Author: Carrie Derossett
Major Program: Family and Consumer Science
According to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Kentucky has one of the highest prevalence for pediatric obesity in the nation. Approximately 38% of Kentucky children ages 10-17 years are considered overweight or obese according to BMI-for-age standards. Half of Kentucky’s children in poor families are overweight or obese. According to the 2006 Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, 35.3% children ages 0-4 years in Kentucky are overweight or obese. To address this iss
Author: Rebecca Hayes
21 youth participated in the 3-day Super Star Chef camp. They learned basic knife skills, how to measure wet and dry ingredients, kitchen safety, my plate, and got to cook their own lunches. There was a handful of youth that were very adamant about not liking the vegetables that we made, before even trying them. I am happy to say that every youth at least tried each vegetable in the different forms that they made and some were even shocked by enjoying them!
Author: Alexandria Brasher
Family Magazine reports that 76% of middle school age youth are babysitting either family members or other’s children. 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. Childcare training provides life skills in parenting. Babysitting is often a youth’s first gainful employm
Studies have proven that children involved in educational outside of school are more likely to become successful members of society. The 4-H Cloverbud Program is a way to reach kids at a younger age to get them involved in the 4-H Program. This program serves as a steppingstone to introduce youth to all the various 4-H programs and activities. In Henderson County, our Cloverbud program has been confined to short monthly virtual and in person meetings. In an effort to engage younger youth in the
Author: Chanda Hall
According to research involving kids in the kitchen, cooking can help build basic math and reading skills, encourage an adventurous palate, invite youth to explore their senses, and boost confidence (Garvin, 2021). When kids are able to cook it helps to increase their self-confidence and lay the foundation for healthier eating habits. In Jefferson County, there are limited occasions for inner-city youth to participate in hands-on cooking programs. Improving cooking skills and
Author: Kimberly Thomas
In preparation for the 2022 Taylor County Fair, Taylor County 4-H collaborated with 8 Taylor County Homemakers to offer three County Fair Project Day Camps to help the youth prepare projects for the fair. They included a Jewelry Making Day Camp, Visual Arts Day Camp, and Home Environment Day Camp. The 38 participants learned about and created different projects each day they were able to exhibit at the County Fair the following week. During the process of creating their project they learned many
It is through our valued partnership with the Allen, Logan, and Simpson Community Early Childhood Council that we, the Logan County Cooperative Extension Service, seek to improve school readiness in Logan County by educating, encouraging, and engaging families. 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,
Author: James Cecil
Christmas Village is a program that we work with our FCS Agent on and it is held at the Early Childhood Center her in Clinton County at the Early Child Hood Center or ECC. This program is designed for families to be able to bring their children to be able to do Christmas shopping for their family. We assist the children in finding the perfect gift for their family members that they can afford to buy for them. They get to learn how to make good decisions and how to manage their
Author: Cecelia Hostilo
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.) A California Department of Education survey indicated that 87 percent of fourth to eighth graders said that they cook and make some of their meals or snacks. However, youth who lack healthy cooking knowledge may rely on packag
Author: Shelley Crawford
4-H Cooking Club, Baking Edition was created to meet several needs in Trigg County. First was the need to teach young people to prepare foods at home and not be as dependent on processed foods from the grocery and fast food businesses. Obesity and chronic disease is a problem for nearly half of all adults in the county. A second need was an economic one. Family finances are very unstable right now and inflation can be seen in our grocery stores. Youth who have a var
The Longest Day of Play here in Clinton County is designed to teach families how to play and exercise together. There were several vendors with heath information and exercise tips for parents and their children. It is important that parents and Children learn to play and exercise and have fun while doing it. There were a total of 108 people who participate in the Longest Day of Play.
Author: Annette Buckman
Youth from the age of 5-8 have so much spirit and enthusiasm. Cloverbuds program is a way to help develop the young students through hands on activities which promote healthy life skills (social, mental, physical and emotional). This program allows the students to experience at a young age, "learn by doing". Cloverbuds group meets once a month, with students experiencing hands on lessons and activities that express the life lessons in 4-H and what it has to offer to o
Author: Renata Farmer
Sewing camps are more than needles and thread. Learning basic sewing skills provides youth with not only an ability to do basic alterations on their clothing but also allows them to practice motor skills, follow directions, learn patience, engage creatively, and practice communication skills. With the support of our Knox County Extension Homemaker volunteers, 4-H & FCS Agent and program assistant, Sewing Camp 101 has taught approximately 50 youth
Many youth today are ending their educational journey the day they graduate from high school. According to the Union County Kentucky workforce data profile, 30% of youth obtain some college or Associate degree and 10% acquire a Bachelor's degree or above. One of the most common reasons for not furthering their education is the expense of college. The school system wanted a program to teach students how much college cost and ways to pay for higher education. The "
Author: Stacey Potts
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 also the sewing machine, serger and even the iron. Sewing can be used to create clothing and wardrobe essentials, as well as useful items for daily living. Even simple sewing projects require several hours of work to complete, especially for youth who are learning. &
Author: Marla Stillwell
Developed by the University of Kentucky's Family & Consumer Sciences Extension team, the new cookbook "Cook Together, Eat Together" was released in Spring 2021 and was designed to help families enjoy more home-cooked, healthy meals. While the recipes in the cookbook feature easy recipes for breakfast, soups, vegetables, salads and one-pot meals, it also lays out a strategy to enable families to spend more quality time together while preparing the meals that are affo
Author: Maria Harris
This 2022 summer; Uplift which consists of Ken Jones, Kerri Ashurst, Allison Young, Chandra Deramus, Tyrone Atkinson, and Maria Harris; offered youth life skills programing during the Grand Slam Summer camp at Crawford Middle school in Fayette County. This 2 week camp focused on various topics from participating partners and Uplift was privileged to be one of those partners and address multiple areas of life skills with the participating youth. During the camp, our programming covered
