By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
In an effort to bring project-based activities to area youth, K-State Research and Extension has launched the Kansas Clover Classroom, providing a resource for parents and youth leaders to present fun science lessons to area children.
“It’s something we’re really excited about,” said Susan Schlichting, 4-H Youth Development agent with the Cottonwood Extension District. “We have been locked down for the last year of life and we put our energies toward creating some new resources that kids and families can download for free from the Kansas 4-H website to help them learn some new things in our 4-H traditional way of hands of learning.”
The first set of eight project challenges is currently available now on the Kansas 4-H website.
The challenges are laid out on 8-by-11 pages that outline the hands-on activities including resources and hints about the individual projects.
“Things like geology, photography, bread baking, gardening, building a pollinator garden are some of the things already in the classroom,” Schlichting said.
Ultimately, they hope to have 30 projects available, reflecting 4-H project areas.
“It’s a great tool that you can have access to anytime day or night and explore those project areas,” Schlichting said.
Each project contains everything needed for the individual challenges, including links to further information.
And the challenges are also designed to use materials commonly found in the home.
“The online resources and virtual 4-H meeting zooms have enhanced my ability to provide them with bigger city options and help me with resources on things I am not an expert in," said Christina Frick, who has three children involved with the Pawnee County 4-H.
"I think all these resources are great," she said. (It lets children) "use their imagination and creativity to explore.”
Frick also said the program has encouraged her children to be active while learning.
"The kids love to go explore the pastures," she said. "We have done metal detecting in our pastures and they always are on the lookout for drop antlers in the pasture and trees. The day that photo (above) was taken they went exploring and brought back many treasures. ... Many 4-H projects relate to each other so when we do a project it applies to many other projects."
While the classroom is online and can be completed with parents in the home, Schlichting said there are also opportunities to use the challenges in a group setting or for others that want to have an engaging experience with a child.
“Maybe grandma wants to teach their grandchild how to bake bread,” Schlichting said. “Here is a great little tool to help them get started and some hints on how to approach that with their grandchild.”
She said the projects could also be used in a school setting, or among 4-H clubs.
“It could be done as a group effort,” Schlichting said. “But it could also be an individual child.”
The programs are designed to work for students at a variety of ages and educational levels.
“Some of them are set up differently; some of them are very focused on beginner level,” Schlichting said.
Others she said include more advanced concepts.
“There are things like the bread-making challenge actually has three different levels of challenge within one project challenge sheet,” Schlichting said.
“Each one of them has a little bit different twist,” she said. “You will want to explore them and see what fits well for you.”
The Clover Classroom was developed as a collaborative effort with extension agents across the state.
With the Extension being a part of Kansas State University, Schlichting said everything is based on research and relays science-based activities in a fun and engaging way.
“It may not seem like science, but there is science behind everything we are doing,” Schlichting said.
“There are a lot of different avenues you can pursue with this, and we think it is a really fun resource and hope that families will take advantage of it this summer,” she said.
The projects can be downloaded for free at kansas4-h.org/resources/cloverclassroom.html