Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Christina A. Martin
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Russell County 4-H sewing volunteer leaders offered a five-day 4-H sewing day camp to eight youth. Developing life skills and crafting skills such as sewing have been shown to increase hand/eye coordination, improve critical thinking skills, and helps develop creative thinkers. Learning to sew produces a sense of confidence and accomplishment in youth as they learn new skills and complete projects. It also gives youth the opportunity to understand textiles, construction techniq
Author: Carrie Derossett
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Allen, Logan, and Simpson Community Early Childhood Council seeks to improve school readiness in our area by engaging families, offering professional development opportunities to providers and mini grant opportunities to STAR rated centers. Kindergarten readiness means that each child enters school ready to engage in and benefit from early learning experiences that best promote the child’s success. The kindergarten screener measures readiness in five important domains, acad
Author: Alison Johnson
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The 4-H Sewing Project Group has always been a popular group for Scott County 4-H members. The number of youth enrolled in 4-H Sewing for various levels has always been consistent. The expectation is for youth to enroll in 4-H Sewing and learn valuable life skills. Leadership is also taught and shown by example through all 4-H clubs and project groups. Another valuable asset to the 4-H Sewing program in Scott County, is the ability for youth to take the skills and leaders
Author: Peggy Jones
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
~~Draw String Back packs 4-H State Teen Conference 2017 4-H State Teen Conference has been held at the University of Kentucky for 93 years. In 2017, 4-H State Teen Conference attracted 536 high school 4-H’ers from 89 counties across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Through 4-H Teen Conference high school 4-H’ers can develop leadership skills, improve communication skills, foster citizenship skills, expand skills & knowledge in specific subjects related to 4-H Core Content area
Author: Rebecca Miller
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Growing concerns from the Bell County Extension Council about children not knowing how to prepare food or cook led to implementation of Super Star Chef, a program developed by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension and The School of Human and Environmental Science, Food and Nutrition. This program teaches students how to make healthy recipes that they can take home and share with their families safely. Super Star Chef was presented by students from the Univers
Author: Stephen Conrad
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
More and more people are living beyond their means and incurring debt that will plague them for the rest of their lives. We have not been very successful in teaching our youth the value of money or passing along the concept of "saving for a rainy day". Our school system recognizes this trend but has little or no time to spend on money management due to core content obligations. To help them with this need, The Boone County Cooperative Extension Service held a Reality Stores in one of t
Author: Kendyl Redding
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Menifee County Family and Consumer Science/ 4-H Youth Development Agent partnered with Menifee County Middle School Social Studies teacher to promote financial understanding in 7th and 8th grade students beginning in Fall 2017. Twice per month, 140 students will explore the concepts of money and learn about topics such as taxes, budgeting, saving, credit/debit, and career exploration. This curriculum will help to prepare students for the Reality Store in spring of 2018 where they will get to
Author: Vida Ledford
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
~~SituationAccording to a study by Pamela Norum a professor in the Department of Textiles and Apparel Management at the University of Missouri, sewing skills have gradually decreased with each generation after the Baby Boomers. A Trigg county volunteer who enjoys sewing and teaching made an effort to reverses that trend this summer. Target Audience…youth ages 9 to 19 Educational ResponseA series of sewing day camps this summer. The newly recruited sewing leaders goa
Author: Robert Tashjian
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Kentucky youth obesity rates in 2011 were at 35.7% for children ages 10-17. The national obesity average is 31.3% making Kentucky one of the unhealthiest states in the nation.With the popularity of television shows in the area of food and nutrition reaching all time highs, Kentucky 4-H decided to capitalize on that success. Creating a "Culinary Challenge" makes an impact by reaching youth with fun education to make pos
Author: Christy Eastwood
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
~~According to the American Heart Association, teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime, they will be more likely to eat healthier as adults, and build self-confidence (Cooking With Your Children: Web MD; May 30, 2008). The Boone County Extension Service taught a 6-hour 4-H day camp on bread making. The curriculum used was Super Star Chef Kneads A little Dough. Twenty-eight 4-H members attended the class. Teaching children to mak
Author: Katie Mills
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Farm to Fork is an event that uses locally grown food and used to make the meal for the night. In Hopkins County, we had our second annual Farm to Fork event that consisted of over 150 guest and over 45 volunteers. In 4-H alone, we had one adult male, three adult women, four male youth, eight female youth and one African American female youth to volunteer for this amazing event. 4-H received over $2400 in donations from the event for volunteering.The other great part about the event though is th
Author: Lindsey Dunn
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
For years, food preservation has been offered to the Daviess County community through the Cooperative Extension Service. With over 54% of the Daviess County youth receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, there is a need to provide low-expense and nutritious meals year-round. Food preservation sessions have been offered to these youth over the last three years by Daviess County 4-H Agents in Afterschool, School Enrichment, and Summer Day Camp settings to help make this possible. These
Author: Michael Rose
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Adair County has identified career awareness and financial management as a major area of focus. To better prepare youth for college and career awareness, the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service sponsored a Reality Check program for all the 1878 eight graders in the county. Youth participated in the program by selecting a career and family option along with a starting salary. This was an introductory program that used paper materials only. Youth had to make expense s
