Oldham County schools closed on Monday, March 16, 2020 due to the COVID 19 Pandemic and moved directly into the world of NTI (Non-Traditional Instruction).  Non-traditional instruction looked very different from school to school. Teachers were now trying to figure out how to make learning possible online where students do not have access to the internet or to computers at home. For several schools this meant developing packets of school work with some being delivered directly to student homes.

“Parents now face the challenge of not just making sure their children are supervised during the day but also ensuring they have the support and structure needed to complete their NTI school work. Teachers are making themselves available to respond to emails, texts, and phone calls when students or their parents have questions or need further assistance with coursework. Where technology is available, many teachers are providing virtual online class sessions to offer additional help” as outlined in an article by Dr. Gary Houchens on March 25, 2020 published by the Pegasus Institute.

Oldham County 4-H jumped right into action working to aid teachers in providing NTI opportunities to their students.  Oldham County 4-H sent weekly educational updates to each of the 43 4-H Classrooms providing Kentucky 4-H resources including those presented by State Specialists to assist teachers in the development of NTI lesson plans.  

4-H Porch Projects focused on the Core Curriculum areas of Science Engineering and Technology, Agriculture, Visual Arts and Health to assist NTI were made available to 100 families on a first come, first served basis. 4-H Teen Leaders provided YouTube instruction for completing Visual Art kits.  

4-H Camp At Home Kit were provided to 4-H members who were registered for 4-H Camp.  The kit included an owl pellet dissection kit, recipes from our outdoor cooking instructors, bird watching and identification, visual art projects, tie dying supplies, fishing tips, night hike activities, Frisbee golf and backyard field Olympics.  

“The dissection of the owl pellets and the camp recipes are so far her favorites.  The kit contents were perfect, my daughter is not a social bee, the activities were perfect for her because these allow her to work at her own pace learning.” comments from a 4-H parent.

A total of 800 kits were distributed over an eight week period of time. All funding for the Porch Project outreach was provided by the Oldham County District Board and Oldham County 4-H Council.