K-3 Youth in 4-H:
Guidelines for Programming

National K-3 Curriculum Task Force

Table of Contents

Philosophy Of The National 4-H K-3 Program

Rationale
National data indicate that youth under 9 years old have been involved in 4-H programs throughout the country for 25 years. Extension Service participation data (ES-237) for 1992 show 1,332,277 youth under age 9 in 4-H programs. This amounts to 23 percent of the total youth enrollment in the 4-H program nationwide. Therefore, it is no longer a question of whether to involve kindergarten to third grade youth in the 4-H program, but rather, which methods and curriculum should be used to ensure that youth in this age group have positive, age-appropriate, and relevant experiences.

Most of the existing 4-H programs resulted from "grassroots" needs to provide educational experiences for K-3 youth and a desire to involve the whole family in the 4-H experience. As a result, a variety of programs have been designed at the state, county and community levels. While there are excellent youth education programs for 5- to 8-year-olds being implemented in 4-H, much curriculum development has been haphazard, narrow in scope, and not based on learning theory or youth development principles. There is inconsistency in age appropriateness, methodology, language, design, format, basic objectives, and philosophies. There is also redundancy. Many Extension professionals have spent time and resources developing materials very similar to existing curricula. All too often, curricula are widely disseminated and programs replicated without any formative or summative evaluation. There is a need for high quality curriculum focused on life skills taught through a broad spectrum of subject matters. To identify existing curricula and to develop new curricula of consistently high quality, it is necessary to establish nationally accepted and recognized criteria for curriculum for young children.

All children need to be involved in activities and learning experiences that are developmentally appropriate. While K-3 children are full of energy and have a willingness to learn, educational materials need to be designed for their specific abilities, needs, and interests. Research indicates that competition at this age is not developmentally appropriate. To ensure that K-3 youth are involved in activities where the risk of failure is minimized and the opportunity for success is maximized, educational programs for them need to be developmentally appropriate and focused on cooperative learning. Participation and learning of the child should be the ultimate goal.

Philosophical Statement

The purpose of the National 4-H program for youth in grades K-3 is as for older youth, positive development of youth to become competent, caring, contributing citizens. The learning experience is the primary reason for involvement in the program. A positive learning experience requires curriculum that is developmentally appropriate for youth in grades K-3. In addition, the program:

• values cooperative learning and individual learning as effective educational strategies for youth K-3;
• views K-3 youth in the context of family and community;
• is dynamic, flexible, open, and accessible to all youth through a variety of delivery modes;
• values ongoing relationships between K-3 youth and caring adults and older youth;
• is based on research in the area of youth development, educational theory, and relevant subject matter; and
• provides training on child development, educational methods, and subject matter content for people who work with K-3 youth.

Objectives

K-3 grade youth participating in the 4-H program will:

1. Develop competencies in life skills for self-understanding, social interaction, decision making, learning to learn, and mastering physical skills.
2. Gain knowledge in sciences, literature, and the arts through the experiential learning process.
3. Develop positive attitudes about learning.
4. Develop ongoing relationships with caring adults and older youth who serve as positive role models.
5. Explore family and community relationships.
6. Develop understanding of and appreciation for social and cultural diversity.

Learning Theory

Teaching Others
Recent advances in psychological research have revealed a number of facts about how people learn and how human memory works (DiVesta, 1987; Glover and Bruning, 1987; van den Broek, 1988). Research indicates that when teaching others it is important to:

• Have clear educational goals. Educators must be clear in articulating their main points or those points will not be clear to the learners. Learners benefit from clear goals by knowing what is expected of them.
• Pay attention to background knowledge. Meaningful learning happens only when new information is related to what the learner already knows. New knowledge must be related to something the learner already knows or the learner will not remember it.
• Organize the learning experience to show how parts are related. Learners need to know how things fit together to make use of the new things they are learning.
• Be aware of the development of the learner. The most important key to being a good leader is understanding how human memory works. Leaders also need to be aware of the social and emotional needs of the learners. Young people especially need an atmosphere of warmth and acceptance for learning to happen.
• Relate new information to the real world. Learners are better able to use what they have learned if it is related to the problems and situations the learner faces in the real world. Even 5- to 8-year-olds face many challenges every day, i.e., learning how to get along with others, controlling their emotions, etc. The more new information helps them deal with their real problems and situations, the more likely they will be to remember it.
• Encourage the learners to think and talk about what they are learning. Learning is greatly increased when the learners are encouraged to think about what they have learned and how they learned it.

Teaching In 4-H

There are many ways to teach children:

• Standing and telling them what you want them to know;
• Showing them what you want them to know; and
• Having them do an activity that teaches them what you want them to know.

