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Many 4H club leaders are having difficulty finding resources they can use during a virtual 4-H meeting or while members are learning about their projects at home. In a quick search, one can find some help. We have compiled a few of those resources here.
Collection of Virtual Resources Compiled by Cornell University
4-H in New York has put together this great list of online resources, conveniently organized by animal project. It includes resources for those interested in beef cattle, dairy cattle, dogs, horses, goats, sheep, poultry, and rabbits, as well as several links to virtual field trips. It also includes links to additional resource lists and lessons by Purdue, Michigan State, and Iowa State.
4-H from Home Activities on National 4-H Site
A collection of activities, lessons, videos, and online courses from land-grant universities across the country. Choose Animal Science to sort the collection by topic.
Breeds of Horses and Livestock by Oklahoma State University
An excellent resource to learn the many breeds of cattle, goats, horses, sheep, swine, and poultry. Each member can research their favorite breed and give a club presentation about that breed.
Poultry Videos by Ohio 4-H in Collaboration with the American Poultry Association
A comprehensive video series highlighting many poultry breeds.
How to Take Care of Your Pets Video Series by Iowa State University
This series of well-produced videos from the veterinary school at Iowa State provides important info and demonstrations about the proper care of dogs, cats, rabbits, and more.
Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) Online Curriculum and Certification
A national multi-species quality assurance program for youth ages 8 to 21 with a focus on food safety, animal well-being, and character development. It includes information for youth showing swine, beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, goats, market rabbits, and poultry.
This is certainly not an all-inclusive list of online resources for animal science club leaders and members. Many other universities, breed associations, commodity groups, and Ag in the Classroom programs have a wonderful array of materials, and they are increasingly free to download for your virtual meetings or project work. Don’t be afraid to ask your older members to do a short presentation for your meetings. They can still talk about animal care, anatomy, breeds, diseases, nutrition and feeding, and many other topics during the pandemic.
Good luck with your virtual meetings and at-home learning! Please share your remote learning successes with us; email your ideas and photos to 4hblogeditor@njaes.rutgers.edu.
And mark your calendars – our virtual Junior Breeder Symposium is scheduled for Saturday, March 27. Registration will open the week of January 25!
By Carol Ward, Somerset County 4-H Agent, and Chad Ripberger, Mercer County 4-H Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension