Learning Lifeskills through Project Based LearningPlan of Work

Back to Plans for the County

Lyon County CES

Title:
Learning Lifeskills through Project Based Learning
MAP:
Youth Development
Agents Involved:
Susan Fox, Angie York, 4-H Vacant
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Volunteer Development
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Communications and Expressive Arts
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Health
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 2021-2022 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 2021-2022 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 2021-2022 year

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: 2021-2022


Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Country Ham Project

Content or Curriculum: Approved 4-H Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers, Specialists

Date: 2021-2022 throughout year


Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Livestock Club

Content or Curriculum: Approved Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Certified Volunteers, Specialists

Date: 2021-2022 throughout year


Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Sewing Projects

Content or Curriculum: Approved FCS curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers

Date: Spring 2022


Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Cooking Club

Content or Curriculum: Approved FCS Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers

Date: Throughout 2021-2022


Audience: 7-8 year olds

Project or Activity: Cloverbud Club

Content or Curriculum: FCS Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer

Date: Throughout 2021-2022


Audience: 8th Grade Students

Project or Activity: Reality Store

Content or Curriculum: FCS Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers

Date: Spring 2022


Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Shooting Sports

Content or Curriculum: Natural Resources Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Certified Volunteers, Specialists

Date: Throughout 2021-2022


Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Outdoors Club

Content or Curriculum: Approved Natural Resources Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer

Date: Throughout 2021-2022


Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Trash Sculpture

Content or Curriculum: Recycling

Inputs: Agent, Teachers, Recycling Committee

Date: Fall 2021


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 2021


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 2021


Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Lego Club

Content or Curriculum: SET Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer

Date: Throughout school year 2021-2022


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 2022





Success Stories

4-H Country Ham Project Kids are Winners

Author: Susan Fox

Major Program: Agriculture

Four youth in Lyon County participated in the 4-H Country Ham Project Over three meetings the kids shaped the hams, salted them down, washed, and resulted, and then cleaned their hams for smoking and aging. In August, the hams are polished and cleaned for presentation and judging at the state fair. Participants are required to give a speech before judges at the Kentucky State Fair. One of the Lyon County youth, Maggie Duff, won 3rd place smoked country ham and 3rd place for smoked overall in the

Full Story

Participants are “Sew Smart” After Completing Year-Long Classes

Author: Angie York

Major Program: Arts and Community Health

As the pandemic continues, two things have become worrisome for participants in Family and Consumer Sciences programming.  One worry is money as employment remains unstable and the cost of basic supplies is rising by the day.  The second issue is the mental health status of participants who have pandemic fatigue.   In order to address both of these issues, a year-long “Sew Smart” class was taught with the objectives of teaching people how to save money on Christmas gif

Full Story

Reality Store Program Teaches Financial Literacy Skills

Author: Mary Beth Riley

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

Reality Store Program Teaches Financial Literacy Skills

An article published on youth.gov stated that “a survey of 15-year-olds in the United States found that 18 percent of respondents did not learn fundamental financial skills that are often applied in everyday situations, such as building a simple budget, comparison shopping, and understanding an invoice.”  As the Lyon County 4-H Youth Development Agent I believe that it is my job to make certain that the youth in Lyon County learn and practice fundamental skills such as financial

Full Story

Bike Rodeo Teaches Essential Personal Safety

Author: Mary Beth Riley

Major Program: Health

Bike Rodeo Teaches Essential Personal Safety

Lyon County is a small community with a lot of accessible side walks and bike riding opportunities. Multiple young people ride their bike to school, the grocery, and the park. When speaking with the Family Resource Director at Lyon County Schools we both agreed that bike safety was a major concern for the youth in Lyon County.  “Millions of people are incapacitated by injuries with some suffering lifelong disabilities. For youth, injuries can lead to anxiety, inordinate demands on fam

Full Story
Back to Plans for the County