Nelson Family Blog: Dakota Dreams Camp

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Dakota Dreams Camp

In the middle of July, Emma spent a week at SDSU for Dakota Dreams Camp. Dakota Dreams is a camp where kids entering 7th or 8th grade can go to a college that is participating in the program and learning about different majors with hands on activities. It's state funded, so it doesn't cost a thing to go.

So, Emma got accepted into the SDSU camp which was super exciting. We brought her to campus on a Sunday, and they had a nice program for the parents and the kids to talk about the camp, the school, and what to expect. They also fed us a taco bar meal which was a nice touch.

We moved Emma into her dorm room, which she shared with another girl attending camp. Emma was a little nervous, very excited, and couldn't wait to have a college-like experience.

Emma loved the camp. She made friends with like 5 other girls, had a ton of fun, and got to experience 8 different majors at SDSU. They had sessions all throughout the day, and then in the evenings they got to do fun activities. They went to the Wellness center one night to swim, play basketball, and climb the rock wall. They also went to the play Cinderella another night. They also had a dance and games, and the last night they swam at the Brookings pool and had a picnic in the park. They were very busy, but having fun the whole time.

The hands-on sessions for camp were really cool. Emma got to help deliver a simulation calf from a simulation cow. She also got to feel a uterus and help bandage a horse's leg (all simulations). The nursing one had them taking out staples, and taking a blood pressure and all kinds of things. They really got a lot of hands on experience.

On the last day, the kids got to pick out some SDSU gear. Emma got a nice fluffy SDSU blanket, a pennet, some pencils, and a notebook. She was so happy.

On Thursday, I ended up picking her up from camp. We took a nice tour of the campus, and then stopped at the Dairy Bar for some SDSU ice cream. We also stopped out at the Sutton Vet Clinic to pick up vaccines for Jim and Barb, and we had a nice chat with Dennis. Then, I took a very tired Emma home. She slept most of the way home.