Hello my name is Emilia Suarez and this summer I will be working with 4-H out of the Rensselaer county office, both helping out with a variety of programs that 4-H is running and gathering information on the Kits and curriculums used at these programs across New York state. I will use the information to create a system where 4-H educators can find the kit or curriculum that they are interested in along with some information about the kit or curriculum such as what county it is located in, who developed the kit, if training is needed and who is responsible for that training, and how many youth does the kit or curriculum serve.
This week I was able to see and help out with a 4-H program, Ag-Day. It was located at Swartz farm, a fruit and vegetable farm located in southern Rensselaer County. Ag-day is a program that runs every spring that allows elementary school students to come on a field trip to the farm and learn about each of the 6 stations set up, each focusing on a different part of agriculture.
The first station is focused on products produced in New York state and how those raw materials are made into foods that they eat on a daily basis. The youth had an activity where they were each given a food and then had to place it under a category based on what New York product was used to produce it. This station also talked about nutrition and the importance of a balanced diet.
The second station is talking all about the importance of pollination and soil health. The youth got to learn about why pollinators are important and that pollinators are not just limited to bees but can be many different types of animals. The youth was also given a book about the types of pollinators.
The third station was about the planting of strawberries.Strawberries are a large part of the Swartz farm and the family was able to bring the equipment that they use for planting strawberries as a demonstration for the youth. Alongside seeing how strawberries are they also saw what indicates if a plant will be able to produce a berry. Their favorite part of this station was at the end when they were able to taste a fresh picked strawberry.
The fourth station was about the dairy ambassador program. A dairy princess read the youth a book about the importance of dairy production. They were then given dairy coloring books that they can work on when they go home or go back to school. Finally, they were able to ask the dairy princess any questions, they were all very excited to learn that she will be at the Schaghticoke fair scooping ice cream.
The fifth station is centered around textiles such as yarn. In this station the youth were able to see how the yarn is made on both a drop spindle and using a spinning wheel. They were able to learn about the benefits of each type of spindle. They also learned about different ways to dye the yarn both natural and unnatural dyes. The youth saw examples of an unnatural dye with an easter egg coloring kit and a natural onion skin dyed yarn. The final product of scarfs, mittens and table runners was on display to show a clear understanding of the importance of the production process.
The final station is centered around showing off a combine and all of its components. The youth were able to see the corn both before and after being ground. Most of them have never seen anything like this and they were very excited and engaged asking a variety of questions. They also learned that there are different types of corn and that the corn that is grown at the farm is used all over the world as it is sent to a larger grain manufacturing plant.
Overall this event was a success and was a very educational experience for both the youth and for myself as it was my first 4-H event. I was able to see how this event is supposed to run and was able to help fix any problems that arose throughout the event. I will be working with running more 4-H events and collecting data for the kits in upcoming weeks.