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4-H Afterschool kids learn by doing
It’s easy to do, just repeat after me Always wash your hands! Use clean pots and pans! Keep the temperature right! And we’ll win the fight! Andriel wiggled out of her seat and started swaying to the rap song, her long braids bouncing as she bobbed up and down. The third-grader, who is enrolled in a 4-H after-school program, was learning about food safety from Carmella Johnson, a nutrition assistant with Delaware Cooperative Extension. Earlier, Andriel and the other program participants had been given petri dishes and asked to take a swab from their hands, face, shoes or shirt, which they’d re-examine the following week to see if pathogens were lurking there. The children gathered at the New Castle County Extension office that weekday evening are just a few of the several hundred who are enrolled in the 4-H Afterschool program in Delaware. 4-H Afterschool is a focused effort within the national 4-H Youth Development Program that is involved in after-school programming in every state. Here in Delaware, it was initiated five years ago with a small community based program in the Bear neighborhood of Sparrow Run, then known as Brookmont Farms. “We target economically disadvantaged children at eight sites, both school- and community based, located in every county,” Joy Sparks, state 4-H coordinator, said. “This is in addition to the thousands of other Delaware youth who attend our traditional 4-H clubs after the school day is over.” “What Delaware 4-H has been able to do in five years is remarkable,” Ron Drum, national director of 4-H Afterschool, said. “They have drawn support from throughout the state to build an exceptional program.” 4-H Afterschool serves a critical need, Sparks said, noting recent research by the Wallace Foundation that shows there are stark inequities in the quality and availability of after-school programs. Poorer families and those from minority backgrounds are much more likely to report that their children are shortchanged in out-of-school opportunities, according to this research. In Delaware, 4-H Afterschool serves children as young as kindergarten and up to seventh grade. Most of the programs place particular emphasis on students in the fourth through sixth grades. “This is a critical age,” 4-H educator Carol Taylor Scott said. Scott oversees three school-based programs that focus on this age group, located at Talley Middle School, Bayard Elementary and East Side Charter School. “These children may feel too old for traditional after-school programs, but they’re too young to stay home alone,” Scott said. “And, during these years, they are starting to make decisions that have lifelong consequences, such as whether or not to smoke.” Originally focused almost exclusively on academics, in the form of tutoring and homework help, 4-H Afterschool in Delaware soon grew to encompass a range of activities that enhance what the children have learned during the school day. “The children still receive structured tutoring and/or homework time, but now they also benefit from the research-based curricula available to all 4-H’ers,” Sparks said. What makes 4-H different from other after-school programs, according to Sparks, is its distinct approach to “learning by doing.”
The kids are having fun while they’re learning new things. And, along with proficiency in a particular field of study, they’re developing such lifelong skills as decision-making, problem-solving, critical thinking and goal-setting, 4-H educator Mark Manno said. Equally as important, they’re developing pride in themselves and their accomplishments. The “learning by doing” credo is even woven into less structured activities, such as pick-up basketball games. “After a game of basketball, our program staff might lead a discussion on teamwork and collaboration,” Manno said. “We also make sure we tie projects and activities in with what’s going on during the school day,” Manno added. He and other 4-H educators stay in frequent contact with school administrators and teachers to keep abreast of state instructional standards for each grade level. And, they frequently update materials and activities to keep them topical and kid-friendly. For example, a recent purchase of hand-held Global Positioning Systems will help after-school participants improve skills in math, geography and technology, all while having fun. Each after-school site has some type of parent component, from parenting classes and newsletters to parent-child dinners and special events. And when the school year ends, many of the sites operate summer programs. Traditional 4-H day or overnight camps are another option available to the 4-H Afterschool participants. Back at the New Castle County Extension office, it was almost 6 p.m. and hungry tummies were starting to rumble. It was time to cap off the food safety lesson with a dose of “good” microbes, such as those found in yogurt. The 4-H Afterschool participants lined up to wash their hands, then made their own parfaits of yogurt, fresh fruit and granola. “I’d be home watching TV if I wasn’t here,” Jyairra said, as she scooped out a spoonful of parfait. “I learned a lot, like that I should always wash my hands before I make food or eat food. I really love being here.” Article by Margo McDonough
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