Explore 4-H Self-Determined Projects For Homeschool Curriculum

-



 I recognize that many people think of 4-H as something for those who live in rural areas, who grow up on farms or ranches. Most have visited 4-H projects at county or state fairs. Few are aware of all the different learning options available through 4-H. I especially like the 4-H Self-Determined Projects framework that we, as home educators, can use for just about any project or course of study that our students might elect to pursue. We can borrow ideas from these project books and those found in 4-H literature for our own curricula, whether or not we choose to involve students in 4-H clubs and programs. And some families may choose to start their own homeschool 4-H club or to join other 4-H clubs that could display at the fairs. 

Here is where you can look over the self-determined project book:

https://ohio4h.org/sites/ohio4h/files/imce/365_Self_Determined_Project_Guide_2015%281%29.pdf

Anyone can print out this five-page project guide and set up their own projects. Or can use this project guide as a template for our own "self-determined" projects and writeour own projects our students can complete. 

When my daughter was in 4-H, she and a small group of homeschoolers set up their own self-determined project on the stock market. They did end up submitting it as part of their homeschool 4-H club annual projects displayed at the County Fair. But this was not a requirement and would work just as well as a self-directed project that you do at home and don't display at the County Fair.  

The Ohio 4-H Self-Determined Project Guide also includes some "idea starters" for these types of projects in a special section titled "Writing An Idea Starter." This presents some ideas on how to go about setting up this type of independent learning project. Here is where you can read more about these "idea starters":

https://ohio4h.org/sites/ohio4h/files/imce/Writing_a_4H_Idea_Starter_2015%281%29.pdf

What else does 4-H offer? Lots of other project ideas that you could purchase and follow, or you could create your own based on parts of what they offer. You can review all the many downloadable project books available for Ohio for this year here:

https://ohio4h.org/booksresources

You may download their "Perfect Stay-At-Home Projects" for free. You can also buy project books online or make your own. So, many options for these very interesting learning resources. And these are just the ones available for Ohio. Since 4-H is under the Department of Agriculture and usually run by one university in each state, you go online and search for many other project options available from 4-H programs in other states. Likewise, you can search Cooperative Extension booklets and other Department of Agriculture booklets available either online or that you can order by mail. For instance, here's where you can review a list of projects and programs available in nearby Michigan:

https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/236/59719/MSU-Extension-catalog-4H-Youth.pdf

You might want to explore 4-H offerings from several other states. For instance, here is one for a "Solar Powered Houses Activity Kit." With this kit students can "design and build a solar powered house and then light up the entire neighborhood! Using a solar panel, conductive tape, and LED lights, youth will learn about solar energy and circuits. This kit, for 2-3 youth, includes a solar panel, house and neighborhood templates, tape, a battery, LEDs, and an index card." 

https://shop4-h.org/products/solar-powered-houses-activity-kit

I'm sure you and your students will find a wide range of ideas that you can readily adapt to your own home education program. For those who are tailoring education to their children and not to generic curricula primed for mass testing, do check out what 4-H offers. These are usually written for an age appropriate group of students, so you might find something that really catches the interest of your child or children.

Hopefully these types of resources can help us create interesting curricula that will motivate our children to learn!






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Famous and Well Known Home Schoolers

-
Image
  Albert Einstein: famous physicist and Nobel laureate Benjamin Franklin: one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a polymath. Thomas Edison: inventor and businessman who developed many important inventions, including the light bulb. Isaac Newton: mathematician and scientist who developed the theory of gravitation. Tim Ferriss: entrepreneur, author, and podcast host. Agatha Christie: famous mystery novelist. Charles Darwin: naturalist and biologist known for his theories of evolution. Lewis Carroll: author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: composer and musician. William Shakespeare: playwright and poet.
Read more

Home Education Past and Future

-
Image
  The history of home education in America dates back to the colonial era, when parents often taught their children at home due to the lack of formal schools in many areas. However, the practice of home schooling, as we know it today, did not become widespread until the latter half of the 20th century. During the colonial period, many families lived in rural areas where no schools existed. In these cases, parents had no other choice than teaching children themselves, or, if wealthy enough, hire a tutor to teach them. This was a common practice among the upper and middle classes, who could afford it. The first known instance of homeschooling in America occurred in the early 1600s, when Puritan settlers in New England began educating at home. At the time, these settlers believed that education was a religious duty, and that children should be taught to read the Bible and understand religious doctrine. This emphasis on religious education continued throughout the colonial period, with...
Read more

How Pandemics Can Change Education

-
Image
When it comes to history, often our memories stretch only a short distance toward past events. We assume this is the only time that a pandemic affected children’s education. This isn’t our first time, nor will it be the last. Truthfully, over centuries, education has evolved and should continue to do so for the sake of our children. Since 3000 B.C., our species has survived at least 20 terrible epidemics and pandemics and countless less severe ones. These plagues ravaged civilizations and altered the course of humanity. Pandemics are global outbreaks of disease that can affect millions of people. The most well known of such plaques is the Black Death. Also known as the bubonic plague, it occurred during the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in China and spread along trade routes, eventually reaching Europe in the 1340s. The most heavily impacted countries were those in Europe, particularly Italy and Spain, but the disease also spread to other parts of Asia, Africa, and th...
Read more