Activity

STEM and Cloverbuds

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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) activities have a large impact on children. STEM focuses on hands-on learning which helps children develop STEM skills including problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, curiosity, decision making, and many more. It is never to early to teach these skills which are important not only now, but in the future. Try this STEM activity at your next meeting!

Important Information to consider before doing this activity.

  • Neodymium magnets are extremely strong! Fingers can easily get pinched when trying to separate the magnets. Be sure to keep the magnets away from cell phones, computer, and other electronics.
  • Iron oxide powder is not good to breathe. Therefore, the iron is mixed in with the glue.  Wear a mask when working with this powder.
  • Iron oxide powder is available from a variety of online sources.
  • Neodymium magnets are available from a variety of online sources.

                                   Magnetic Slime

You will need:

  • Liquid starch
  • Elmer’s glue
  • Iron Oxide powder (wear a mask)
  • Mixing bowl
  • Plastic spoons
  • ¼ Cup for measuring
  • 1 Tablespoon for measuring
  • 1/8 cup for measuring
  • A neodymium (rare earth) magnet, regular magnets aren’t strong enough

What to do:

  • In a mixing bowl add ¼ cup glue and 2 Tbsp iron oxide powder. Stir.
  • Pour in 1/8 cup liquid starch.
  • Stir the mixture well, the starch will react with the glue and slime will form.
  • Use your hands to knead the slime. If it is too sticky add more starch.
  • Use your magnet and play with the slime.

Giving Care and Kindness

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Anytime is a good time to give care and kindness to others. February is especially a great time to do that with Valentine’s Day on the 14th. When we show care and kindness toward others, we are giving the gift of compassion. In The Big Book of 4-H Cloverbud Activities, there is a curriculum piece titled “Heart to Heart: Celebrating Valentine’s Day with Senior Living Center Residents” (p. 148). There are some easy and fun activities you can engage with your Cloverbud members such “Making Valentine Favors,” and singing the song “I’m a Little Valentine” (using “I’m a Little Teapot” tune). All of these activities can be done with residents at nursing homes, senior centers or at adult day centers.

Through these activities, Cloverbud members can practice care and kindness toward others and become self-aware how good this feels. The kids learn skills of generosity and compassion and are examples to their friends and others. This quote from the Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu sums this up well: “Compassion seems to be contagious. When we see others being compassionate, we are more likely to be compassionate. There is a ripple effect of helping others.”

To use The Book of 4-H Cloverbud Activities, check with your Extension Office to obtain a copy or you can order directly from OSU Extension Publications.  Ohio residents receive the best price when they order from their Extension Office.

Thanks for the important work you do as a 4-H Cloverbud volunteer and advisor. You serve as a caring adult role model that impacts the healthy development of children in so many ways.

Winter is a great time to Read!

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It is cold outside! For winter months, it might be harder to think of what to do during a club meeting since it is harder to go outside.  Reading is the perfect thing to incorporate into all 4-H club meetings. Ohio 4-H has created Cloverbud Reading Adventures to help provide some easy and ready to go resources. Each has a book along with some games, activities or crafts and a themed snack. https://u.osu.edu/cloverbudconnections/reading/ Continue to check out the link as additional Reading Adventures are added as they are created.

Being able to read and understand the story is essential to a child’s education. Children should still be read to. Reading will help throughout school as well as in life. Reading helps youth discover new things about the world around them, add additional vocabulary, manage emotions, and have fun. Reading is a fun and engaging way to incorporate additional learning and discussion into a club setting.

Here is a fun winter activity:

One of the Ohio 4-H Reading Adventures is Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? www.go.osu.edu/pandabear  This is a perfect wintertime book to enjoy.

Read Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? to your Cloverbuds. Youth will make a hand print penguin. Talk about the other endangered species that the book refers to. Have they ever seen any of these animals?

At the end of reading the book, enjoy a themed snack of pretzel pops. The youth can make decorated pretzel animals.

If you use one of the Cloverbud Reading Adventures, please complete the evaluation so we can continue to provide resources that are helpful for you as a volunteer.  The link is http://go.osu.edu/evaladventures

Check out each of the Ohio 4-H Cloverbud Reading Adventures for additional books that are ready to go for use in club settings.

Reading – It’s FUNdamental!

