Summer vacation is over, school has begun and soon the new 4-H year will start. What does school starting and 4-H have in common? Learning! Learn-by-doing is the 4-H slogan, and research shows that hands-on learning is the most effective way to learn. 4-H focuses on teaching new topics and life skills development in non-formal 4-H club settings, where meetings and activities result in a fun, fulfilling learning experience.

4-H members belong to clubs led by dedicated volunteers. Youth learn and grow in partnership with caring adults to develop the skills and confidence needed to become contributing, productive, self-directed members of society. By using the learn-by-doing approach, young people see how their actions make a difference in the lives of others and the world around them. No matter what 4-H project a youth is involved in, this model is applicable to all areas.

Hands-on learning used in 4-H follows the do-reflect-apply learning process by utilizing the five steps of the experiential learning model:

If you were at this years Douglas County Fair and visited the barns or the Exhibit Hall, you may have seen the finished products of projects that 4-H members worked on for months: raising animals, sewing, cooking, table setting and public speaking. All the youth incorporated hands-on learning and the experiential learning model, whether they were aware of it or not.

Not all 4-H learning has to culminate in a project that is displayed at fair. 4-H offers a variety of hands-on lessons using a curriculum that is researched-based and can be used in a classroom or home-school setting. Some lessons and activities can be completed in thirty minutes or less. One such lesson is an environmental education and earth science lesson titled Edible Aquifer. This lesson can help a child explore their environment by making wise uses of natural resources. After a 20 to 30 minute activity, the child should be able to demonstrate how water and pollution can get into an aquifer. Not only is this lesson informative and hands-on, it is also edible, which is always a big plus with children.

What other topics are available for use from 4-H? Citizenship and civic education, communications and expressive arts, consumer and family science, healthy lifestyle education, personal development and leadership, plants and animals, science and technology are just some of the subjects that can be found in the 4-H curriculum.

If you are a student, parent, or teacher who is interested in learning what else 4-H can offer you, please contact the Douglas County OSU Extension Service for more information.

Teresa Middleton is the 4-H Program Coordinator at OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. Teresa can be reached by e-mail at teresa.middleton@oregonstate.edu or phone at 541-672-4461.

Read more from the original source:
Extension Spotlight: Learning by doing - NRToday.com