School Enrichment & Special Interest Programs
School Enrichment and Special Interest Programming are a BIG part of 4-H in Bernalillo County! This form of outreach targets youth who are not able to participate in the traditional club format, which requires parental involvement. Instead, youth "learn by doing" in the same core topics -- Science, Healthy Living and Citizenship -- through K-12 school-based and out-of-school programming. We partner with other youth-serving organizations to build sustainable programs that meet the unique needs of urban youth and those who teach them. By participating in 4-H programs, participants find new ways to think about and solve 21st century challenges.
Grades PreK-12. The outdoor classroom is HOT in Albuquerque! Join this growing local movement of 60+ schools that recognize how the outdoors is a powerful environment for students to build their critical thinking skills and develop a personal connection with the natural world -- all while getting exercise. We'll show you how! We offer technical and organizational assistance. The Seeds presentation (see below) is made in third grade classes at schools participating in our Outdoor Classroom Program. For more information, contact bernalillo@nmsu.edu.
Grades K-12 The 4-H school initiative has taken off in Bernalillo County! Schools are using 4-H curriculum, linked to Common Core, to increase retention skills, as well as improve attendance rates and behavior issues. The students read and write about a project they have chosen, which helps them to invest in the project they have selected. Students are also provided hands-on experiences for the last hour of school at least once a week on projects as diverse as cooking to tending to animals. We also have a variety of curriculum kits that are available for classroom to check out. For more information on how to become a 4-H School or to reserve a curriculum kit, contact Brittany Sonntag.
Grades K - 12. Despite what some kids may think, milk doesn't come from the supermarket! Milk and countless other everyday products come from farms. Kids, Kows & Math is a field-trip featuring hands-on activities and demonstrations that teach students about farm life and the math farmers use everyday. This event is held at the Bernalillo County Extension Office in September as part of STEM-NM's 12 Months of Math. For more information and to register your class, contact Brittany Sonntag.
Grades 5-12 Bernalillo County 4-H offers a variety of STEM curriculum kit that are available to schools and afterschool programs. These programs include:
Junk Drawer Robotics Curriculum that challenges the youth to think like a scientist, communicate like an engineer and build like a technician. Youth use re-purposed items, such as paint stirrers, egg cartons, plastic tubes, wooden sticks, to create a marshmallow catapult, a robotic arm that bent at an elbow, and a gripper.
Lego Robotics Bernalillo County 4-H has EV3 robots as well as curriculum to help youth use the newest LEGO® technology to learn about what a robot is, how to build one, and how to program it. Youth begin with a lesson in safety and progress through the 3 different rocket builds, while learning about science topics such as force and resistance
3D Printing Combining Art and Science, youth will use 3D printing pens to draw their creation to life! Kit includes the 3D pen, filament, and stencils.
Rocketry 4-H curriculum included 3 rocket builds: a construction paper rocket, a water rocket, and a model rocket.
National Youth Science Day: Each year, 4-H participates in a National 4-H Science Day. The theme for the project changes from year-to-year, but have included coding, drones, physics, and rocketry. Kits included all supplies needed to run the program as well as curriculum.
For more information, contact Brittany Sonntag.
Grade 3. This presentation is made in all third grade classes at schools participating in our Outdoor Classroom Program. Students learn from Master Gardeners about seed growth as well as the basics of botany and horticulture. Students take seeds to plant and nurture.
Spring months only.
For more information, contact the Extension office.
Grades K-12. Egg to Chick is an educational, school-based program where students learn the basic principles of hatching chicks. This program brings one aspect of farming to urban students who may not have the opportunity to observe this life cycle process in any other setting. Students incubate, candle, hatch and observe live chicks over the course of a month. We provide the incubator, eggs, lessons, and all the supplies necessary to keep the chicks for a week after they have hatched
Spring months only. This is a very popular program, so please schedule early!
Click here to see a great video about the Incubation and Hatching Process.
For more information, contact Brittany Sonntag.
Grade K-12 Combining Hydroponics (the process of growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid, with added nutrients but without soil) and Aquaculture (the science of raising fish), students will use gold fish to provide nutrients to plants in the classroom without using soil. In turn, the plants will clean the water for the fish. Over the course of a semester, students will record and track daily measurements of the plant growth and used scientific principles to regulate pH, nitrogen and ammonia levels of the system. For more information, contact Brittany Sonntag.