Author: David Littlejohn
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Bullitt County Extension Service has been working with the Bullitt County Board of Education to develop a program to help graduating seniors at the Riverview Opportunity Center to complete that would include resume writing, mock job interviews, along with basic life skills in budgeting. The Riverview Opportunity Center is the alternative school in Bullitt County that houses the career readiness, vocational school, along with the teenage parenting program. In the fall of 2017, 26 s
Author: Paula McCuiston
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
~~According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the single most important thing we can do to keep from getting sick and spreading illness to others is to wash our hands. This program teaches correct hand-washing steps, when to wash hands and the importance of hand-washing. The Hickman County FCS, ANR and 4-H Agents utilize experiential learning to teach handwashing skills with a germ bag and black light. Students take home the American Cleaning Institute “Don’t Do the
Author: Paula McCuiston
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
~~The primary goal of the Kentucky 4-H Sewing program is to teach youth about the art and skills of creating useful items using needle and thread. This includes not only the use of a hand needle and thread, but the sewing machine and serger. Sewing can be used to create clothing and wardrobe essentials, as well as, useful items for daily living.Equally important to teaching youth skills they can use throughout their lives is the goal of encouraging critical thinking and creativity. &
Author: Nola Janeen Tramble
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Situation: According to a study by Pamela Norum a professor in the Department of Textiles and Apparel Management at the University of Missouri, sewing skills have gradually decreased with each generation after the Baby Boomers. A Trigg county volunteer who enjoys sewing and teaching made an effort to reverses that trend this summer. Target Audience…youth ages 7 to 19 Educational ResponseA series of sewing day camps this summer. The newly recruited sewing leaders goal was
Author: Catherine Jansen
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
4-H Cooking ClubOne of the most important life skills a child can learn is cooking. Cooking allows you to learn the importance of following directions, good nutrition, incorporating science and math skills into everyday situations, and teaches you the ability to take care of yourself.The Carroll County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences was approached by the Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development about starting a cooking program for 4-H'ers. She mentioned that one of her 4-H
Author: Dora Centers
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The County extension council, community leaders through surveys, and one-on-one face meetings have directed Extension programming to focus on areas dealing with: family relations, drugs, unemployment, motivating children to succeed, peer pressure, helping aging baby boomers learn to adapt to the aging process and financial management. Many of Knott County families struggle with one or more of these issues. Lack of educational attainment contributes to the majority of these issues. According to t
Author: Novella Froman
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Our economy has been declining and high paying jobs are few since many coal mines closed. There is a need for youth to prepare for the future. A 4-H Alum, Amber Collins stated, "I realized real quickly that I didn't have enough money for health insurance, so I had to end up buying the generic food brands". Several years ago, Amber was involved in the 4-H Reality Store and she stated, “It was a reality check for me!” Now as a 4-H v
Author: Deana Reed
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Family Magazine reports that 76% of middle school age youth are babysitting either family members or other’s children. Childcare training provides life skills in parenting. Babysitting is often a youth’s first gainful employment experience. The Meade County Cooperative Extension Service 4-H program offered a 10 hour 4-H Babysitting Basics programs at Stuart Pepper Middle School as an afterschool program.This program was a collaborative effort between the Meade County 4-H Youth Develo
Author: Raymond Cox
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Harlan County 4-H Agent, Program Assistants, Agriculture Agent, and Program Assistants, in collaboration with the Harlan County and Harlan Independent School Family Resource Centers conducted the 21th Annual 3 day 4-H Reality Store was held in November at the Extension Depot to provide youth skills education and a hands-on approach to career choices and financial management. Approximately 450 9th grade students from Harlan County High School and Harlan High School. Approximately seventy volu
Author: Alexandria Bryant
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The United States is facing tough financial times. To develop family financial skills in local youth, the Breckinridge County Extension Office and Youth Service Center hosted “It’s Your Reality” (formerly Reality Store) for two hundred 8th graders at Breckinridge County Middle School. In preparation for this program, youth discussed different career paths, salaries, and education requirements. With the help of thirty-eight community volunteers, youth gained the experience of pa
Author: Dianna Reed
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Johnson County Extension Council identified acquiring basic life skills as a program priority for the 2017-2018 Plan of Work. To address this need, local schools, teachers and extension personnel worked together to provide an opportunity for local students to attend the 4-H Dollars and Sense Workshop. This was a free workshop hosted at the Johnson County Extension Office and was designed to encourage youth to earn good grades in school, finish their education and practice budgeting skills. I
Author: Angie York
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) careers have long been dominated by males. According to Lee Martin (2015) the Maker Movement is a grass roots effort by artisans, teachers, and others who see the significance of adding sewing, woodworking, and electronics hobbies into STEAM classrooms. By having students complete hands on projects in a class room setting, Martin believes learners will better understand how objects work therefore increasing their knowledge and
Author: Glenna Bentley
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
~~The Lewis County Extension Office collaborated with the Lewis County Youth Services Center to do the program, Reality Store. The curriculum used was "Its Your Reality." The program was done because the school requested it. It was considered an effective way to teach 7th graders about the responsibilities and choices they will face as an adult. A series of three lessons from the Its Your Reality were completed with all 7th graders and then they participated in the Reality Store
