Youth Science Education Programs, Curricula, and Resources

The Youth Science Education program provides community based organizations with research based curricula, resources and workshops in the areas of:

Science
Engineering
Technology
Natural Resource Education
Garden Based Learning
Additional Resources
Related Publications

The workshops are highly interactive and seek to link research with practice. The Youth Science Education program offers:

Workshops delivered within your community
Research based information
Interactive activities and practical tips
Resources
On-going technical assistance

Curricula in the Youth Science Education program use the experiential learning model, where young people have an opportunity to participate in fun, engaging activities that promote learning and understanding through hands-on/minds-on activities. Several curricula have loaner teaching kits available. Teaching kits can be picked up at the UCCE Office and are available for 30 days at a time. Renters need to replace consumable products (paper cups, straws, baking soda, etc.). Participation in the Youth Science Education program is available on a variety of levels:

Program Sites (PS) are on-going cooperative ventures between your facility and the University of California Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program. By designating your facility as a PS, your staff and clientele will be provided with curriculum, on-going development, support, resources, and evaluation tools. PS are expected to complete a minimum of six-hours of instruction per curriculum unit and complete program reports to be considered a PS and receive PS benefits. There are three types of Program Sites:

4-H SPIN (SPecial INterest) Clubs

Organized club in the community, in-school, or afterschool with an on-going planned educational program delivered by adults from the community, school, or afterschool program. Youth and adults individually enroll in the 4-H Youth Development Program on an annual basis (July 1 - June 30) at the rate of $60.00 per youth and $20.00 per adult. SPIN club members are eligible to participate in county, state and national 4-H events like camp, leadership conferences, public speaking contests and field days. This is a negotiable rate.

4-H School Enrichment Programs

An on-going planned educational program where youth receive 4-H Youth Development Program curricula or other educational materials delivered by school staff or volunteers during school hours. Youth and adults group enroll in the 4-H Youth Development Program on an annual basis (July 1 - June 30) at the rate of $30.00 per youth and $10.00 per adult, and are under the direct supervision of school personnel. This is a negotiable rate.

4-H Afterschool Education Programs

An on-going planned educational program where youth receive 4-H Youth Development Program curricula or other educational materials delivered by afterschool staff or volunteers during out of school hours. Youth and adults group enroll in the 4-H Youth Development Program on an annual basis (July 1 - June 30) at the rate of $30.00 per youth and $10.00 per adult, and are under the supervision of another agency or school. This is a negotiable rate.

Professional Development (PD) consists of hands-on curriculum education and/or pedagogy in-service to develop the skills necessary to successfully implement a curriculum or work with clientele at your site. Cost for professional development is $30.00 per participant per session. Direct Delivery (DD) are educational sessions led by University of California Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program academics and staff for clientele at your site. Costs are $30.00 per participant per session.

Material Use (MS) community agencies that do not wish to develop a program site or participate in professional development or direct delivery can borrow curricula and or teaching kits for up to 30 days at no cost, However, you would need to replace the consumable materials (paper cups, cotton balls, baking soda, etc.).

Request a Workshop or Borrow Materials

Sample Programs and Workshops

SCIENCE

In-Touch Science Series: Age/Grade Level: Ages 8 to 11 years Curriculum Cost: $13.00 per unit, plus shipping and sales tax Cornell Cooperative Extension (1995) In-Touch Science is a hands-on program that helps children communicate what they observe and learn in science, build their understanding of science connections between two fields of study, and helps students recognize science concepts in daily experiences. Units available:

Kitchen Science
Fibers and Animals
Chemistry and Environment
Foods and Fabrics
Plants and Engineering

Y.E.S.: Youth Experiences in Science Age/Grade Level: Ages 5 to 8 years and Teens Utilizes teens as teachers Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $75.00, plus shipping University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (2001) The YES project offers planned, thematically linked, science education experiences geared to the needs of children. The curriculum integrates cross-age teaching and inquiry-based activities with cooperative learning. It focuses on scientific thinking processes and features the learning cycle model of instruction. The curriculum was developed to be used by teen teachers who are trained to lead the curriculum for children five to eight. Units include:

Snail Trails
Bubble Magic
Collections
Kitchen Science
Wonderful Worms
Wee-Cyclo-Saur-Us
CLUE Children Looking Undercover for Energy

SERIES: Science Education and Resources for Informal Settings Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years and Teens Utilizes teens as teachers Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $75.00 University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Discovery Science is a great way to develop scientific thinking skills in children while they have fun. The 4-H SERIES curriculum introduces inquiry-based science by using teens as teachers, and provides a wide variety of activities to keep kids thinking. Units include:

Beyond Duck, Cover and Hold Earthquakes
Chemicals R Us
From Rivers to Ridges: Watershed Exploration
It Came From Planted Earth
Oak Woodland Wildlife Habitat
Recycle/Reuse
Sciencing with Snails
What's Bugging You?

Bubbles Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Explore It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Floating giant bubbles (3 feet in diameter), small bubble domes on a table top, and soap film in frames are the means for children to observe some of the more obvious properties of soap bubbles (such as their round shapes) as well as subtle properties (such as surface tension).

Soda Science Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Explore It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Children can make up their own soda recipes in a systematic way while practicing in a concrete manner the mathematical operations of ratio and proportion. Then, they analyze a real soda to compare how the relative proportions of ingredients in the commercial version compares with theirs.

Cake Chemistry Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Explore It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ What are the ingredients in a recipe that cause a cake to rise? Is the same gas produced when using baking powder, baking soda, or yeast? These are questions children pursue in this exploration while, at the same time, they get to eat their experiments and gain some sense of the chemical properties of materials.

Sinking and Floating Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Explore It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Children explore the buoyancy of common objects and make boats from a variety of materials, gaining a sense of the relative contribution of the material and its shape in determining whether it will sink or float. They repeat their experiments with salt water and other solutions to see how the type of liquid makes a difference in how things float.

Crime Lab Chemistry Age/Grade Level: Grades 4 to 8 Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $16.00, plus shipping and sales tax University of California Lawrence Hall of Science / Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) http://lhsgems.org/gemsguides.html In this forensic science primer student detectives use paper chromatography to investigate solubility, pigments, and separation of mixtures. New activities provide opportunities to explore and understand scientific models.

Fingerprinting Age/Grade Level: Grades 4 to 8 Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $13.50, plus shipping and sales tax University of California Lawrence Hall of Science / Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Students explore the characteristics of fingerprints in these â€œfingers-on activities, devising their own classification categories and applying their skills to solve a â€œcrime.â€? (The technique uses pencil and tape, not ink.)

Dry Ice Investigations Age/Grade Level: Grades 6 to 8 Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $21.00, plus shipping and sales tax University of California Lawrence Hall of Science / Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) The intriguing behavior of dry ice ushers students into understandings of inquiry and essential concepts of matter, gases, and chemistry. Provides compelling experience in scientific investigation while introducing the particulate theory of matter, phase change, the nature of gases, and the history of science.

Oobleck: What Do Scientists Do? Age/Grade Level: Grades 4 to 8 Loaner teaching kit availableCurriculum Cost: $10.50, plus shipping and sales tax University of California Lawrence Hall of Science / Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) In this immensely popular unit, the strangely behaving substance called Oobleck provides students authentic insight into real-world scientific inquiry. Students are totally engaged in observation, hands-on investigation, a scientific convention, and spacecraft design.

ENGINEERING

Balls and Tracks Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Design It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Using flexible pipe insulation, marbles, and a few other simple materials, students take on the challenges of recreating small-scale models of amusement park rides and sporting events, such as the ski jump.

Pinball Games Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Design It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Build pinball games complete with bumpers, traps, flippers and plungers. Students assign their own numbers to their traps and decide where they should be, and test different methods of launching the ball.

Trebuchets Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Design It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Start with a working design of an ancient throwing machine similar to catapults & slingshots. The challenge is to improve on the design by testing and adjusting the different parts of this device.

Gliders Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Design It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Construct simple airplanes from paper. After testing their own designs for tails, bodies and of the variables.

Rubber Band-Powered Cars Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Design It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Using cardboard, dowels, plastic plates, and rubber bands, students can build their own cars, and learn in a direct way the engineering concept of optimization by testing different sized rubber bands and different diameter plates as wheels.

String Telephones Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Training Fee: $30.00 per participant Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Design It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Using paper cups & string, discover principles that govern the simplest form of a string telephone. Refine this model with other materials & get messages to go around corners.

Straw Rockets Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Design It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Launch the outer straw like a toy rocket by blowing. By using a sandwich bag propulsion system, students test different kinds of fins while trying to refine their toy rockets so that they will hit targets consistently.

Spinning Toys Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Design It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Plates, dowels, rubber washers, and tuna fish cans become homemade tops and yo-yos. Uncover the principles of balance and spin to make long spinning tops and regular or sleeper yo-yos.

Wiring a House Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 11 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.95, plus shipping and sales tax Education Development Center / Explore It Series http://kelvin.com/teacher-resources/tsedei-tsep/ Children discover some of the principle of practical wiring and electrical circuitry by installing lights and switches in the rooms of a cardboard house. Children follow electrical pathways within their circuits to explain why some light bulbs shine brightly while others are dim.

The Power of Wind Age/Grade Level: Ages 10 to 13 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $9.60, plus shipping and sales tax National 4-H Council (2008) http://www.4-h.org/resource-library/curriculum/4-h-the-power-of-the-wind/ The Power of the Wind Curriculum is part of the National 4-H Curriculum Collection and is designed for middle school aged youth to learn about the wind and its uses. Youth work with members of a team to design, create, build, and test a wind powered devices and are given opportunities to explore wind as a potential energy source in their community.

TECHNOLOGY

Junk Drawer Robotics Age/Grade Level: Grades 4 to 8 Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $10.50, plus shipping and sales tax National 4-H Council (2010) This hands-on curriculum features seven teaching sessions to build learner excitement and enthusiasm for robotics as participants learn science, do engineering, and make technology.

Computer Mysteries Age/Grade Level: Ages 7 to 19 years Curriculum Cost: Varies, see below 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System (2000) http://www.4-h.org/resource-library/curriculum/4-h-computer/ This curriculum combines an interactive CD-ROM with web-based activities to teach young people how to interact with computers, use a variety of software, add hardware, and take advantage of information on the Internet. Units available:

Level 1: Booting Up: Interacting with Computers (CD-ROM) ($7.00)
Level 2: Adding On: Hardware and Software Magic. ($3.25)
Level 3: Reaching Beyond: The Advanced User. ($3.25)
Helpers Guide. ($3.25)

TechXcite Age/Grade Level: Ages 9 to 13 years Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: Free at website Duke University Pratt school of Engineering http://techxcite.pratt.duke.edu/index.php TechXcite is an after-school engineering curriculum that is being developed at Duke University Pratt School of Engineering. This curriculum is being developed as part of a National Science Foundation sponsored program and will be utilized in 4-H supported after-school programs across the country. The TechXcite curriculum offers a rich and vibrant exploration of engineering, mathematics, science and technology and is centered on seven themes. Units available:

Bionic Arm
Cooking with the Sun
The Quest for Speed
Your TV Remote

NATURAL RESOURCE EDUCATION

Most Wanted Birds Age/Grade Level: Grades 4 - 8 Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $89.95, plus shipping and sales tax Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdSleuth Series http://www.birdsleuth.org/kits/ The Most Wanted Birds curriculum kit brings your local birds into focus. This kit was designed to get kids outside and connecting to their local environment by teaching students to identify birds, introducing amazing bird adaptations, and participating in the eBird citizen-science project. eBird provides an easy way to keep track of the birds you see, while contributing to one of the world largest citizen-science databases. Help scientists learn about the birds in your schoolyard while you view information on your bird observations, and observations tracked from around the world, any time you want!

