"Get STEAM'd up @ Meade County 4-H" provided participants with a variety of opportunities to learn about all the components of a STEAM focused program.  4-H programming addresses science ability (process) and science anchors (content) under guidance of trained (scientifically able) mentors; an increased awareness of SET skills, content, and career possibilities increases engagement of youth in STEAM careers.  Youth learned scientific research techniques, responsible practices and innovative technologies that positively address science, technology, engineering art and math concepts.  The primary purpose of this program was two-fold: 1. to expose participants to STEAM concepts that are present, but perhaps not recognized in their everyday lives and 2. to encourage participants to research and consider a STEAM related career/workforce path and view it as a viable option for their future.

The total program was funded, in part, by the Monument Chemical Community Partnership Initiative Grant.  The focus of this $10,000 grant was youth programming during out-of-school time.  The 4-H Youth Development focus was to provide 4-H educational programming using a variety of delivery modes while allowing the youth participants to self-select those that were of interest to them.  The primary purpose of this program was two-fold: 1. to expose participants to STEAM concepts that are present, but perhaps not recognized in their everyday lives and 2. encourage participants to research and consider a STEAM related career/workforce path and view it as a viable option for their future. The subject-specific programs covered during the program, based on 4-H curriculum and the Kentucky 4-H project requirements, included:  

•            4-H Teen Environmental Camp – day camp, youth ages 14-19, held at WKY 4-H Camp, collaboration with camp staff, this was a multi-county (Meade, Breckinridge & Hardin) that resulted in 20 youth participants, 5 adult volunteers, and 4-H camp staff.  

•            Exploring Food Science: The Secrets of Baking – short term, youth ages 9-18.   This day camp lead 16 youth through various experiments using basic kitchen and baking supplies.

•            Science Fun with Kitchen Chemistry – short term, youth ages 9-18.  This day camp lead 12 youth in a variety of chemistry experiments using ingredients found in every kitchen.

•            Exploring Food Science: The Inner Mysteries of Fruits & Vegetables – short term, youth ages 9-18 – Unfortunately this day camp was cancelled due to COVID-19 meeting restrictions.

•            4-H Fine Arts Club – community club, monthly meetings, youth ages 9-18.  This group of 5 youth met monthly, until COVID-19 meeting restrictions were implemented.   In an effort to give the members an opportunity to continue learning about and creating art, the 4-H Youth Development Agent created a 7-week, at-home program for members to complete on their own.  Project kits were compiled and mailed to members each week and each week focused on a different art concept; including:  “seeing” emotion in artwork, making a color wheel, object breakdown, origami, two-dimensional texture and movement on a page, negative versus positive space in artwork and tessellations, balance and rhythm, and contrast and variation in art.  Weekly, members completed a specific project assignment and in the final week, members designed their own projects that would be eligible to enter as a 4-H project for competition.  

•            4-H Fine Arts Afterschool program – 5 day, afterschool program, middle school youth, collaboration with Family Resource Center at local middle school.   Twelve youth attended this 4-week afterschool program held at the Extension Office and focused on art concepts such as: two-dimensional texture and movement on a page, negative versus positive space in artwork, balance and rhythm, and contrast and variation in art.  Weekly, members completed a specific project assignment.

•            Meade County STEAM self-study program – independent study project, youth ages 9-18.  Twenty, self-study packets were requested and mailed out.  This at home study program was not part of the original grant plan, but provided youth and families STEAM activities to do at home together.

•        COVID-19 Spring/Summer 2020 4-H Virtual Project kits – kit topics included:   rocketry, aerospace, owl pellet dissection, cow eye dissection and an experiment explaining the science behind glow sticks.  A total of 224 kits were disseminated into the community via pick up from the Extension Office 4-H “Grab & Go” box or through the community partnership with the FRYSC/Meade County Schools lunch feeding sites.  As an additional virtual treat, the 4-H Youth Development Agent visited a make-shift lab at Monument Chemical and partnered with two of their employees to create a Facebook live event, hosted on the Meade County 4-H Facebook page, to demonstrate an experiment explaining the science behind glow sticks.   The Monument Chemical company took this experiment a step further and purchased the chemicals needed (approximately $300 value) to create a larger than life glow stick during the live event.  This event was also hosted by and watched on the Kentucky 4-H and Kentucky SET Facebook pages; this allowed for an extended outreach to youth, in Kentucky and possibly beyond.
• The grant also allowed for the Meade County 4-H Program to purchase equipment to create a 10 unit laptop lab for use with educational programming.  The plans were to begin using this computer lab in the spring and into the summer for STEAM career exploration opportunities and educational programs.   Unfortunately, the meeting restrictions for COVID-19 has delayed this program plan until educational meetings can begin again.

Youth received 6+ hours of hands-on education in a non-school setting from Extension staff or volunteers; this unique delivery mode provides education over a short, concentrated time.  A longitudinal study of over 7,000 youth indicated the positive impact of 4-H hands-on learning on the development of life skills (Lerner et al. 2013) and Meade county 4-H programs in the past have successfully indicated positive life skills development. One of Extension’s strengths is its flexibility across counties and states to address local needs to achieve locally desired outcomes (Diem, 2016).