Remember! Simply telling youth what you want them to learn is the fastest, but they will forget most easily. Getting people involved in a game or activity helps them remember more, but takes a long time to get ready and even more time to teach (Peterson, 1991). This is shown in the "cone of experience" on the next page.

Cone of Experience

Single modality learning experiences include reading, radio, lecture, charts, graphs, posters, maps, still pictures. But combinations of learning modalities consistently enhance remembering. Dual learning modality learning experiences include movies, television, slide talks, interactive video, interactive displays. The less abstract and more real the learning situation, the longer learning takes, but the more is remembered.

The Cone Experience Graphic
Currently not available

Educators need to choose the way of teaching that helps youth learn the most in the amount of time available. When working with K-3 youth it is worth taking the time to teach using activities that involve "See, Hear, Say, Do," all of the principal learning modalities. This is likely to involve everybody's preferred learning styles, and enhance interest through active engagement in learning.

Experiential Learning
4-H promotes experiential learning. The traditional 4-H motto "learning by doing" is as appropriate today as it was when 4-H first began. Experiential learning happens when a person gets involved in an activity, looks back at it critically, determines what was useful or important to remember, and uses the information to do something else.

The Steps To Experiential Learning Are:

1. Experience. Begin with concrete experience. This can be an individual activity or a group activity, but it involves "doing something." Activities can include: demonstrations that involve the youth; judging items, i.e., which snack is better for them--never being judged by others; making things; exhibits for events; field trips; games; or recreational activities.
2. Share. Next, get the group or individual to talk about the experience. Share reactions and observations. Talk freely.
3. Process. Discuss how questions are created by the activity.
4. Generalize. Find general trends or common lessons in the experience. Identify the important points that apply to the "real world," not just the specific activity. Identify many situations where the lesson might apply.
5. Apply. Talk about how the new information can be applied to everyday life or sometime in the future.

Experiential learning is more than doing activities. It involves discussing the activity, drawing lessons from the activity, and applying the lessons to the real world. All five steps are crucial to effective learning and none should be left out.

Cooperative Learning

Competitive
Participants work against each other to show who is best. To attain the goal of winning, one must beat all others--only one can win. If I swim, you sink. If you swim, I sink. Example: Picking a grand champion exhibit at a fair (only one can be champion).

Individualistic
Participants work against established criteria to show what they have achieved. Each person participates alone. If I sink or swim, it has no effect on if you sink or swim. Example: Getting a blue, red, or white ribbon at a fair in 4-H judging (many people get blue, red, and white ribbons depending if the participant did meet, did not meet, or exceeded established standards).

Cooperative
Participants work in groups and depend on each other to accomplish a goal. They sink or swim together. Example: Participating on a judging team (the team sinks or swims together--one great member cannot make the team win--it is in her best interests to help others on the team if the team is to do well).

In almost every teaching situation it is best to balance cooperation, competition, and individualistic teaching strategies because each has weaknesses and strengths (Johnson, 1979). Cooperative learning encourages development of social interaction skills but takes the most time of any of the ways of learning (working in groups and depending on others takes longer than working alone). Individualistic learning, on the other hand, takes less time than a cooperative strategy and especially encourages independence, but does not provide participants with any information about the performance of their peers that many people seek. Finally, competition encourages the highest levels of individual achievement, but does so by creating many more "losers" than "winners"--that can be devastating to youth with weak self-esteem.

Damage to self-esteem is particularly problematic for youth K-3. They are in the stages of development where self-esteem is established (Glover and Bruning, 1987; Hoppe, 1990; Williams and Stith, 1974). Therefore, competition is not appropriate for teaching K-3 youth. Cooperative learning is best for this age group because it encourages the development of social skills--the most important developmental challenge of this age (see the section on Developmental Characteristics).

Cooperative learning is critical for 5- to 8-year-olds. Take a closer look at what it takes to provide a cooperative learning experience:

Positive Interdependence
Cooperative learning is more than working in groups. It involves putting people in groups where each and every member has something vital to contribute to the success of the group. Learning will not occur if group members can succeed by ignoring each other. If this does not happen naturally, a leader can create it by giving each group member a vital piece of information that the entire group must know before group members can succeed.

Face-To-Face Interaction
Group members must be able to interact with each other directly.

Individual Accountability
Every group member must be responsible for how they do as an individual as well as how the group does. Without it some group members will be "lazy" and not help the group.

Teaching Social Skills
Because group members must interact with each other to share the information they have with other group members, social interaction skills are necessary for groups to succeed. Therefore, social skills should be taught DIRECTLY. DO NOT assume the learner will absorb them by participating in group discussion.

Processing
Group members must be able to discuss how their group worked and what was learned. The experiential learning cycle (discussed above) must be completed. As with the experiential learning cycle, ALL aspects of cooperative learning must be present. It is not cooperative learning when one or more of the above components are not included.