Helping Youth Find Their Spark

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What is a spark and why would you want to search for it? A spark is something that you love to do, something that gets you excited, something that you are good at or something that energizes you. Maybe you have already identified a spark in your life, as most of us have many sparks that get us excited and ready to jump into action. Cloverbuds might have already identified a spark through school, sports, or family experiences. 4-H provides another opportunity for them to have new experiences and participate in new events that can help them discover new sparks! Sparks are interests, skills, talents, and special qualities that can emerge while youth are experiencing 4-H after school programs, 4-H community club events, or special interest clubs.

Cloverbuds can identify possible sparks by choosing from a list of topics or answering questions that require them to choose a thoughtful answer. For example, having them respond to, “Do you like to play indoors or outdoors?” or “Would you rather be invisible or be able to fly?”. Exposing youth to new ideas outside of their normal home and school environments are a great way to identify additional sparks. Sparks help youth set goals and expand their support network as they identify friends that have similar sparks. Most youth need one to three spark champions (caring adults that support the identification of sparks) who will continue to make connections and encourage them to further develop their sparks.

Club meetings are a great place to start the process of identifying sparks. Give members a sheet of blank copy paper and some markers or colored pencils. Have them close their eyes and think about an activity that they love doing and picture themselves doing that activity. After 30 seconds have youth open their eyes and draw that activity they were imagining. Once members have finished drawing have a group conversation about why they chose that activity.  You might have some suggestions about other ideas they could explore given their interests. Your role as a 4-H volunteer is very much a role of SPARK CHAMPION!

Sources:

Extension Foundation. (n.d.). 4-H Thriving Model of PYD. Retrieved June 27, 20222, from https://helping-youth-thrive.extension.org/what-are-sparks/

Time to Get Outdoors!

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Spring is officially here and that means it is a great time to get outdoors. Spending time outdoors feels like a foreign concept to many 4-H members these days, but being out in nature has many positive benefits. It allows members to disconnect from devices and technology, focus on being present in the moment, and engaging with others. Direct exposure to nature has also been found to have a restorative and calming effect.1

Most 4-H families associate being outdoors with going to summer camp or an event that takes much effort. However, spending time reconnecting to nature should not be scary or overwhelming.  Here are some easy ways to make time outdoors more accessible to young members:

  • Host a scavenger hunt! Click here for an activity sheet that you can share with your members. You can set up a marked off area at your club meeting space and hide similar pictures (bird, butterfly, etc.) around the area. Encourage members to complete a “BINGO” row (or the whole card) by visiting each station.
    • Have older members in your club that are working on reading skills? Include fun facts on the pictures and have the members read each one to ‘complete’ the station
  • Use this scavenger hunt on a club (or family) field trip. Visit an Ohio State Park and spend time hiking a trail. Pack one of these activity sheets to identify as many items as you can.

Want to include some other activities that combine time outdoors with protecting our environment? Bring the outdoors into a club meeting. Ohio 4-H has curriculum available to help you celebrate Earth Day on Friday, April 22nd. Visit the “Earth is Our Home” Curriculum at https://ohio4h.org/earthday. You and your members can learn more about Sustainability, Germination and Plant Growth, Climate Change or even Pollination.

Spring is a time of growth and renewal so why not try a new outdoor activity or two with your Cloverbud members!

 

References:

  1. https://u.osu.edu/4hjournal/2021/06/25/scavenger-hunts/
  2. Made for Retail. Scavenger Hunt List Pad – Explore & Backyard. 2018. Madeforretail.com

Just Like the Big Kids – Using “My 4-H Cloverbud Year”

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Cloverbud members want to be “just like the big kids” and have a 4-H book to complete.  Have you considered using My 4-H Cloverbud Year with your members?

This fun book is a great way for Cloverbuds to learn the basics of 4-H and keep track of their activities and events. Completion of this book is optional and can be done with or without the help of an adult leader. It can be repeated each year a child is a Cloverbud.  It is especially appropriate for older Cloverbud members as they prepare to transition to project membership.

