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It seems as if summer just started, but here it is, time for school to start again. With the start of a new school year come certain expectations. One expectation and goal that students, teachers and parents share is that learning will take place during the coming year, but how will that goal be met? Studies show that hands-on learning is the most effective way to learn. When you think about it, most long-term learning is done this way. It starts out when children are babies and are taught how to walk, talk, play and behave. They learn by doing. You can't just lecture a child on how to kick a soccer ball or throw a baseball. They learn by practice, by doing.
“Learn by doing” is a statement commonly used in the 4-H program. The 4-H Youth Development Program embraces this statement by developing programs and curriculum to allow participants to take ownership of projects by doing the projects themselves with adult guidance.
If you happened to visit this year's Douglas County Fair and found yourself visiting the animal barns or the Exhibit Hall, you may well have seen the finished products of some of these projects that local youth have been working on for many months through 4-H. From the raising of small and large animals, sewing, cooking, table setting, even public speaking all involved youths who learned by doing. These projects done by participants demonstrate what the 4-H Youth Development Program is about. The Program concentrates its efforts on providing life skills, opportunities to apply life skills and opportunities for youth to be involved in decisions that affect them.
Not all 4-H projects and curriculum take months to complete and culminate in a project that is displayed at fair. 4-H offers a variety of hands-on lessons and curriculum that is research-based and can be used in a classroom or homeschool setting as a supplement to what is already being taught. Some lessons and activities from 4-H curriculum can be completed in thirty minutes or less. One such lesson is an environmental educational and earth science lesson titled Edible Aquifer. This lesson can help a child explore her environment by making wise uses of natural resources. After a 20- to 30-minute activity, the child should be able to demonstrate how water and pollution can get into an aquifer. Not only is this lesson informative and hands-on, it is also edible, which is always a big plus with children.
What other topics are available for use from 4-H? Citizenship and civic education, communications and expressive arts, consumer and family science, healthy lifestyle education, personal development and leadership, plants and animals, science and technology are just some of the subjects that can be found in the 4-H curriculum.
If you are a student, parent or teacher who is interested in learning what else 4-H can offer you, please contact the 4-H office for more information.
Teresa Middleton is the 4-H education program assistant at OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. She can be reached by e-mail at teresa.middleton@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 672-4461.
“Learn by doing” is a statement commonly used in the 4-H program. The 4-H Youth Development Program embraces this statement by developing programs and curriculum to allow participants to take ownership of projects by doing the projects themselves with adult guidance.
If you happened to visit this year's Douglas County Fair and found yourself visiting the animal barns or the Exhibit Hall, you may well have seen the finished products of some of these projects that local youth have been working on for many months through 4-H. From the raising of small and large animals, sewing, cooking, table setting, even public speaking all involved youths who learned by doing. These projects done by participants demonstrate what the 4-H Youth Development Program is about. The Program concentrates its efforts on providing life skills, opportunities to apply life skills and opportunities for youth to be involved in decisions that affect them.
Not all 4-H projects and curriculum take months to complete and culminate in a project that is displayed at fair. 4-H offers a variety of hands-on lessons and curriculum that is research-based and can be used in a classroom or homeschool setting as a supplement to what is already being taught. Some lessons and activities from 4-H curriculum can be completed in thirty minutes or less. One such lesson is an environmental educational and earth science lesson titled Edible Aquifer. This lesson can help a child explore her environment by making wise uses of natural resources. After a 20- to 30-minute activity, the child should be able to demonstrate how water and pollution can get into an aquifer. Not only is this lesson informative and hands-on, it is also edible, which is always a big plus with children.
What other topics are available for use from 4-H? Citizenship and civic education, communications and expressive arts, consumer and family science, healthy lifestyle education, personal development and leadership, plants and animals, science and technology are just some of the subjects that can be found in the 4-H curriculum.
If you are a student, parent or teacher who is interested in learning what else 4-H can offer you, please contact the 4-H office for more information.
Teresa Middleton is the 4-H education program assistant at OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. She can be reached by e-mail at teresa.middleton@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 672-4461.