Author: Alissa Ackerman
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Clay County is a small rural county in Eastern Kentucky where racial diversity is low. According to 2016 Census Bureau, Clay County’s population consists of 94.4% white, 2% Hispanic or Latino and 4.2% Black or African American. Therefore, the majority of individuals including youth, do not have a high range of opportunities to be exposed to other diverse cultures and foods. The Clay County 4-H Agent conducted a three-day summer workshop open to
Author: Mary Jane Little
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
According to research by Tuffs University, youth in 4-H are two times more likely to make healthier choices."Twice as likely to make healthy choices. That is very good news. In a world filled with unhealthy options, young people need to know how to choose what is best for their own health and well-being. Healthy living is a top priority for the 4-H youth development program. In 4-H, youth of all ages learn by developing a passion in their areas of interest and lead as they innovate and serv
Author: Vicki Boggs
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
A total of 232 students with Leslie County 8th grades and Leslie County High School Sophomore Class had a “reality check” when the Leslie County Cooperative Extension Office hosted the annual 4-H It’s Your Reality Program. The simulation follows classroom lessons and is designed to introduce students to financial realities through mock budgeting choices and lifestyle decisions. The pre-event classroom lessons included teaching and discussions about needs, wants, decision making
Author: Mollie Tichenor
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Teenage pregnancy, babies born out of wedlock, and children born to low income families is more the reality than not these days. This is no different for the residents of Spencer County. Each Year the Spencer County FCS and 4-H agents, in conjunction with the Family Resource & Youth Service Centers, Health Department, and Multi-Purpose Community Action plan the Spencer County Community Baby Shower. This program focuses on soon to be, or have a child up to 12 months, mothers and fathers from
Author: Lamar Fowler
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Grant County averaged 2408 families receiving SNAP Benefits of $304 per month. The Grant County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), partnering with Grant County Extension 4-H and Consumer Science (FCS) Food Preservation, and Grant County Extension Master Food Volunteers, collaborated to empower youth to acquire food safety and preservation skills. Elementary and middle school students, attending schools with 100% free lunches, had participated in Super Star Chef classe
Author: Regina Browning
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Shelby County 4-H Council identified culinary programs as an excellent way to engage local youth and teach them important skills that they can use throughout their lives. Good habits, new skills and practices taught at an early age tend to become routine and adopted practices as adults. Shelby County 4-H offered a four part cooking series to educate youth on important culinary skills, food safety principles, and the use of local foods. The course included recipes, cooking m
Author: Rebecca Konopka
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Kentucky Youth rank among the 10 highest for obesity in the US. In fact, in 2010 21.1% of children ages 2-4 were identified as obese in Carter County. Involving children in food preparation has been proven to successfully increase the consumption of nutritious food in children.The Carter County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Agents had multiple requests for cooking classes for children. To address this need they developed “Kids Can Cook Camp” for yout
Author: Lora Stewart
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Why are so few women in science and engineering careers? According to The American Association of UniversityWoman (AAUW) there are still environmental and social barriers that continue to block women’s progress in these fields. AAUW’s research shows that emphasizing real-life applications in early STEM courses, encouraging girls to develop their spatial skills and helping girls recognize their career – relevant skills are proven strategies to encouraging girls to en
Author: Carrie Derossett
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Logan County 4-H Reality StoreProgram Year: 2017-18By: Carrie Derossett, 4-H Youth Development Agent, Logan County 4-H aims to engage youth through hands-on experiences in order to build life skills. The 4-H It’s Your Reality (Reality Store) Curriculum focuses on engaging teens in real life budgeting scenarios. Each student is given an occupation with a salary, determine if they have a spouse, their spouse’s career, and how many children they have. In the orientatio
Author: Ruth Chowning
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Bullitt County 4H Sewing club started with 5 members in 2016 and has grown to 17 attendees in 2018. With three Homemaker volunteers helping the club leader and Extension Agent for Family Consumer Sciences,students have learned to sew and express their creativity through sewing skills. The participants have made 10 dresser scarves, 8 baby quilts, 3 sets of table placemats, and 12 pillows. Six 1styear students have completed their skirt or pajama bottoms. Three 2
Author: Cathy Toole
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Abraham H. Maslow introduced the concept of a hierarchy of needs back in 1943. The hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill their basic physiological needs, before proceeding through rising levels of need – safety and security, love/belonging, self-esteem, to self- actualization. 4-H Home Environment projects nurture the fulfillment of these needs with the home. The Henry County Cooperative Extension Service helps fulfill these needs through 4-H Project Clu
Author: Toni Humble
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Many students lack financial knowledge and skills to make wise financial decisions. Money management is one of the most important life skills to be learned. The Wayne County 4-H Council identified financial knowledge and money managing skills as areas for improvement and need for more programming. Local school systems agreed and requested the 4-H Reality Store program.The Wayne County 4-H Agent collaborated with Wayne County Middle School, Wayne Co. Youth Services Center, community partners and
Author: Kimberly Baysinger
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Each day our society continues to change and grow. With this growth comes a new challenge, teaching the youth in our society that this change can be a wonderful thing. One way we can help our youth develop an understanding and become more accepting of other cultures and their customs is by allowing them to experience this through hosting an exchange student. This summer McCracken County 4-H had two families that opened their homes to an exchange student from the Japanese LABO Pr
