Parents and Kids – An Educational Opportunity!

Parents and Kids – An Educational Opportunity!

Brooker Creek Preserve is proud to announce they are looking for youth members to join their 4-H Forest Ecology Team and Brooker Creek Explorers Club. Youth joining the Forest Ecology Team will work towards competing in an annual 4-H Forest Ecology Contest held in April. This contest quizzes students on their plant and animal identification skills, compass and map skills, and ecological knowledge. Both the Team and the Club are fun ways to learn, get outdoors, and be involved in your community. Activities for the forest ecology team will be led by Lara Miller, Natural Resource Extension Agent for Pinellas County, and the Brooker Creek Explorers club will be led by Brooker Creek Preserve volunteers. If you are interested in joining either opportunity or both please contact Lara Miller at lmiller@pinellascounty.org. You may also join us at the 4-H Open House hosted at Brooker Creek Preserve on Saturday, October 13^th from 1:00-3:00pm. Families will have the opportunity to inquire more about the 4-H clubs and teams being offered as well as participate in a variety of fun, hands-on activities such as:

Activity 1:  Leaf and Bark rubbing

Activity 2:  Identification of the leaf that was rubbed

Activity 3:  Age of several Tree Cookies

Activity 4:  Drawing Your Own Life as a Tree Cookie

Free registration for the Open House is available here. We look forward to seeing you there!

Helping our Children to Eat Better

By Betty Lipe, 4-H Educational Instructor

Obesity rates have risen sharply in the last twenty years. In Florida as many as one in five children are obese and just a few years ago it was estimated at one in ten. Obesity can lead to many health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

In June of 2004 Congress passed a law reauthorizing federal funding for the Child Nutrition program. This program directs all school districts participating in the federally funded child nutrition programs to establish a local school wellness policy for all schools in their district. The link between nutrition, physical education, and academic achievement is strong. Poor nutrition and hunger interfere with cognitive function. Research has shown the school breakfast programs benefit students with improved ability to concentrate in the classroom and improvements in test scores.

5 a day for Better Health is a national program and partnership that seeks to increase the number of daily servings. This program provides ideas for easy ways to add more fruits and vegetables to daily eating patterns. Be Wise about Your Portion Size is a statewide education campaign aimed at encouraging Floridians to be aware of portion sizes as well as their daily intake of food. This was started in 2005 in an effort to reduce the incidence of obesity in Florida.

Since evidence shows that nutrition and learning go hand in hand opportunities should be provided for youth to taste new foods. The experiences should be created through hands-on making of healthy snacks, breakfast items, or other meals. Children and teens seem more willing to try new foods if they have had a hand in preparing the item.

Sample Recipes Youth Can Make:

Ants on a Log: Cut celery into 4 inch strips and fill the hollow part with cream cheese or peanut butter and add a few raisins sitting on top. Try adding bits of vegetables to the cream cheese.

Fruit Kabobs: On a long skewer, thread a grape, strawberry, marshmallow, cut kiwi, and strawberry. To keep the banana from turning brown, coat each piece with lemon juice before placing on the skewer. If strawberries are not in season, pineapple or other in season fruits can be used.

Homemade Granola Bars: Start with 3 ½ cups rolled oats (or oatmeal toasted on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes at 350○F, stirred occasionally.) Mix rolled oats, 1 cup nuts (chopped), 1 cup raisins, 2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted, ½ cup brown sugar, packed, ½ cup honey, corn syrup, or molasses, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. When thoroughly mixed, press the mixture in a well greased 10 X 15 jelly roll pan and bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes. Cool and a wire rack and cut into bars when cool.

A Few More Tips:

• For your summer picnics, radish roses or carrot curls are fun to make and eat. Remember to invite your children or teens to help. This will introduce them to different foods as you prepare the ingredients, and they are getting a second benefit of learning to eat healthier.
  
• As school gears up and you are thinking about lunches, let the children and teens shop with you and pick out ingredients for their lunches. With your guidance they can learn how to choose smart and stay healthy.
  
