After School Enrichment Programs

The University of California 4-H Youth Development program is committed to providing research-based, hands-on educational programs to all youth in Santa Clara County. To this end, these enrichment programs are available to after school groups, educators, and youth development program staff. 
For more information about 4-H enrichment programs, please contact Fe Moncloa, County 4-H Youth and Community Development Advisor at (408)282-3107.

School Gardens
School gardens are learning laboratories which put the natural world at students' fingertips. In 1995, the California Department of Education determined that every school should have a school garden. Many Santa Clara County schools already have gardens, and others are planning to develop gardens in the near future. Children enjoy learning through the direct experiences a garden can provide. Learning gardens have the potential to:

• Integrate curriculum in science, nutrition, math, social studies, and language arts
• Connect children to the earth and the source of their food
• Enhance children's awareness and appreciation of the environment and agriculture
• Provide an alternative strategy for working with "at risk" students
• Increase students' self-esteem and create a sense of community, fellowship, and belonging

School gardens often depend on local volunteer efforts and support for their existence.  For more information on resources available for school garden projects, contact the Master Gardener Hotline at (408) 282-3105 between 9:30 and 12:30 Monday through Friday.  

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Science Experiences and Resources for Informal Educational Settings (SERIES)
This teen-led science education program provides instructional experiences that focus on science literacy and the application of science and technology to everyday life.  SERIES is a collaboration between the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program and the National Science Foundation.  The goals and objectives of the SERIES program are:

• To increase an understanding of science, productivity in creative thinking, and skills for obtaining and analyzing scientific information.
• To use and apply operational processes of science: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing, relating, inferring, and applying.
• To use the problem-solving approaches of science in personal decision making as citizens of our society.
• To develop teenagers' abilities to share science concepts and processes with youth ages 9-12.

Through a variety of hands-on activities, the SERIES program focuses on environmental and societal science issues important to everyone's life.  Curriculum units include:

• Chemicals Are Us -- Kids discover how chemicals are used in our everyday lives with experiments that will stir the imagination and keep them wondering what's next!
• Beyond Duck, Cover & Hold -- Children shake, rattle, and roll as they explore earthquakes, seismic waves, and seismograms.  Discover if your community is ready for an earth moving experience!
• It Came From Planted Earth -- We all enjoy food... but where does it come from?  Children take a journey in the world of agriculture and discover how soil, water, plants, and animals are important for survival.
• Oak Woodland Wildlife -- Explore trees and forests in a wonderful series of activities that looks at one of our most important natural resources.
• What's Bugging You? -- Explore what makes a pest and how we might think differently about a pest's environment and control.
• Recycle/Reuse -- Life is full of cycles that impact our world. Kids make a difference by exploring ways to recycle that enhance home, community, and planet. 
• Sciencing With Snails -- Children are chief investigators in the world of snails as they embark on a journey of wonder, awe, and amazing feats!
• From Ridges to Rivers: Watershed Explorations -- Where does water come from... and where does it go?  Kids are immersed in activities that overflow with great ideas and fun!

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Youth Experiences in Science (YES)
YES is a science education program for youth ages 5-8 that promotes age-appropriate scientific thinking and learning processes.  Like the SERIES program, YES is led by teens, who serve as trainers and facilitators for the activities, interacting with younger learners as they solve problems, record data, and make inferences.  YES curriculum units include:

• Snail Trails: The Adventures of Helix Aspersa  -- Children get to know some of the unique and interesting habits of land snails.  Through observation and "snailing" activities, they are encouraged to ask questions and seek out answers.
• Magic Bubbles -- Bubbles provide a fun and interesting way for children to learn the processes of science.  Hands-on experiences teach them to observe, communicate, compare, and organize information about bubbles.
• The Collection Connection -- As children develop and share collections, they use many of the same skills that scientists use everyday: observation, comparison, classification, and communication.
• Kitchen Science -- The kitchen is full of sensory experiences that encourage children to learn about scientific thinking processes in a fun, hands-on way. 
• Wonderful Worms -- Worms provide a wonderful medium for applying science concepts and encouraging creative exploration in young children.
• Wee Cyclo-Saur-Us -- Activities in this unit help young children examine how to recycle and reuse products that are discarded daily.  By charting their observations and keeping records, they learn about the effects of throwing things away.
• C.L.U.E. (Children Looking Undercover for Energy) -- Through their own actions, interpretations, and reactions to the activities in this unit, children build knowledge about different sources of energy.

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