May your "Spark" put a little spring in your step! |
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Check out what's coming up!
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Underground Railroad Learning
Register here to participate!
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What's bugging our horses? A review of insect-borne diseases in the Northeast |
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Mosquitos. Ticks. Flies. They all carry diseases that can hurt your horse! Join Dr. Toby Pinn-Woodcock and Dr. Gillian Perkins, two Large Animal Internal Medicine specialists from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to review the threats…and how to avoid them.
• Learn the clinical signs of common insect-borne diseases:
- Lyme disease
- Potomac Horse Fever
- Anaplasmosis
- West Nile Virus
- Eastern Equine Encephalitis
• Plus, receive money-saving CountryMax coupons!
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Date and time
Sat, May 14, 2022
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
Location
CountryMax - Henrietta
4575 West Henrietta Road
Henrietta, NY 14467
Space is limited to the first 40 people!
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4-H Scholarships
Thanks to generous support from a variety of sources, there are opportunities for 4-H participants to receive financial support for leadership trips, summer camps, and college! Check out the website for information on the scholarships that are available and be sure to apply by Sunday, May 15th.
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Muck Dogs Baseball
Enjoy 4-H and FFA Night at the Wednesday, June 8th game in Batavia! game time is 7:05pm.
Contact Evan to reserve your free tickets by Monday, May 16!
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Resources for 4-H Leaders |
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SENSATIONAL HULA HOOP ECOLOGY
Thanks to Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom for the fabulous concept! Adapted by Monroe County 4H.
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Conceptual Objective: Discover and appreciate the amazing volume and variety of plants, animals, and insects within a small outdoor space.
Time: 45 minutes
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Materials Needed/Suggested:
Hula hoops
Clipboards
Observation worksheets
Pencils
Magnifying Glasses
Identification books
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Setting:
Outdoors – can be woods or grassy area (natural or even manicured), a garden
Anchor:
Ask students, “When was the last time you took the time to really study a patch of grass, garden, or woods very carefully, up close? When you did, what did you notice?”
Add:
A whole ecosystem is usually too large to study in detail. Looking at a small piece of an ecosystem can provide clues and information about the way the environment happens and works well beyond the small space within the hoop! Examining, analyzing, identifying, recording, and extrapolating/hypothesizing can all be done within the hoop to learn a lot about the very local and also global environment! The volume and variety of plants, insects, animals, and other natural features within a circle the size of a hula hoop will surely surprise you.
Apply:
1. Pair students in groups of 2-3.
2. Give each group a hula hoop.
3. Give each student a clipboard, worksheet, pencil, magnifying glass.
4. Demonstrate tossing the hoop randomly and then demonstrate how to survey what is inside.
5. Have the groups throw their hoops and investigate what is inside the hoop, and record their findings, in words and pictures—to include analyzing, identifying, recording, and extrapolating/hypothesizing.
6. Each group shares what they discovered, identified, wondered, hypothesized with the others. During the discussions, students will learn what they didn’t find in their own circle—a final team activity could be compiling all the plants, animals, insects found collectively!
Away:
1. Encourage the students to do this activity at home, in their neighborhood park and with family members and/or friends!
2. Suggest that this activity can be an exciting way to pass time anywhere outside!
3. Ask students how they will look at the environment and ecology differently because of Hula Hoop Ecology!
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Check out these community service opportunities! |
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Complete Streets at School 17
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Support the American Diabetes Association
The Upstate NY Tour de Cure is back in person on Saturday, June 11th at the Xerox Campus in Webster! There are a variety of ways to help from 5am-5pm.
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More Youth and Community Opportunities |
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Queer Youth Advocacy Retreat
This year's Queer Youth Advocacy Retreat (formerly the QSA Retreat), will be held at Camp Unirondack from June 3-5. This retreat is free for high-school-aged youth thanks to sponsorship from GLSEN Upstate.
Across the country, youth are working to create more inclusive and affirming spaces for LGBTQIA+ young people. School clubs and youth-led initiatives that focus on LGBTQIA+ advocacy have been a driving force in improving school environments and influencing social change within communities. The Queer Youth Advocacy Retreat is a weekend designed to bring together young Queer and Trans leaders, advocates, activists, organizers, school club members, and aspiring allies. The weekend offers a place for young people to connect with one another, exchange ideas, build knowledge and skills, think critically, and work together toward LGBTQIA+ justice.
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Lilac Sale!
More information available here!
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National Mental Health Awareness Month
1 in 6 children aged 6-8 in the US has a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder (CDC 2022). Among teenagers, 36% had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (CDC 2022). These trends can also be found around Monroe County; over half of all children reported feeling nervous or anxious for several days or more (Wayne Partnership 2020)
Mental health is important, and it’s important for adults to understand how to best support our youth who struggle with mental health.
Parents can help youth by:
- Caring for mental health as we do physical health (Mental Health America 2022)
- Modeling positive mental health by discussing your own feelings or apologizing
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Being aware of warning signs of mental health struggles, such as excessive anger, discussions of death or wanting to disappear, major changes in eating or sleeping habits, and a loss of interest in friends. More warning signs can be found here; https://www.mhanational.org/childrens-mental-health
- Encouraging your child’s talents or aspirations
Teachers can help youth by:
- Knowing the warning signs (Mental Health America 2022)
- Having a ‘safe space’ for students to discuss troubling or traumatic events in the classroom
- Considering mental health as an integral part to being ready to learn
Both parents and educators should also be aware of mental health resources available in their area. Kids Thrive 585 has an extensive listing of resources for adults to help youth at this link!
References
Mayo Clinic. (2020, April 22). Meditation: A simple fast way to reduce stress. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
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Have you seen some of our latest 4-H News and Activities? |
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We're excited to welcome Moss Hodde to the 4-H team as the new go-to for 4-H club and volunteer connections! In the ten years since they became a teen volunteer with 4-H, Moss has collaborated with the DEC, Student Conservation Association, PRI’s Museum of the Earth, Common Ground Farm, and many other organizations to connect plants to people through educational programs, conservation, and science writing. You can find her cross-referencing event calendars and writing notes to volunteers, or by emailing her at [email protected].
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Arbor Day
4-H participants and county and city officials worked together to plant two trees at the 2022 Arbor Day Ceremony at Genesee Valley Park!
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Bishop Kearney Floral Arranging
Students in Bishop Kearney's Hands-on Horticulture Class learned the principles of floral arranging with Master Gardener Volunteer Ashly Piedmont. What beautiful creations they made!
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Volunteer Appreciation
Thank you to the volunteers who support 4-H youth throughout the year. They may serve as club leaders, presentation evaluators, community partners, or cheerleaders! A wonderful time was enjoyed by all at the 2022 Volunteer Appreciation Event, Sparking Conversations! It was wonderful to be together and enjoy each other's company!
Thank you to all volunteers!
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- May 14 Horse Communications at Cornell
- May 15 Scholarship Applications due
- May 16 Muck Dog ticket requests due
- June 11th District Public Presentations
- August 28 Horse Judging and Hippology at State Fair
- September 24-26 Outdoor Adventure Weekend
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