FORT RILEY, Kan. - About 20 children participated in a whole summer's worth of camping activities in just one day.
During the 2010 Exceptional Family Member Program Summer Camp, Families went horseback riding, learned archery, canoed, caught crawfish in an educational stream activity and went swimming.
"It is just really important for Families to have activities they can participate in, and this gives kids an opportunity to get out and do things they may not have had the opportunity to do, so it's just a good activity for everybody," said Laura McCauley, EFMP manager.
McCauley said the activities are beneficial to the children as they learn new things.
"It helps develop skills, and helps them feel comfortable," she said. "They may think they can't canoe, but they get out there and they start moving. Some of them have never been around a horse before and didn't know what that was like. The smell at first really alarmed them, but then they adjusted. It's a really good environmental and cultural learning experience for them."
Brandon French, Directorate of Human Resources, attended the camp with his four children visiting from North Carolina.
French said he enjoyed watching his children catch crawfish in the stream and canoeing.
"For the children, I think it's a really good thing," he said. "My son is autistic. I did some research on autism, and found that physical and outdoor activities really help a lot, so I think this is a great thing that they're doing."
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