Purdue Extension Hamilton County and the Hamilton County 4-H Council have joined together to launch a new youth and family virtual program for the summer.
The idea of the at-home program encourages youth and families to get outside, unplug and experience hands-on learning. Hamilton County 4-H Youth Development Educator Kathleen Bohde said the program, 4-H G.O.L.D, was designed to be virtual. The G.O.L.D. stands for Go Outdoors. Learn. Discover.
“Purdue Extension staff wanted to create a fun, family friendly, educational summer series that encouraged youth to unplug and go outdoors,” Bohde said. “Each activity features an outdoor component. We hope local families will enjoy this self-paced, outdoor series of educational activities.”
Topics will include basic activities in geocaching, forestry, sport fishing, weather, wildlife, geology, wildflowers, entomology, star gazing, bicycle challenges, outdoor cooking, fitness and healthy eating
“Each participant will receive a packet with instructions and helpful information for each activity and any additional materials that are not considered common household items,” Bohde said.
The program is a series of self-paced educational activities designed for grades third through sixth. It is available at no cost and materials will be provided for participating families.
The Purdue Extension staff will facilitate two Zoom show-and-share sessions as part of the program for participants to meet and share their activities. Participants will receive more information after registration.
“We’ve had several registrations come in just with our social media posts, so we are looking forward to having many families participate,” Bohde said.
The deadline to register is June 3. To register, visit bit.ly/4HGOLDInfo.
