CHENILLE STICK TREE
What you need:
Green Chenille SticksBeads
Star stickerYarn
What you do:
Thread the beads onto the green chenille stick about an inch apart. Then, starting with one end, bend the chenille stick back and forth while gradually making the length between the bends longer to make a tree shape. Stick the star sticker on top and tie yarn for a hanger.
DID YOU KNOW?
Studies show…..It is harder for children to sit still than to move around – so hard that it can be stressful! That’s one reason we don’t have Clover Kids participate in the community program. Children in grades K-3 It disrupts the club program and it isn’t developmentally appropriate for children who are still developing that skill. In Clover Kids, we want to create that sense of excitement for community club 4-H. If we try to make children who aren’t ready for community club 4-H adhere to those standards, we “mess with” that excitement.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, WhittenBuilding, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964
4-H LEADER LETTER
DECEMBER 2007
The Month of December is:
Hi Neighbor Month
National Stress Free Family Holiday Month
Read A New Book Month
Safe Toy and Gift Month
Universal Human Rights Month
Write to a Friend Month
Special Days InDecember
1Rosa Park’s Day
3National Roof Over Your Head Day
4Hanukkah begins at sunset
5Walt Disney’s Birthday
6Mitten Tree Day
7Pearl Harbor Day
10Human Rights Day
11UNICEF Anniversary
13Poinsettia Day
16Posadas begins
Natl. Chocolate Covered Anything Day
17Underdog Day
19Oatmeal Muffin Day
20Games Day
21First Day of Winter
National Flashlight Day
22Thermometer Invented
24National Egg Nog Day
25Christmas
National Pumpkin Pie Day
26Boxing Day
National Whiners Day
Kwanzaa Begins
28National Chocolate Day
31New Year’s Eve
ICE SCULPTURES
What you need:
Ice frozen in many different containers
Kiddie PoolWater Food coloring
Spray bottlesSquirt bottles
What you do:
Have each child bring in ice frozen in a variety of containers. Take the ice out of the containers and place it in a kiddie pool. Give the children squirt bottles and spray bottles with a mixture of cold water and food coloring. Let them make ice art by squirting and spraying the ice with the water.
CANDY CANE REINDEER
What you need:
Candy CanesChenille Sticks
Small Googley eyesTiny pompom
What you do:
Cut the chenille stick in half. The reindeer will “face you” from the front of the candy cane (Looking at it with the small hook facing you – that will be the face.) Wrap the chenille stick around the hook part of the candy cane and twist it together at the top – then shape into antlers. Glue eyes below the antlers and then the nose of the tip of the hook.
“GINGERBREAD” HOUSES
What you need:
Graham Crackers
Thick frosting
Cardboard squares Foil Butter knives
Assortment of candies – gum drops, M&M’s,
What you do:
Cover the cardboard square with foil. Then, with a partner holding 2 squares of graham cracker together at a 90 degree angle, use the frosting to “glue” the 2 pieces together. Do that 2 more times so you have 3 right angles made of graham crackers. (Two will make the walls and 1 will make the roof.) Let the frosting dry before moving them. Assemble the houses with frosting and decorate.
APPLE CINNAMON ORNAMENTS
What you need:
½ cup applesauce (Store bought)
½ cup cinnamonStraw
RibbonRolling pin
Cookie cuttersWax paper
What you do:
Stir together cinnamon and applesauce with a spoon until the dough becomes stiff, then use your hands to create a ball of dough. Place the ball of dough on a sheet of waxed paper and flatten slightly. Place a second sheet of waxed paper over the top of the dough and roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and poke a hole through the top with a straw to hang a string. Air dry on a waxed paper-covered cookie sheet or a cooling rack for at least 24 hours until they are completely hard.
MELTED SNOWMAN
What you need:
GlueWax PaperTwigs
Pipe Cleaner (orange)
Googly Eyes YarnGlitter
What you do:
Put a puddle of glue in the center of the wax paper, place twigs (arms), orange pipe cleaner (nose), googly eyes, & yarn (tied for hanging) in the glue, sprinkle rainbow white glitter on the glue, and then let snowmen sit for 2-3 days and peel off the wax paper.
MELTING SNOW SCIENCE
What you need:
Snow balls/frozen water Plates/Bowls
Pepper Salt Cold water Hot water
What you do:
Freeze 5 equal sizes of snow (snowballs) or freeze water in 5 equal size containers. Set each on its own plate/bowl. Ask the children to predict which will melt the snow or ice faster: cold water, hot water, salt, pepper, or doing nothing. Then test their predictions!
SOAPY SNOWMAN
What you need:
½ cup water
Mixer
2 cups Ivory Snow Detergent (not liquid!)
Toothpicks, buttons, sticks, beads, felt scraps, yarn, chenille sticks, etc.
What you do:
Mix Ivory Snow Detergent with water together until it is a dough consistency. (Using a mixer works great!) Right away, shape the dough into 3 different sized balls. Use toothpicks to hold the balls together as you stack them. Add the decorations - arms, scarf, hat, etc.
