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Learning
activities and opportunities
Designed for groups of ten or more youth
Missouri 4-H has projects and activities to meet
the needs and interests of almost any group of young people. 4-H programs
are educational, fun, and action-oriented and provide a variety of
experiences that can be adapted for different settings. Typical 4-H settings
include school classrooms, after school programs, clubs, and camps. The
following group learning opportunities are specifically designed for groups
of 10 or more youth but most can easily be adapted for smaller groups.
Section links for this page:
Locally-sponsored program
Check with your
county MU
Extension center
to find out about the different opportunities
available in your area.
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MY
LOGO (Missouri Youth Engaged in Local Government)
The MY LOGO Program is
designed to teach middle and high-school students about local government and
to involve them in issues confronting their communities. The basic format
uses classroom learning, site visits, student-led action projects, and/or
local government project fairs. The program is easily modified to meet each
community’s local needs and circumstances.
Show Me Standards Goals: 1, 2, 3, 4; Content – Social Studies 1, 2.
Resources
MY LOGO Teacher’s Manual
Online at cech-up.org
Contact
Sandy Diamond
Citizenship Education Clearing
House
University of Missouri-St. Louis
8001 Natural Bridge Road
St. Louis, MO 63121
314-516-6820
cech-up.org
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Community service
Allows 4-H members to
develop and carry out a project or projects aimed at enhancing the
community. Projects may include planning trees, renovating historical
sites and cleaning up the environment.
Additional information
Community service activity ideas
- LG13, Show-Me Character Brochure (order)
- LG14, Ethics in the Workplace Guide (order)
- LG15, Show-Me Character Guide (order)
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4-H Living Interactive Family Education (LIFE)
The 4-H LIFE Program is an enhanced visitation program
that strengthens relationships between incarcerated parents and their
chidlren. The program has three integrated components:
-
Parenting classes to develop incarcerated parents' skill in relating to
their children and the caregiver who is raising them.
-
Planning meetings designed to teach the incarcerated parents how to plan
age-appropriate, educational activities for the visits with their
children at the correctional center.
-
Monthly 4-H LIFE family/club visits with the incarcerated parents, the
children and caregivers. The visit in enhanced through a more
family-friendly visiting room atmosphere that includes a 4-H club
meeting, 4-H projects and fun, family strengthening activities.
Additional information
4-H LIFE
4-H LIFE Program Staff
Guide
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A14: Operation: Military Kids
Heroes come in many sizes. In fact, many of the unsung heroes of
the global war on terrorism are military children. Operation:
Military Kids allows 4-H clubs to support Missouri's military families
in a number of ways, including:
-
Hero
Packs
This project involves assembling a backpack with a few suggested items
and a handwritten letter to a young person who has a deployed family
member. The backpacks would be distributed by the club or through the
local University of Missouri Extension center.
-
Speak Out for Military
Kids
After doing research or talking with young people of military families,
4-H members may talk with local service organizations or groups about
what it is like to be a child with a deployed family member.
-
Mobile
Tech Lab
The 4-H club can reserve a 15 computer, mobile technology lab for use
with children of military families
Additional information
Missouri Operation: Military Kids
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Hatching chicks in the
classroom (grades 2-5)
This curriculum brings action and experience to the classroom, using a
still-air incubator. Students observe the development of the chick in the
egg, hatching and post-hatch care.
Show Me Standards Goals 1, 3; Content - Science 3, 4, 7
Resource
LG1502, Hatching Classroom Projects
Resources -
Just for Staff
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Embryology:
experiments in
poultry science (grades 6-8)
This curriculum is designed to provide you with background information
and exciting experiential activities dealing with life science for use in
your classroom. Each activity is designed to be grade-level appropriate and
has been correlatedto U.S. National Science Education Standards.
Show Me Standards Goals 1, 3; Content - Science 3, 4, 7
Resources
LG1503, embryology: experiments in poultry science
Resources -
Just for Staff
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Community Mapping
A service learning activity involving youths, citizens, community
professionals and community decision-makers working together to learn
and use geospatial tools and data to address community and environmental
issues. Geospatial tools are Global Positioning Systems (GPS),
Geological Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing. The community mapping process can be used for a wide range of service
learning projects.
Resource
Missouri community mapping
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Healthy lifestyles
As
the saying goes, “when you have your health, you have everything!”
Health is the fourth “H” in the 4-H Clover and a common topic for youth
today. Nutrition, physical fitness and emotional well-being are just
some of the health issues that contribute to healthy lifestyles for all
individuals. The following resources provide interactive activities
that promote health for youth. Youth can learn about healthy
lifestyles, learn about themselves, and have fun!
