Learning Lifeskills through Project Based LearningPlan of Work

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Lyon County CES

Title:
Learning Lifeskills through Project Based Learning
MAP:
Youth Development
Agents Involved:
Mary Beth Riley
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 2022-2023 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 2022-2023 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 2022-2023 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: 2022-2023


Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Country Ham Project

Content or Curriculum: Approved 4-H Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers, Specialists

Date: 2022-2023 throughout year



Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Sewing Projects

Content or Curriculum: Approved FCS curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers

Date: Spring 2023


Audience: 4-H Youth

Project or Activity: Cooking Club

Content or Curriculum: Approved FCS Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers

Date: Throughout 2022-2023


Audience: 7-8 year olds

Project or Activity: Cloverbud Club

Content or Curriculum: FCS Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer

Date: Throughout 2022-2023


Audience: 8th Grade Students

Project or Activity: Reality Store

Content or Curriculum: FCS Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteers

Date: Spring 2023


Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Shooting Sports

Content or Curriculum: Natural Resources Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Certified Volunteers, Specialists

Date: Throughout 2022-2023


Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Outdoors Club

Content or Curriculum: Approved Natural Resources Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer

Date: Throughout 2022-2023


Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Trash Sculpture

Content or Curriculum: Recycling

Inputs: Agent, Teachers, Recycling Committee

Date: Fall 2022


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 2022



Audience: 4-H Aged Youth

Project or Activity: Lego Club

Content or Curriculum: SET Curriculum

Inputs: Agent, Volunteer

Date: Throughout school year 2022-2023







Success Stories

Passport Kitchen Program

Author: Mary Beth Riley

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

Passport Kitchen Program

Kentucky 4-H Passport Kitchen Program.  The Kentucky 4-H Passport Kitchen program provided 426 young people from Kentucky the opportunity to experience the food cultures of different countries in a self-paced experience. As part of the 4-H Passport Kitchen program, young people received six country kits and participated in an in-person program at the Lyon County Extension Office during a six-week window. These kits provided all the needed instructions to complete a recipe, a video expl

Full Story

2023 Reality Store Program

Author: Mary Beth Riley

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

2023 Reality Store Program

An article written publish 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 fin

Full Story

Camp Jekyll Experience Creates Lifetime Memories for West KY 4-Hers

Author: Mary Beth Riley

Major Program: Natural Resources

Camp Jekyll Experience Creates Lifetime Memories for West KY 4-Hers

According to the article “Why Is environmental Education Important for Kids” on the website Rubricon, Environmental education promotes critical and creative thinking skills and inspires kids to become more engaged with their communities. It helps kids understand why the environment is important and provides them with the building blocks they need to live eco-friendly and sustainable lives. (https://www.rubicon.com/blog/environmental-education-for-kids)   Many times youth do not

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