Since March, South Carolina 4-H Agents and State Staff have shifted programs and events virtually. In July, SC 4-H hosted their first virtual horse camp for K-5 youth and there were sixty-four participants. An additional camp session will be offered July 27-31 for youth in sixth through twelfth grade.
The participants met daily from 1- 2 p.m. to learn about horses via zoom. Youth learned how to properly halter, groom, and wrap horses’ legs. Along with that, they learned how to clean tack and make homemade horse treats. They enjoyed playing virtual games, which encouraged interaction with other youth. Following their lesson, they received a fun homework assignment to support the lesson and new skills they learned. An example of homework included wrapping a horse’s leg or a table leg to practice the knowledge they gained in the leg wrapping lesson.
They also had the option to create exciting arts and crafts. These activities included making paracord reins, walking paper horses, painting horse brushes, tie-dying leg wraps, along with the fun horse treat recipes. Finally, youth had the option to complete riding assignments with parental permission and supervision to help improve their riding skills. These assignments promote balance, control, strength, and communication between horse and rider.
An additional camp session will be offered July 27-31 for youth in grades 6-12. The deadline to register for this second session is July 22 and youth can be registered by visiting: Horse Camp Registration
Submitted by: Katie Shaw, 4-H Youth Development Specialist
4-H is an organization that prides itself on in-person and hands-on positive youth development activities led by caring adults. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, agents across the state have been faced with hosting school programs, club meetings, and summer camps without the in-person aspect. Many have turned to virtual options. In the beginning stages of planning for a new kind of camp for the summer of 2020, Lauren Black Venegas, Saluda County 4-H Agent, Alana West, Newberry County 4-H Agent, and Julia Cox, Edgefield and Aiken County 4-H Agent, decided to join together in providing virtual summer camps to these counties.
The process started by sending a survey out to current 4-H’ers and sharing on social media sites and websites to measure interests regarding camp themes, virtual camp vs. in-person (if allowed), packets, cost per camp, and attendance if held in person. After collecting information and with direction from our Program Team Directors, District Directors, and Extension Administration about re-entry into the offices, it was decided that it would be best to host virtual camps.
The decision was made to use Google Classroom as a means to offer these virtual opportunities since the majority of our school districts already utilize Google Classroom. We have free access to the Google Suite of products, and it allows us to offer an interactive, at-your-own-pace virtual opportunity that we could customize for each camp. It also allows us to password protect the Classroom so we can see who enters. This platform easily links to lessons that we house in our Google Drives, collects info (when needed) using Google Docs, creates various ‘classrooms’ using Google Slides, and creates avatars that represent each agent, along with so much more. Each camp gives participants access to the 4-H pledge as a video, access to each agent through a link to their online profile, and access to the SC 4-H website and various 4-H project pages.
The team of agents decided to use each camp theme to address the topic areas of 4-H: animals and agriculture, natural resources, healthy lifestyles, STEM, and leadership. Youth explore the camp theme via virtual tours, hands-on activities, read-along books, recipes, and more. Camps have two ticket registration options: $15.00 classroom access and a packet that includes various harder to find camp supplies that were distributed the week before the camp started or a free ticket that only includes access to the Classroom with no packet. Registration was advertised for youth ages 5-19 and was open to all youth, 4-H membership was not required.
On June 8, we started with The Fair: A Virtual 4-H Camp for Newberry, Saluda, Aiken, and Edgefield Counties. We had seventeen youth participate. This camp highlighted the sights, sounds, and smells of the fair. Youth participants made funnel cakes and fresh-squeezed lemonade (with at-home adult supervision) and learned about cotton candy. For a fair ride activity, they made a Ferris wheel and learned about the invention through a video and read-along book. Learning continued with the virtual camp as “campers” learned about the exhibit barns, which included making moon sand to represent the sand sculptures and planting pumpkins seeds to represent the commodity exhibit barn. On the fourth day, youth learned more about the fair rides with an activity on super slides. They created a canned food slide race that introduced them to physics and motion. On the last day, they learned about all of the programs 4-H has to offer in the livestock area through videos and links to our project websites. We also included three service projects they could do from home and a trivia question about fairs.
We are offering four additional camps like this throughout the summer. Our next camp is Camp America exploring all things American before Independence Day. It will be followed by a US Road Trip via Hwy 4-H, which will provide youth participants virtual camping experience in National Parks across the US. After traveling the country, we will virtually stamp their passports while taste-testing our way around the world through an International Culinary Tour. To close summer, we are going out of this world, using the Journey to Mars camp as a template for our final virtual summer camp.
Submitted by: Lauren Black-Venegas, Saluda County 4-H Agent and Alana West, Newberry County 4-H Agent
As we all know, 4-H is a program that thrives because of its hands-on interactions. COVID-19 has definitely had an impact on daily 4-H activities, but 4-H agents across our state have not let COVID-19 diminish their success. Agents are finding new ways to continue camps, lessons, projects, and contests.
Meet Carol Hamilton (Spartanburg County 4-H Agent) and Mark Cathcart (Union County 4-H Agent). Carol and Mark have taken kindly to the lights of Hollywood and filming. They’ve been successfully filming different things from cooking to how to make your own fishing spinnerbait for the Fishing Project kickoff. Their Facebook videos are bringing in over 1,000 views while not only targeting 4-H’ers but the general public as well. We hope you enjoy watching their Dutch Oven Beef Stew and Apple Cobbler video at the link below.
