Kenton County Cooperative Extension surveyed teachers in 3 Kenton County school districts at the end of the 2017-2018 school year requesting input for 4-H natural resource school program lessons.  4-H Council members in March 2018 also spoke at length for the need to engage school program youth in fair projects and other educational opportunities.   As a result of the surveys and discussion with local council members, three new lessons for the 2018-2019 school year, included hand’s on activities/experiments were developed to teach natural resource club 4-H members about solar energy, fossils, and magnetic energy.   Additionally, the hands on activities served as an introductory opportunity for youth to learn about completing a process.  Youth members had the opportunity to enhance an activity and create a fair project entry.   The natural resources solar lesson included a solar prints activity that could be implemented rain or shine.   Solar prints are an eligible fair project entry in art.  The fossils lesson included the opportunity for youth to make his/her own fossil.   Rocks and fossil collections are eligible entries in the Geology category.  The magnets lesson included a discussion of magnetic energy and the opportunity to enter an energy poster is available.  The connections between 4-H school programs and the many opportunities that exist for 4-H members outside of school time were discussed with youth when 4-H newsletters were presented monthly.  

4-H members predominately represented (335 youth) 4^th grade urban and suburban youth in multicultural schools.  83% of the students attend schools with 100% free lunch program for the entire school population.  Less than 2% live on a farm or have exposure to production agriculture.  In the article “Perspectives of Hands-On Science Teaching” Haury and Rillero, note “Students in a hands-on science program will remember the material better, feel a sense of accomplishment when the task is completed, and be able to transfer that experience easier to other learning situations..”  The statement preceding demonstrates the value of 4-H natural resources lessons (109 Kelley) shared with local schools and providing an educational opportunity for local youth.  2019 year-end youth surveys reflected that 95% of 4-H members felt natural resources were important and more than half of the youth felt they knew about natural resources.  81% of youth were willing to work in a group after their experiences conducting experiments and working with other youth to problem solve.  

Dr. Cary I. Sneider, a member of the NGSS development team stated… “NGSS is …the application of science to the development of various products, processes, and systems to meet human needs…” youth members provided written statements in the form of suggestions and demonstrated cognitive outcomes.  76 of 147 surveyed youth from River Ridge Elementary related additional natural resource lessons and potential experiments they felt should be explored such as wind turbines, solar panels, and hydro-electric power.  Youth members (26 of 147) specifically cited the eco-bots lesson which involves logic and reasoning – determining why something is working or failing, forming solutions in a limited time frame and solving the problem.  The cognitive outcomes expressed in written comments reflect the intent of NGSS and success of the natural resource lessons in achieving the goals of the 4-H program.