2011.05.27

Mimi’s first sleep away camp

Mimi has expressed her interests to be a Vet in the future. Since that, mommy has been paying attention to activities that will help to broaden her horizon. It came to my attention that Cornell offers a one-day sleep away camp to introduce children with limited exposure to animal to particular farm animals (rabbit, cow, sheep, and horse).

Mommy registered Mimi and her good friend, Olympia. It was a chore to make it happen but I will not bore you with the details. What’s important is that these girls had a great time!!

On Friday, 5/20/11, mommy went to pick up Mimi after school. We went home to get Mimi’s luggage she packed the night before. We grab some quick sandwitch for dinner and rushed to Olympia’s house to pick her up.

These girls were excited about the opportunity for a “sleep over” but they don’t really know what to expect.

They arrived at the 4H camp ground. Mimi looked around the facility and asked mommy “where are we going to sleep?” Mommy said “On the floor”. She was quite shocked.

These girls were waiting in line to complete the registration process.

It’s a great experience for Mimi to be somewhere without all the amenity she is used to. Simple bathroom, concrete floor with sleeping bag on, no shower, a simple sink to share with others to brush your teeth. This is not something that this little princess is used to. Mommy hopes she can grow the important skill to survive in all kinds of environment.

Oly is excited but also a bit nervous about what’s going to happen tonight.

Waiting in line for the registration.

Get their name tags and water bottle.

Only for a simple night, these girls packed everything they could think of with them….. (Mimi packed her tooth paste and brush. you know what? She DIDN”T brush her teeth for the whole time….)

The program started around 6:30pm with a introduction program. Children learned different parts of animals. How to handle and care for them. The basic agricultural knowledge. it was both hands on and lecture.

Parents could stay with their children but these girls DID NOT want anyone to accompany them.

Still, mommy went back at around 8pm to bring Mimi something she forgot. Mommy was able to take one picture outside of the door. The children were in the middle of a class. Mimi was assigned to the group to learn more about rabbit.

The light was out at 10pm. According to Mimi, the concrete floor was VERY COLD. She and Oly were awake about 6am in the morning. Mommy and daddy came at about 4pm to see their final presentation.

By then, they all changed into their uniform T-shirt. Each child already had his/her opportunity to handle their own animal. In Mimi’s case, it was a rabbit.

Each child got a photo-op to get their “graduation present” — a frame picture of themselves before Cornell 4H flag.

After Oly, it was Mimi’s turn. Mimi managed to pick up a rabbit on her own and marched to the table for her photo take.

Those rabbits were beautiful but they were also HUGE. Some of them were as big as a dog.

Each child will also have an opportunity for a “presentation”. They will show their rabbit in front of a “judge”. It was modeled after a formal animal showing competition. Children are expected to tell animal parts and exam them for ticks, bruises, swellingness, discharge, etc.

Mimi followed the protocol to “handle” rabbit. You are supposed to pick up rabbit by the skin around their neck. You also should pet them constently to relief the animals’ anxiety.

The children were waiting for the judge to arrive. The judge owned a farm near by and “donated” (or loaned) these rabbits for the program participants.

Finally, the judge arrived and Mimi was the first to be on for her presentation. Mommy was able to record her presentation. However, in the middle of the recording, the memory card ran out. So here is the “partial” presentation from Jordan Lu….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO3p5hb3-FQ

Checked their ears, eyes, belly, fur colors, spine, etc.

She also needed to “flip” her rabbit up to exam the abdomen. You need to hold their body with one hand, and their ear with another hand. Meanwhile, your body needed to be very close to prevent them from struggling. It was really fun to watch that.

At the end of the presentation, the judge will give you some feedback and handed you a certificate of completion and a trophy.

Mimi and Oly left after their presentation. According to these girls, they want to come back next year. Once you finish the introduction program (rabbit), you will be able to move up to the larger farm animal (horse, cow or sheep). Both girls will like to work with cow next year. Mommy will need to keep that in mind.