• While cooking (under supervision) youth are learning to read a recipe, measure ingredients properly (practices math skills), finish a project, and enjoy the results. All this will hopefully lead to better choices in food.
  
• Involve the children and teens in picking fresh produce as it becomes available - tomatoes in May and June or blueberries in May. The following is a link where you can find what fruit and vegetables is available for u-pick in Florida http://www.florida-agriculture.com/link_descriptions.htm . Many of the fruits and vegetables recommended for your 5-A-Day are available all winter long in Florida. In fact there are many Green Markets springing up in Pinellas County where you can purchase fresh produce all winter. One of these is sponsored by the Pinellas County Extension Service. For further information see the website: http://pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/market/index.html

Schools can only do so much, so as parents we need to realize that the home front is the best venue to teach healthy choices. The more we involve children in making healthy choices the better they will do when they are not at home.

Resources:
Six Easy Bites – 4-H Foods Youth Activity Guide
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/obesity/nutrition/index.html
http://nutrition.dadeschools.net/nutritioned.html

http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2006_11_01_archive.html
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/obesity/documents/BeWise.html.
http://www.5aday.org/index.htm

Free Grant Money Available!

By Richard Livingstone
4-H Youth Mentor, Pinellas County Extension

What is a 4-H Community Service Grant you ask? Well, it is a monetary award for youth led service projects and 4-H has been awarding them for the past 10 years. Did you know that any Pinellas County youth or youth-led group is invited to apply for a grant to complete a project that addresses a community need during the summer of 2008? Well now you do!

The 4-H Community Service Grants Board is holding its final funding cycle of the year during the month of June. 4-H is “taking the responsibility to create change” by encouraging youth or youth-led groups in summer school programs, camps, and recreational activities to apply for a community service grant and benefit from the many life skills developed during the process.

In a publication written by Marilyn Norman, Associate Professor in Family, Youth and Community Sciences and state 4-H Program Leader as well as Joy Jordan, Associate Professor in Family, Youth and Community Sciences, a life skill is “a learned ability and competency that assists people in functioning well in the environments in which they live.” Using the four H’s and eight subcategories of the 4-H Targeting Life Skills Model (right) youth development programs can identify the skills within the five targeted competency areas that are appropriate for the ages they serve and offer 4-H experiences to teach these skills.

To view the full report visit http://florida4h.org/clubs/files/101.9_Targeting_Life_Skills.pdf

Applying for a 4-H Community Service Grant is a great way for youth to gain needed life skills including youth/adult partnerships, presentation & public speaking skills, as well as earning service hours. In an impact report published by Florida 4-H surveying 628 Florida 4-Hers, results showed that youth involved in 4-H indicated greater life skills gained from 4-H experiences particularly in the areas of communications, relationships, leadership, and decision making. To view the full impact report visit http://florida4h.org/news/files/4-H_Impact_in_Florida%20.pdf.

Pinellas County 4-H is working to increase civic engagement in the community using its 4-H Community Service Grants Board. Please visit our website at http://www.pinellasteeninfo.com/ to download a grant application and take a look at other projects being done in your community. For more information on applying for a 4-H Community Service Grant please contact Richard Livingstone at (727)-582-2103 or rlivingstone@pinellascounty.org.

Many Marine Habitats

By Betty Lipe, 4-H Educational Instructor

Source: Aquatic and Marine Ecosystems a Leaders’ Activity Guide by the
Florida 4-H Youth Development Program.

Florida is a unique state. We are surrounded on three sides by water, so as members of the community we need to be especially aware some special areas.

What are wetlands? Wetlands are areas of land that are covered with water for any length of time, from a week to the entire twelve months. Some examples of wetlands are swamps, marshes, and wet prairies. Most wetlands contain freshwater, but some like salt marshes contain saltwater. There are many threatened and endangered species of plants and animals that are dependent on wetlands, such as the wood stork, Southern bald eagle, Florida black bear, and the Florida sandhill crane.

Why are wetlands important? They are the sponge in our habitat. They catch the rainwater and allow it to percolate into the Florida aquifer. They furnish habitat for the young of many species to grow and develop, and they also provide recreational areas.

