Gage County
1115 West Scott St.,
Beatrice NE 68310
Phone: (402) 223-1384
FAX: (402) 223-1370

What is School Enrichment? Science - Alive in the Classroom! Cooperation between local school systems and Extension has existed for many years, as partners in delivering experiential education to young Nebraskans. We are pleased to offer the 4-H School Enrichment program developed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln based on research and current technical knowledge.

Students will observe bacteria growth, make bread in a bag, learn about trees, make paper, and hatch chicks in the School Enrichment Program. The programs will give your students a chance to see and do for themselves, whether you're teaching life sciences, consumer education, spelling, or math.

4-H, the youth development component of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension system, has a responsibility to all Nebraska youth...not only to members of 4-H clubs. The 4-H "learn by doing" educational model provides young people with an enjoyable, hands-on method to learn and apply not only information, but valuable life skills that will serve them well throughout their lifetimes.

Objectives: Can you see the germs lurking on a pop can or the germs spread by a single sneeze? Would you believe 5th graders asking to wash their hands? Enter the world of tiny, invisible organisms that live on and around us. Students will inoculate culture plates with fingerprints, hair, coins, and other sources of bacteria and note their growth. Learn how easily bacteria "hitch-hike" from one person to another, the importance of basic personal hygiene, how cleanliness relates to health, and how a healthy body can fight off germs. This unit can be expanded into the area of food safety, preparation of food, safe food handling in brown bags, at picnics, or at fast food restaurants, or career awareness.

Grade Level: Grades 2 - 5

Program Length: 1 - 2 weeks

Program Fee: $7.00

*Bacteriology is cosponsored by Southeast Community College, Biochemistry Department. Petri dishes are poured and provided by Robert Williams, Instructor, SCC.

Objectives: Every day we throw out everything from plastic milk jugs to old TV sets to grass clippings. Where will all this trash end up? How much trash does every American generate? Students will learn more about the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. They will develop an awareness of garbage, where it comes from and where it goes, the problems it presents, and possible solutions. The kit includes many resources and hands-on activities.

Grade Level: Grades 3 - 6

Program Length: One - three weeks

Program Fee: $7.00

Resource person will visit the classroom (wearing shoes made from recycled tire rubber, milk jugs, coffee filters, cardboard, etc.) to help students make recycled paper. Students will see many products made from recycled materials and discuss their responsibility as consumers to buy recycled items.

Objectives:What is more fascinating and educational than to see a fully developed baby chick emerge from an egg? This project gives youth a chance to witness the miracle of life in the classroom. Just three weeks of incubation transforms a seemingly lifeless chicken egg into an active, living being. You can feel the excitement build as hatch time nears! Students will candle the eggs and see the live embryo in the egg. Students will enjoy EGGSciting chicken trivia!

Grade Level: Grades 2 - 4

Program Length: Three week blocks in April or May

Program Fee: $7.00

Resource person will deliver materials, eggs and incubator and explain procedures. Students will stop to think about the age-old question: "Which came first - the chicken or the egg?" See and touch a real ostrich egg and feathers.

Understanding the Community Forest

Objectives: The more we learn about the role trees play in our towns and cities - cooling buildings, creating backyard privacy or just making us feel better - and the impact human activities can have on them, the more we realize how caring for the community forest is everyone's job. Students will become involved in a variety of hands-on activities. A special feature of this curriculum is an optional outdoor study site. Numerous disciplines are involved, including literature, math, geography and science.

Grade Level: Grades 5 - 8

Program Length: Three weeks

Program Fee: $7.00

Objectives: Imagine life without lasagna, cinnamon rolls, or pancakes! Students will learn the importance of wheat from the growing process to the preparation of bread, the cost of a new combine, and the importance of wheat products in our diet. Includes hands-on experience in science, consumer education, nutrition, economics, vocabulary, and mathematics. Climax of the program is hands-on breadmaking experience in the classroom.

Grade Level: Grades 2 - 5

Program Length: Two weeks

Program Fee: $7.00

Resource person will do ingredient experiments, grind wheat into flour, and students will make Bread In a Bag. Become a cereal detective as you learn about ingredients in your favorite cereal or learn more about farm life and crop production. See how a recent Wheaties box focuses on the state of Nebraska.

to Contact our Staff

Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture.
The 4-H Youth Development program abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska and United States Department of Agriculture. We assure reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act.