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Fun Summer Time Activities and Games What do you do when a cloverbud lesson doesn't take as long as you expected? Be prepared to keep little hands and minds busy with a variety of fun and interesting activities. Here are some summer activities that your cloverbuds might enjoy. Make a Mr. Green Grass Have your child draw a face on a plain paper or Styrofoam cup. Fill the cup two-thirds full with soil and add enough water to make the soil wet. Generously sprinkle grass seed on top of the soil and cover the seeds with another thin layer of soil. Place the cup by a sunny window and wait for Mr. Green grass's hair (the grass) to grow. Make a Tepee Give your child an old sheet which can be colorfully decorated with markers, fabric crayons or fabric paint. Let the sheet dry and then drape it over a card table for an instant tepee. Help your child make an Indian head dress out of construction paper and feathers. Blowing Big Bubbles Blowing bubbles can be a great source of self amusement. Shape a large homemade wand from a wire coat hanger, making sure to wind any stray ends around the main wire and to bind any sharp points with electrical or duct tape. Have your child dip the wand in a large container filled with bubble soap (recipe provided below) and wave in the air to make big bubbles. Plastic flyswatters with holes can also be used as bubble wands. Bubble recipe: Mix l cup of dishwashing liquid, 8 cups water and 1 cup of corn syrup. The bubble solution keeps well. Store the unused portion in a closed container. Create Colorful Windsocks For each windsock, cut a 2 X 16 inch strip of heavy paper or poster board. Glue long 1 inch wide strips of fabric or ribbon along the lower edge of the paper. Staple the ends of the paper or poster board strip together to form a circle. Punch a small hole on each side of the circle and attach a piece of yarn or string through it and tie. This is what you will hang the windsock with. Hang the windsock outdoors and watch it dance in the wind. Items That Might Spark Interest Put together a collection of items that will spark your cloverbud's interest and creativity. Some items might include: prisms, magnets of different sizes, rulers, yardsticks, tape measures, thermometers, scales, kaleidoscopes, flashlights, magnifying glasses, measuring spoons and cups, old clock, construction paper, scissors, glue, washable markers, modeling clay and cookie cutters. Check with your local library for books and other resources on summer activities for children. The library may also offer special summer programs for school age children. Source: OSU Extension, Backpack Buddies, May Issue. Hello again! Great to make this Cloverbud Connection with you! This column is all about YOU, the Cloverbud Volunteer. We are successful with the Cloverbud program because of one essential ingredient - the Cloverbud Leader and Volunteer. Our primary goal is to promote healthy development in children with them feeling good about themselves, getting along with others, making decisions, learning to learn, and physical mastery. These life skills are enhanced because of the guidance, assistance, and help that is given by YOU as a caring adult and role model. We know from research that a positive, caring, adult relationship benefits children in all areas of their development. The following story comes to mind in thinking about the positive difference that YOU make in the lives of children by being a Cloverbud Volunteer. A young girl was walking along a beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish as she moved along the beach, she would pick it up and throw it back into the ocean. The 4-H organization thanks you for giving your time and talents to the 4-H Cloverbud Program as we enhance the healthy development of children throughout the state of Ohio! Well until next time, take care and have fun. I look forward to communicating again with you soon. State Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, Preadolescent Education Ingredients: 1 tbsp. Sugar Instructions:
Source: "Dairy Promotion Quarterly", Spring 1999, American Dairy Assoc. & Dairy Council Mid East. My position as Madison County Key Leader has been interesting. I have had the opportunity to meet with and share ideas with many different club leaders and attend various training sessions. It is my responsibility within our county to assist with Cloverbud training sessions (usually includes parents, leaders, and Cloverbuds), county fair (displays and non-competitive Show and Tell), and attend camp (we offer a single overnight camp and a neighboring county offers a day camp). I am usually busiest in March and just before our county fair. During these times, parents and leaders call and ask questions about how to join, organize and run a club, and how to prepare for the fair display and Show and Tell.