Developmental Characteristics Of Youth
And Implications For Program Delivery

The middle childhood, ages 5 to 8, is an exciting time for children. It is often the time when first childhood memories are made and when much development occurs. During this time period children are maturing in many ways: physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally. To be successful, children must continually acquire new skills and knowledge. It is also during this period that children begin to branch out socially and build new relationships.

Development during this time frame is not the same from one child to the next, nor is it consistent within developmental domains, even within a single child. All children grow and develop at their own rate. Some children may acquire many capabilities earlier than their peers. Others may physically outpace their classmates, but be behind in cognitive, social, or emotional development. Each kind of development proceeds at its own unique rate within an individual child.

During the middle childhood, adults can greatly assist in children's development by guiding their involvement in educational activities. They can enrich the learning experience by soliciting children's ideas, responding to their questions, engaging them in conversations and challenging their thinking.

The following information is meant to be a guide that outlines the general characteristics and capacities of children ages 5-6 and 7-8. Physical, cognitive, emotional, and social characteristics are followed by important implications for applying this information in a nonformal, youth program. This outline is not intended to be used as a criteria for assessing development, but rather as a guidepost for selecting activities that will promote the healthy development of middle childhood children.

Remember that each child is unique and will mature in a unique way!

Characteristics and Implications for Children Ages 5 to 6

Physical Development (Ages 5 To 6)
Characteristics
Physical growth is slower than during infancy and early childhood.
Muscular coordination and control is uneven and incomplete. Large muscles are easier to control than small muscles.
Able to handle tools and materials more skillfully than during preschool years.
Can throw different sized balls better than they can catch them. Most cannot bat well.
Most can learn to snap fingers, whistle, and wink.

Implications
Plan activities that use large motor skills and introduce fine motor skills, one at a time.
Plan lots of physical activity with each meeting.
Introduce new physical activities that require coordination such as roller skating, bike riding, jumping rope, and simple outdoor games.
Provide projects that don't require perfection.

Cognitive Development (Ages 5 To 6)
Characteristics
Ask questions and answer them in literal terms.
Can distinguish their own left and right, but not in other people.
Define things by their use, i.e., a pencil is for writing.
Most are just learning letters and words. By six, most can read words or combinations of words.
Short interest span, sometimes as little as 5-10 minutes.

Implications
Give instructions verbally and visually. Don't expect them to read.
Avoid a lot of paper and pencil activities that require writing.
Plan a series of small activities with physical exercise in between rather than one longer more intense session.
Plan active learning around concrete objects.
Provide lots of materials and mediums for learning, (i.e., paper, paint, brushes, glue, building blocks, games, puzzles)..

Emotional Development (Ages 5 To 6)
Characteristics
Sensitive to criticism and don't accept failure well. Strong desire for affection and likes adult attention. Cooperative and helpful; they want to please. Get upset with changes in plans and routine. Say what they think and feel i.e. "you stink", "you're ugly", etc.

Implications
Provide lots of encouraging words for effort. Provide lots of opportunities for adult interaction with children. Provide opportunities for children to help in "adult-like" ways, such as setting up an activity. Give clear description of what your activity or schedule will be and stick to it.

Social Development (Ages 5 To 6)
Characteristics
Developing cooperative play. Prefers to work in small groups of two or three. Still likes to focus on their own work and play.
May begin to pair up and have a "best friend", however, the "best friend" may change frequently.
Mother (or parent) is still social focus as prime caregiver; however may "fall in love" with kindergarten teacher.
Likes being part of and around family.
Can engage in group discussions.
May have a need to be "first", to "win", be the "best", and may be bossy.
Can be unkind to others, but extremely sensitive to criticism of self.

Implications
Organize projects and activities that involve two or three children. If there is a larger group, break activities into sections so that only two or three are involved at one time.
Help children develop friendships, through learning to share, to take turns, to follow rules, and to be trustworthy (not tattling).
Organize activities with high adult/child ratios.
Develop projects and activities that involve or focus on the family.
Avoid competitive activities that select a "winner" or "best person".
Use imaginary play that involves real-life situations. (Playing store, playing house.)

Characteristics and Implications for Children Ages 7 to 8

Implications
Will have difficulty with some fine motor activities such as gluing, cutting, hammering nails, bouncing balls, etc.
Can throw a ball better than can catch a ball.
Provide opportunities to practice skills, but use projects that can be completed successfully by beginners.

Cognitive Development (Ages 7 to 8)
Characteristics
May spend more time alone doing projects, watching TV, or day dreaming.
Beginning to understand the perspectives of others.
Beginning to tell time
Humor takes on new meaning.
Enormous curiosity and delight in discovery.
Are able to collect, sort, organize, and classify.
Can recognize some similarities and differences
Can do some abstract thinking, but learn best through active, concrete methods.

