The Darke County 4-H School Enrichment program is designed to integrate life science, agriculture and STEM programming into elementary classrooms.

We provide hands-on science activities tied to Ohio’s Academic Content Standards.  These activities enable you to bring Science Alive for your students.  Our classroom activities help students to understand and apply science concepts using a variety of thinking and processing skills. 

Currently, programs are available to Darke County Schools, free of charge.  All supplies are provided.

Teachers interested in scheduling one or more of these programs, should contact Rhonda Williams at williams.418@osu.edu.  Programs will be scheduled on a first-come, first served basis. 

Need a different program?  Contact Rhonda to discuss the possibilities.  Let us help you bring science to life!

 

Programs for Elementary Students

Go Plants! (recommended for grades 3-4)

Go Plants! Using Wisconsin fast plants, students will be able to observe what plants need in order to grow through a variety of science skill building activities.

This project includes the planting, growing, pollinating and maintenance of plants in the classroom. 

Activities include handouts, using a grow light to grow plants in the classroom, pollination, and harvesting seed pods.  Extension Educator teaches two, 30-45 minute sessions.

Breads of the Harvest (recommended for grades 4-5)

Students will learn the chemistry of bread making by using a variety of hands-on activities.  Students will exhibit skills such as analyzing, experimenting, using scientific tools, and making assumptions.  These skills will enable them to complete a yeast bread project that they will be able to take home.

Activities include: experiments using yeast and making a loaf of bread.  Extension Educator teaches one, 60 minute session.

Wonderful World of Worms (recommended for grades 2-3)

Worms play a major role in breaking down plant matter and creating fertile soil.

Activities include: handouts, four experiments designed to help students understand the characteristics of worms and using a worm bin in the classroom to observe decomposition of plant matter by the worms.  Extension Educator teaches one, 30-minute session.

Special thanks to Gardener's Thumb Worm Castings, LLC for donating worms for this school program. 

Water First for Thirst (recommended for grades 4-12)

Water First for Thirst provides nutrition education which explains the important role of water in our diet.  The program helps youth to identify hidden sugar.  Youth will learn the affect of hidden sugar on their overall health and well-being.  Students will learn how to read food labels and make healthier beverage choices. 

 

Programs for Junior High and High School

Water First for Thirst (recommended for grades 4-12)

Water First for Thirst provides nutrition education which explains the important role of water in our diet.  The program helps youth to identify hidden sugar.  Youth will learn the affect of hidden sugar on their overall health and well-being.  Through hands-on activities, students will learn how to read food labels and make healthier beverage choices. 

Sodium Shakedown (recommended for grades 7-12)

Sodium Shakedown provides nutrition education related to the amount of sodium consumed by Americans on a daily basis.  Participants will learn how consuming too much sodium affects overall health.  Students will learn to identify foods with high sodium content.  Through hands-on activities, students will learn how to read food labels and track the amount of sodium they consume each day. 

Real Money Real World (recommended for grades 7-12)

Real Money Real World provides young people the opportunity to learn basic money management practices in the classroom and then make simulated lifestyle and budget choices similar to those adults face on a daily basis through a spending simulation.  

The curriculum includes five classroom lessons.  In the simulation, students assume the role of a 27-year-old married adult and receive an occupation, monthly salary, and a number of children. Students learn to subtract savings, taxes, and health insurance costs from their monthly income. The amount of money left over is what they have to spend during the simulation activity. The simulation involves community volunteers staffing real-life business booths. Students spend their salaries at the booths on items typically found in a monthly budget.

 

Programs for High School Students and Adults

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