October 2020 Issue

Page 4 October 2020 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN By Lois Szymanski With Covid restrictions on gatherings in place throughout the summer, horse camps across the country went virtual in 2020. Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Woodbine, MD offered Camp-in-a-Box, a fun alternative to their annual summer horse camp. “We wanted to bring the horses and the farm to kids while doing the same fun activities from home,” said Nicky Wet- zelberger, DEFHR Community Outreach Director. Days End’s Camp-in-a-Box included hands-on projects, DIY experiments, online videos and ex- citing activities revolving around horses, but it also included infor- mation about the environment. In 2020, Summer Horse Camp Came in a Box Camp information stated that campers would “find out why caring for the environment is part of caring #4thehorses.” Each week centered around an environmental theme, re- minding kids how caring for the environment also gives back to the horses they love. Campers dove into a vital part of the world around them, learning about the parts of a horse, their vital needs, and everything from the water we drink to the food we eat and from the sand in the paddocks to the birds in the trees. Days End campers paid $100 for the first week and $35 per week afterward. They received an official camp bag and t-shirt, stickers, trading cards, pins, a field guide for hands-on projects and experiments, access to online videos, DIY crafts, printable activities, and a Horse Ambassador certificate. Penn State Extension Andrea Kocher, an Equine Extension Specialist and instruc- tor of equine science for Penn State talked about their PA 4-H Virtual Equine Science Camp. “For our hands-on animal science camp for livestock, dairy and horse in May, we bring kids on campus and have hands-on [sessions] with instructors of equine science. Since we couldn’t hold it this year, we used that educational model but gave it a virtual twist,” she said. “We knew it couldn’t be as hands on, so we worked hard to engage them virtually. We took six days and met with them for one and a half hours in the eve- ning via Zoom. There were five age groups. We tried to break it up, because kids are so Zoomed out these days.” The camp was held over six days at the end of July and early August. All campers logged in at the same time and watched a six to eight minute video clip about the topic of the day or heard one of the leaders or teachers present the introduction. Then the camp- ers split off into their age groups.. “The five age groups each had a corresponding horse name,” Kocher said. “The Cloverbuds, 5- 7 year olds, were called The Foals. The 8–10 year old group was called The Mini’s. Our 11 – 12 year olds were called The Ponies (Continued on page 8) Above, Eight year old Angeli Ronco builds a horse skeleton using pas- ta, one of the activities of Penn State Extension’s virtual equine science camp. Right, Rachel Bitler’s completed horse anatomy project.