4-H Youth Development 2023-2024
Beth Dellatori | 4-H Youth Development Educator Serving Bureau, LaSalle, & Marshall-Putnam Counties | beth5@illinois.edu | 815.224.0889
Clover Bud Club
The monthly Cloverbud lessons are back at the Illinois Valley YMCA!
If you know any youth, ages 5-7, tell them about this fun opportunity.
Email beth5@illinois.edu for details.
October Lesson: Beading Crafts
Cloverbud members learned how to make a spider and a pumpkin decoration out of pipe cleaners and beads.
November Lesson: Embryology
Have you ever dissected an egg? The Cloverbuds did in November to learn the parts of the egg. Then, they explored the stages of chick development inside the egg during the 21 day incubation period.
December Lesson: Snowflake Symmetry
In December, youth make symmetrical snowflakes after learning the definition of symmetry. (When an object looks the exact same on one side as the other.
February Lesson: Valentine's Day STEM
You could feel the love at the YMCA in February! Club members had STEM stations to learn about building, measuring weights, balance, sculpture, and chemistry.
Candy Heart Scales
How many candy hearts can you stack on a scale made of cups and popsicle sticks? There were many attempts to find out!
Valentine Lego Challenges
We discovered if youth could build Valentine's Day Lego sets. Challenges included a ring, a chocolate covered strawberry, and more.
Heart Sculptures
Participants made hearts in different sizes and colors to create sculptures.
dancing hearts.MP4How to Create Dancing Hearts!
Supplies:
Clear glass, jar, or bottle
Vegetable oil
Water
Food coloring (optional)
Glitter Hearts (optional, can be any shape)
Alka Seltzer tablets (You only need 2, but kids love to repeat!)
Directions:
1. Fill your clear container up with vegetable oil about 3/4 full.
2. Fill the remaining space with water leaving several inches empty so that your ingredients do not overflow.
3. Add several drops of food coloring, as desired.
4. Add glitter, as desired. (If you do not use glitter, the container will have a lava lamp appearance.)
5. Drop Alka Seltzer tablets into the container and watch the reaction.
6. Repeat as often as desired.
Discussion:
Not only is this a fun, entertaining STEM activity, but it is also educational. You can discuss the properties of oil and water and observe how they do not mix. Watch as the water sinks to the bottom of the container and settles. After adding the Alka Seltzer tablets, watch for the gas that is produced when the tablets interact with the water; the gas will appear as bubbles in the oil.
March Lesson: Rainbow Science
Cloverbuds prepared for St. Patrick's Day with a rainbow-themed session in March. They made tye-dyed rainbows with coffee filters and markers, created a rainbow statue/ decoration, and prepared a delicious rainbow snack.
Rainbow Decoration
Cloverbuds used air dry clay for clouds and pipe cleaners for the rainbow for their own figure.
Pot o' Gold Snack
Fruit loops, frosting, marshmallows, and gold-wrapped candies make for a sweet St. Patrick's Day snack!
Streator Area Home Educators
STEM Stations
In September, the SAHE group met at Baker Lake in Peru for STEM Stations. The theme was States of Matter. The path around the lake is approximately 1 mile. As the youth walked, there were four stations set up to learn about solids, liquids, and gasses. The first station was a group game acting out the three states. The second station was an experiment with a bowl full of water, paper towels, and a cup to show that the paper towel couldn't get wet when there is air in the cup. The third station was melting ice. The group tried different substances to see which ones would melt the ice fastest- salt, sugar, baking soda, flour and corn starch. At the last station, the group got to cool down after their long walk with "Soda Floats" that demonstrate all three states of matter in one cup! Strawberry soda seemed to be the favorite.
Christmas STEAM
The youth in the Streator Area Home Educators group experienced STEM opportunities in December. They designed and made their own jingle bell run, solved hidden picture coding challenges, made binary code keychains, and created Tessellation trees.
MyPlate Cooking Lesson
In January, families braved the cold, wet weather and met in Streator to learn about MyPlate and the basic food groups. Younger youth made a placemat and identified food from each of the food groups. Older youth learned about daily allowances, meeting dietary needs for growth and development, and to plan healthy snacks. They also learned to rethink their drink by choosing water over soda, energy drinks, and custom drinks (think macciatto or latte!). Both groups leatned about the importance of daily physical activity for at least 30 minutes. The kids came back together to cook a meal that had all of the MyPlate food groups. The Menu was: Chicken Nuggets, Confetti Grain Salad, Fresh Fruit & Dip, Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream, and water. They all did a great job slicing, dicing, and preparing the food, and it was delicious!