Author: Kimberly Ragland
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The National Survey of Children's Health in 2011 indicated almost 20% of Kentucky's 10- to 17-year-olds are obese (weighing in the 95th percentile or higher) with another 16% in the overweight (85th-94th percentiles) range. As reported in the Institute for Environmental Decisions (2013) and elsewhere, individuals with cooking skills make healthier eating choices. Local 4-H staff and volunteers used the Super Star Chef curriculum and provided the instruction, materials, and facility to ho
Author: John McQueary
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Author: Christina A. Martin
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Nutrition education and healthy lifestyles were identified by local leadership councils to be an educational priority for youth to help combat obesity crisis in the state. According to the Trust for America’s Healthy Survey and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kentucky’s obesity rate for children ages 10-17 has increased to over 21%. Instructing children with the aspects of healthy nutritional choices at a young age is critical to addressing issues of weight. The 4-H Agent p
Author: Heather Coleman
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Floyd County 4-H and our 4-H Adult Council President Patricia Hackworth, who is the Senior English Teacher at Betsy Layne High School collaborated to start the first Floyd County 4-H After School Sewing Program at BLHS. During the spring semester of 2017, 11 students had the opportunity to learn the basic techniques of sewing, cutting fabric, pinning, safety procedures and how to press fabric. Each participate made a crazy nine patch pillow to take home. After finishing their p
Author: Susan Campbell
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Anderson County 4-H partnered with Youth Services to present the Reality Store program.The Reality Store program provides 8th grade students with the experience of real life-like financial choices and decisions; approximately 306 students. The students choose a profession based on their grade point average and are provided with a “pretend” monthly salary. The students must use the monthly salary to pay for monthly expenses. These include a house and vehicle payment, clothing, insuran
Author: Dora Centers
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Only 19.7% of the 81,363 students in Kentucky who are identified with a disability are enrolled in secondary education within one year of graduating high school. Visually impaired students make up 6,509 youth across our state (ed.gov). To help them prepare for real life, a special version of “It’s Your Reality” 4-H program was offered at the Knott Co Sportsplex. Thirty-five students from all across the region, along with their aides, participated
Author: Stephen Conrad
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Teachers have communicated a need for help with financial education lessons for 5th grade students. The teachers state they are pushed for time and resources in preparing their students for this portion of the state test. To help with this need, The Boone County Cooperative Extension Service offered a series of lessons on money and economics for 90 5th graders. Topics covered were needs vs wants, scarcity, money, opportunity costs and delayed gratification, comparative shopping
Author: Molly Jordan
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
According to a 2012 survey conducted by The American Red Cross, good babysitters are often hard to find. The survey reviled that fifty five percent of parents stay home from activities because they could not find a sitter. (http://www.redcross.org/news/press-release/Survey-Shows-Parents-Struggling-to-find-Trusted-Babysitters-and-Would-Pay-More-for-Well-Trained-Teens). This same survey also found that nearly 30 percent of parents rejected a potential babysitter due to safety concerns.During the m
Author: Kendyl Redding
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Menifee County Cooperative Extension Service 4-H Agent hosted a financial simulation program, It’s Your Reality, for Menifee County Middle School students on March 29, 2018. It’s Your Reality introduced students to the "financial realities" associated with the adulthood--provision of food, clothing, shelter, etc. for a family and how these relate to career choices. Upon arrival at It’s Your Reality, students received the equivalent of one month's salary for a
Author: Alissa Ackerman
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Due to busy work schedules, after school activities, cell phone distractions and other family matters, many youth do not have opportunities to practice and apply respectful manners in their everyday lives. Lacking respect and manners was a concern expressed through Clay County 4-H Council and Clay County Family Resource Centers. The 4-H Agent implemented a 4-H curriculum, Manners for the Real World, into several classrooms across the county. The curriculum covers a variety o
Author: Owen Prim
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Kentucky has one of the highest rates of drug abuse in our country; we fall in one of the top ten states in several drug use categories (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). Specifically, in Northern Kentucky, there is an heroin epidemic. More babies are being treated for heroin withdrawal, more individuals are being treated for opioid overdose, and more people are dying from heroin overdoses than anywhere else in the state of Kentucky. In Boone, Kenton and Campbell Cou
Author: Christy Eastwood
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Each public school child who receives special education services must have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). This legal document is an education plan that addresses the specific needs of each student with multiple disabilities. One aspect of the IEP is community experience/education. A collaboration was formed by the Boone County Cooperative Extension Service with the Walton Verona School District and the Boone County School District to provide classes for the community e
Author: Joe Maynard
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
“Almost 30% of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. In a recent national survey of students in grades 6-10, 13% reported bullying others, 11% reported being the target of bullies, and another 6% said that they bullied others and were bullied themselves. Bullying takes on different forms in male and female youth. While both male and female youth say that others bully them by making fu
Author: Katie Mills
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Today, more people are becoming obese and in Hopkins County alone 35 percent of children are obese. This is a large number that we are hoping to help decrease. Also, there are over 50 percent of youth eligible for free or reduced lunch. There could be many variables for why a youth may be obese. One could be that their parents or themselves do not have the knowledge to fix healthy meals. Another, that youth are not willing to try new foods that they have not had before or that eating healthy see
