Success Story4-H Food & Fun



4-H Food & Fun

Author: Julie Brown

Planning Unit: Warren County CES

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

Plan of Work: Life Skill Development

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

4-H Food & Fun was a free at-home cooking program that united families in the kitchen and at the dinner table. The goal of the program was to get young people in the kitchen and preparing home-cooked meals, trying new foods, encouraging family time, developing communications skills, and having fun! The 4-H families who participated received a kitchen utensil kit related to each month's recipes, along with other informational materials. Youth prepared the recipes in the packet as they followed along an agent demonstration via zoom then completed a post-lesson report. The youth submitted photos of their dishes which qualified them to receive the next month's kit. 4-H Food & Fun met virtually via zoom March to August at 5:30 p.m. so families had dinner cooked at the end of each session. The zooms were recorded for youth who missed the live demonstration.  Warren County had 20 youth participate. Between Allen, Simpson, and Warren Counties 38 youth participated.

4-H, Food, & Fun youth learned about local commodities, gained a better understanding of nutritional information, developed cooking skills, looked at the cost of food ingredients, and helped youth make healthier food choices. Several youth tried new foods they had never eaten before. Comments from Simpson Co. participants included, kitchen skills I learned: how to grate ginger, how to use the broiler on my oven, how to make biscuits from scratch, how to make pizza crust, how to use lettuce leaves in place of a tortilla, that cooking time must be adjusted when cooking small vs. large homemade biscuits, how to bread meat, and I had never had ricotta cheese before.  Kitchen tools youth used for the first time included: pastry blender, meat thermometer, frying pan, kitchen shears, knife sharpener.  In Warren County, 4-H Food and Fun was made possible thanks to a KY 4-H Foundation Mini Grant of $1000.00.






Stories by Julie Brown


Recipes for Life

about 5 months ago by Julie Brown

Warren County 4-H Youth Development Agent collaborated with Family Resource Youth Service Center at ... Read More


Passport Kitchen

about 5 months ago by Julie Brown

In our increasingly interconnected world, young people must acquire the knowledge and skills to enga... Read More


Stories by Warren County CES


Hook and Cook

Hook and Cook

about 8 months ago by Kristi Shive

Warren County has numerous fishing spots yet there are many residents who do not know how to fish. I... Read More


Warren County Homemaker International Day 2024

Warren County Homemaker International Day 2024

about 9 months ago by Kristi Shive

In 2021, there were 12.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents in Bowling Green, KY than any oth... Read More


Stories by Family and Consumer Science


Insects At The Library

Insects At The Library

about 5 months ago by Joyce Doyle

How many children today are challenged to eat different foods? When asked to provide a program for t... Read More


4-H Babysitting Clinic

4-H Babysitting Clinic

about 5 months ago by Alexandria Brasher

Family Magazine reports that 76% of middle school age youth are babysitting either family members or... Read More