One of our challenges as club leaders is to create a meaningful science experience for youth through innovative STEM activities that highlight the real skills and practices of scientists. Most of us with K-12 school-age students, have heard about the recent education reform efforts needed for our state’s implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards […]
In 4-H we often strive to make everything we do “youth centered”, meaning we want the young people to drive the conversation, tasks, and goals of the club. This builds leadership skills in youth and helps them learn how to communicate effectively with each other. As a club leader, it can be challenging to figure […]
Odds are as an animal science club member, you have thought about a future career in animal science. Perhaps you are thinking about being a veterinarian? But even if you are not thinking about a STEM career, taking a scientific outlook on life makes the world a more interesting place. This month we are going […]
This month we are going to talk about the importance of leading quality STEM discussions in your animal science club. I recently read a great book by Karen Gallas called Talking their Way into Science. In the book Karen talks about how hands-on activities are not enough to help young people construct meaning and make sense […]
How do I know if it is working for my youth? As we talked about last month, the Internet is chock-full of sites claiming that their activities will turn your young people into scientists and engineers. We know however that all STEM activities are not created equal and it can be challenging to find the […]
Are you interested in adding more STEM activities to your animal science club? If so, you may be wondering what to look for in a quality STEM activity? We all know the power of the Internet to search and find anything. We all use Google searches or ask Siri or Alexa for help finding information. […]
Although I did not grow up on a farm, I have always loved animals. As a kid, I had my own menagerie of cats, dogs, and guinea pigs. I have also always been a science nerd. My favorite subject in school was science and especially any science dealing with the outdoors and the ocean. When […]
