Happy New School Year

Happy New School Year everyone: administrators, teachers, students, and parents! We hope you all work really hard to make this new normal work for you and learn something new in the process!

That’s what we’ve been doing here with 4-H! This 4-H Agent has tackled Google Classroom, Docs, Slides, and Drive, Canva, Mailchimp, Zoom, YouTube, and a few other technologies in the past few months. While it has been challenging, it has also been rewarding. Looking on the bright side, I have decided to continue using my new-found skills when things get back to…whatever it is things are going to get back to.

I wanted to make a few announcements regarding what our 4-H School Enrichment program will look like this year. Instead of visiting classes on a monthly basis for a 45-minute lesson, as we have done for several years now, 4-H will be offering a few new virtual options. Let us know if one of these works for your class. Homeschool parents/teachers, these are available for you as well.

Third Grade Virtual Field Trips

Teachers will receive a link via email at the beginning of each month. Field trips will relate to grade-level standards. These trips are offered at no cost. Field trips will contain hands-on lessons for the teacher to do and the students to observe or for the students to do individually, a virtual tour and/or photo gallery, facts, and fun!

Fifth Grade Reading Makes Cents: Teaching Finance Using Adolescent Literature

Using the curriculum we would normally use in the classroom, we will provide a link via email at the beginning of each month. These lessons are provided at no cost. Lessons will contain hands-on activities for the teacher to do and the students to observe or for the students to do individually, vocabulary words, facts, and a joke!

Chick Embryology

Our embryology program will be offered in the spring as usual. We will provide eggs and incubators for a nominal fee and lessons will be provided virtually. Stay tuned for more information.

Of course 4-H is more than school-enrichment, we are also trying to find ways to maintain our clubs as well. Many of these clubs simply cannot go on virtually; shooting sports for instance. In those cases, we will return to in-person meetings as soon as Clemson allows. However, we are rolling all ages of our In the Kitchen Clubs together to provide a once a month video cooking demonstration. Lessons will include kitchen safety and how to videos for recipes. To participate, youth ages 5-18 will need to register as 4-H members, including a $15 registration fee which include a t-shirt and access to future opportunities. For more information on participating in the opportunity contact Newberry County 4-H.

In today’s chaos, it has become harder for 4-H agents to provide those hands-on, in-person learning experiences we have gotten so good at doing — our prized skill for over 100 years. Many opportunities have become just a picture on a screen. But if experiences are what you are after for your kids, check out Newberry County 4-H. Contact 4-H Agent Alana West at the Newberry Clemson Extension Office for more information: awillin@clemson.edu or 803-768-8442. Visit our website for even more information: www.clemson.edu/extension/newberry/4h.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.