Lyon County CES

Title:

Learning Lifeskills through Project Based Learning

MAP:

Youth Development

Agents Involved:

Wanda Paris

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Agriculture 4-H Core Curriculum

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Natural Resources 4-H Core Curriculum

MAJOR PROGRAM 4:

Science, Engineering and Technology 4-H Core Curriculum

Situation:

Parents increasingly rely on schools to teach concepts and skills once taught within the family. Teachers report concern over youth who lack organizational skills needed to be successful in school. They report that youth are not independent enough to complete tasks without individual attention. They suggest that essential life skills such as working with others, problem solving, decision making, and resource management are missing in a great number of students.

Life choices are often based more on personal desires rather than factual information. Those who seek information often turn to sources which may not be research based. Decision-making may be based on product marketing claims, family tradition, myths, faulty information, and lack of knowledge.

4-H offers projects which assist youth toward becoming responsible and contributing members of the family and of Kentucky communities.

Positive youth development, according to Dr. Kenneth Jones in Youth Development: A Priority within 4-H, aims to help youth reach full potential in order to become productive adults. Educational efforts by the 4-H program in these areas will help youth prepare to become productive, contributing citizens of Lyon County.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Youth will use valuable life-skills, including communications, record-keeping, leadership, and service to make effective decisions. Youth will utilize life skills (self-efficacy) learned in 4-H projects to affect their community through creative problem solving, critical and logical thinking learned in Agriculture, FCS, Natural Resources, and SET projects.

Intermediate Outcomes:

Youth will expand skills through participation in judging and skill-a-thons. They will gain confidence through increased development of decision making, organizational and communication skills. They will have an increased awareness of social problems that could be addressed through good stewardship and be able to identify problems using SET related skills.

Initial Outcomes:

An increased number of youth will enroll and participate in projects, programs and activities in the Agriculture, FCS, Natural Resources, and SET Core Content Areas where they will be engaged in learning opportunities to help develop independence and learn consequences for their actions.

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Youth will be actively engaged in opportunities to enhance knowledge.

Indicator: Increase in number of participants

Method: Formal and informal evaluation

Timeline: Throughout 2017-18 year

Intermediate Outcome: Youth will gain confidence through increased skills

Indicator: Number of youth willing to learn new things and participate in competitions

Method: Formal and informal evaluation

Timeline: Throughout 2017-18 year

Long-term Outcome: Youth will exhibit life-skills including communications, record-keeping, and leadership to make effective decisions

Indicator: Number of youth who show an increase in problem solving ability

Method: Formal and informal evaluation

Timeline: Throughout 2018

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Horse Club Activities

Content or Curriculum: Approved 4-H curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Certified Volunteers, Specialists

Date: 2017-18

Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Country Ham Project

Content or Curriculum: Approved 4-H Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers, Specialists

Date: 2017-18 throughout year

Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Livestock Club

Content or Curriculum: Approved Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Certified Volunteers, Specialists

Date: 2017-18 throughout year

Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Sewing Projects

Content or Curriculum: Approved FCS curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers

Date: Spring 2018

Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Cooking Club

Content or Curriculum: Approved FCS Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers

Date: Throughout 2017-18

Audience: 7-8 year olds

Project or Activity: Cloverbud Club

Content or Curriculum: FCS Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer

Date: Throughout 2017-18

Audience: 8th Grade Students

Project or Activity: Reality Store

Content or Curriculum: FCS Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers

Date: Spring 2018

Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Shooting Sports

Content or Curriculum: Natural Resources Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Certified Volunteers, Specialists

Date: Throughout 2017-18

Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Outdoors Club

Content or Curriculum: Approved Natural Resources Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer

Date: Throughout 2017-18

Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Trash Sculpture

Content or Curriculum: Recycling

Inputs: Agent, Teachers, Recycling Committee

Date: Fall 2017

Audience: 5th Grade

Project or Activity: Environmental Day Camp

Content or Curriculum: Natural Resources

Inputs: Agent, Teachers, Conservation District, Fish & Wildlife, Forestry, School Administration

Date: Fall 2017

Audience: 4th and 5th Grade

Project or Activity: National Youth Science Day

Content or Curriculum: Approved SET Project

Inputs: Agent, Teachers, Teen Leaders, Specialist

Date: Fall 2017

Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Lego Club

Content or Curriculum: SET Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer

Date: Throughout school year 2017-18

Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Robotics Team

Content or Curriculum: SET Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer, Specialist

Date: As competitions are available

Audience: 4th Grade

Project or Activity: Energy Day Camp

Content or Curriculum: Energy - Electricity & Hydro

Inputs: Agent, teachers, KU/LGE, Corps of Engineers, School Administrators

Date: Spring 2018

Success Stories