Youth "learn by doing" in 4-H, and those who attend Ohio 4-H Science Saturdays can explore and experience firsthand the science behind everyday things.
This program engages third- to sixth-grade students in hands-on, interactive activities about a variety of topics, from nature to food to animals to health. The program is organized by Ohio 4-H Youth Development in CFAES, but attendees connect with university students, faculty, and researchers from across campus as they learn.
Previous 4-H Science Saturday topics:
- "Colorful Chemistry": Investigating the different ways chemicals are used to produce color.
- How trees benefit the environment and how to use GPS technology; with the School of Environment and Natural Resources.
- How Earth "makes" minerals and how minerals are transformed into gems; with Ohio State's School of Earth Sciences.
- The engineering of sound – i.e., why dogs can hear higher sounds than people can -- and how to build speakers out of paper, copper wire, and magnets; with Ohio State's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
- Magnets and how electricity is related to magnetism; with Ohio State's Department of Physics.
- Forensic science: How fingerprints and bones can tell stories to investigators; with Ohio State's Department of Archaeology.
The next Science Saturday program is Dec. 1 on "The Science of Chocolate." Youth will learn how chocolate is made and processed and will use their five senses to understand why it tastes so good. Ohio 4-H is partnering with the Department of Food Science and Technology for the second time to offer this topic.
Each 4-H Science Saturday two-hour morning program is held at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on Ohio State's main campus.
For more information, contact Sally McClaskey, Ohio 4-H youth development program coordinator, mcclaskey.12@osu.edu, 614-247-8141.
-- Cheryl Buck, OSU Extension