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Fall 2006
Did
you know the 4-H Cloverbud curriculum was designed following the experiential
learning model for planning and conducting activities? The experiential
learning model is a proven method for promoting life skills through a
process that goes beyond just doing an activity. Even though the 4-H Cloverbud
curriculum is in an experiential learning format, by knowing a little
bit about how the model works, you will do even more in promoting learning
and life skills for the participating children.
Dr. Robert Horton, state 4-H curriculum specialist,
has provided some helpful guidance for conducting activities in an experiential
learning framework.
He recommends that as you conduct the activities
with the children look for ways the members can share, process, generalize,
and apply (beyond 4-H) the activity/learning that is taking place. For
example:
- Sharing – Provide opportunity for members to respond to the
activity by sharing reactions and observations.
- Processing – Help members to process the activity by discussing,
analyzing, and relating the activity to the targeted life skills.
- Generalizing – Encourage members to make connections between
the activity and their own personal life experiences.
- Applying – Have children think about how the activity and skills
learned can be applied to other parts of their lives at home, school,
or their neighborhood.
Check out the model below for a graphic
image of the experiential learning model.
Scott D.
Scheer, Ph.D.
State Extension Specialist, Preadolescent Education
4-H Youth Development, The Ohio State University
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Everybody
Cooperates...Everybody Wins...
and
Nobody Loses
Have
you ever seen the fun torn from a child’s game? Have you ever seen
children left out or put out by games, rejected, intentionally hurt, and
wondered why? Remember choosing teams in physical education class in school?
If you were physically skilled, you were invariably chosen first, but
if you were not as physically skilled, you could bet on being chosen last.
What a terrible feeling. Competitive-type games often result in isolating
some players in favor of creating stars.
Children should play games that give them
confidence and a feeling of worth, not a sense of rejection because they
are not as athletically adept as others. Children learn through play.
When we think of teams, we usually think of sports. But a team can be
any group that works or plays together. Team members cooperate to get
the job done. That’s called teamwork. The philosophy of the Cloverbud
program is to provide social interactions in which children participate
and play together rather than against one another, just for the fun of
it. When children play with one another rather than against one another
. . . everybody cooperates . . . everybody wins . . . and nobody loses.
Through this kind of social interaction, they learn teamwork, trust, and
group unity. The emphasis is on total participation, spontaneity, sharing
the joy of play, acceptance of all players, and recognizing that every
player is important. Teamwork by Ann Morris (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard
Books, New York, 1999), is an excellent book to read to children at a
4-H Cloverbud meeting. It emphasizes the importance of teamwork and helps
young children understand the idea of teamwork as it gives them a glimpse
into a rich variety of world cultures.
Some non-competitive games/activities you
can do to teach teamwork in your club are . . . Birthday Lineup, Frozen
Bean Bags, and Knots.
Birthday Lineup - All ages
Have 4-H’ers line up by birthday,
with January birthdays first and December birthdays last - or vice versa.
Frozen Bean Bags - Kindergarten and up
All the players balance a bean bag on their
heads and move around the room/play area. If the bean bag falls off, the
player is frozen and cannot move . To be defrosted, another player must
pick up the fallen bean bag and place it back on top of the player’s
head, while keeping the bean bag on his or her own head. If it falls off
while the player is attempting to help a friend, the helpful
player is frozen and the player he or she is trying to help remains frozen.
Knots - Kindergarten and up
Here’s an activity that really ties
people together. At least five players stand in a small circle and place
their right hands out in front of them, thumbs up. With the left hand,
each grabs someone else’s thumb, but not that of anyone next to
him or her. The object of this activity is to untangle this knot by stepping
over, crawling under, or turning around, anything is permitted except
letting go. If the players really get into a dead end situation, they
can always apply “knot-aid” - allowing one player to let go
and untangle, after which they all join hands again. But don’t let
them give up too easily; most knots can be untangled with a little patience
and plenty of togetherness. Don’t let two players grab one another’s
hands, or all that the two will do is stand around and get in the way
as everyone else tries to untangle the knot.
Resources:
The following resources provide a variety
of non-competitive games or social interactions
to encourage teamwork among 4-H’ers.
Fluegelman, Andrew. The New Games Book. Garden City,
N.Y.: Dolphin Books Doubleday, 1976.
Fluegelman, Andrew. More New Games. Garden City, N.Y.: Dolphin Books
Doubleday, 1988.
Sobel, Jeffrey. Everybody Wins 393 Non-competitive Games for Young Children.
Walker and Company, NY, 1983.
Rohnke, Karl. The Bottomless Bag Again? Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company,
1994.
Rohnke, Karl. Cowstails and Cobras. Hamilton, Mass.: Project Adventure,
1977.
Cindy Shuster
Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences
Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, Ohio
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Take
Five for Cloverbud Activities
Planning
Cloverbud meeting lessons takes research, time, and organization. You
select the topic and activities, gather supplies, and organize it to fit
your members and the meeting time frame. It sounds easy enough, but with
Cloverbud members, you never know exactly what to expect. How many kids
are going to show up? Will they be quiet or more energetic than usual?
What is the backup plan if the lesson just doesn’t work that day?
