Cloverbuds

URGENT: Cloverbud Day Camp

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Attention all!

 

This message is about Cloverbud Day Camp on June 16th.

 

Camp was moved to June this year to accommodate to availability in Camp Hervida’s schedule. Due to this we have taken a huge hit for registrations for this camp.

Due to the low amount of youth registered, we must move this camp from our original planned location (Camp Hervida) to the Morgan County Fairgrounds. Reserving Camp Hervida can be costly, we only have registration for 9 kids to attend Cloverbud Day Camp this year so it will have to be moved to a new location.

 

Please note we are still accepting registrations for this camp until June 9th and it will now be at the Morgan County Fairgrounds.

 

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Cloverbud Resources

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School is out for the SUMMER, but the rain doesn’t stop!

Take advantage of that soggy ground and gather up some earth worms!

Check out the following activity on Clover Connections!  

Click the link for the full activity with more experiments! 

The Wonderful World of Worms

By Ronda Williams, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development/CED, Darke County (OSU Extension)

Objective

  • Increase awareness of the natural environment
  • Become aware of the role earthworms play in plant and soil

health

  • Learn about the behavior characteristics of worms
  • Learn the basics of composting with red wiggler worms

Group Size : 6-8 children per adult volunteer

Time Frame : This lesson is designed for a group meeting between 30 and 60 minutes

Worm Experiments

You will need:

  • Red Wiggler Worms
  • Flashlights (one per group)
  • Sandpaper (one small square per group)
  • Paper Towels (one damp paper towel per group; one dry

paper towel per group)

  • Vinegar (a small amount)
  • Spray bottle filled with water
  • Hand wipes (one per participant)

Before conducting the worm experiments with your group, go over some basic worm facts.  This will help them to understand some basic worm behaviors. Distribute the Worm Observation Chart and ask each participant to make their predictions as to what the worms will do during each experiment. After each experiment is conducted, ask the participants to record what the worms did during the experiment. Were the participants’ predictions correct? For best results, divide your group into teams of four or five participants. Give each group two worms on a damp paper towel. Announce that members do not have to touch the worms if they do not want to. Worms should be handled gently, and participants should not “pound” on the table or talk in loud voices as the worms are extremely sensitive to vibrations.

Experiment #1 – Which texture appeals to worms?

Give each group a piece of sandpaper. Instruct them to position their worms so that they are

half on the sandpaper and half on the paper towel. Watch what happens.

Cloverbud Day Camp 2025

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Encourage your Cloverbud members to join the Older Youth in-Training and Junior Leader members for Cloverbud Day Camp on June 16th at Camp Hervida from 9 am to 3 pm.  The camp theme is “A day at the Beach”.  The camp fee is $30.00.

Cloverbud Day Camp packets are available to be picked up at the extension office for those who are interested. Registration is limited to the first 30 kids!

 

Payment options:  Cash or check to the extension office. The fee for the day and all completed health forms are due June 9th!
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Call the office at 740-962-4854 or email whisman.30@osu.edu with any questions

Cloverbud Resources

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“Bee” A Pollinator

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Spring and summer are exciting for children, and Cloverbud meetings can add to the excitement. Consider this engaging pollinator activity to help Cloverbuds learn about the process of pollination.

You will need:

  • Yellow pom-poms
  • Hot glue – use with adult supervision
  • Black pipe cleaners
  • Jumbo craft sticks
  • lid or plate to hold “pollen”
  • Cheese balls

What to do:

  1. Have the Cloverbuds line up and begin using the hot glue (with adult supervision) to attach their yellow pom-poms. Place the pom-poms close together near the tip of a craft stick. Leave room in between the pom poms to attach pipe cleaners.
  2. Take a black pipe cleaner and wrap it around the stick between the two pom-poms. Twist the second pipe cleaner around the stick to secure them in place.
  3. Shape the pipe cleaner into four bendy bee legs.
  4. Set up the pollination station by crushing cheese balls and placing in a lid or on a plate. Use an empty plate to collect the pollen. You can make the plate look like a flower to enhance excitement.
  5. Take the bee and dip their legs into the container of pollen. Once there is a good amount of pollen sticking to the legs, fly them over to the empty jar lid and drop off some pollen. Continue this step until you feel like the flower has been fully pollinated.