-
The Couch Potato
Challenge
The goal of this resource is to provide information about physical
fitness and hands-on fitness activities. Promote physical fitness by
including these simple and easy-to-use activities in club meetings,
camps, school programs or any other setting that includes young people.
Help them take the Couch Potato Challenge and engage in more physical
activity.
- The Dating
Mystery…and all that Relationship Stuff
Helps youth explore
healthy relationships and positive ways to get along with others. This
resource uses popular movies to help young people discover and then
discuss relationship issues that can be so confusing. This activity is
designed for youth ages 13 and older.
- Steppin’ Out: Fitness
Walking
Walking offers a
simple yet healthful approach to physical activity – one that almost
anyone can achieve. Help youth practice healthy behaviors by walking,
either solo or with a group. This resource provides walking information
and activities designed to inspire healthy behavior!
Resource
Listed projects downloadable at
Missouri 4-H healthy lifestyles
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Global education
4-H members
can participate in activities designed to improve communication and
understanding among people of different cultures.
Resources
LG2201, “…And My
World…” (order)
Missouri 4-H global education
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Recreation and leisure
Every
club meeting should include games, songs and other activities in drama,
music or sports.
Resources
- LG582, Recreation
Leader Handbook (order)
- LG585, Social Recreation Leadership (order)
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Streets to
streams
This
curriculum provides educators and students with background information
and hands-on fun for children in grades 5 to 9 about the properties of
water, watershed basics, stream ecology, dynamics of contaminants in
water, and personal responsibility for one’s community. The materials
have been designed to help teachers involve students in hands-on
activities rather than lecturing or reading to them. Most require only
inexpensive, readily available materials. The authors have tried to
suggest activities for students in urban and rural areas, and for
students of different backgrounds and abilities.
Resource
LG9690, Leader’s
Manual (order)
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Safety
Safety
is everyone’s concern and business. We suggest that a local 4-H club
examine the safety needs in the community and develop a safety education
program based on these needs. Possible topics might include: abandoned
well identification and proper closing, fire alarms, seat belts, water
safety, safety with pets, etc.
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A76: Self-Determined
Interests
of members/leaders may go beyond the previously listed activities. When
this happens, they should feel free to design an activity that meets
both the interests and needs of the group and perhaps the larger
community. In some counties, County 4-H Council approval may be
required.
Resource
Y951, Choose Your
Own Direction (order)
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Guide to exploring African-American
culture
Through
information, illustrations and fun activities, youth are challenged to
explore African-American culture in the following areas: skin and hair,
language, arts and crafts, cuisine, music, poetry, holidays and notable
African-Americans.
Resource
LG1000, Guide to
Exploring African-American Culture (order)
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Que' Rico! LaCultura
- Latino cultural arts
Youth discover the Latino culture as
they develop an understanding of the Latino people and their traditional
art forms through the experience of instrument making, jewelry making,
weaving, muraling and mask making. Youths experience the
celebrations that surround the holidays in the Latino culture.
Sample the flavors of the Latino people through the activities of
storytelling, mosaics and yarn arts.
Resource
LG1100, Que'
rico! LaCultura (order)
Latino/Hispanic outreach
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Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
Tornados, floods, earthquakes, ice storms - disasters happen. In the case
of a wide spread disaster, professional emergency personnel will not be able
to respond to every citizen’s needs. How can you learn the skills that will
be needed before, during and after a disaster? Take the 4-H Teen CERT
Training! This class covers basic, critical skills needed to prepare for and
protect yourself, your family, your friends, and your community in the event
of a disaster. 4-H youth and volunteers will work with youth staff and local
emergency management agencies to plan and conduct the CERT training. For
many communities, this program is the beginning of a youth-adult partnership
for ongoing youth participation in community emergency response planning and
training. Teen CERT teams will learn all the skills taught in the federal
CERT program, be introduced to many career opportunities within the
emergency response field, and help their community prepare for a disaster.
4-H teen CERT includes:
Resources
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Citizenship – public adventures
Discover
public issues important to you and others by making things happen. Plan
a project. Create, change or improve something that is valuable to many
people. Learn to be an active citizen in a democracy. Public
Adventures isn’t only about one project. Public Adventures is about
your engagement in changing a piece of the public world, discovering the
possibilities of democratic citizenship and building a commitment to
taking action in new and exciting ways.
Resources
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Youth-adult
partnerships
Young people can contribute to their communities now - they do not have
to wait until they are voting age! 4-H members can be planners,
advisors, evaluators, decision-makers and more! 4-H members may
serve on a local board or task force, be county extension council youth
representatives, conduct community surveys, start new community programs
or form youth councils.
Resources:
Missouri
youth-adult partnerships
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Three, two, one... Action!