You know that the best of plans does not
always work. Take Five activities can help you develop your backup plan
for those times. The activities need to be simple, quick, and use little
or no equipment. You select and customize activity ideas to fit the interests
and abilities of your members. Then you organize those ideas and resources
so they are available for any situation.
Finding activity ideas is the easy part
of your Take Five plan. You can find ideas through books, TV shows, internet,
schools, Extension Offices, personal experiences, parents and advisors,
magazines, Cloverbud lessons, workshops, stores and catalogs.
Organizing your ideas takes a little more
time. Select and customize your Take Five activities by focusing on the
unique characteristics of your group. Questions to consider are:
1. How many members are in your club? If you have several
members, quick activities will take longer to organize and conduct.
If you have a small group, avoid activities that require a larger number
of participants.
2. How long are your meetings? If the Cloverbud meeting
needs to be the same length as the traditional member meeting, you may
need more games for flexibility.
3. Where do you meet? Are you usually indoors or outdoors?
Do you have limited or lots of space for games and relays? Are tables
available? Are messy activities allowed? Can the kids be loud without
interrupting other meetings? Do you meet in the same or different facilities?
4. What do your members like to do? Do they like activities
related to drawing, coloring, sports, or games? Do they enjoy singing,
puppets, books, or any activity that uses a ball?
5. How much help do you have at meetings? Can someone
help set up activities or do you have to do it all?
As you begin to select activities, you
need to have a system to organize your ideas and resources. One easy method
is to record ideas in a Take Five Activity Notebook and store needed supplies
in a portable Cloverbud activity box. Any kind of portable sturdy notebook
and box will work. Include only ideas and supplies you want to use. Make
it large enough so you can continue to add new ideas and supplies. Take
it with you to every meeting. Some basic supplies you may want to consider
are: different kinds of paper, different kinds of writing utensils, scissors,
glue sticks, paper plates, pipe cleaners, clothes pins, plastic table
cover, bean bags, nerf balls, inflatable beach ball, bubbles, play dough,
stickers, and balloons. Customize your supplies to match your activities.
Here are a few activity ideas to get you started.
Pipe Cleaner Creations
Materials: 2 pipe cleaners per person
Procedure: Give each child 2 pipe cleaners & tell them they can work
together in groups of 2, 3, or 4 people, or stay alone. They can make
anything they want to, working with their pipe cleaners or combining pipe
cleaners.
Face Pictures
Each person should write his/her name on a paper and turn it over. Tell
them to make a large circle on the paper and pass the paper to the left.
Make a nose and pass the paper to the left. Make a mouth and pass it.
Make 2 eyes and pass it. Make hair and pass it. Make 2 ears and give it
back to the person whose name is on the back.
Clothes Pin Throw
Materials: Clothes pins and a target, such as rope or wastebasket.
Variation: Use a variety of materials, such as bean bags, ping pong balls,
wadded paper, etc. to compare differences.
Procedure: Make a target, such as a laid-out piece of rope or a wastebasket
and have the children throw the clothes pins to the target.
Have fun building your Take Five activity notebook and box. Whether you
use the activities to supplement lessons, provide transitions, serve as
emergency backup, or just for fun, you can relax knowing you are a little
more prepared to make the best better for Cloverbud members.
Carolyn Wilson
Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development
Ohio State University Extension, Guernsey County, Ohio
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Campus
Connections
Hello
again! It feels good to make another 4-H Cloverbud Connection with you!
Without music, life is a journey through a desert. ~ Pat Conroy
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~ Red Auerbach
If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing. ~ Zimbabwe
Proverb
As you have guessed by now this Campus
Connection is about music and the how it benefits children’s healthy
development. I do not consider myself the best singer or dancer, but I
love music and have discovered that it is a great tool for enhancing life
skills with Cloverbud-aged children.
- Physical development improves through moving, dancing, and playing
instruments.
- Social development improves through positive, cooperative interactions
between children as they sing and or dance together.
- Mental development improves by keeping a beat, rhythm, reading musical
notes, and lyrics.
- Emotional development improves through the children’s feelings
of satisfaction, confidence and having fun through music.
Most adults would agree that music - whether
songs, processionals, hymns, or dance, is a powerful link to our emotions
and memories. The same is true for children. Let’s use the power
of music with our Cloverbud program to “Make the Best Better.
Thanks for all you do as a 4-H Cloverbud
volunteer to improve the lives of children throughout Ohio!!
Scott D. Scheer, Ph.D.
State Extension Specialist, Preadolescent Education
4-H Youth Development, The Ohio State University
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Chocolate
Pretzels
Ingredients
1 bag mini pretzels
1 package chocolate candy kisses
1 package M&M's
Cover a baking sheet with mini pretzels.
Place a chocolate kiss on the center of each pretzel. Bake in a 250 degree
oven for 2-3 minutes until the chocolate is softened. Remove the baking
sheet from the oven. Immediately place an M&M on top of the chocolate
kiss and push down to spread the softened chocolate. Refrigerate for 5-10
minutes or until the chocolate is firm. Serve immediately or store in
an airtight container.
Source: Myra Grove, former FNP Program Assistant, Coshocton County
Cheryl Goodrich
Program Assistant, Family Nutrition Program
Ohio State
University Extension, Monroe County, Ohio
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