“GROWING” SNOWFLAKES
What you need:
White Chenille sticks White Yarn
Large wide mouth jarPencils
Boiling waterBorax
Measuring cups and spoons
What you do:
Cut the chenille stick into 3 sections. Twist the pieces together in the center and spread the ends out so you have 6 evenly spaced tire spokes. Attach yarn to the end of one of the pieces (spokes). Pass the yarn to the next end and twist it around so it stays. Then pass it to the next end. Keep twisting the yarn around the ends until each end has yarn.
Fill the jar with boiling water. Add 3 Tablespoons of Borax for each cup of water, stirring fast so it dissolves. Tie a piece of yarn onto the top of the chenille stick snowflake and lower it into the jar. Tie the other end of the yarn to a pencil so the snowflake is completely submerged in the water-borax solution – but it is also not resting on the bottom of the jar. Leave everything in place for 24 hours – then remove and hand in the window!
TRANSITIONING TIP
As you go through your CK meeting, tell the children how what they are experiencing can relate to a 4-H project when they get old enough! Create that sense of excitement on a regular basis!
ICICLES
What you need:
Glitter GlueWax paper
What you do:
Squeeze a thick line of glue onto a piece of wax paper. Hold the paper upside down and let the glue run down the paper like an icicle. Sprinkle with iridescent glitter. Let dry and peel off the glue from the wax paper. This is also cute on when done and left on a piece of black construction paper!
ICE CRYSTALS
What you need:
Paper cups Popsicle sticks
Water Fruit juice Freezer
What you do:
Have the children mix water with a can of frozen juice. Pour the mixture into small paper cups and pour water into another cup. Place the filled cups on a tray, then put them in the freezer.. Look at the mixture about every 15 minutes. Encourage the children to describe what they see. When the mixture starts to harden, remove the cups from the freezer and have the children place a popsicle stick handle into each cup. Put the cups back into the freezer. Be sure to let the children see the crystals that are starting to form. Continue to check on the progress, talking about the changes that are occurring. When the juice has frozen, have the children peel the paper cup away from the popsicle. Observe the frozen crystals. Talk about the designs you see.As the children enjoy eating their experiment, show them the water popsicle and talk with them about differences and similarities they notice. How did the water change when juice was added. What do you think will happen to your crystal popsicle if you don't eat it? Adapted for space and printed with permission From MORE MUDPIES TO MAGNETS copyright 1990 by Elizabeth A. Shorewood, Robert A. Williams and Robert E. Rockwell . Price $16.95/$6.00 shipping. Available from Gryphon House, Box 207, Beltsville, MD20704-0207, 1-800-638-0928.
HIBERNATION MEETING
Have a hibernation meeting – The children can all come in their jammies. You can have a “cave” set up for them – either a tent or blankets forming a cave works great. During the meeting – explore hibernation!
Simple explanation about hibernation with links to animals that hibernate and which don’t.
RESTING HEART RATE
What you need:
Clock with a second hand
What you do:
Ask the children how a bear can go all winter without eating. What changes do they think happen in a bear’s body during hibernation?
Have everyone try to find his/her pulse. You might have to have them jump up and down a few times to make their pulses strong enough to feel it for the first time. After they’ve found it a few times, it gets easier. Predict and then test how different activities will affect their heart rates. After they realize that their hearts speed up with activity and slow down with rest, ask what they predict happens when they sleep? What about animals when they sleep? What about animals when they hibernate?
BEAR IN HIS CAVE
What you need:
Paper Grocery Bags ScissorsWhite paint
Brown construction paper Paper bowls
Glue Cotton balls Brown paint
What you do:
Place the bag on the table with the bottom facing toward the ceiling. That is the top of the cave. Cut an arch from one side of the paper bag. Paint with white paint or glue cotton balls over the top for snow. Paint paper bowls brown. Add construction paper ears, at the top and a pink pom pom in the middle for the nose. Add googley eyes or draw slits for closed eyes.
GET THE BEAR IN HIS CAVE
What you need:
Ice cream buckets
Lunch size paper bags
Bear food (grapes, carrots, etc)
What you do:
Cover ice cream buckets with brown construction paper. Lay them on their side in the room. The children need to work together to find enough food to feed their bear so it is ready to hibernate. You can either hide food around the room for them to find, make a scavenger hunt to follow to find pieces of food, or play a game and the reward is food for their bear. Cut the top ½ to 1/3 off the paper bag. Draw the shape of a bear on the front of the bag. As the children find or earn food, they should put it inside the bag until it is full. Then, they should close the bag and try to roll it into the ice cream bucket.
FATTEN UP FOR WINTER
What you need:
Plastic baggiesIce Shortening
What you do:
Have children place a plastic bag on their hand and hold a piece of ice. Ask how their hands feel. Take a second plastic bag and fill it with shortening. Place the first bag inside the second bag and have the child put his/her hand inside the first bag again so the shortening of the other bag is on the palm side of the first bag (Between his hand and the ice after you put the ice on their hand again.) Place the ice on top. What do they feel now? Why is it different? They will not feel the cold. Talk about how animals eat a great deal in the fall before winter hibernate to build up a layer of fat that will keep them warm.
HIBERNATE OR NOT?
Show the children pictures of different animals and let them guess which ones hibernate and which don’t. Have them consider which animals they have seen in the winter and which they haven’t!
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