The length of your Cloverbud meetings or activity time might determine how best to use this resource. Here are two options:

  1. If you have plenty of time (approximately an hour) for your Cloverbud meeting, then you could have the members complete the sections after each group activity. It will probably take at least 15 minutes to help the members complete the two pages titled “Today at 4-H Cloverbuds”. Younger members will need help answering the questions about what they did, their favorite part of the activity, what they learned and what they want to learn more about. There is also a box to draw or add a picture about the day’s activity.
  2. Here is a second option if you are limited on time with your Cloverbuds. Plan one or two of your meetings around completing the beginning of the book where they will learn about themselves, all about 4-H, their club, meeting manners, the American Flag and the 4-H Flag. After these sections are finished, the book could be sent home with your Cloverbud members. Ask parents to help their child complete the “Today at 4-H Cloverbuds” section after each meeting or club activity. This will help reinforce learning and recall of information as well as begin practicing the life skill of recordkeeping.

My 4-H Cloverbud Year is for Cloverbud members who can write about themselves and their experiences, with or without the support of an adult helper. If your Cloverbuds struggle with writing, you can help them by providing prepared answers to paste into their books. On the Today at 4-H Cloverbuds pages, for example, “What we did” could be answered with a short typed, or printed response: We practiced reduce, reuse, and recycle.

The end of the book provides a spot for community service activities, county fair activities, and a place to add memories like photos, ribbons, or clippings.

Copies of My Cloverbud Year can be purchased from your local OSU Extension or from https://extensionpubs.osu.edu

I’m a Cloverbud Volunteer! Now What?

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New year, new start!  Are you a new or returning Cloverbud volunteer?  Welcome! We are happy to have you join us in the Ohio 4-H Cloverbud program!

You’ve completed your Cloverbud Volunteer Training and you have a group of Cloverbuds, now what?  Time to plan your meeting activities.  The most valuable resource in your toolkit is The Big Book of 4-H Cloverbud Activities.  The Big Book has 50 lesson plans which you can use during your Cloverbud meetings.  Talk with your Cloverbuds to find out what they want to learn about in 2022.  Give them a list of topics to choose from and ask them to vote.  Your Cloverbud program is more likely to succeed if you consider input from your youth.  The Big Book of 4-H Cloverbud Activities is available for purchase from your county OSU Extension Office or from OSU Publications.

What should your Cloverbud meeting look like?  Once you have identified your topic, use the Cloverbud Meeting Planning Template to plan your meeting.  Decide on the day, time, and location of your meeting.  Be sure that all Cloverbud parents know when the meeting will take place.  Consider your planned activity.  What will you do for each portion of the meeting?  What supplies are needed?  Do the Cloverbuds need to bring anything to the meeting?  Will you have refreshments or recreation?  In general, Cloverbuds can participate in 4-H club meetings for the pledges and roll call.  Once the older 4-H members begin their business meetings, Cloverbuds can be dismissed to complete their own activities.  Upon completion of Cloverbud activities and the older club members’ business meetings, Cloverbuds can rejoin the group for refreshments and recreation, if age-appropriate.  This is a great time for Cloverbuds to present what they learned to the older club members.  This gives Cloverbuds a chance to do public speaking and also share their excitement for their activities.

My 4-H Cloverbud Year is a wonderful activity book for our Cloverbuds.  Cloverbuds enjoy having a book to complete like the older 4-H club members.  The activity book includes pages where the child can include information about themselves and their club, as well as about what they did at each Cloverbud meeting.  At the end of the year, the member has a nice memory book of their year as a Cloverbud. My 4-H Cloverbud Year is available for purchase from your county Ohio State University Extension Office or from OSU Publications.

To see other resources that are available to Cloverbud volunteers, check out the Ohio 4-H Cloverbud Resources link on the left hand side of this page.  You might be interested in Choose and Tell Cards or Clover Cubes.  Both are fun and easy resources to use with your Cloverbuds.

Don’t forget to check out the Ohio 4-H Cloverbud Reading Adventures!  Reading adventures connect Cloverbuds to literacy and include games, activities, and snacks to use with your Cloverbuds.

Fast forward – you’ve completed the year with your Cloverbuds, now what?  Check with your county extension office to see what other opportunities are available.  This might include day camps or fun days, exhibiting at the county fair (non-competitive events), Show and Tell, fair revues, Cloverbud graduation, and more!

Enjoy your time with your Cloverbuds!  They are eager to learn and will not hesitate to share their enthusiasm.  Spending time with Cloverbuds will put a smile on your face!

