4-H Electric Camp: “Powering Watt’s Next”
This June, CEMC sent a group of middle school students to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for 4-H Electric Camp, held June 23-26. Our attendees joined students from Cheatham, Robertson, Stewart and Sumner County, along with kids from across the state, for a week built around energy, electricity, conservation and electrical safety, all taught through hands-on learning rather than lectures.
Campers rotated through six different learning centers over the course of the week. Here’s what they got into.
Flying a drone
Students learned about different types of drones and the regulations that keep them flying safely, then got to take the controls themselves and pilot a micro-drone.
Powering VOLt City
The electric grid moves power from generation plants to homes and businesses across Tennessee and the country every single day. In this center, campers learned the basic electrical principles behind designing a power grid for a small town, essentially building a mini version of what our own crews manage every day.
Robotics
Robots used to be something you only saw in movies. Now they show up everywhere, doing real work. Students got to see current robot technology up close and even learned to program robots to complete specific tasks.
Wiring an extension cord
This one came with a souvenir. Campers learned the basic wiring techniques electricians use daily, then wired their own extension cords complete with USB charging ports to take home.
Electrical safety
Electricity does an incredible amount of work for us, but it’s a powerful force that deserves respect. This center focused on how to stay safe around high-voltage power lines, a lesson we hope sticks with these kids for life.
Electric motors
Motors turn electricity into useful, physical work. Campers learned how the parts of a motor fit together and how electromagnetism makes it spin, then used that knowledge to build their own motors from scratch.
A Statewide Partnership
4-H Electric Camp is a partnership between 4-H, Tennessee’s electric cooperatives and municipal utilities, the University of Tennessee, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Valley Robotics and the Tennessee Valley Authority. It’s a great example of what happens when our cooperative works alongside other organizations to invest directly in the next generation of Tennesseans.
We’re proud to send members’ kids to camps like this one every year, and even prouder of what they come home able to do.