Nature Detectives Age/Grade Level: Grades 3 - 8 Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $89.95, plus shipping and sales tax Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdSleuth Series: http://www.birdsleiuth.org/kits/ The Nature Detectives kit offers fun and easy science activities developed with the unique nature of afterschool, out-of-school time, and club programs in mind. Classroom teachers love the kit too! Indoors and outside, the six lessons will engage 3rd-8th grade children through hands-on activities. Nature Detectives, will get kids active and motivated for fun and easy activities that will teach them about science and the environment. Activities are easily tailored for different group sizes or ability levels (most activities have extensions and suggested adaptations). Provides opportunities for youth to learn in their local outdoor environment, no matter what kind of environment it is! Delegate responsibilities to children and inspire a sense of ownership and leadership. Incorporate science and nature into daily life. Use discussion and collaboration to practice and reinforce literacy and social development.

Habitat Connections Age/Grade Level: Grades 3 - 8 Loaner teaching kit available Curriculum Cost: $89.95, plus shipping and sales tax Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://www.birdsleuth.org/kits/ Habitat Connections takes students on a journey to discover the diverse habitat needs of birds, experience some of the challenges birds face during migration and nesting, and realize the unique ways that birds balance the need to reproduce and survive. Later in the unit, students will delve into bird migration through the eyes of a biologist via citizen-science data and models. Finally, students put their new knowledge to work by planning and implementing a local project to benefit birds.

There No New Water Age/Grade Level: Grades 8 - 10 Curriculum Cost: $15.95, plus shipping and sales tax National 4-H Council http://www.birdsleuth.org/kits/ This water conservation and water quality curriculum is grounded in a simple yet powerful concept that water is a finite natural resource whose quantity and quality must be responsibly preserved, protected, used, and reused. The curriculum includes six sequential learning modules and is intended for delivery in out-of-school group settings to be facilitated by an adult. (155 pages)

Project Learning Tree Age/Grade Level: Grades K to 12 Curriculum Cost: Free with training Project Learning Tree (2006) www.plt.org Project Learning Tree is an award-winning, interdisciplinary environmental education curriculum for educators. Project Learning Tree helps students gain awareness and knowledge of the natural and built environment, their place within it, as well as their responsibility for it. Available in English and Spanish, Project Learning Tree is also correlated to the California Department of Education subject-based standards.

Project WILD and Project WILD Aquatic Age/Grade Level: Grades K to 12 Curriculum Cost: Free with training Project WILD (2000) www.projectwild.org Project WILD and Project WILD Aquatic provides learners with opportunities to engage in hands-on learning experiences that demonstrate the importance of wildlife and its direct relationship to assessing environmental health. Available in English and Spanish, Project WILD Aquatic is also correlated to the California Department of Education subject-based standards.

Project WET Age/Grade Level: Grades K to 12 http://www.projectwet.org/ The goal of Project WET is to facilitate and promote awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources. Through interactive learning opportunities, youth engage in hands-on activities to foster their understanding and appreciation of water resources. Project WET is also correlated to the California Department of Education subject-based standards.

