Do you remember being in elementary school? What are some of your most vivid memories? I remember field trips – field trips were always my favorite – and when my 2nd grade teacher brought a guinea pig in to be a “class pet”. It is always the hands-on experiences that stand out the most, and fondest, in my mind. It seems experiences, especially tangible ones, tend to last longer in our memory than just facts .

This hands-on learning is one of the benefits of bringing 4-H into the classroom. We are able to help teachers facilitate learning experiences that the students will take with them for a long, long time.

Our 4-H slogan is Learning by Doing, and we have the opportunity to support teachers incorporate this important concept in their classrooms. Giving teachers all the necessary materials, a timeline for the project, and personally going into the classroom to help with questions and set up, enables the teacher to work with the students and not worry about becoming an expert in the content area.

After spring break, a few classrooms in Flagler county will be coming back to school and getting ready for one of these type programs. Every year, 4-H supports a few classrooms programs to learn about Embryology through incubating and hatching chicken eggs.

Throughout the 5 week program, the elementary students will be learning about the different stages of embryo development; from fertilized eggs into chicks over the course of about 21 days. They will also be able to identify the different parts of an egg, and demonstrate the technique of candling eggs. Additionally, they will be practicing reading, writing, and math skills, while developing agricultural literacy.

Bringing agriculture to the classroom in this way enhances the students engagement as they have the exact thing they are learning about right in from of them. Helping teachers create these learning environments may be one of our favorite parts of working in 4-H. Just check out the video one of our neighboring agents created!

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