In striving to continue to provide educational opportunities to youth and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic, free educational kits were assembled and distributed the Casey County community on a weekly basis for 10 weeks. Various activities and materials were included in each kit covering 6 of the 7 Kentucky 4-H Core Curriculum (agriculture, natural resources, expressive arts, health, family & consumer science, and science, engineering, and technology). Below are the total kits assembled and distributed to the Casey County community and other organizations: 

50 Cooking Kits – included food item with recipes and cooking utensils. Six weekly Facebook Live cooking videos were also available to assist with cooking activities. 

20 Bean Bag Kits – included a partially stitched bean bag, needle, thread, and lentils (to fill the bag) and instructions on how to complete the bean bag. 

30 Rock Identification Kits – included a sample of the 3 types of rock, a fossil replica, and information on rock formations. 

150 National Ag Week Kits – included seeds and activity books on where our food comes from. 

60 Arts & Crafts Kits – included 1 item to be painted along with a variety of paint and a paint brush. 

30 DanceFit Kits – included instructions for physical activity and a Frisbee/jump rope. Recorded a how-to video on two dance routines in the curriculum that was included in the Kentucky 4-H Virtual Experience. 

125 How to sew on a Button Kits – included a piece of fabric, needle, thread, button, and instructions.

125 Living Seed Necklace Kits – included supplies and instructions on the living seed necklace along with information on how plants grow. 

135 Exploding Frisbee Kits – included popsicle sticks and instructions.

135 Mixed Media Art Kits – included a piece of cardstock paper, scrapbook paper, a variety of paint, and instructions. 

200 Bean in the Bottle Kits – included potting soil, seeds, string, and instructions for making a planter out of a plastic bottle. 

34 Eco-Bots Kits – included supplies from the NYSD Kit and instructions. 

62 Calming Bottles Kits – included glitter, instructions on how to make a Calming Bottle, and ways to reduce stress during the pandemic. 

175 Sidewalk Chalk Challenge Kits – included a piece of chalk and several sets of instructions for outdoor/sidewalk activities. 

175 – Friendship Bracelet Kits – included embroidery floss and instructions on how to make a friendship bracelet. 

100 Healthy Summer Kits – included a healthy activity coloring booklet, recipes, nutrition information, a pedometer, and a drawstring bag.

1250 Activity Booklets – an activity booklet was created and distributed (along with NTI work) to all students at the 3 elementary schools. 

60 Health Kits – provided to senior citizens and included healthy living information (physical activity, stress, etc.), nutrition, and recipes. 

30 Health Kits – provided to a local church for their bible school participants. Included kid-friendly recipes, activity booklets with crayons, and MyPlate information. 

330 Adanta Kits – 55 adult kits with health and nutrition information (physical activity, recipes, pedometers, tote bags). 275 youth kits assembled with surplus items from previously distributed educational kits. 

Information about the kits was posted on social media (Facebook and Instagram) as well as sent through Remind 101. Liberty Tourism also helped share information (on social media) about the kits. Some kits required reservation, while the majority were available to all. An average of 65 families participated in the weekly educational activities reaching an average of 100 youth. Parents were very receptive and appreciative of the activities/materials and shared pictures on social media of their kids utilizing the kits. By providing this alternative educational opportunity, youth and parents not only had further exposure to Kentucky 4-H, but helped our program reach under-served audiences. Over half of the parents did not know where the Extension Office was located nor knew what resources/opportunities Extension provides.