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Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

Impacts

Contact Information

Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu




Fiscal Year:
Jul 1, 2024 - Jun 30, 2025


Success StoryHomeschool Dissection Club: Taking a Stab at STEM



Homeschool Dissection Club: Taking a Stab at STEM

Author: Brandon Darst

Planning Unit: Madison County CES

Major Program: Science, Engineering, and Technology

Plan of Work: Expand Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math (STEM) Education

Outcome: Initial Outcome

According to Center for Strategic and International Studies,” early STEM education provides the necessary foundation for those pursuing degrees and careers in the field later on. STEM education centers around programs designed to help students gain skills required to succeed in the innovation-focused twenty-first century job market. Typically, this includes critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, and digital literacy- all important for future careers. However, many students lack the resources and opportunities to pursue a career in the STEM field, and even earlier on, students across the country are not receiving adequate education in these subjects to begin with.”

To provide a learning opportunity for students who do not get exposed to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, the CES decided to think outside the box to create such opportunities. The CES are involved in the local school system and is a resource for the schoolteachers; however, one group of students have been missing out on those same STEM lessons.  Furthermore, to use all reasonable efforts the CES decided to pick an audience that normally gets overlooked; and those students would be homeschoolers. 

The CES created a temporary club that was held during the day at the Extension Office specifically for homeschoolers to offer STEM lessons.  The CES and the Coop Director decided to use dissection lessons to involve the students in hands-on learning. The CES order diverse specimens to start off with simple anatomy and then work our way up to compound internal structures. The CES provided worms, grasshoppers, crayfish, owl pellets, cow eyeballs, and even a fetal pig for the students. Each lesson involved a 4-H lesson whether it was 4-H Entomology, Project Wild, Project Wild Aquatics, and even 4-H agriculture.

The CES hosted 30 students ranging from ages 5-17 every meeting we had.  The students were split up into groups where the older students could help and mentor the younger students. The Homeschool Director was concerned that the students would not be engaging or participating, but the CES used methods and his teaching style to get all the students to participate in the lessons. Each meeting was filled with awe and the CES allowed the students to showcase their knowledge after every lesson.  100% of the students involved said they were interested in learning more about STEM.  80% of the students also indicated that they would love to seek out a career in STEM.  60% of the students said 4-H is a place where they had a chance to be a leader.    






Stories by Brandon Darst


4-H Goes Wild (Environmental Field Day)

about 2 months ago by Brandon Darst

According to Childrens Health Defense, “Less exposure to nature in youth has paralleled an increase ... Read More


Madison County Home, Farm, and Garden Expo Success

about 5 months ago by Brandon Darst

Madison County Extension Agents want and need to bring attention and awareness to the local communit... Read More


Stories by Madison County CES


Emergency Disaster Preparedness Program-hosted with Bluegrass Area FCS Agents

Emergency Disaster Preparedness Program-hosted with Bluegrass Area FCS Agents

about 8 days ago by Jessica Hunley

Kentuckians have experienced firsthand how natural disasters can occur any time and often with littl... Read More


Ovarian Cancer Garden Party

Ovarian Cancer Garden Party

about 8 days ago by Jessica Hunley

The Madison County Extension Homemakers have decided to bring back and host an event to support Ovar... Read More