Talk to the Cloverbuds about the importance of pollination. Explain that pollination is a process that helps plants produce fruits such as apples, strawberries, and oranges, and it enables the formation of seeds for new flowers. Thanks to pollination, we have a wide variety of delicious foods to enjoy. Pollination is not just vital for food. It is also essential for producing everyday items like cotton for clothing and wood for furniture. Without pollinators like bees and butterflies, many plants would struggle to reproduce, leading to a shortage of food and materials. Therefore, it is crucial to protect our pollinators by ensuring they have plenty of flowers to visit and suitable habitats in which to live.

Include literacy in this activity by reading The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive. *Check with your local library!

Incorporating fun and exciting ways to teach various STEAM topics can greatly enhance your Cloverbuds’ learning experience. Hands-on activities make learning fun!

Source: blog.kaplanco.com/ii/pollination-steam-craft

Cloverbud Resources

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Summer activities are around the corner, do your Cloverbuds know how to identify themselves or where they should go if they get separated from their parents or their group?

Discuss who are your safe adults to find? Store worker/ Employee , police officer, security person, other mother/father with children.

Practice  your address and phone number: Use the Know my Address / Know My Phone Number Printable from the Big Book of Clover Bud Activities 

Play: Lost Child Game – Gather the children in a circle. Tell them you are going to play a game that requires using their memory and observation skills. Select one child to be the “Police Officer” and ask that child to leave the room for a minute. Select two different children to be the “parent” and one to be the “lost child”. Tell the “parent” to look carefully at their “lost child”. What does he or she look like? What is he or she wearing? Have the “Child” go back into the group of other Cloverbuds. Have the child who is the “police officer” come back into the room. Have the “Parent” explain that their child is missing and give their description. Challenge the “Police Officer” to locate the “child” out of the group of other children using only the description given.

Encourage your Cloverbuds to use their skills of observation and memory every day!

Cloverbud Resources

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Utilize Clover Connections for meeting topics!

Ohio 4-H Cloverbud Spring Themes

 by Scott D. Scheer, Professor, Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership

It is wonderful to connect with you through 4-H Cloverbud Connections! With the arrival of Spring, we get to see blossoming plants, people, and places. Even though we may have some cold mornings on occasion, and even snow, Spring is here. The blossoms on our weeping cherry tree were ready to take off when I took this picture at the end of March.

Consider weaving Spring themes into your 4-H Cloverbud activities with the children. Before starting a 4-H Cloverbud group gathering or meeting, encourage the children to share what Spring means to them. Ask them to describe what they see, feel, hear, smell, and taste that signals the season of Spring. This simple activity helps children build life skills such as self-confidence, getting along with others, and decision-making through Spring theme activities.

Here are a few thought-provoking questions for 4-H Cloverbud children related to the Spring theme:

  1. How many colors are in a rainbow (7, ROYGBIV – red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet)?
  2. How long does Spring last (about 92 days from around March 20 to June 20)?
  3. What food products are made from tomatoes (ketchup, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, pizza sauce, and others)?
  4. Do you say potato or pot(ah)to, tomato or tom(ah)to (just for fun 😊)?

Alright, let the fun begin! Thank you for all your efforts as a 4-H Cloverbud volunteers to enrich the lives of children throughout Ohio!

First STEM Day Recap!

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We had our first STEM day of the year on April 18th. The theme was Wildlife Exploration! The kids had a great time!

They got to learn about the frog lifecycle by playing a game and making a Lilly pad craft, they also learned about hibernation and bears with a bear craft, lastly they learned about birds and different bird species by making a bird magnet and putting together a puzzle!

We played games quite frequently!

 

For snack we had popcorn, fruit and cocoa pebbles.

Thanks to all of our older youth for their hard work and here’s to another great year for our Cloverbuds!

Cloverbud Resources

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Meeting Activity Kits for Cloverbuds

available now!

Science of Sound – Includes more than 15 activities with supplies needed to explore sounds in the environment and how sound works in science!

Things That Fly – Includes boarding passes and printouts for your Cloverbuds next adventure! Bingo, Build your own glider and more!

Sports fun – Get your Cloverbuds moving with this activity kit full of engaging activities about sports and getting your body moving!

Call the Morgan County Extension Office and ask about signing out an activity kit to use at your next meeting!

Cloverbud Resources

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Meetings are starting up, have you struggled to think of fun ways to engage your Cloverbuds?

Utilize resources found on Clover Connections to help you plan!

CLICK on the Cloverbud Meeting Menu – 2025 tab to find the meeting menu for more information.

Flying High With Ohio 4-H Cloverbuds activity kit available.

Call Morgan County OSU Extension and ask about an activity kit to help you bring the Main Course to life during your next meeting!