LET KIDS BE CLOVER KIDS
The longer we work with youth, the greater the potential impact we can have on their positive development. Clover Kids leaders have a unique opportunity to help children grow and develop after they leave the program by helping them transition to the Club program. Clover Kids leaders often want to help members prepare for the club experience by adding Club experiences to their program. However, research indicates that isn’t the best way to prepare youth for the next step in 4-H. Doing Club activities – even “watered down” club activities isn’t appropriate for the Clover Kids experience because the children do not have the background skills to be successful in those tasks. The best way to prepare Clover Kids for the Club program is to provide a hands-on cooperative program based on the developmental needs of the children. This allows children to build the foundational skills and background experiences they can “draw on” later.
What that means:
In the Club program, youth need to follow parliamentary procedure, work on committees, and follow along during the meeting.
Skills needed to work in a group setting are best learned through the cooperative activities in the Clover Kids program. Providing Clover Kids with cooperative small group activities allows them to practice those skills in a safe setting. Those experiences lay the foundation for working on committees, being part of a team and even parliamentary procedure.
In the Club, kids need communication skills.
The best way to help Clover Kids develop the communication skills that will help them feel success in the Club program is to provide them lots of concrete hands on activities and opportunities to share what they are experiencing. Children develop a good communication skills when the language they are using are based on concrete experiences.
In the Club program, kids do record keeping.
The best way to prepare Clover Kids for record keeping is to provide verbal opportunities for them to describe the concrete experiences they are involved in.
Providing a developmentally appropriate program by following the National Guidelines is the best way to ensure that Clover Kids have the skills to feel successful in the Club program.
4-H LEADER LETTER
MARCH 2008
The Month of Marchis:
American Red Cross Month
National Craft Month
National Frozen Food Month
National Noodle Month
National Nutrition Month
Woman's History Month
Youth Art Month
Special Days InMarch:
1National Pig Day
2Dr. Seuss’s Birthday
5Parachute was invented
6Dentist Day
11First public Basketball Game
16Freedom of Information Day
17St. Patrick’s Day
18First Walk in Space
20First Day of Spring
21Chinese Lantern Festival
22National Goof Off Day
National Sing Out Day
23Easter
26Make Up Your Own Holiday
30Alaska Purchased from Russia
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
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BIRD NEST SNACKS
What you need:
1 5-oz can chow mein noodles
1 12-oz bag chocolate, peanut butter or
Butterscotch chips
Jelly beansWax paper
Heat sourceWooden spoon
What you do:
Give each child a square of waxed paper.Melt the chips on low heat or in a double boiler. Stir in chow mein noodles. Drop a large spoonful onto each person’s wax paper. Let it cool enough so the children can handle it (while you play a game or write a group story about the nest and what lives in it). Then, let the children form it into a nest and drop jelly beans into it to look like eggs. Chill.
TRADING LACES
What you need:
One pair of shoelaces per friend (avoid synthetic laces; they don't hold the paint or marker as well)
Fabric paint and brushes
Fine-point fabric markers
Colorful beads, buttons, or bells that will fit on a lace
What you do:
Pre-wash the laces by soaking them in warm, soapy water for 20 minutes. Let them dry completely. Then, using fabric paint and/or markers, have each child decorate one lace for him /herself and one to trade. (After the friends trade, they’ll lace one shoe with their own lace and the other shoe with a friendship lace.) Leave about 2 inches at the ends of the laces undecorated for the beads and buttons. If you want to decorate both sides, use a light touch so paints and markers don’t bleed through. Lay the laces flat to dry. Lace each shoe and then string the beads and such onto one or both ends of the lace. Tie a knot to keep the beads from slipping off.
GREAT NUTRITION SITES:
Team Nutrition
Dole 5 A Day
Nutrition Explorations
UMBRELLA RELAY
What you need:
Umbrellas
What you do:
Give each group an umbrella. Each person in line should open the umbrella and run to the other end and back, close the umbrella and give it to the next person.
MARCH IS A GREAT TIME TO:
Review and practice tornado drills with your CK group. Even if you do your program where the children go to school, it is a good idea to practice the drill doing Clover Kids to refresh both yours and the children’s minds about what to do. While you are at it- do a fire drill too!
Talk about what CKs can bring to the fair.
Get outside and play games
Clean up the area outside where you meet as a community service activity.
Invite a Club member to your meeting to talk about the Club program!
Have a meeting with Extension and CK Leaders to formulate pieces of a transitioning plan for during the fair!