The key to working with Cloverbuds is to be patient and communicate often with the parent/caregiver. I've found letters given directly to the person taking the Cloverbud home works best. I often give more than one copy of a letter/ calendar to a family (both parents if not living in the same household, baby-sitter if responsible for member at time of some meetings). Remember, these little ones rarely remember details an hour later and often lose papers. For example day camp may be referred to by their child as a week of overnight tent camping. Relax, smile and have fun with these enthusiastic members and never refer to them as "little"! Holly Stockham, Madison County 4-H Cloverbud Key Leader. Time: (15-20 minutes) Materials: Directions: Fill each bottle half full of water. Add 3-5 drops of food coloring (blue makes the water resemble waves, but any color may be used). Fill the bottle the rest of the way with oil. Try to get the bottle as full as possible without overflowing to eliminate air bubbles. Screw the lid on tightly. Gently tilt the bottle back and forth to see the wave action. Cheryl Howell, After-School Child Care Program Coordinator, OSU Extension, Monroe County. Using the Cloverbud Curriculum And Keeping Cloverbuds Involved Developing programs, conducting meetings, and holding young children's interest are all challenges faced by the Cloverbud volunteer. Children in the Cloverbud age range (5-8) are in the process of developing social skills they will use and build upon in future relationships. The Cloverbud curriculum guide is an excellent resource when planning meetings. Extension builds on the interests of K-2 youth and provides for a wide variety of activity based experiences. At first this seems overwhelming, but when viewed as a "collection of suggested activities" rather than a "rigid plan of instruction" the curriculum becomes easy to use. The Extension publication Supporting Youth in Grades K-2 explains how to use the curriculum to develop programing which is varied and educational as well as interesting for the children. Our volunteer training program assists advisors in identifying what they want to do with their group and the best delivery method. To help achieve this goal, we provide a copy of the curriculum to each advisor and make them aware of its organization and how best to use the lessons for maximum effect. Conducting advisor training sessions that provide all the curriculum materials for several activities as well as complete instructions needed for the entire program allows our advisors the opportunity to develop lessons tailored to their own needs. For those advisors who still feel they need more guidance, we visit their meeting and present a prepared lesson to their members. Finally, sharing ideas and doing several county-wide events can improve your Cloverbud program and make it more fun for the advisors and members. Many Cloverbuds don't have the opportunity to meet and interact with other members outside their own club. Holding an all-county "Fun Night" periodically allows them to experience social situations with others of their own age, engage in creative experiences, and develop numerous other skills they will need. A Cloverbud day camp is also a valuable way for volunteers to share activities and ideas which they can build upon for further experiences within their group. Both of these activities are planned and developed with the assistance of our advisors so that the programs offered meet the needs of their members. The Cloverbud Connections newsletter is an excellent way to keep in touch with updated program information and additional ideas for meetings. Make Cloverbuds fun for yourself and your members by trying some of these things. These children are the future of the 4-H program and their Cloverbud experiences will be long remembered. Mervin Hall, Program Assistant, 4-H Youth Development, Sandusky County. Time: (15-18 minutes) Materials: Preparation: After finding a suitable web, the adult should apply several coats of white paint carefully. You may wish to do this before the children arrive. Now slip the piece of black paper behind the web. Be careful to not break any of the web strands. Spray with clear plastic spray or clear enamel to attach the web to the paper. When dry, apply several more coats of spray to the web to give it a protective coating. Application: Allow the children to help with the collection as much as possible. Allow the children to touch the web after it has dried. Talk about if the children feel afraid of webs and spiders now. Discuss the type of web which was collected. Additional Reading: The Dream Catcher Story, from the book Keepers of the Earth. Source: Ohio 4-H Cloverbud Curriculum, Series II, page 135. |
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All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status. Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ad. Admin. and Director,
OSU Extension TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868 |
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