Summer has a way of surprising us—one moment we’re welcoming the warm breeze of early June, the next we’re flipping through calendars and wondering where the days went. In our 4‑H youth program, it feels like we just kicked off activities, and already we’re reflecting on the friendships formed, discoveries made, and the exciting projects we dove into as summer winds down. We have had so much fun this summer!

Exploring the World Through Books

We were really excited to bring our 4-H Book Explorers program back to the Pamlico County Library! Our Book Explorers program takes a fantastic journey around the world—one book and one country at a time. With our Pamlico County Youth we read our way around the globe, learning about the cultures, arts, foods, and landscapes of countries around the world.

Weekly Adventures in Reading and Culture

Each week, we debuted a new book and country to explore, learning about the people and places that make up our diverse world. We learned about the geography of several countries—their capital cities, famous landmarks, and interesting native animals.

Through Book Explorers, youth discovered world cultures—like Portugal—while building literacy skills.

Building Skills Through Presentations

District Activity Day Achievements

We also had a lot of fun with our 4-H Presentation Program! First three of our Pamlico County 4-Hers traveled to Wayne Community College for the South East 4-H District Activity Day. At District Activity Day Laura Adolphson and Sophia Adolphson competed in the Arts and Communication category, and Ceceily Odunusi presented in the Cloverbud category. (Cloverbuds are young 4-H’ers ages 5–7 who participate but are not yet old enough to compete.)

Recognition for Hard Work and Dedication

After weeks of dedicated work—researching, writing, memorizing, developing slides, and practicing—Laura, Sophia, and Ceceily represented Pamlico County marvelously. Laura delivered an engaging and informative talk on How to Write Novellas, earning a silver medal in her category. Sophia impressed judges with her well-researched and dynamic presentation on The History of Manga, taking home the gold. Both Laura and Sophia demonstrated exceptional public speaking skills and a deep passion for their topics. All three of our Pamlico County delegates stood out as shining examples of what 4-H presentations are all about. After a couple more weeks of dedicated practice, and taking the district judges feedback seriously, Laura and Sophia presented their presentations. All of that hard work showed as they both won gold in their age categories! I can’t wait to watch them grow and learn even more!

Learning Electricity Hands-On

Five of our It’s Electric 4-Hers earned the opportunity to attend the 4-H Electric Congress. After spending the year learning about electricity, circuits, and building projects like retro game cubes, mini Tesla coils and started working on photo-sensing model cars, they were able to gather with other 4-Hers from across the state for some awesome learning experiences. They spent several days at UNCW, and had some fun excursions to the water park and a boat cruise.

Youth explored the power of science and technology while representing Pamlico County at Electric Congress.

Hands-on projects like building a Tesla coil spark curiosity and inspire future innovators in 4-H.

Summer Adventures at 4-H Camp

Then we finished our summer with a week at 4-H Sleepaway camp! We enjoyed a week further up the coast at the Eastern 4-H Center.

Pamlico County 4-H’ers kicked off their summer with new friendships and hands-on learning at camp.

Outdoor Fun and Activities

We went kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, rock wall climbing, ecology, crabbing, archery, swimming, arts and crafts, sports, games. All of this sounds like an awesome way to spend a week however, it isn’t the most important aspect of summer sleepaway camp.

Life Skills Beyond the Campfire

4-H Camp was founded on the same foundations of service, life skills, and citizenship as 4-H in counties. While kayaking, swimming, hiking, navigating ropes courses, and making crafts, they will be developing problem-solving skills, growing in communication, and interpersonal skills.

Looking Ahead to Fall Programs

As we come to the end of summer, we are looking forward to our fall programs kicking off. This year we will have a return of: It’s Electric, Chopped International, and Sew Much Fun! We will also have several new programs. We will be releasing that information in the next few weeks!

How to Register

You will also need to register in 4-H online to complete your registration for any program. If you have any questions about accessing 4-H Online or the enrollment process please give us a call and we will be happy to walk you through it. You can also sign up for our Pamlico 4-H Email list. To learn more about all 4-H programs in Pamlico County contact Kait Neeland at (252) 745-4121, or kait_neeland@ncsu.edu. Don’t FORGET to REGISTER, spaces will fill up!!