POTATO PRINTS
What you need:
Potatoes Paint
Cookie cutters Paper
Knife
What you do:
Cut a large potato in half. You will need a cookie cutter that will fit on the potato half. Press the cookie cutter into the flat side of the potato. Then, using a knife cut the potato around the outside of the cookie cutter, leaving a shaped potato stamp. Have the children dip the potatoes in the paint and press them firmly onto the paper. If the potatoes are not cut evenly the shapes will not appear clearly.
FISHING FOR FOOD
What you need:
Pictures of foodsmagnets
Paperclipsstrings
Basketsdowels
What you do:
Make a fishing pole out of the string and dowel. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Put a large paper clip on each food picture. Make a basket for each food group with the name and the number of servings you should have from that food group. Help the children classify the food by putting each into the correct food group.
Food pictures you can color can be found at:
SPRING POETRY
What you need:
Markers
Paper
What you do:
Make a list of all the different things that come to mind when you say SPRING. Then use those words to make a grouppoem and picture.
NOODLE RACE
What you need:
Cooked spaghetti noodles
2 Liter plastic bottles Gloves
What you do:
Choose teams. Set up bottles and noodles relay race style with the bottles at least 10 feet away. Have the teams line up. Say go - the first player puts on the gloves, picks up around 10 noodles, runs to the bottle and must drop each one in. They cannot touch the bottle but can drop each noodle from a short distance from the mouth of the bottle. When they get 5 of their noodles in the bottle, they need to run back and turn the gloves over to the next in line.
SHAMROCK PRINTS
What you need:
Bell pepperPaper Plates
Green paintKnifePaper
What you do:
Cut the pepper in half and clean out the seeds. Put green paper on the paper plates. Dip the pepper in the paint and print on the paper.
FIND THE GOLD
What you need:
RocksGold paint
What you do:
Paint the rocks gold. Hide them around the room and go on a gold hunt!
GROUP STORIES
What you need:
Large paperMarkers
What you do:
Give the group a topic and let them take turns saying a sentence of the story while you write it down. Then, share the stories with the other groups. If you write stories based on the themes, collect and print them. The children can create a great collection of stories as a keepsake of their CK experience!
WHAT FOOD GROUP AM I?
Tape a picture of a food item on the back of a child. He/she should not see what the food item is. The child turns around and shows the other children the picture. The child then has to ask questions of the group until he/she can guess what food is on his/her back.
TASTE TESTING
Make bite-size pieces of foods available representing all the different categories. Let children eat a bite of food and then point to the appropriate category on the food pyramid. Suggested foods are oyster crackers, cooked macaroni, raisins, apple slices, cheese, milk, turkey bits, and broccoli.
FOUR LEAF CLOVER RACE
NEED: two 5” four leaf clovers per team
Set up teams with first person on each team holding 2 four-leaf clovers. On “go” they are to place the clovers in front of them to step across course. When they step to the second one, they are to pick up the first one while standing on one foot. Once they pick up the first one they place that one in front and step on it. The object is to go across the course stepping on only the clovers without stepping on the floor. If they step on the floor they must return to the starting line and start again. This also could be varied for the time of the year: pumpkins, flowers, stars, bunnies, etc.
WINDOW CLINGS
What you need:
White school glue
Food coloring of your choice
Clear film (transparency sheets work well)
Patterns
What you do:
Mix a few drops of food coloring to the white glue bottle and mix well. Put your design under the clear film and trace over it with a continuous bead of glue and fill in. Let dry for at least 12 hours. Peel your work of art off of the film and place on any glass surface. Store between sheets of plastic wrap in a cool place.
RAINBOW WATER
What you need:
White ice cube tray or egg carton
Food coloring
Water
Eye or medicine dropper
What you do:
Fill the first 3 holes of the try with red, yellow and blue water. Have the children experiment mixing different amounts of water into the other sections to create new colors. Have them keep track of the number of drops of each color by putting tally marks on a piece of paper so they know how they made the colors!
GROW YOUR NAME (or initials!)
What you need:
Small shoe boxes or plastic containers
Plastic wrap
Potting soil
Grass seed
Pencils
What you do:
Line the shoe boxes with plastic wrap and fill them with potting soil. With the pencil, scratch out your name in the soil. Sprinkle grass seeds into the name making sure you only get it in the name. Cover gently with more soil and sprinkle with water.
PEANUTBUTTER PLAYDOUGH
What you need:
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
2 Tbsp honey
Half a cup of flour
What you do:
Mix ingredients and enjoy playing!
CHECK OUT THE NEW CK BLOG at:
You can find and share ideas for transitioning, activities, group management and more there!
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