Preparing the Food
Cutting the Chicken
Preparing the Food
Placing the Nuggets on the Pan
Daily Physical Activity
Parachute Fun!
From Farm to Pizza!
The youth in the Streator Area Home Educators group learned about where their food comes from when they prepare a pizza. The group learned about the plants and processes of making sauce, cheese, crust, and toppings. They made a pizza craft to help understand the stages of each ingredient from farm to pizza. To end the lesson, they made and ate cracker pizzas. One of our friends even won the egg surprise from Clover!
The Great Apple Crunch
Crunch!
LaSalle Elementary School District 122, you rocked The Midwest Great Apple Crunch on October 12th! The school crunched into their apples at the same time to celebrate The Midwest Great Apple Crunch, an annual celebration of local apples, local farmers, and growers.
We even had an "Apple Influencer Day" with 4th/5th graders and parents who created posters, learned about apples, and taste-tested apples to promote the event.
Special thanks to Boggio's Orchard and Produce, for personally delivering 700 Johnathon apples, Karol Vaughn, from LaSalle County Farm Bureau, for donating Apple Ag Magazines, and Extension 4-H for providing Little Readers for every student in grades K-5th grade.
Moving 4-Ward!
A great time was had at the 4-H annual leader meeting: Moving “4-Ward” with teamwork activities and discovering new resources.
Build Your Future
Jr. High youth at Tonica Grade School, LaSalle Lincoln, and (soon to be) PC Jr. High have taken part in the Build Your Future program that focusses on planning for the future. The lessons teach youth about their interests, different career pathways, the importance of education, training, and benefits, funding for school and training, and developing life skills necessary to be successful.
Mindful Me
Youth at Midland Elementary School and LaSalle Northwest School are experiencing the Mindful Me program. Classes that participate learn about mindful eating habits, being present in the moment, managing emotions, calming strategies, and yoga. Some tools taught are breathing techniques, talking about emotions, journaling, the importance of physical activities, and calming jars. The program is literature based which allows the youth to enjoy a story while learning. To learn more, check out some of the books and student reflections below below.
Pathways
In January, the first edition of Pathways, the unit's Quarterly Newsletter was sent out to families and friends of 4-H. Click below to view.
Creative Arts Lessons- Midland
Throughout the year, students at Midland Elementary School learned about visual arts, specifically painting the color wheel, shading, watercolors, and yarn art. They did a great job applying all that they learned.
Build Your Future Career Club
Regional SPIN Club
Youth in Mercer County, Stark County, Carroll County, Marshall-Putnam Counties, Rock Island County, Whiteside County, Bureau County, Lee County, LaSalle County, and Henry County are meeting on Tuesday evenings to learn about career pathways and life skills. The club members will have an opportunity to attend a road trip to campus and learn about the university. The 6-session program started on January 23rd, and runs through April.
Health Rocks!
Youth at Oglesby Lincoln and Princeton's Logan Jr. High are the recipients of the Health Rocks! program that is funded through the Altria grant. Students in 5th grade learn about healthy living, healthy habits, drug, alcohol, and vaping prevention, MyPlate lessons, health professions, and mindfulness techniques.
Oglesby Police Department
Police officers spoke to 5th graders about first aid and safety.
LaSalle County Health Department
A representative came to speak on Careers in Public Health.
Unit-wide Public Speaking Contest
We are excited to announce our first-ever unit-wide public speaking contest! 4-H youth in Bureau, LaSalle, and Marshall-Putnam Counties will show off their speaking skills on March 9, 2024, at 2:00 in the IVCC Auditorium. All family members are invited to attend.
The contest will feature four different speech divisions:
* Formal Speech Division: youth share their perspective on a topic of their choice with a speech intended to motivate, persuade, or inform an audience.
* Illustrated Division: speeches may inform, persuade, or motivate the audience with the use of a visual aid and may include audience participation.
* Oral Interpretation Division: presentations must be previously published works or manuscripts with youth competing individually and in teams.
* Original Works Division: presentations must be published works, and manuscripts or transcripts.
Public Speaking Contest Results
Formal Speech Division:
Daphne Heeley for her speech on the effects of classical music on the brain. She received a state delegate promotion from Marshall-Putnam Counties.
Myracle Johnson for her speech on clay. She received a state delegate promotion and “Best Overall Speech” award for LaSalle County.
Kiryn Schaer for her heartfelt speech on FFA. She received a state delegate promotion and “Best Overall” award for Marshall-Putnam Counties.
Rita Claire McLaughlin for her speech on the importance of communication amongst family members. She received a state delegate promotion for LaSalle County.
Illustrated Speech Division:
James Castelli for his speech on the Soviet Venera 7 space mission to Venus using photographs for enhancement. He received a state delegate promotion for LaSalle County.
Oral Interpretation Speech Division:
Karlie Schultz for her rendition of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! By Jon Scieszka. Karlie received a state delegate promotion and “Best Overall Speech” award from Bureau County as well as the “Best Overall Speech” recognition from all counties.
Original Works Speech Division:
Gwen and Josephine Heeley for their team entry about moving from Naperville to a farm in Putnam County. The team received a state delegate promotion from Marshall-Putnam Counties.
Hayden Meachum for her “King Kong on a Sunday Morning” speech. She received a state alternate ribbon from Marshall-Putnam Counties.
Februray is Healthy Heart Month
4-H Green Goes Red for National Wear Red Day!
Career Explorers at Graves-Hume Library
Career Explorers
Starting in March, youth in Mendota have been gathering at the library to learn about career paths and life skills. Each session spotlights a local community member and their career. Guests speak about their interest in the career, what education or training is needed for the job, and the life skills necessary to be successful.
Crop Duster
Youth learning about crop dusting .
Crop Duster Plane
A crop duster plane model
Crop Duster Demonstration
Youth learning the parts of the plane.
Farmer
A local farmer talks about his career.
Tractors
Youth hold up tractor models for the group to see.
Tractor
Model tractor for participants to explore.
Police Cheif
Mendota's Police Cheif visited to teach the kids about his job and (good) decision making.
Officer Vest
A youth sees how heavy an officer's vest and equipment can be.
Officer Friendly
The group gathers for a picture and says, "Thanks!"
Speech Language Pathologist
Youth learned about the duties and skills needed to be an SLP in schools.
Learning Tools
Youth got to choose a flavored tongue depressor- one of the tools of an SLP.
Big Teeth!
youth enjoyed studying the model of human teeth.
Project Spotlights on Facebook
A new way to help our families and 4-H members has started on our unit Facebook page- Project Spotlights. Bi-monthly, a post is written about a different 4-H project areas and includes details on the projects, fair requirements for the projects, sample pictures or past projects, and quick inks to learn more about the projects.
Honey Bee Challenge
The 4-H Honey Bee Challenge introduces youth to the critical role that honey bees play in food production as approximately one in every three bites we eat is the result of these pollinators at work.
Foraging Route
Youth work in teams to create a foraging route for their bees.
Foraging Route
Using only cups and straws, creating a foraging route can be a challenge.
Bee Anatomy
Youth learned about the anatomy of a bee and how they find, collect, and store pollen.
Bee Bot.MP4Bee Bots
After creating a foraging route, each youth got to make their own Bee Bot and try to collect pollen (glitter). The bee bots are made with a toothbrush head, foam tape, a small motor, a watch battery, and a bee sticker.
Your Feelings Matter
Your Feelings Matter
Feelings can be confusing! Your Feelings Matter allows youth to explore what emotions are, how to express them, and how to react to them in a positive way.
The Curriculum is divided into two focus areas:
Connect With Your Emotions
Lesson 1: Name It
Lesson 2: Learn your Temperament
Lesson 3: Understand Your Reactions
Lesson 4: Use Your Words
Support Your Emotions
Lesson 5: When Feelings Get Hurt
Lesson 6: Calm Your Mind and Body
Lesson 7: Resilience Scavenger Hunt
Summer 2024
Summer Zen- Community Programs
Mindfulness tools and techniques is the theme for this summer! Watch for Facebook posts and news releases to see where the programs will happen.
Sunny Strokes Art Classes at Selby Library
Join Extension & 4-H in June in DePue for summer art classes. To learn more, email beth5@illinois.edu .
Girl Scout Camp
4-H will team up with Girl Scouts on June 20 for their "In Our Camp Era" day camp! (Photo courtesy of City of Ogleby)
Ornithology at Nell's Woodland
In August, 4-H and Extension will team with Nelle's Woodland to bring the study of birds to local youth. (Photo courtesy of Nelle's Woodlands.)