Implications
Give instructions verbally and visually. Most children will be able to read and comprehend simple instructions.
Can introduce some written assignments and activities. Most children will prefer to be active.
Activities that require sorting, organizing, or classifying will be enjoyed.
Encourage children to develop or make collections.
Encourage projects than can be done over and over in different ways.
Use lots of activities that require children to participate in a "hands on" way.
Guide the children in reflecting on their learning experience.

Emotional Development (Ages 7 to 8)
Characteristics
Increased awareness of themselves, more sensitive to others.
Enjoy being part of the family.
Worry about failure or being criticized.
Will try themselves out on others to see how they are accepted.
May claim tasks are too hard rather than admit to being scared.

Implications
Enjoy making gifts for family.
Involve them in doing things for others.
Be sensitive when teaching a new concept or skill that a child may resist.
Provide lots of adult encouragement and praise.

Social Development (Ages 7 to 8)
Characteristics
May be moody, but less likely to direct negative feelings toward others.
Have high expectations of parents and adults and are critical when parents "mess up".
Value adult interaction, and may actually be more polite to adults.
More outgoing, curious, and talkative.
Begin to internalize adult feelings toward religion, ethnic groups, and money.
Begin to develop friendships that involve sharing secrets and possessions.
Begin to see choice of same-sex playmates and development of play groups.

Implications
Introduce the "art of social graces". Teaching of table manners and other social niceties will be more accepted.
Activities will be more successful if children can be grouped in same-sex groups.
Select activities that involve the child's curiosity and creative abilities.
Children will enjoy naming their group or "coin" phrases to describe their activities.
Promote social activities that appreciate and emphasize diversity of families and lifestyles.
Use a variety of songs, rhythms, fairy tales, stories, and comics to help socialize the group.
Provide learning activities that stimulate conversation.

Creating A Positive Learning Environment

4-H Educators (4-H youth development staff and volunteers) must consider the development and needs of children in grades K-3 as they plan the various learning activities. It is important to compare what is generally known about children this age with the specific behaviors of the members of the group and create a positive learning environment for them.

In general, 4-H learning activities for K-3 youth will be positive learning experiences for children if they:

Provide one adult (or older youth) for every six children.
(Some activities will require fewer children to every adult.) Because of the variation in developmental stages, it is important to have a low child-to-adult ratio so that each child receives the individualized attention needed to be successful. Involving parents in working with the group benefits children, parents, and teachers.

Involve the children in selecting and planning activities.
When children self-select activities rather than have them assigned by adults, children are more likely to maintain interest and to integrate new skills and knowledge with what they already know. Being involved in the selection of learning activities builds their confidence as learners, fosters personal initiative, and encourages the development of curiosity and creativity. Based on the planned educational objectives, educators should identify activity options and help children make decisions about what they want to do and learn.

Change activities often according to the needs of the children.
By offering a broad spectrum of learning activities, with a variation in the pace and range of experiences, children remain interested and involved.

Encourage children to talk and work with each other.
With guidance, children can learn skills that help them develop respect and understanding of people and how to negotiate, and apply rules of living. Children talk as they learn and learn best when they are actively engaged in activities that allow them to practice, demonstrate, explain, and apply their learning.

Sequence activities in short blocks.
Vary the pace of activities so that they are not expected to engage in one type of activity for too long. Intermix quiet activities with those that require movement and active participation. For children in this age range, the process of learning may be more interesting than the finished product.

Adults and older youth serve as positive behavior models.
As children begin to look outside the home for guidance and support, adults with whom they come in contact on a regular basis become influential sources of new information, new skills, and new points of view about life. They also have a tremendous influence in helping children feel good about who they are and what they can do. Saying something positive to each child at each meeting is one way of bolstering self-confidence.

Promote cooperation rather than competition.
It is not appropriate for children ages 5 to 8 to participate in contests where they are judged. Their self-concept is still vulnerable and too fragile for competition. Activities should promote practice of developmentally appropriate skills, provide an opportunity for social interaction, and help children understand and learn about fairness. It is appropriate, however, to display their work and recognize participation. If done fairly and honestly, this can promote a sense of pride and feeling of accomplishment.

Use positive guidance and discipline.
Children in early childhood years are learning self-control. Children benefit from adults who use positive approaches to help them behave constructively and solve interpersonal conflicts. Teach skills for appropriate social behavior, such as taking turns, dividing and sharing resources, and working cooperatively.

Provide some individualized learning as well as learning in small and large groups.
The learning activities should include a sufficient variety of experiences to accommodate the ages, stages, interests, and needs of participating children. Parallel activities may be needed to allow children at different stages to participate in a way that suits their developmental needs. Some may choose to work alone on an activity while others choose to work in groups.