Here in Tampa Bay, we are also concerned with the coastal ecosystems. We have three of Florida’s four major types of coastal ecosystems right in Pinellas County. Beach/Dune/Barrier Island Ecosystem, Estuary, and mangrove swamps. Just to our north, begin the Salt Marsh ecosystem, which continues up through the Big Bend area of Florida.

The Beach/Dune/Barrier Island ecosystem is the most dynamic of the habitats. This area changes constantly with the action of wind, tides and currents. Nature has shaped and reshaped the coastline of Florida throughout history. Recently human habitation has, in many areas, altered the cycles of sand movement, dune development, and created beach erosion to the point where beach renourishment has to be done. Luckily the West coast of Florida because of the smaller Gulf of Mexico and the shallow slope out to the continental shelf make our coast a low energy wave area. The East coast is noted for high energy waves.

Tampa Bay is one of the largest estuaries on the west coast of Florida. Estuaries are water areas where saltwater and freshwater meet. The West coast of Florida alone has approximately 2.5 million acres of estuarine habitat that includes open water, salt marshes, and mangrove swamps. Two important factors related to the biological characteristics of estuary ecosystems are the diversity of habitats and the high productivity of the associated food webs. Habitats within the estuary include sandy bottoms, sea grass beds, oyster bars, and mud flats. These habitats provide living areas for over two thirds of the commercially important fish and shellfish. High nutrient levels in estuarine waters provide a rich “soup” that nourishes plants and animals.

Tampa Bay is the northernmost range of the mangrove swamp ecosystem. This is due to sensitivity to freezing temperatures. Mangroves can reach a height of 80 feet, hence the name mangrove forest. Mangroves help to buffer the storm waves and winds and provide protection to inland areas. Mangroves also protect the estuaries they border by filtering the runoff that flows into the estuaries from upland regions. By trapping sediment, mangroves actually build land while the roots and vegetation help prevent shoreline erosion. The mangrove prop roots create a maze-like “nursery” beneath the water where young crabs, shrimp and small fish such as snook and mullet can swim, but the large fishes that prey on them cannot. The prop roots also provide a place for oysters, barnacles and anemones to attach while birds like the top of the trees as roosting sites. Today mangroves on public and private lands are a protected species because of the good they do for the ecosystem.

4-H members through the Marine Ecology Event and the 4-H Afterschool program “Walk on the Wet Side” have a chance to learn and study about each of these important ecosystems. 4-H members also have the opportunity to participate in a state wide competition to test what they have learned through study, field trips, and meetings.

Pinellas County Marine Teams

2007 State Marine Ecology Event held in Kissimmee, Florida.

The Economic Impact of Pinellas County 4-H Youth Development

By Janet Golden, 4-H Program Leader

According to Richard Lerner from Tufts University, “Enough data has been gathered and analyzed to share statistically valid information that not only proves that 4-H youth development programs strengthen and improve communities, but also youth in 4-H are more likely to thrive and succeed than those who are not in 4-H.”

Lerner’s 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD) found that:

• 4-H youth are 41% more likely to contribute to themselves, their families and their communities, compared to youth in other activities (28 percent) or no activities at all (17 percent).


• Youth in 4-H programs are more likely to be civically engaged than other youth.


• Involvement in 4-H increases a young person’s potential of doing well.


• 4-H reduces the likelihood that young people will engage in risk behaviors, such as underage drinking, smoking, bullying, etc.

Pinellas 4-H programs target specific youth development life skills as outcomes for young people. How effective has 4-H been in helping youth develop skills? These are the five life skills integrated into almost every 4-H program or activity:


By providing youth ages 5-18 in Pinellas County opportunities to learn leadership, citizenship, and life skills through postive youth development experiences, economic benefits are significant.

• The cost of incarcerating a youth for one day is $159 (average stay 13 days). 4-H is able to provide intensive youth development programming to over 7,500 youth a year which potentially saves taxpayers $15.5 million in incarceration costs.


