4-H Delivers

Riverside County 4-H Youth Teach Science

The day was all giggles, smiles, and fun at the San Jacinto County library on October Sixth.  The event was the 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD).  Kids of all ages were blowing their carbon dioxide into water cups and watching the water change from blue to green.

4-H youth members from Riverside County assisted children in the National Youth Science Day Experiment.  The experiment focused on water conservation and how water quality is affected by climate change.  Aaron, who has been a 4-H member for six years, says that the topic is “pretty important because thru climate change our environment can be damaged.  Lots of things will die if the water quality isn’t right.”

In addition to the National Science Youth Day Experiment, done at the San Jacinto Library, Riverside County 4-H Ramona Rancheros Club Members conducted the experiment at their Water Conservation project meeting. They also did the experiment at their Club Meeting which had about 50 members & parents in attendance

On October 5th, 4-H members volunteered to share the NYSD experiment at Riverside Area Home Learners Park Day. There were about 30 people in attendance. They not only did the National Youth Experiment they  "extended" the learning by discussing watersheds, using a watershed model, discussing & matching sources of water pollution including point source and non-point source pollution, discussing wetlands and how  each of them can help with water conservation.

In addition to the experiments at the library, project meetings and club meetings, Riverside County members did the National Youth Day Experiment at the Southern California Fair on Friday, October Fifteenth.  4-H members, ages 7-12 years old, taught over 300 school children from the Inland Empire that were in attendance for School Day at the Fair.  Cora, a seven year old who helped teach other children at the Fair, says regarding her experience, “It was fun, and I learned too.”  

Riverside County members will be doing the National Youth Day Experiment at the Science Fair that is put on by the Riverside County SET Committee scheduled for January 22, 2011.

Author: Jeanne Lothridge, Orange & Riverside 4-H Program Representative, Erica Denney and Heidi Denney.