4-H Life Skills And Program Areas

Youth Development
The Center for Youth Development and Policy Research (Pittman, 1989) defines youth development as "the ongoing process in which all young people are engaged and invested. Through youth development, young people attempt to meet their basic personal and social needs and to build assets and competencies necessary for successful lives." This process of development does not happen in isolation. Development occurs in the environments in which young people live, the socializing environments of family, school, church, and community. In society, the process of helping children grow and develop takes awareness and understanding of who they are intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally, and morally. [Glen 1987, Bradekamp 1988, Garbarino 1987]

The charge of 4-H is to positively impact the natural youth development process so that children and adolescents lead positive, secure, fulfilling and happy young lives while they are developing the skills, knowledge, and competencies necessary for fulfilling, contributing adult lives. 4-H utilizes the research base of the land-grant university system to develop and deliver nonformal youth development education programs that focus on life skills.

Life Skills for K-3 Youth

Through development of these life skills, children learn to live comfortably with others, express their own feelings safely, love life, and welcome new experiences. When individuals feel competent, they have some degree of control of their own lives and feel good about themselves. Individuals who see themselves as competent expect, that under most conditions, they will be able to cope with whatever demands they meet and gain a sense of satisfaction from the decisionmaking and/or risk taking involved.

Some skills are more important than others at different ages. A major objective for youth in grades K-3 participating in the 4-H program is to develop competencies in: Understanding Self, Social Interaction Skills, Decisionmaking Skills, Learning To Learn Skills, And Mastering Physical Skills.

Self-Understanding Skills
Each child is unique. Each has different interests, personality traits, skills, learning styles and temperaments. Each newborn child is a new creation without a sense of self-awareness, but eager and ready to learn everything possible about him/herself and others.

The self-concept is not innate but develops as a result of many differentiated and accumulating experiences over time. Young children need to try new things so that they can begin to test themselves, build their base of experiences, and master life skills. To foster self-understanding, adults working with children K-3 need to nurture creativity and curiosity and help them to see and appreciate the differences and similarities among people.

Social Interaction Skills
Two overall objectives for 4-H participants in grades K-3 are to: develop ongoing relationships with caring adults and older youth who serve as positive role models; and to develop understanding of and appreciation for social and cultural diversity.

Children become increasingly social between Kindergarten and third grade. They begin to realize that the world doesn't begin and end with them and they develop friendships with their peers. They experience increasing need and desire to be with other children and they need to talk with and work with one another to enhance their development. Youth K-3 need to develop communication skills including listening skills, working together cooperatively, sharing, and resolving conflicts.

Decisionmaking Skills
Children, as well as adults, face decisions and problems every day. The ability to make wise decisions and take positive action is an important part of growing. Children need to learn the step-by-step processes of problem solving and decisionmaking and to develop a sense of vulnerability and cause and effect. Children need opportunities to identify and explore their values, beliefs, and attitudes and understand how all of these influence decisionmaking. Young children need to have opportunities for practicing problem solving and decisionmaking with guidance in relatively safe situations.

Understanding how their decisions can affect themselves and others and willingness to accept the responsibility for their actions are important lessons for children. For youth K-3, it is also important to focus on decisions that provide for their personal safety (going with strangers, taking drugs, etc.).

Learning To Learn
Another objective for youth K-3 participating in the 4-H youth development program is to develop positive attitudes about learning. Children are curious and eager to learn. They have many interests and are enthusiastic about exploring new things. Their curiosity and inventiveness create a need to learn how to make order out of all of the things they discover.

Youth who have learned how to learn will exhibit inquiring minds and intellectual curiosity. They have the ability to ask informal questions, identify and locate resources, think critically, utilize their senses, understand preferred learning styles, and predict likely outcomes of situations.

Mastering Physical Skills
The developmental need for physical activity is great for children between Kindergarten and grade three. Physically, children these ages are developing their large muscles by learning to skip, climb, wrestle, and hop. They are outside more than at any other time in their lives and their sports interests are often beyond their skills. They need to be able to use their large muscles both for development and to use the tremendous amount of energy they have. Games and activities involving running, skipping, or hopping will encourage muscle development.

Children are also refining their small muscle development. The level of control they have with a pencil when they write their name is an indicator of small muscle development. Children need practice using pencils, scissors, small utensils and other tools in order to develop and control their small muscles.

By focusing on these life skills, 4-H can help its youngest participants grow and develop the competencies necessary for positive, and happy young lives as they prepare for productive, secure, and contributing adult lives.

Program Areas For K-3 Youth

In developing curricula for youth in grades K-3, it is necessary to create lessons that are age appropriate and provide a broad range of subject matter. Learning objectives should be centered on the life skills and developmentally appropriate subject matter concepts and skills. An overall objective of the educational program for K-3 youth participating in 4-H is to gain knowledge in sciences, literature, and the arts through the experiential learning process.

