Ashtabula County's 4-H youth development program offers science curriculum to our local educators.  The curriculum meets the targeted performance and instructional objectives from "Ohio's Model Competency-Based Programs for Science," Ohio Department of Education, 1994, which includes scientific inquiry, scientific knowledge, conditions for learning science and applications for science learning.

Training and materials on the topics below are available at the Ashtabula County Extension Office, 39 Wall Street, Jefferson, Ohio 44047. 440-576-9008. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Please ask for Abbey Averill.

 
Science-based Programs offered by the Ashtabula County OSU Extension Office:

• GO Plants! - A Plant Science Unit 3rd-4th Grade Classrooms.  The 4-H GO Plants! - Growing opportunities with Plants program engages third- and fourth-grade students in the exploration of plant science topics through a variety of science skill-building activities. The teaching strategy reflected in this unit encourages inquiery-based learning, the active use of science skills, and the use of creative and critical thinking skills. This includes planting, growing, and maintaining plant materials in the classroom under grow-lights or in a window-garden situation .

• Weather Together - The 4-H Weather Together project engages learners in the exploration of weather through a variety of classroom-based and self-guided activities.  The teaching strategy reflected in this unit encourages inquiry-based learning, the active use of science skills, and the use of creative and critical-thinking skills.  Students will explore the influence of sunlight, gravity and moisture on the atmosphere, and the interaction of these influences which creates weather.  Students will learn to predict the level and intensity of these interactions on local weather conditions.
   
  Weather Together activities are designed with the busy teacher in mind.  This five-week, five-lesson unit is designed to be taught in 60-minute intervals, with the potential to expand to 120 minutes if optional Digging Deeper and Going Beyond Activities are conducted.  The book includes photo-ready transparencies, cut and assemble teaching posters, end-of-lesson review tests, read and do worksheets, a glossary of weather-related terms, a shopping list of equipment and consumables, and web page support for predicting local weather conditions.

• Junior Master Gardeners - http://www.jmgkids.us/

The JMGsm Junior Master Gardener program is an international youth gardening program of the University Cooperative Extension network. JMGsm engages children in novel, "hands-on" group and individual learning experiences that provide a love of gardening, develop an appreciation for the environment, and cultivate the mind.

JMGsm also inspires youths to be of service to others through service learning and leadership development projects and rewards them with certification and recognition. Youth can explore their world through meaningful horticulture and environmental science activities that encourage leadership development, personal pride, responsibility and community involvement. The program incorporates service learning and volunteerism, which enables youth to make a positive contribution to their community.

Peer and cross generation mentoring occurs when JMGsm groups interact with Master Gardeners, community leaders and other volunteers. JMGsm youth can be mentors to younger youth, by teaching them about horticulture.  JMGsm provides an opportunity for youth to interact and bond with nature. As they go through the JMGsm program, they can learn how to conserve our natural resources and make knowledgeable decisions about the environment.

• The Incredible Egg - Eggzactly how does an egg become a chick? Students can learn by exercise or observation with this popular teaching package. Designed to be used either independently or sequentially, the four lessons in the curriculum also address the parts of an egg and its nutritive value, all in fun-filled lessons that incorporate science, language arts, and math skills.

• Breads of the Harvest - What sustained the Pilgrims during their long ocean voyage to the New World? What did they eat to celebrate their first harvest in the American wilderness? What European delicacies did they learn to adapt to their new homeland? Breads. This three-unit curriculum integrates science, language arts, and math concepts in a study of the role of breads in shaping the history of this nation.

• Fishy Science - Water, water everywhere-and yet fish get thirsty. Why? Through observation and experimentation, students learn the answers to that question and many others in this four-lesson curriculum on how fish swim and breathe, their sensory features, and their adaptation to water. Units can stand alone or work as a progression.

• Rockets Away! - The Rockets Away educational program teaches about the science of rocketry through the use of hands-on experiments, computer software and the building and launching of 2-liter bottle rockets.

• Science Fun with Airplanes - Learn about the principles of flight and why planes fly the way they do with our Science of Flight 4-H Project Book. This manual provides over 20 hands-on experiments to help youth learn about this fascinating subject.
  

• Reality Day - Are your students ready for a real life experience? Are you ready to introduce your students to the problems mom and dad face every day and the student will soon face? The Reality Day Program can be accomplished in just three or four class periods. Students will learn how to manage a budget and balance a checkbook, students will learn that their future earning ability is in direct proportion to their present learning.  To find out more, e-mail Abbey Averill @ averill.10@osu.edu

• Don't Laugh at Me Program - "Operation Respect is a non-profit organization working to transform schools, camps and organizations focused on children and youth, into more compassionate, safe and respectful environments. Founded by Peter Yarrow of the folk group Peter, Paul & Mary, the organization disseminates educational resources that are designed to establish a climate that reduces the emotional and physical cruelty some children inflict upon each other by behaviors such as ridicule, bullying and-in extreme cases-violence. It is a unique organization that provides a gateway to broad scale adoption of school-based character education as well as social and emotional learning (SEL) programs." STOP BULLYING AT YOUR SCHOOL!

• Teamwork & Teamplay - Visit this link to see what Team Building is all about!  Great Web site!  Teamwork & Teamplay. A workshop based on the title of the best selling adventure-based book, appropriate for all levels of experience. This presentation is intended to acquaint the audience with a variety of new, ground level, portable challenge and adventure-based educational activities that can be used to build confidence, cooperation, teamwork, creativity, trust, communication, decision making and problem solving skills within groups.

Character Counts - http://www.charactercounts.org/faq.htm#Specif

A diverse, nonpartisan alliance of leading human-service and educational organizations working together to strengthen the character of young people today — and safeguard tomorrow for all. With hundreds of members around the U.S. (click here for the complete list), the Coalition has the potential of reaching millions of young people and their families, advocating consensus ethical values that transcend political, religious, class and ethnic divisions. These values, called the “Six Pillars of Character,” are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

• Teen Institute - The mission of the National Association of Teen Institutes (NATI) is to promote and advocate comprehensive youth leadership training programs in prevention, which empower people to effect positive changes in individuals, families, and communities.
  NATI is a coalition of prevention programs using the Teen Institute (TI) model to promote wellness through the development of positive life skills. Founded in 1985, NATI is a not-for-profit corporation that provides a network of support and ideas for existing programs as well as assistance and training for the development of new programs.
  
  Each year since 1965, thousands of students and adults have gathered in communities and program sites throughout the United States to participate in a wellness/prevention program known as the Teen Institute. Beginning in 1984, prevention professionals from across the U.S. have been meeting to share their experiences and ideas on promoting the prevention programming embodied within the Teen Institute model.
  
• Out of School Programming - Tons of resources on doing things with kids outside of school.