June 2021
4-H Newsletter
|
|
Grow With 4-H This Summer! |
|
We have the details and save-the-dates
you'll need to make a plan for 4-H fun and learning!
|
|
Youth and Family Day @ The International Plaza
Come visit 4-H at Youth and Family Day at The International Plaza. The event is Sunday, June 13th from 1 to 5pm. The plaza is located at 828 N. Clinton Avenue. Come visit the hands-on activities, meet animals, listen to music, participate in Zumba and try a tasty treat from one of the food vendors!
|
|
4-H Mighty Monday:
Fantastic Flight
Discover the science behind flight through hands-on exploration with Monroe County 4-H! In this workshop, youth will experiment building different vehicles of flight. They will make predictions, test their theories and share their results.
For this event, youth are invited to participate either in person at Wegman Lodge in Seneca Park or virtually via Zoom. If you would like to participate virtually, kits will be available for pick-up at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County Office (2449 St, Paul Blvd, Rochester NY 14617).
This program is 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM.
This event is open to youth of all ages, youth 5 to 7 years of age should participate with a supportive adult. There is a supply fee of $5 for participating youth.
The workshop will be limited to the first 20 registrants that sign up. Please register by Wednesday, June 9th.
Fee
$5 supply fee
Register
|
|
Outdoor Adventures Weekend
Save the dates! Outdoor Adventures Weekend will be held on September 10th-12th for youth ages 10 and up. If you like to participate in activities like hiking, outdoor cooking, bird identification, fishing, archery, and other outdoor pursuits, this will be the weekend for you. This event will be held at 4-H Camp Bristol Hills near Canandaigua, NY.
Scholarships will be available for this event!
|
|
|
Welcome!
The 4-H Team has welcomed Tessa Shlonsky to the team for the summer. Tessa is serving as an Urban Fellow through the Rochester Youth Year program. Tessa is a student at the University of Rochester. Her summer project will be bringing the A of Art to STEM programming while connecting kids to the outdoors.
Tessa has jumped right in to help with education and has tried her hand at milking a cow, too!
|
|
|
Featured Activity of the Month
4-H Pollinators: Ants!
Explore pollinators and insect biology through creating a fun ant craft! This activity from National 4-H can be done in a variety of settings- virtual and in person. Check out supplies needed and activity steps at https://4-h.org/about/4-h-at-home/pollinators/ants/ .
Example Activity Plan
Anchor: Ask the group, when is the last time you saw an ant? Where were you? Who has heard of the word pollinator before? What might that word mean?
Add: Ask the group to brainstorm how ants could be pollinators. Discuss the different parts of an ant. Provide a photo or diagram of ants and have youth the various parts.
Apply: Have youth create their own clothespin ant. Share ant fun facts from National 4-H in between each step as you wait for glue to dry.
Away: Reflect on the activity with the following questions from National 4-H…
1) How are ants different from bees and butterflies? How do they pollinate flowers differently?
2) Why is it important to have pollinators in nature? What would happen if ants didn't pollinate flowers?
3) Other than pollination, what other roles do you think ants play in their ecosystems?
|
|
Club News and Special Activities |
|
Virtual Animal Crackers
4-H connect kids to Cornell University. One of the earliest opportunities for this is generally 4-H Animal Crackers. This May youth participated in an all new virtual Animal Crackers experience. They learned a little about a number of different species of animals including chickens, goats, cats, and dogs.
Olivia Stefano a member of the 4-H Friends participated in the event this year as a Paper Clover Scholarship recipient. Way to learn, Olivia!
|
|
4-H Public Presentations
It was a wonderful year to learn with youth as they completed their 4-H Presentations. We learned about a variety of topics from Crows vs. Ravens to Dream Boards to Plant Propagation. This is always a favorite project that helps build important life skills.
|
|
The Monroe and Livingston County Dairy Education teams have been having great fun bringing Dairy Day to schools in both counties. What's cuter than seeing a little brown cow? |
|
|
Public Health Concerns
Covid-19 and Mental Health
When discussing a healthy lifestyle, mental health is included in that list, which many of us overlook. This pandemic has been tough for many people. People were suffering from mental health related difficulties prior to the pandemic, but the isolation compounded these issues.
According to a study by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) found that by January 2021, 42% of adults reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder. Prior to the pandemic 1 in 10 adults reported anxiety and mental illness (Nirmita, Feb.2021). They found that throughout the pandemic there was an increase in young adults (18-24) who experienced anxiety or depressive disorder, 56.2% as of December 2020. Compared to adults between 25-49 who experienced anxiety or depressive disorder (48.9%). There are many reasons that can contribute to these feelings, for young adults it may be job loss and college closings. For adults, it may be household job loss. There are many other factors other than just income loss. The fear of the virus and what is to come next is also a huge contributor.
If you or a loved one is in need of help, SAMHSA national helpline can provide you referral for treatments and information services in both English and Spanish. Monroe County mental health emergency crisis service information can be found here. They have information for a suicide hotline, along with behavioral health access and crisis center information. If you would like to donate to help an organization in Rochester, you can donate to Mental Health Association of Rochester. It is a non-profit organization that promotes mental wellness through culturally competent programs and services.
Nirmita Panchal, R. (2021, February 10). The implications of Covid-19 for mental health and substance use. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