Program Areas selected for K-3 youth are congruous with the USDA Extension Service classification system. Seven of the primary categories used in the "ES-237 Curriculum Category Classification System" are described below:

Citizenship And Civic Education
Citizenship and civic education will promote understanding of democratic principles and explore rights, privileges, and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. For youth in grades K-3 the focus will be on local community, school, neighborhood, classroom, and club. K-3 youth can be introduced to participation in community service and the governing process in very local situations. Example: Lessons on democracy; voting; why people need government; what is a citizen; what do citizens do; what is a community; and how do decisions get made--at home, at school, in the classroom, in the neighborhood, in the club, in the town or city, in the United States?

Communication And Expressive Arts
Communication and expressive arts encourage and strengthen the creative expression of youth K-3 through introduction to and experimentation in a wide variety of visual, performing, and auditory arts and communication and computer technologies.
Example: Painting, drawing, writing, singing, dancing, reading, storytelling, play acting, role playing, mime, discussing, taking turns, listening, and art and music appreciation.

Consumer And Family Science
Another objective for K-3 youth is to explore family and community relationships. The family science program area builds the capacity of individuals and families to meet their changing needs. It focuses on building knowledge and skills relevant to human development, interpersonal relations, and management of resources within the home, the neighborhood, and the community.
Example: Learning about how people grow and develop--their bodies, minds, and feelings. Learning about families--different kinds of families, functions of families, roles of family members, relationships with siblings and parents, management of family resources, and roles of the family in the neighborhood, community, and the larger world.

Environmental Education And Earth Sciences
4-H environmental education programs are designed to create awareness of environmental issues and promote the development of an environmental ethic in youth. Programs for children K-3 deal with local environmental issues and concerns of children regarding those issues. Example: What is the environment? Why is knowing about the environment important? How do living things relate to each other and to the environment? What is good for the environment? What do people in the community do to protect the environment? What can kids do?

Healthy Lifestyle Education
4-H health programs enable young people to accept responsibility for maintaining good physical, intellectual, emotional, and social health. They help children learn what good health includes and to acquire patterns of living that foster concern for health, nutrition, fitness, safety, and quality of life for themselves and others.
Example: What does good health mean? What things affect good health? Food and nutrition, sleep, expressing and understanding feelings, getting along with others, physical fitness activities, pedestrian, bicycle, home, and safety.

Plants And Animals
4-H plant and animal programs introduce children to biological principles about growth, reproduction, functions, and interrelationships among living things. Children learn about the life requirements of living things. They learn how to grow plants and to care for animals.
Example: How animals grow, how plants grow, life cycles, food chains, growing plants, taking care of animals, and pets.

Science And Technology
4-H science and technology programs help children learn basic scientific concepts that enhance their understanding of how things work. The programs involve youth in activities that teach fundamental scientific processes and principles. Youth learn concepts and skills which help them understand physical, chemical, and geological phenomena. Example: Magnets, electricity, gravity, sound, light, weather, stars, moon, sun, planets, seasons, rocks, fossils, and computers.
In planning the total learning experience for children K-3, it is important to provide a broad variety of activities representing all of the above life skills and program areas.

Format
Curriculum development is a continuous process. As curricula is developed to assist youth acquire knowledge, develop life skills, and formulate attitudes and behaviors that result in them becoming competent, caring adults, it is important that each learning experience or series of experiences be developed according to the National Criteria for 4-H Youth Development Curricula as described in the preceding chapter. Curricula submitted to the national jury and determined to meet the national criteria will be included in the National 4-H Collection. To encourage consistency and easy utilization, individual lessons within curricula should be designed to include the following components:

1. Lesson Title - Identifies the particular program concept or lesson activity.
2. Life Skill - Identifies life skill(s) to be learned in the lesson.
3. Objective - Identifies the learning objective(s) of the lesson--should be stated in measurable, observable terms.
4. Time Required - Indicates the amount of time needed for the learning activity.
5. Suggested Group Size - Group size appropriate for this particular activity. Indicator of number of volunteers needed to complete the learning experience should be listed.
6. Materials Needed - List of all materials and equipment needed to complete the activity.
7. Background Information - Information that is useful or needed by the leader to prepare for the learning activity. Suggestions for "setting the stage" or developing learner readiness for the activity may also be included.
8. Additional Resources - This section identifies resources that can add to the learning experience. It may include additional sources of background information for the leader and/or participant, i.e., 4-H literature, children's books, and audiovisuals, suggested resource people to help with the activity, or activities that build on concepts of the lesson such as field trips.
9. Preparing the Learner - Activities such as introductory questions, readings, story, song, rhyme, game, recall of previous activity, for "setting the stage," or preparing the learners for the activity.
10. Learning Activity - Step-by-step instructions for conducting the activity--taking the learners through each step of the experiential learning process:

    Step 1. EXPERIENCE - The "doing" activity. A single developmentally appropriate learning activity that provides a common experience for participants to explore, examine, and discover.
    Step 2. SHARE - Opportunity for individuals to respond to the experience by sharing reactions and observations.
    Step 3. PROCESS - Discussion of what happened during activity encourages participants to think about the experience.
    Step 4. GENERALIZE - Helps participants to make connections between the activity and their own personal life experiences.
    Step 5. APPLY - Helps participants plan ways for using the new information they have learned in future activities.
    

11. Evaluation - To determine if the objective of the lesson was reached. Evaluation may include key discussion questions to determine the understanding of concepts by participants, activities to gather the thoughts and feelings of participants about the learning experience, and/or a checklist of observations to be made throughout the learning experience.
12. Additional Activities - Ideas and suggestions for enhancing the learning experience and providing opportunities to apply the knowledge and skill learned. Activities to be conducted at home with other family members and friends, places to go, and/or people/things to see, questions to ask.
13. Recognition - Suggestions for recognizing each child for accomplishments in the activity. The purpose is to confirm with the child the learning which has occurred and to enhance the self-esteem of the child. It can be as simple as praising the child for completing a task or having the child express "What I learned" orally, in writing, or in art.

Delivery Modes
4-H learning activities for K-3 youth may be presented, or delivered, in a variety of ways. While delivery modes may vary to accommodate situational needs and available resources, it is important that the learning opportunities are based on the needs, interests, and various learning styles of this age group.

4-H focuses primarily on people working in groups; however, when working with children K-3, it should be remembered that each child develops at his or her own pace and all may not be at the same stage of development. They may not all be developmentally ready to learn effectively in groups and may need guidance and interspersed opportunities for individual learning and one-to-one interaction with an adult or older youth. The various 4-H i modes that may be used in presenting educational programs for young children include:

1. Organized 4-H Clubs - In this delivery, organized groups of children are led by parents, other adults and/or teen volunteers. A planned program delivered throughout the year. 4-H clubs include a wide range of ages and may have a charter and set of rules approved by the membership. Suggestions for organizing clubs:
   • Club size - 5 to 6 children per adult/teen volunteer. Keep the group small.
   • Meetings - Meetings should be informal and relaxed with variety of activities.
   • Location - Homes of members or leaders, community centers, schools, churches, etc.
   • Projects - As a means to developing life skills. Subject matter topics, themes, and activities selected based on interests and needs of youths. Encourage members to take the results of their work home to show their parents and to repeat and practice new skills at home.
   • Volunteers - Involve family members, other adults, and older youth to help with group and individual activities during club meetings and/or at home.
   • Recognition - K-3 youth accomplishments should be recognized frequently and based on skill or concept learned by the individual and the group, NOT on competition between youths.
2. Special-interest programs and day camps - This involves a group of children who meet for a specific learning experience around a common interest in a subject area or a skill for one or more sessions. These can be taught by Extension staff or trained volunteers, including teachers. Suggestions for conducting special- interest group learning sessions:
   • Group size - One adult volunteer for every 5 to 6 children. Children self-select into the learning groups.
   • Sequencing of activities - Learning activities should be arranged in blocks of 1 to 2 hours to maintain interest. Each learning activity should provide opportunity for hands-on learning, and should be a mix of active and quiet learning. Rest time and recreation should be included in the schedule.
   • Where to meet - Parks, community centers, schools, other facilities that have space needed for the various learning groups and learning activities.
   • Volunteers - Involve family members and older 4-H'ers to help with group activities and to provide guidance to individual children.
   • Meals and Snacks - Arrangements should be made to have nutritious meals and snacks if the session covers more than 2 hours. (Involving children in preparation of snacks can be part of the learning activities.)
3. Overnight camps (resident or travel) - Children in this delivery take part in a planned educational experience of group living in a camp setting that includes being away from home at least one night. It is suggested that a parent, older sibling, or other adult who knows the child well, accompany each youth below the age of 6 in overnight camping experiences.
4. School enrichment - This involves groups of children receiving a sequence of learning experiences in cooperation with school staff during school hours, to support the school curriculum. School enrichment includes direct teaching by youth development staff or trained volunteers, including teachers.
5. Instructional TV/Video - Children in this delivery are offered learning experiences via broadcast or closed circuit television, including satellite transmission or videotape replays of such series. While the learning content may be delivered through this medium, it is important that the learning experiences be interactive in nature. For example, there should be ample opportunities for active participation of children throughout the learning session. Adults must be available to lead children through the various segments of the learning activities and to provide individual support and guidance. Follow-up activities are also needed to build on concepts introduced via TV or video. It is important to remember that the attention span of children at this age is very short; therefore, packaged programs through this medium must be designed in appropriately short segments.
6. School-age child care programs - Programs offered to children outside of school hours, usually in a school or other community center and incorporating 4-H curricula. The primary purpose is to provide educational programs for children in the before and after school hours while parents are working. It is important to provide an informal, relaxed atmosphere where children can unwind from their day at school. Lots of physical activity may be needed at the onset of the program followed by activities where children can engage in learning activities suitable for their individual needs. Some will need to work alone in quiet activities while others are engaged in group activities. A high ratio of adults to children is needed so that individualized attention can be provided to each child.

