It’s not uncommon to see Vidant Beaufort Hospital employees at health screenings or workshops for adults. However, the hospital recently shifted its focus to a younger demographic.

Vidant Beaufort partnered with Vidant Health in Greenville to host two Healthy Living Camps this month: one at S.W. Snowden Elementary School last week, and another at Bath Elementary School this week.

Rising fourth- through sixth-graders were able to participate at no cost. Teachers selected students at Bath, while students in Aurora were selected based on their involvement with the school’s annual SPLASH program.

Jennifer Lewis, community health nurse at Vidant Beaufort, said the Bath and Aurora communities were selected because of their walkability. Throughout each four-day camp, students learned ways to exercise, eat healthy and stay safe in their communities, while also visiting spots around town and playing games.

Lewis said the camp was piloted in Dare County a few years ago, and the Vidant partners took that idea and made it their own.

“The camp started off, you know, with the aspect of the walking safety and biking safety, but we’ve incorporated the nutritional piece, as well as the exercise piece,” said Kelli Jones, administrative marketing assistant. “The kids have really enjoyed all the activities, and I think they’ve really learned a lot.”

The Healthy Living Camps strive to introduce important concepts to the students but also present those concepts in a fun way.

Lewis said one example is how the students at Bath learned about safely operating a bicycle, then got to use what they learned while biking at the camp. Students also tried new, healthy foods and learned about the importance of moderation when eating not-as-healthy foods.

“They’re very engaged, and they offer suggestions on what would make their towns better, what would make their communities better and safer,” Lewis said.

“We’ve heard a lot of comments on them never trying these things before, never hearing about these things before, so it’s really good to introduce that to them, and not only make them aware that there’s other things out there, but also just to see them try something and like it really makes us feel better,” Jones added.

Rising fifth-graders Addyson Davenport and Nicholas Jordan both said they enjoyed their time at the Bath Elementary camp.

Jordan’s favorite part was the bike riding and a “giant rock, paper, scissors” game.

“I like the healthy snacks that they give us,” he said.

As part of the camps, students were divided into groups to create presentations based on what they learned for parents and hospital employees.

Davenport said her group planned to share their experiences through songs and cheers. Jordan said his group planned a Minecraft-inspired presentation.

The Vidant Health team will host another camp next week in another county, and Vidant Beaufort plans to host its own Healthy Living Camps next year, as well.

“We’re hoping, you know, to catch them when they’re young. … A lot of what we do in the community is geared to the older population and/or adult population, so this has been fun for Kelli and I,” Lewis said. “I do believe that these groups are leaders — they are leaders — and that they’ll share what they’ve learned with their peers in the upcoming school year.”