Author: Renata Farmer
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
A recent study from Harris Interactive revealed that 80% of parents believe that their children are being taught personal money matters in school, yet 90% of high school students and 87% of college students say that whatever they know about money they learn from their parents. Statistics find that most children merely imitate the saving and spending habits they see modeled at home. The Knox County 4-H program responded to requests by teachers for consumer programs by collaborating with the Youth
Author: Lindsey Dunn
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
In the 2016-2017 school year, Daviess County High School contacted the Daviess County Extension FCS and 4-H Agents requesting the Truth & Consequences program be shared at Daviess County High School with 9th grade health classes. Truth & Consequences is a program devoted to educating youth on substance abuse by placing them in a simulated series of steps one would go through in in the actual situation him/herself. A committee of school, Extension, and community partners was formed and th
Author: Peggy Jones
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Family Mealtime and MannersRowan County 61.4% of both parents of children under the age of 18, have one or more jobs outside the home.Rowan County also has 6.8% of their dads that stay home and 25.3% of their moms stay home while the other works and/or are unemployed. In today society, both parents are in the need to work to support their families. Family mealtime where everyone sets down at the dinner table and have their meal and a family conversation of “How was yo
Author: Kindra Jones
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Reality Store program works to teach students life skills, the importance of valuing their education and how the effects life choices can impact their futures. In Grayson County, the 4-H Agent works directly with the Life Skills teacher at the middle school and has turned the booths and options in to a packet for the students to work through. The agent and teacher have tied the "Reality Check" to the financial unit taught in the classroom each nine weeks, giving the agent an opport
Author: William Adkins
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Studies show that youth are not getting the financial education they need in order to be successful in their adult lives. The results of the 2008 Jump Start Coalition Survey, that was done among 12th grade students, showed only an average score of 48.3% on financial literacy testing and only fifty-nine percent of the young adults in Generation Y (ages eighteen to twenty-one) pay their bills on time every month. (2008 Financial Literacy Survey National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Inc. and M
Author: Alison Johnson
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The drug epidemic is reaching an all time high in Scott County. Four years ago, Scott County 4-H collaborated with the Family Resource Coordinator at Royal Spring Middle School to organize a Truth & Consequences event at the school for 8th graders. Truth & Consequences is an U.K. Cooperative Extension curriculum, that encourages youth to make positive life choices and understand there are negative consequences for bad choices. For the last three years, all three middle
Author: Laura Huffman
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Hart County High School is focusing on career and work place readiness as well as developing life skills for all students. The high school contacted the 4-H Youth Development agent to collaborate with the school on offering mock interviews for all students as well as to work with the Functional Mental Disability (FMD) Class to offer a nutrition and cooking class. The goal of the nutrition and cooking class was to teach the FMD class basic skills in preparing their own meals or snacks
Author: Novella Froman
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Special Youth Campaigns for 4-H ProgramWhen Dr. Mains challenged us to involve under served audiences, our 4-H Council reviewed our 4-H Programming to determine how we can expand the program and were thinking on this issue. We had 4-H of some type in every school in the county. As we were walking down the hallway of a school, John, a special needs student said, “Why can’t we have 4-H?” He had been in 4-H when he was in a mainstreamed classroom. He did this to
Author: Lauren Neltner
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Babysitting is a responsibility that always has room for perfection. There are many roles a babysitter forms into for a child: mom, nurse, playmate, etc. Babysitting is an important job that requires much responsibility and matureness, therefore, teenagers or young adults who step into the babysitting role need guidance to ensure smart and safe practices. Before age 12 or 13, mots youth are not mature enough nor have the decision making skills to be responsible for other children. In respon
Author: David Littlejohn
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
During the 2017-2018 School Year, 1187 students from Mount Washington, Eastside, Bernhiem, Bullitt Lick,Hebron and Zoneton Middle Schools along with participants from Riverside Opportunity Center took part in a financial literacy course and program sponsored by the Bullitt County Extension Office. Students had a combination of classroom instruction and a interactive program through the Reality Store curriculum. The Students learned the importance to budget for a family with var
Author: Heather Coleman
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Floyd County 4-H Council decided that family literacy would be an educational focus during the 2017-2018 4-H year. The Floyd County 4-H Program partnered with Betsy Layne Elementary teacher Stephanie Stamper, who is also the Floyd County 4-H Adult Council Secretary to implement the FRED Program which is known for Families Reading Every Day. FRED is a four-week program designed to encourage family’s to read to their children on a daily basis. The target audience for this pro
Author: Meagan Klee
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Life skills/soft skills are things that many students miss out on in school and in the classroom due totesting requirements. Reality Store provides beneficial skills that can be applied to a student’s life anddirectly impact their ability to function as a successful community member.Casey County 4-H partners with Youth Services, 21st Century Learning Center, Community Education,as well as our three local banks, a grocery store, churches, other local businesses, and the Casey CountyMiddle S
Author: Kimberly Whitson
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Studies show that youth are not getting the financial education they need in order to be successful in their adult lives. The results of the 2008 Jump Start Coalition Survey, that was done among 12th grade students, showed only an average score of 48.3% on financial literacy testing and only fifty-nine percent of the young adults in Generation Y (ages eighteen to twenty-one) pay their bills on time every month. (2008 Financial Literacy Survey National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Inc. and M