• The cost of underage drinking to the state of Florida is $2,383 per year for each youth in the state. 4-H potentially saves the taxpayers $18 million dollars by providing youth opportunities to develop citizenship, leadership, and life skills.


• In 2007 4-H volunteers (youth & adult) contributed 13,841 hours of service to the community with a value of $260,000 to the community.

For more information about the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development at Tufts University : http://ase.tufts.edu/iaryd/researchPositive4H.htm

To Buy or Not To Buy

By Margaret Deller
4-H Youth Development Educational Instructor

“Ethical consumerism may be loosely defined as the practice of purchasing products and services that actively seek to minimize social and/or environmental damage and the avoidance of products deemed to have a negative impact on society or the environment.”

According to market research:

• The average youth has two shopping experiences a week.
  
• 54% - 63 % of parents admitted that their children were active participants in shopping for cars.


• Youth between the ages of 5 and 14 have a direct buying power of more than $40 billion and influence $146 billion worth of expenditures every year. Most of the guidance they receive on how to spend this $186 billion is from marketing.

Every day the youth are bombarded with messages to buy things. The ads are on the radio, TV, billboards, and almost every website they visit. Ads make up the bulk of magazines and newspapers. Even books have an “also available from this publishing house” section in the back. These messages say your life will be better; you will look better, feel better, be cooler, be richer, be smarter, and more famous, if you just buy this item. The overwhelming amount of consumer goods available and the advertising that goes with them has made our youth very consumeristic: youth have a preoccupation with and an inclination towards the buying of consumer goods.

4-H is changing this for the next generation of adult consumers. By training youth to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to each purchase we are helping them shop smarter. Each year the Florida 4-H office picks four products that youth purchase and creates a study guide to help the youth decide how to buy them. The youth compare product features, cost, how it is made, where it is made, applicability to a given situation, and even packaging.

Some of the studied items are needs; food, clothing, and shelter. But most of the items are wants; things you can live without. This year the youth will be learning about sports drinks, work-out wear, digital cameras, and bicycle helmets. The youth attend workshops on each topic and then test their knowledge in April at the Central Florida Fair 4-H Consumer Judging Contest. For the contest, the youth are given a situation and four products to choose from. They must rank those items from best to worst for that situation. Half of their score comes from a scantron recording of those answers, the other half from oral reasons. In oral reasons the youth must explain their selection to a judge. Even if their ranking is wrong the youth can score highly if their arguments are sound.

If you would like your child ages 8 - 18 to participate in this year’s workshops please contact Margaret at 727-582-2263 or mdeller@pinellascounty.org. The weekly workshops will be held in Largo starting March 10th and in St. Petersburg starting March 11th.

Sources:retailindustry.about.com, igd.com

Webster’s Dictionary

Technology – We All Need It

By Eric Yuan
4-H Youth Mentor

In today’s modern world the use of technology is simply unavoidable in our daily lives. Throughout our day we use technology in one form or another. Sometimes youth have an unhealthy obsession with technology and some have said it corrupts today’s youth with the violence in games and access to other negative influences available via the Internet. Although there are negatives of technology, positive aspects of technology are prevalent and need to be reinforced for its’ positive aspects. Sure, technology may be detrimental if used unwisely or in excess; however, technology can benefit youth in countless ways and is an integral part of their development as an individual.

Use of the Internet is not all simply for fun and games. Exploring the Internet can result in many positive benefits for today’s youth. Not only does the Internet allow youth to broaden their perspective of the world, it keeps youth informed on current events and allows for them to learn about events in our past, present, and what is possible in the future.

Online competitions, such as LifeSmarts, allow youth to not only learn and compete about technology, but also reinforce the idea of tactful consumerism and emphasize the importance of health and environmental protection. The Internet is also an invaluable tool for networking. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Elluminate make it easy to organize any event – from parties, to meetings, to national conferences. The Internet is the ultimate tool for amalgamating resources and people in order to accomplish a goal.

