and a promise to be kept to eat the snacks together at the 4-H building during 4-H project judging, to meet up and meet their animals when they are hauled in for shows at the fair. Numbers, Instagram handles and Facebook friendships were exchanged. I did not have that luxury as a camper...back in my day haha!

All in all, I'd bet my money that the kids had lots of fun! See everyone next year!

Please see the Lake County 4-H Facebook page to view more pictures and my video with added music of the three days at camp. Feel free to share and tell other 4-H'ers about the camp fun, we only want our numbers for attendance to go up!