Author: Krista Perry
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Today, youth find it so easy to place a frozen meal into the microwave and say they can cook. Franklin County Schools are one of many in Kentucky who are nearly 100% free and reduced lunch; therefore, it was an easy decision to host the Super Star Chef program in Franklin County to fulfill the need of youth knowing how to prepare meals for their family and to try new foods.The Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development and Family Consumer Sciences collaborated to host this program, promoting
Author: Stephen Conrad
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
More and more people are living beyond their means and incurring debt that will plague them for the rest of their lives. We have not been very successful in teaching our youth the value of money or passing along the concept of "saving for a rainy day". Our school system recognizes this trend but has little or no time to spend on money management due to core content obligations. To help them with this need, The Boone County Cooperative Extension Service held a Reality Stores in seven el
Author: Dana Anderson
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
According to the American Heart Association, teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime, they will be more likely to eat healthier as adults, and build self-confidence. (Cooking With Your Children; Web MD; May 30, 2008.)Mercer County 4-H expanded the 4-H Foods/Nutrition club by adding additional educational opportunities due to the club filling up each month. First step was to recruit leaders for the new clubs. After a brief search, we were ab
Author: Mollie Tichenor
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Today’s youth are unaware of the financial responsibility that their future holds so the goal of the Spencer County Extension Office was to educate youth through the 4-H Reality Store, an event that provides participants the opportunity to partake in the journey of adult life. In March of 2018, 226 Spencer County Middle School 8th grade students were given the opportunity to understand the importance of decision making and financial responsibility.Spencer County Cooperative Extension Servi
Author: Shannon Farrell
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Shannon Farrell; Clark County 4-H Agent, worked with Clark County Cooking Club leaders (Leanna Comer and Leslie Hammer, leaders of beginning cooking and Kayla Walton, volunteer for advanced cooking) to develop an incentive program. 4-Hers meeting the requirements (attend x number of cooking club meetings throughout the school year, assist in service project, etc.) would be eligible to attend a free trip to learn from and cook with Chef T at The 90’s on UK’s campus. This i
Author: Alissa Ackerman
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
In today’s society, many children are exposed to social media, TV shows, movies and books from a young age. When individuals compare their wants and needs to what others might have, it can be difficult for youth and adults to acknowledge reality. According to the United States Census Bureau, 39.7 percent of Clay County residents live below the poverty level, compared to the national level of 15.5 percent. Clay County’s median household income has fallen below national average of $21,
Author: Glenna Bentley
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
In a constantly changing environment, having life skills is an essential part of being able to meet the challenges of everyday life. The dramatic changes in global economies over the past five years have been matched with the transformation in technology and these are all impacting on education, the workplace and our home life. While students work hard to get good grades, many still struggle to gain employment. According to research by the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) in 2011 emp
Author: Joe Maynard
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
In our life of technology, we lose track of how things are made and where things come from. A skill that is often looked over is sewing. Sewing provides the opportunity for young people to experience a sense of accomplishment associated with completing a project. It also provides an opportunity for youth to understand textiles, construction techniques, design principles as well as develop eye/hand coordination. “Sewing is a discipline that helps develop self-esteem, confidence, focus, pati
Author: Jessica Morris
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
While the child is excited to create the quilted duffel bag in Unit 2 or whether they are one of our first year members working on Unit 1's drawstring bag, they do not understand the real benefit of learning to sew and what is happening that they do not even realize. “Sewing is a discipline that helps develop self-esteem, confidence, focus, patience, fine motor skills, problem solving, process thinking and visual
Author: Caroline Hughes
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
This is a chance to tell a story of how my connection with Extension has truly come full circle in my life. I had not been long a college graduate in 1981 when I was contacted by the FCS Agent at that time to teach a Sewing Class for adults in Robertson County where I was raised. It was quite an undertaking for me as I felt ill equipped to teach ladies the same age as my mother, a very competent seamstress herself, the basics of sewing! I didn't feel myself yet far removed from the 4-H
Author: Staci Thrasher
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The Fleming County 4-H Program annually hosts the “Welcome to Reality” Reality Store for the entire 5th and 7th grades in the community. In 2017-2018, these 5th and 7th grade students felt reality when they participated in the elaborate reality store involving more than 15 real life stations. Throughout the program, youth draw a profession, research it and its educational background, then apply their monthly salary to a monthly budget. It takes the support of the entire community of
Author: Misty Wilmoth
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The LaRue County Cooperative Extension Service collaborated with LaRue County High School and eight local businesses to conduct the American Private Enterprise Program (known as APES) for 20 high school juniors. The APES Program taught participants about business and economics and included presentations from six local business leaders and tours of two local manufacturing plants, SouthEast DME and Nationwide Uniform. Participants were educated about entrepreneurship and how the United States econ
Author: Christy Eastwood
