Success Story4-H School Programming



4-H School Programming

Author: Kindra Jones

Planning Unit: Grayson County CES

Major Program: Leadership

Plan of Work: Enhance Life Skills of Youth Through School Enrichment and After School Programs

Outcome: Initial Outcome

Increased school programming keeps the Grayson County 4-H Agent busy throughout each month, but with that the youth impact is great. With a direct reach of 750+ elementary students and nearly 300 7th grade students, the hands on lessons are those the youth will remember for many years to come. Teachers request to remain on the lesson schedule of the agent for the next school year and maintain contact throughout the summer to plan dates and times, knowing how valuable the lesson time is in the classroom.

 

Working with all four Grayson County Elementary Schools- Lawler Elementary, Wilkey Elementary, Clarkson Elementary and Caneyville Elementary; the agent works with all 4th grade classes, 5th grades in three of the schools, 2nd grade in two of the schools, and 3rd grade in one school; additionally adding some lessons as requested by other grades (Lawler Kindergarten). The agent is providing hands on SET and Natural Resources activities such as Enviroscape, Cow Eyeball Dissections, DNA extractions, and rocketry with 4th grade. Third grade students receive Ag Literacy lessons. Working with 5th grade students, the focus is on personal development and leadership activities. Second grade classes are focusing on STEM lessons supplementing the areas the students are working in. Additional lesson were added on at the end of the school year with Lawler Kindergarten to discuss the plant life cycle and also a dairy lesson prior to the students field trip to Chaney’s Dairy Farm. At Grayson County Middle School, the agent works with the Life Skills teacher each nine weeks providing Reality Store lessons to the seventh graders.

 

The teachers value working with the county 4-H agent knowing the hands-on lessons and activities provided are an opportunity the youth would not receive otherwise. The teachers also encourage the students to get involved and participate in 4-H outside of the school; the classroom involvement was a large factor in the increase in 4-H camp participation for 2023. The agent is also making an effort to promote more area and state events, like the Written Communications Contest with the teachers.






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