The roar inside the community center was at a low level as children interacted with one another while learning about nutrition, poison safety, first aid, hygiene and other topics.

The children were attending the summer day camp sponsored by the Fulton County office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and other community agencies.

“We wanted to do something fun and educational for the children,” said Sara Bogle, Fulton County Extension agent for family and consumer science. “We figured some children would just have idle time on their hands and may be more likely to get into trouble and have increased risky behaviors.  We figured this was a good thing for them to be involved in and have fun at the same time.”

“We’ve had all kind of activities,” she said. “We’ve had physical activities throughout the week.  The children have gone to the computer lab, had the bookmobile come over and played Book Bingo where each child got a book.  We’ve also had crafts.”

Additionally, they did a community service project, which consisted of banners for the military and cards for family members.

“It’s something for them to give back since we are doing for them all week,” she said.

The summer camp was open for any child age 6 to 12 and they were fed lunch by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s summer feeding program. The Fulton County school system’s lunchroom staff prepared the meals.

The program had a great deal of community involvement, Bogle noted.  Participants in the week’s events included the housing authority, police department, fire department, the Even Start program, Extension service, Kentucky Soybean Association, Fulton Libraries, Parkway Regional Hospital, and the health department.

“It’s been wonderful, everyone working together,” she said.

Angel Wilson, 6, said she enjoyed eating the most.

“I learned about how you can get sick if you get germs,” she said.

Toni Madding, 6, said she too learned about germs.

Toni’s 8-year-old sister, Gabby, said she enjoyed making lip balm from soybeans, wax and cherry flavoring.

“When it dries, you can put it on your lips,” she said.

Gabby said she made a card as part of the community service project for her cousin who is serving in Iraq with the U.S. Army.