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Students with disabilities who are preparing to graduate from school can benefit from taking life skill courses. Through learning these essential skills, these students can more readily adjust to the circumstances and challenges of adult life. Life skills instruction develops students’ daily living skills. Research has shown that students with disabilities, who exit high school with proficient life skills, have better post-school outcomes than those students who do not (Roessler, Brolin, J
Author: Ryan Farley
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The development of vocational skills is an important component of the 4-H Youth Development model. Woodford County 4-H’s Summertime Fun Project Days are designed to provide opportunities for youth to engage in a variety of activities to spark interest in many topics. Over 20 individual project days were offered and ranged in topics from woodworking to horticulture to cooking to cartooning. Youth were recruited from around Woodford County, utilizing social media and mass mailings and projec
Author: Brandy Calvert
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
After a 2017 needs assessment with the County Extension Council revealed that youth in the Appalachian area of Bell County need an opportunity to acquire life skills, leadership skills, value citizenship, and experience service-learning, the 4-H Junior Homemaker Club was born. This club, in its instructional design, represents a marriage of the core components of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (UKCES) Family and Consumer Science (FCS) program and the UKCES 4-H You
Author: Stacey Potts
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Cooking is a valuable life skill that teaches children about nutrition and food safety, as well as building math, science, literacy and fine motor skills. Retrieved from http://www.homefoodsafety.org/kids/teaching-kids-to-cook. The 4-H Chicken and Poultry Barbecue Project is designed to teach youth the basic principles of food safety and to help youth develop food preparation skills. Daviess County 4-H offered a Poultry BBQ Day Camps in June 2018 as part of the summer 4-H progr
Author: Christopher Boyd
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
In the complex world that we live in it is necessary for youth to develop basic life skills and knowledge that will help them become productive members of society. The job market is ever-changing, but some skills will always be desired by employers. How America and businesses operate is something that students need to understand in order to be competitive when applying for jobs. This is why the Greenup County 4-H Council has identified enhancing life skills as a priority for youth. Greenup
Author: Tracey Tashjian
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Two senior 4-H members received third place and $6,000 each in scholarships to Sullivan University in the KDA sponsored Junior Chef Contest. The team's Cheesy Ranch Chicken Casserole followed MyPlate guidelines, contained eleven Kentucky Proud ingredients, could be duplicated in school cafeterias and appealed to young people. The students' recipe, culinary skills and public speaking skills were judged by chefs from Sullivan University. In preparation for the contest the
Author: Mary Jane Little
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
"Research shows 4-H Youth Excel Beyond their Peers The longitudinal study discovered that the structured out-of-school time learning, leadership experiences, and adult mentoring that young people receive through their participation in 4-H plays a vital role in helping them achieve success. Compared to their peers, the findings show that youth involved in 4-H programs excel in several areas: Contribution/Civic Engagement • 4-H’ers are nearly 4 times more likely to make contributio
Author: Charles Comer
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
In 2012-13, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture launched the Kentucky Junior Chef competition to teach students to cook, educate them about the importance of buying local food and impact the school meals with recipes being incorporated into the school lunch program. For five years the Montgomery County 4-H Junior Chef team has created these nutritional and delicious recipes that include the MyPlate food groups. The team endeavor has resulted in the members learning the v
Author: Amanda Sublett
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Twenty Taylor County youth attended the 3 day Super Star Chef cooking camp for kids ages 8 to 19. No previous cooking experience was required for the free program and participants learned to master a variety of cooking techniques including: chopping, dicing, blending, folding and whipping. They also discovered foods that are good fuel for their bodies and learned to decode food labels and identify if foods were safe to eat. Participates made homemade fresh salsa, fruity parfa
Author: Kevin Lindsay
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
21 4H youth participated in a 4H Barbecue Cooking camp under the leadership of a UK animal sciences and food services specialist. Participants in the program had the opportunity to learn the basics of: food safety, hand washing, food temperatures, safely preparing a barbeque grill and controlling the fire on the grill. Participants also learned a basic understanding of the economy, versatility and nutritional value of chicken and its relationship to human nutrition. 4Hers also got to prepare the
Author: Mary S Averbeck
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Most young people have little confidence in their money management skills according to an Equifax study. In fact, 74% of 12-22 year-old youth want their schools to teach money management. As few as 10 hours of instruction can be enough to improve youths’ spending and saving habits according to the National Endowment for Financial Education. Recent years of tough economic times have increased awareness of the need for financial literacy. Extension advisory groups have identified finan
Author: Amanda Wilson
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
There’s increased need for financial stability in today’s economy. County residents desire the necessary skills to enhance their quality of life. The McCracken County Cooperative Extension service strives to meet the needs of the community weekly. This was done by offering the 4-H Intermediate Sewing Club. Participants have access to knowledgeable volunteers who provide one-on-one sewing instruction. The focus of this report is the each member of the Intermediate Club has t
Author: Martha Welch
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
How we live life is ever-changing but learning basic life skills is still as important as ever. Learning to practice healthy habits, select clothing to emphasize one’s best appearance, create and live within a budget, prepare nutritious meals safely, nurture children, create a safe and pleasant home environment, practice common courtesies, and form relationships with others—all of these skills are basic to everyday life. Reality is that many of these basic life skills are n
Author: Kaitlyne Metsker
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