Youth who familiarize themselves with technology at a young age are more likely to have an advantage academically. Today, most classes use the computer or Internet at some point during the course. Furthermore, throughout middle school and high school students often use Microsoft PowerPoint for a class presentation or Excel spreadsheet for vast mathematical calculations or to compile and sort information. Even basic research predominantly relies on Internet search engines such as Google or Yahoo. To highlight the importance of technology even more, colleges utilize computers for SAT registration, marketing colleges, and the application process. It is imperative that all of today’s youth familiarize themselves with computers and the multitude of applications and resources available through the Internet because the amount of technology used in every facet of our lives will only be augmented in the future. The use of computers and the Internet are not for youth alone. Adults are also encouraged to utilize the tools provided by computers and incorporate them into their daily lives. Everyone can benefit from incorporating technology into his or her lives.

Although the Internet certainly has the ability to be a powerful tool we must all keep in mind that the Internet can contain inaccurate and unreliable information causing adverse effects on those who rely on it. These days it is possible for anyone to start their own website and post information on the web. To learn more about the uses of the Internet and Internet safety please contact the Pinellas County Extension Office (727-582-2215) or eyuan@pinellascounty.org

Four-H: A Proven Program with Positive Results

By Jean Rogalsky
4-H Extension Agent

Youth and families in Pinellas County have a myriad of options to choose from when planning educational, social, and recreational activities. We are often asked why families should choose 4-H, or how is 4-H different from other youth organizations.
At a recent 4-H volunteer leader training, the 4-H club leaders were asked the following questions: Why is 4-H important to you and your family? Why have you made the commitment to 4-H?

The responses of the volunteers were significant because not only have they embraced 4-H for their children; they have also made the commitment of their time to be a club leader. The group surveyed consisted of new and experienced volunteers. The following is a summary of their responses:

• 4-H opens up a diverse community, outside of school and home. Youth and adults are enabled to look at things globally – not just on a small scale.
• 4-H helps youth and adults build leadership skills and utilize the tools available (through 4-H).
• Youth play, learn, and have the opportunity to take an interest and expand on it.
• The opportunity for leadership development and public speaking is a wonderful aspect of 4-H.
• 4-H community clubs offer more leadership opportunities than schools. Each club has its own set of officers and committees.
• Learning to set goals and work on projects is so helpful as well as forming a sense of responsibility to the community beyond our friends and church.
• Participating in a national organization with an even wider worldview.
• Reputation, especially of those with past 4-H experiences.
• Has the resources needed, and the curriculum is diverse.
• Youth learn to think of others and build character. They are not in it just for themselves.
• The 4 H’s : We can teach children helping (hands), taking care of others (health), human and non-human (heart), thinking about how they impact others – good or bad (head).

The value the volunteers find in 4-H is supported by research. According to a national research study (Learner, Positive Youth Development Study, 2007), the more often youth are involved in youth development programs, like 4-H, the more they and their communities benefit. Youth who spend more time involved in high-quality youth development programs like 4-H are more likely to experience positive youth development than other youth. These youth also contribute to their communities and are less likely to participate in risk behaviors. High-quality youth development programs ensure an environment that encourages sustained positive relationships with adult mentors, skill-building activities and leadership.

Developing these connections results in social capital and socially sustainable communities.

A variety of studies across the country have identified life skills gained through 4-H and the general impact of the program. One example, a study of 5th, 7th , and 9th-grade students (Astroth & Hayne, 2001, Goodwin, 2005), found that 4-H youth are more likely than other youth to report that they:

• Do well in school
• Are involved as leaders in their school and the community
• Are looked up to as role models by other youth
• Help others in the community

4-H youth reported that they are less likely than others to:

• Shoplift or steal
• Use illegal drugs
• Ride in a car with someone who has been drinking
• Smoke cigarettes
• Damage property for the fun of it
• Skip school or cut classes

In summary, research indicates that 4-H youth are busy making contributions to improve the quality of life in their families, neighborhoods and communities. Four-H attracts youth from all types of families and achieves the same positive results. Florida 4-H is a powerful, proven program that makes a positive difference for all who participate.

Is 4-H for your family?