3,2,1... Action! is a
videography workshop for teams of youths and adults coming together to
learn new skills and create public service announcements. Originally
sponsored by Operation: Military Kids the workshop encourages PSA
development about military youth programs, 4-H and life as a military
kid. Teams are encouraged to include team members from Active Duty
Military, National Guard, Reserves and community and must be interested
in learning about information technology to create digital videos.
Participants will:
Learn marketable technology
skills
Gain leadership skills
Use skills/knowledge you
already have
Experience cutting-edge
technology (digital video editing, Pinnacle, etc.)
Work with technology experts
from around the world
Gain access to the latest
technology tools
Develop a public service
announcement using technology
Members of the 3, 2, 1...Action
Team will help develop public service announcements that explain how Army
youth programs and 4-H work together to make life for kids in the military
and the community better.
Resources
3,2,1...Action! events
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Entrepreneurship
Ever wonder what it would be like to start your own business, or to go
into business with your friends? Do you currently earn money from a 4-H
project? Do you and your friends have ideas for something you could market
and sell to others? You could be entrepreneurs in the making!
Entrepreneurship starts teams of youths out on the path to planning and
doing what they love and loving what they do — for profit! Identify your
team’s abilities, locate market opportunities in your community, learn from
adult business owners, identify resources for your business, and launch your
team’s venture!
Additional
information
Cloverpreneurs
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4 Habitat
4 Habitat is a partnership
between 4-H, MU Human Environmental Sciences–Architectural Studies
Extension, and Habitat for Humanity. A 4-Habitat team integrates:
4-H/Extension staff,
volunteer, and youth abilities and skills
Opportunities for 4-H youth
to apply skills and practice service to others
Support for low-income
homeowner families
Working with a Habitat for
Humanity family, youth and volunteers engage in a service experience that
enhance youth skills in the areas of project planning and implementation,
home maintenance, interior design, energy efficiency, landscaping and
nutrition. A family learns about interior design and to care for their new
home in a more energy efficient and cost efficient manner.
Additional information
4 Habitat
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Move Across Missouri (MOVE)
Move Across Missouri promotes
physical activity! MOVE encourages youth to engage in physical activities
they enjoy from a broad range of possibilities such as, walking, biking,
running, swimming, dance, taekwondo, gardening, and more. Using an online
system youth and their families can “log” the number of miles they
accumulate throughout the year and during the competitive component of the
MOVE program. 4-H members can enroll in the online MOVE program as
individuals or as a part of a team. A team may consist of a family or
members of a 4-H club or group. MOVE awards will be provided! Stay tuned!
Additional information
N864, My Activity Log (order)
Move Across Missouri
Environmental
stewardship: conserving natural resources
4-H
groups can learn and practice skills in the conservation of natural
resources such as soil, water, forests, grasslands, wildlife and
energy. Many kinds of conservation projects can be done by 4-H groups.
Resources
LG147, Planning 4-H Conservation
Programs (order)
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4-H Million Tree
project
Missouri 4-H members, families, project groups, community clubs,
afterschool clubs, school enrichment programs, and camps are invited to
participate in the 4-H Million Tree Project. This daunting project was
conceived after a Pacifica (CA) 4-H member, decided to do something to
combat global climate change. Here is a 4-H service project that
improves the quality of our environment.
The Vision: 1,000,000 new trees planted by 4-H youth across the United
States and Canada means:
- Native trees will add beauty and heritage to urban, suburban,
and rural communities across the nation.
- Improved local air quality
- New trees absorb runoff, and bring groundwater to the surface
- Shade from these trees can help cool buildings, reducing air
conditioning electricity needs, and eliminating pollution and carbon
emission associated with this power generation
- Offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion
by absorbing and sequestering about 48,000,000 million pounds of
atmospheric carbon dioxide per year
- New trees replace trees lost to deforestation worldwide
- 4-H youth learn they make a difference and can change the world
both individually and as a group.
Any 4-H member can participate, but we do ask that you take time to
officially sign up as a participant and to report your tree plantings.
Additional
information
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Garden 'n grow
The University of Missouri Extension Garden ’n Grow Program is a volunteer
gardening program designed to educate youths about horticulture. Youths ages
8-12 are encouraged to participate. Not only will they learn about
gardening, but also science, math, social studies, language arts – and have
fun while learning! Each participant will plant and harvest his or her
vegetables for home use and donation to the local food bank. The goals of
this program are to teach young gardeners the pleasures of being outdoors
and instill in them the importance of helping others. Garden ‘n Grow
participants will develop a sense of self, a sense of usefulness and
purpose, a sense of responsibility to contribute to society, and a feeling
of success.
Resources
For more information, contact Mary Kroening, MU Extension specialist, at 573-882-9633 or
kroeningm@missouri.edu.
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