According to Kentucky 4-H in the 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences projects, youth enhance the personal skills they often learn within the family and home--how to dress to impress; cook a variety of foods; plan a meal; select clothing within the family budget; mend or make one's own clothing; maintain a healthy weight by eating the right way; get along with others; decorate and maintain one's space or room; spend money wisely; create a budget and live within it; practice good manners; mak
Author: Kendriana Price
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
According to Kentucky 4-H in the 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences projects, youth enhance the personal skills they often learn within the family and home--how to dress to impress; cook a variety of foods; plan a meal; select clothing within the family budget; mend or make one's own clothing; maintain a healthy weight by eating the right way; get along with others; decorate and maintain one's space or room; spend money wisely; create a budget and live within it; practice good manners; mak
Author: Kelly Smith
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Sewing is a learned life skill that can provide self-worth, sustainability within the home with textiles and more, enjoyment with hobbies and it can also reduce stress. Kelly Smith, Jefferson County 4-H Agent served as the Cooperative Extension Service’s Jefferson County Master Clothing Volunteer (MCV) contact agent. The 4-H Agent provided program updates, helped to promote sewing programs taught by the Louisville MCVs, helped to ensure funds to pay for statewide trainings, provided feedba
Author: Bernita Cheirs
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
According to a new American Red Cross poll, parents say that good babysitters are hard to find and they want to entrust their children to babysitters trained in first aid, CPR and childcare skills. The 4-H Babysitting for Fun and for Profit Curriculum is designed for youth who are interested in learning the responsibilities of babysitting and learning to be responsible babysitters.At Fulton Independent School, with the help of the FRYSC coordinator, the program was offered to all 4th and 5th gra
Author: Deana Reed
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Recent years of tough economic times have increased awareness of the need for financial literacy; however, Americans still have a long way to go toward making improvements. In 2014, the Jump$tart Coalition compiled a series of statistics that state that even though youth intend to work and save dollars, more students have increased 36% from the previous years of student and credit card debt. Youth are not getting the financial education which they will need for adulthood. According to
Author: Martha Welch
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
4-H Leadership boards give teens opportunities to learn new fashion-related skills and put their leadership skills into action on behalf of the Kentucky 4-H program. Through hands-on activities, the 2017-18 board members learned new skills in soft circuits/E-textiles, fashion illustration, color theory and mood boards, leadership and promotion. They prepared and taught multiple learning activities for middle school youth at Teen Summit and fashion revue delegates at Teen Conference. Expand
Author: Martha Welch
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
“I first met Devin Miracle as a high school freshman when he came to UK in 2016 to participate in the State 4-H Fashion Revue. He was a shy young man who was learning to sew,” said Marjorie Baker, Extension Associate for Clothing and Textiles. He had constructed a pair of khaki slacks and a button front shirt. When he returned in 2017, he had taken a bold move, blending his sewing abilities with his eye for creativity. “Devin made an upcycled project where he took his
Author: Martha Welch
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
State 4-H Leadership Boards were initiated to give teens more opportunities to put leadership skills into practice. Gloria Bolin from Nelson County has done just that. She has served on the Fashion Leadership Board for the past two years. She was elected Vice Chairperson for the 2018 board. Marjorie Baker, Extension Associate for Clothing and Textiles, explains, “I was impressed with Gloria’s leadership abilities the first year she served on the board. She was the one who worked quie
Author: Julia Wilson
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
According to the American Heart Association, teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime, they will be more likely to eat healthier as adults, and build self-confidence. In Edmonson County, youth do not have the opportunity to take family and consumer science classes at school. Their only opportunity to learn food preparation is from family, friends, community classes or extracurricular activities like 4-H. During the 2017 State Fair, the
Author: Rebecca Stahler
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Simulations are a useful tool for teaching personal finance concepts. With realistic information about hypothetical individuals or households, including salaries, educational attainment, marital status, and household expenses, simulations provide an opportunity for students to appreciate the economic impact of a post-secondary education and to practice financial management skills such as check writing and budgeting. In addition, simulations are interactive, which makes learning fun and help deve
Author: Mike Meyer
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
One strong tradition in Harrison County 4-H is our expansive and in-depth textiles programs. The activity utilizes some of our most tenured and experienced master clothing volunteers to help shape, prepare, and grow young leaders within the program. This past year, two teens served on the Kentucky 4-H Fashion Leadership Board, three participated in the Kentucky 4-H Style Revue and were all named semi-finalist, and two were re-elected to the board for the 2018-2019 program year.  
Author: Raymond Cox
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
The success of the 4-H Reality Store for high school students encouraged the beginning of a program for elementary students to teach financial planning and success. The 4-H Dollar and Sense program shows students how important it is to be good money managers for their financial futures. Each student is given an allotted amount of money for an allowance for a week. With this money, students have the freedom to choose to buy a pet, toys, fast food, candy, pet food, bicycle, roller blades or skate
Author: Kendriana Price
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
According to Childcare Aware of America, in 2017 before and after school childcare for school-aged children costs families $5,389. In Christian County 27% of the population that is under the age of 18, and 60% of those youth are in low-income families (below the 200% of the federal poverty level) as reported by Kentucky Kids Count 2017 Data Book. Although the county has 1,260 less children in low-income families (below the 200% of the federal poverty level), this is still 12% higher than other y