The "National Criteria for 4-H Youth Development Curricula" are designed for use in developing curricula and for evaluating the curricula. They should be used to evaluate curricula to determine whether it is educationally sound, research based, and developmentally appropriate for the intended K-3 youth audience. This chapter will deal with another level of evaluation--determining the impact of the learning activity or series of activities on the children participating.

This information on evaluating impact on children is based on assumptions:

1. The curriculum meets the national criteria;
2. The teaching is based on learning theory;
3. The complete experiential learning cycle is followed; and
4. The format includes clearly stated measurable objectives.

Objectives for a learning activity clearly stated in measurable terms help the teacher and the student know what is to be taught/learned and provide a measure for the learning. Verbs like show, tell, demonstrate, explain, draw, write, list, identify, and classify are useful in objective statements because the teacher can observe these behaviors and know how well the concept or skill was learned.

Sample Objectives:

1. The learner will demonstrate how to light a flashlight bulb using a wire and a battery.
2. The learner will classify items that are living and nonliving.
3. The learner will explain what happens when young people use tobacco and drugs.
4. The learner will show how to dribble a soccer ball.
5. The learner will list activities that make him/her feel happy, sad, worried, and confident.
6. The learner will identify people who help him/her make decisions.

Including all five steps in the experiential learning cycle helps the teacher evaluate impact on the learners. The teacher can observe the child's participation in the activity and listen to the children as they share their reactions. Self-evaluation is the most meaningful kind of evaluation for young children. It is important to ask the learner directly what he/she learned and then to listen. This allows the teacher to determine whether the intended concept or skill was learned, how the child perceives his/her learning, and misconceptions that may need to be corrected.

Sharing Questions

What did you do?
What happened?
How did it feel to...?
What was the most difficult? Easiest?

Processing Questions

Why did that happen?
What if you had......?
What are some of the problems that you had with this activity?
What was your favorite thing that you did? Why did you like it?
Have you ever done anything similar to this? When? Where?
If you do the activity again, would you do anything differently?

Generalizing Questions:

What did you learn through this activity?
Why is that important to know?
Why is it important to be able to do that?
Did you learn anything about yourself through this activity?
Why? Why not?
How does this activity relate to other things you do? At home? At school? In the community?

Applying Questions:

What will you do next?
How can you use what you learned in other situations?
Will what you learned be helpful to you in the future? When? How?
What will you do differently in the future as a result of what you learned in this activity?

Observing and listening to the generalizing and application steps will give the teacher information about impact on the child. The application step is particularly valuable in assessing learning. Application of the concept or skill to a new situation indicates a high level of learning. Many opportunities for application should be provided to the children.

Each of these general questions should use language and descriptions specific to the particular learning experience.

"Worksheets" can be useful in helping children process what they have learned. These sheets can be used to have children: (1) Circle pictures of activities that they did or circle the face that shows how they felt about each activity; (2) Draw something they learned; and (3) Draw a face describing how they felt. These sheets provide the children with records of activities and provide a means of children sharing with their parents or guardians what they learned. Caution: Be careful not to ask for too much in drawings or artwork. Even expert artists may have difficulty drawing a learned concept or skill.

"Products" of the children's activities can also be used for assessment. Many activities for young children involve making things. Watching the construction process as well as the end product gives the teacher clues about what and how the learner was learning. Asking questions about the product can produce information and help the child articulate what was learned. The products are a message to parents about the learning experience.

The worksheets and products can also be used to guide the discussion about what has occurred during the day. This could be done as one large group or in small groups. Efforts should be made for an adult to talk individually with each child to assess what he or she has learned during each day's activities. Children need guidance in reflecting on their learning experience. A series of probing questions that deal directly with the experience, the learning, the understanding, and the feelings will help the child learn how to do this reflecting.

Both the activity sheets and the processing time can be used to discuss what kinds of activities the children enjoyed and what kind of activity they would like to do in the next meeting. This provides opportunity for children to be involved in selecting their learning activities.