Fall Fun in the Great Outdoors

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Fall is in full swing which makes it a fun time to explore the outdoors.  The sights, the sounds, and the crisp air makes taking a walk outside so much more exciting for children.  The foliage in many areas has just peaked or is almost ready to peak.  Weather in your area will affect the timing, but whether the leaves are still on the trees or partially on the ground, the colors are beautiful.  Wildlife is moving in the cool fall air and many trees are in the process of dropping their fruit.  A walk in the fall provides youth the opportunity to see and touch so many things in nature that are not as easily accessible to them at other times of the year.

Try a fall scavenger hunt when youth can explore and see so much more!  Ask youth to find different colored leaves (red, yellow, or orange); different tree fruit such as apples, acorns, hickory nuts, or walnuts; check off/write down the animals they see such a ladybug, wooly worm, squirrel, rabbit, bird, or deer.  If youth are able, have them take a gallon size bag on their hunt to bring back a few items from their adventure.  This will give you the opportunity to help them match the leaves and fruit from the same tree or compare the sizes of each object the members found.  For a little extra fun, tell them to find the smallest and the largest leaf they can find.  It will be fun for them to compare what they found with what others found.

Fall is also a fun time to for youth to explore birds as they migrate through Ohio.  Cloverbuds can make their own bird feeders and hang them where they can watch the birds.  There are multiple ways to make homemade bird feeders.  A simple and clean option is to use pipe cleaners and cereal.  To complete the activity, you will need pipe cleaners, cereal, string or ribbon, and scissors.  Select a cereal with a loophole that can be strung on the pipe cleaner.  Members can bend their pipe cleaner into a shape, such as a heart, star, or circle.  Be sure the two ends come back to meet each other.  Connect two pipe cleaners together to make a bigger feeder.  Members can string cereal on the pipe cleaner, leaving about a half inch on each end.  Twist the ends of the pipe cleaner together to secure the cereal in place.  Use a piece of string or ribbon to hang the feeder outside.

Cloverbuds can also make a bird feeder using a piece of nature, a pinecone.  Ask your Cloverbuds to bring a larger, open pine cone.  You will also need peanut butter, bird seed, a dinner knife, a small bowl, string or ribbon, and scissors.  Tie a loop of string or ribbon to the top of the pine cone to hang your feeder with once it is complete.  Use your dinner knife to spread peanut butter on the open pine cone layers.  Hold the pine cone at each end and roll it through a bowl of bird seed until all peanut butter is covered in bird seed.  Members are now ready to hand their completed bird feeder outside.  Encourage Cloverbuds to hang their bird feeders where they can watch the birds from inside.  As the weather gets colder, members can refill their bird feeders or make new ones and continue watching the birds through the winter months.

References:
Cereal Bird Feeder: https://kidscraftroom.com/diy-bird-feeder-craft-kids/
Pinecone Bird Feeder: https://onelittleproject.com/pinecone-bird-feeders/

The Magic of Fall

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Crisp cool mornings, bright blue sunny skies, juicy red apples, changing leaves…..fall is a great time to explore the outdoors!  If your meeting place allows, take your Cloverbuds on a nature hike.  Or encourage them to explore their backyards or take a nature walk with their family.  Take a look around – what do you see?  Many plants are reaching the end of their life cycle and it’s exciting to look for seed pods, berries, nuts, pinecones, etc.  Look for cocoons, spider webs, insects, and empty bird nests.  Remind your Cloverbuds not to eat anything they find.  Also remind them that when we are hiking in a public park we only take pictures.  Leave everything there for the next family to enjoy.

Talk with your Cloverbuds about the changing seasons.  How are the seasons different?  What is their favorite season?  What is their favorite thing about each season?  How does the weather change each season? What are some activities that they enjoy doing during the fall?

Here are some fun fall activities to share with your Cloverbuds.

Leaf rubbings are easy to do and fun to make.  Have your Cloverbuds collect a variety of fallen leaves from trees in their own yards.  Help the Cloverbuds to identify the leaves they find by using a leaf identification book from your local library.  Talk to your Cloverbuds about the different kinds of leaves and the trees that each leaf comes from.  Why are leaves important?  Why do some trees lose their leaves in the fall and others don’t?  Give each child a piece of paper and some crayons and have them make leaf rubbings.  Place a leaf on the table with the veins up.  Put the paper over the leaf and gently color over the leaf with the side of the crayon.  It may be helpful to tape the paper to the table.  Have your Cloverbuds use different leaves and colors to make their picture.

