Kosciusko Co. 4-H Brings Hands-On STEM To The Community
Kosciusko Co. 4-H Brings Hands-On STEM To The Community
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Staff Report-
Kosciusko Co. 4-H Brings Hands-On STEM To The CommunityOver the last week, Kosciusko County 4-H, a division of Purdue Extension, spent time at local schools and after school settings delivering STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) lessons to students.
The 4-H Youth Development Educator for Kosciusko County, Andrew Ferrell, worked to secure a few partnerships in the community so that students could get extra, hands-on learning with STEM resources, according to a news release from Purdue Extension - Kosciusko County.
On Thursday, Ferrell’s small group of 4-H high school students helped teach STEM lessons to over 50 fifth-grade students at Milford School and over 20 students at Baker Youth Club. The lessons touched on topics about chemical reactions, molecules, coding, robotics and 3-D printing.
“What’s great about these opportunities is that students get involved in hands-on learning and the classroom teachers get a chance for a break knowing it is standards-based learning,” Ferrell said.
Ferrell and his team of 4-H high school students have been practicing these lessons for a couple months, in preparation for these events. Ferrell recruited students in the 4-H program who were looking to gain experience in the education field.
After Ferrell gathered a group of those students, Ferrell trained them to be “teachers” for these STEM events. All 4-H members involved spent numerous hours preparing for these events and gained invaluable experience through the process.
“The idea is that we have a group of high school students interested in potentially entering the education field of study, so we give them an opportunity to lead educator-guided lessons to younger youth. Additionally, the younger youth get hands-on learning with STEM tools and resources. It is a win-win situation,” Ferrell added.
4-H is a national organization that specializes in delivering hands-on activities in STEM and agriculture, healthy living and civic engagement to youth in local communities. 4-H is partnered with Purdue Extension in Indiana and is led by each county’s 4-H youth development educator.
If you’d like more information about the STEM opportunity or 4-H in Kosciusko County, reach out to the office at 574-372-2340.