Joining forces to provide STEM career exploration opportunities, South Carolina 4-H and the American Society of Naval Engineers offered a free virtual engineering mini-camp for youth in fourth through ninth grade to engage students while they are at home. The Future Leaders in Experience-based Engineering and Technology (F.L.E.E.T.) program is funded by the Office of Naval Research to scale and assess virtual ship design programs using gamification. The program seeks to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in general and naval engineering.
The series of online lessons included exploring balance, buoyancy, and stability and ended with simulated ship design and an obstacle race. Sessions ranged from forty-five to ninety minutes based on content and participation.
We had fifteen participants from around the state and even one from Mexico. This initial group was a pilot to determine whether or not it would work remotely rather than in person. The participants were energetic and eager to try the naval engineering challenges at home. Once the principles of naval shipbuilding were covered, they began completing computer-generated ship designs and completed missions to test each design.
Submitted by: Dawn Stuckey, Colleton, and Hampton Counties, 4-H Youth Development Agent
Overturned car from tornado damage in Hampton County. Photo Credit: Faith Truesdale, Clemson Extension 4-H Agent
After last week’s storms ravaged our state, our local 4-H members in Florence saw a need and jumped in to help. They created the “Hands of Larger Service for Nixville” project. Our club members decided it was best for us to focus our attention on assisting the rural farm community of Nixville in Hampton County, which had been devasted from storm damage. Using social distancing rules, Florence County 4-H sponsored a drive to collect items the Nixville Community was in desperate need of, such as tarps, plastic totes, contractor-grade trash bags, cleaning supplies, bug spray, sunscreen, paper products, food, gift cards, etc. Items could be dropped off in bins outside of the Florence County Extension Office or at a local shed of one of our generous farmers.
Donations came in from Florence, Marion, and Darlington Counties. We were able to collect an entire truckload of donations over 48 hours and delivered them to Nixville on Thursday of last week. Upon delivery, the team was able to continue practicing social distancing rules while helping to unload and categorize donations. The best estimate of the total dollar amount of donations is well over $500 worth of supplies and gift cards, all collected in 48 hours.
April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month for 4-H. Our 4-H clubs had many different service opportunities planned but had to cancel them due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m so proud of our 4-H club members who came together for the greater good during a tragic time.
Submitted by: Faith Truesdale, Florence County 4-H Youth Development Agent
4-H member participating in a virtual club activity. Image credit: 4-H, Clemson University.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all in-person, 4-H club meetings have been canceled until further notice. To meet the needs of the community and continue the 4-H programs already established, 4-H started offering virtual 4-H Clubs.
Seven clubs with over 150 children in Saluda County 4-H would be missing new opportunities that would allow them to interact with others and grow as individuals. With a desire to reach out to her 4-H’ers, Mrs. Lauren Black-Venegas, Saluda County 4-H Agent, compiled information using her March club materials and lessons to continue the monthly meetings. She emailed each club contact and created Facebook groups to continue the communication of activities and materials. Packets were created for each 4-H’er containing the materials needed for the project topic of the upcoming club meeting. Parents were invited to pick up their child’s packet from a storage container outside of the Extension office and fill out a sign-out sheet to record the participants, and packets were also delivered to homes if they could not be picked up.
Lauren created two videos for the club lesson in case some 4-H’ers did not have the capability to join in on the Zoom meeting. In one video she demonstrated the lesson activity, and in the other, she read a book about the lesson. Images of instructions, activities, and supplies, along with the two videos and the Zoom invitation link were shared the night before each club meeting. The format of the virtual 4-H club meeting was consistent with an in-person meeting. The meeting was called to order with roll call and the pledges, and there was a hands-on learning activity followed by discussion and reflection.
To date, Lauren has coordinated four virtual 4-H club meetings that have engaged 95 children, and 75% obtained the packets for their club meeting and over 45% participated in the virtual 4-H club meeting hosted via Zoom. It was important to Lauren that the 4-H’ers in Saluda County maintain an opportunity to grow and learn during this difficult time. Upon the conclusion of the March 2020 virtual 4-H club meetings, Lauren sought feedback from parents to assess potential improvements for April, including a time change that would be more conducive to participation. Saluda County 4-H and other Extension personnel across the state are working hard to “make the best better”, even in the midst of this unprecedented situation.
Contact lblack4@clemson.edu if you have any questions or would like additional information about the 4-H Virtual Club program.
Submitted by: Lauren Black-Venegas
Saluda County 4-H Agent
United States Map – 41 states that 4-H @ Home is impacting.
Schools are closed, but that does not mean the learning has to stop! Participants that sign up for 4-H @ Home receive an e-newsletter each weekday providing a 4-H activity they can do at home. Activities span a variety of topics, are easily adaptable for various ages, and use common household materials, although some may require internet access or access to the outdoors. Activities began on Wednesday, March 18th and will continue until South Carolina schools are back in session or the school year is concluded. Registration is free and a 4-H membership is not required to participate. Participants who share daily photos using the hashtag #SC4HatHome or via email are eligible for a chance to win a free SC 4-H membership and prize pack. Prizes are given weekly. Hosted by S.C. 4-H Midlands Region, the program is open to ages 5-18 regardless of location or 4-H membership status. As parents and guardians seek options for keeping young people busy and engaged in learning, the program has been a big hit in its early stages.
Each time another entity shares 4-H@ Home, we see a nice spike in registrations. When Clemson University highlighted the program last week on their Facebook page, we had over 200 new registrations in just over a 12-hour period!
Current participation:
2,217 total participants
1,735 of the participants are from SC
482 of the participants are not from SC
We are reaching youth in a total of 41 states (see map attached)
We are reaching youth in a total of 7 countries including USA, Mexico, Canada, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, and Scotland