Pumpkins are found in abundance this time of year.  Use the insides of a pumpkin to make a sensory bag.  For each bag you will need a one pumpkin, one, one-gallon plastic freezer bag, the “guts” of a pumpkin, and a few small items to put in the bag with the pumpkin guts.  Small items such as plastic spiders, googly eyes, small fall themed erasers, etc., work well for this activity.  If you decide to have each Cloverbud carve their own pumpkin to retrieve the guts, be sure to have plenty of adult help.  Have an adult cut the pumpkin open and then ask the Cloverbuds to scoop out the guts.  Place the pumpkin guts and small items in the plastic bag and be sure it is tightly sealed.  Lay the bag on the table and have the Cloverbud squish the bag and look for the items inside.

Making a fall tree using the Cloverbud’s hand print as a guide creates a special keepsake for parents, grandparents, or other special person in your Cloverbud’s life.  For this activity you will need construction paper (white for the picture, any color to make the hand print), paint in fall colors (red, orange, yellow), paper plates or foil pans (to put the paint in), and sponge paint wands. 

Trace the Cloverbud’s hand and forearm on construction paper, then cut it out.  Use poster putty to secure the “tree” (Cloverbud’s hand print) to white construction paper.  Once the hand print is in place, ask the Cloverbud to sponge paint all around it with fall colors. Encourage your Cloverbud to leave little or no white around the edges of the “tree”.  Gently remove the paper hand print and any remaining poster putty.  Be sure to have your Cloverbud wear an old shirt or an apron to protect their clothing from the paint.

Some great fall books to read with your Cloverbuds are Apple Picking Day by Candice Ransom; Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak; Leaf Man by Lois Ehert; or Hello Fall! by Deborah Diesen.

So, go out and explore the outdoors,  Enjoy the crisp, fresh air, the ever changing colors, and the glory of nature that is fall!

Resources:
Hand Tree: https://fun-a-day.com/fall-hand-print-art-negative-space/
Pumpkin Sensory Bag: https://www.pre-kpages.com/pumpkin-sensory-bag/
Big Book of 4-H Cloverbud Activities, Chapter 19

Time and Finger Painting

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As we go throughout our lives, everyone has the same amount of time in the day. Each of us is given 24 hours  to juggle and figure out how to best utilize this precious resource.  Some of us like to sleep, others get up and exercise, and some rock kids to sleep from a bad dream or a teething issue in the middle of the night.  At the end of the day, 24 hours is the same amount of time for all of us and if we utilize our time to our best ability, each day is a success!

As a mother of four children, I sometimes let them play on devices and screen time so that I can have some quiet, uninterrupted ME time.  Maybe I’m selfish, maybe I’m a slacker of a mom, or maybe I’m just a normal mom that needs to decompress from the daily activities from work or life.  It’s not always the BEST use of their time but it allows adults to have some time to process daily events.

The COVID pandemic reinforced the idea that time spent with youth is precious and important.  Taking the extra time to engage with youth is vital for their development.  It is also satisfying to take the time to have fun and engage with children and be an active participant in what they are doing.

Here is a simple Cloverbud activity that is important, fun and exciting, and has no “time stamp” on it.  Youth can take minutes or hours to paint a picture with pudding!

STEM ACTIVITY: 

Pudding Finger Paint is a fun and safe way for children to make a colorful (and tasty) painting.  I love hands-on activities for kids that let children explore and use their creativity. Pudding Finger Paint is a safe way for children to make a one-of-a-kind art project.

SUPPLIES:

  • Vanilla Pudding
  • Food Coloring
  • Muffin Pan or Small Bowls
  • Spoon
  • Plastic Tablecloth (optional), cookie sheet, or waxed paper

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Prepare the Vanilla pudding according to the directions on the package.  After the pudding has cooled, divide it evenly into a 6-cup muffin pan or six small bowls. (You can use ready-to-eat vanilla pudding as well).
  2. Add 4-6 drops of food coloring to each cup or bowl.  Stir until the food coloring has blended with the pudding and it has changed color.
  3. Use the pudding to finger paint on a hard surface such as the kitchen table.  Use a plastic tablecloth on the kitchen table or floor to contain the mess and make clean up easy or use a cookie pan or a sheet of waxed paper as the base for the painting.
  4. You could also use a large piece of paper (or cardstock) for the base of the project so the child can take it home or give to another family member or friend.

Enjoy!