Going Places, Making Choices: Transportation and the Environment Age/Grade Level: Grades 9 to 12 Curriculum Cost: $20.00, plus shipping and sales tax National 4-H Council (1995) This interactive curriculum looks at the impact of transportation on the environment. Students encounter real-life challenges and decisions that will be meaningful now and in the future. Each of the 5 units is packed with factoids, scenarios, activities and subject information. Units include:

Cruise Through History
Energy and Resources
Sweating Over Climate Changes
Land Use
Personal Choice

Closing the Loop: Exploring Integrated Waste Management and Resource Conservation Age/Grade Level: Grades K to 6 Training Fee: $30.00 per participant Curriculum Cost: Free with training California Integrated Waste Management Board (2000) Closing the Loop is a curriculum that provides students with a broad exposure to fundamental concepts of integrated waste management in a hands-on/minds-on fashion. Available in English and Spanish, Closing the Loop is also correlated to the California Department of Education subject-based standards.

Environmental Management Power: Waste Management Curriculum Age/Grade Level: Grades 4 to 9 Curriculum Cost: $18.50, plus shipping and sales tax National 4-H Council (1995) Environmental Management Power uses a process-oriented approach to empower youth to take action on local waste management issues. Youth gather information on waste management concerns and develop creative solutions through role-play opportunities, games and interviewing. Units include:

Defining Issues and Actions: Structured activities to develop an understanding of waste management concerns; what makes an issue and how to make a difference.
Going Local with Issues and Actions: Provides activities to complement a waste management and/or environmental restoration project. This curriculum invites youth to learn about waste management issues and to develop innovative solutions.

Energizing your future with energy, economics and the environment Age/Grade Level: Grades K to 12 Curriculum Cost: $6.25, plus shipping and sales tax National 4-H Council (1995) https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=272 This curriculum helps youth understand the interactions between energy choices, economics, and environmental impacts.

CASEC: California Aquatic Science Education Consortium Age/Grade Level: Ages 10 to 15 years Curriculum Cost: $8.50 each University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (2001) http://www.ca4h.org/Projects/SET/EE/CASEC/ Each leader guide presents a series of activities designed to engage children in scientific thinking processes and actions as they explore aquatic environments and environmental issues. Available in English and Spanish. Units available:

Creek Watchers: Exploring the World of Creeks and Streams - Explores the impact that land use near a creek has on the health of the creek flora and fauna.
Fresh Water Guardians: Defending our Precious Supply - Investigates the effects of water pollutants and purification systems.
Plastic Eliminators: Protecting California Shoreline - Explores the effects of plastic on animal feeding ranges and habitats, identifying and recycling plastics.
Water Inspectors: Examining H2O - Activities include building water testing kits, measuring water density, and testing water hardness.
Wetland Protectors: Guarding our Wild and Watery Lands - Uses scavenger hunts and outdoor exploration to learn the flora and fauna of wetlands.

Project Butterfly Wings Age/Grade Level: Grades 9-13 years Curriculum Cost: $15.50, plus shipping and sales tax National 4-H Council (2009) http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/wings/index.asp WINGS, Winning Investigative Network for Great Science, is a partnership between 4-H youth and professional scientists. Participating youth are â€œcitizen scientists who collect data on butterflies to help professional scientists determine the presence or absence of specific butterfly species and the abundance of butterfly species by state and county throughout the country.

GARDEN BASED LEARNING

TWIGS Gardening and Nutrition Experience Age/Grade Level: Grades K to 6 Loaner teaching kit availableCurriculum Cost: $25.00 University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (1997) The garden is a powerful experiential educational tool that can connect children with science, nutrition, ecological responsibility and community beautification. Participants become acquainted with 30 gardening and nutrition lessons suitable for in the classroom as well as in the garden.

Junior Master Gardener: Health and Nutrition from the Garden Age Grade Level: Grades 3 to 12 Curriculum Cost: $28.50, plus shipping and sales tax Texas A&M University (2001) http://jmgkids.us/ Growing fruits and vegetables in a home or community garden can provide an environment where health, nutrition, food safety and decision-making skills can be taught. The Junior Master Gardener: Health and Nutrition from the Garden curriculum can be used to teach and reinforce these lessons and skills. The Junior Master Gardener: Health and Nutrition from the Garden curriculum is correlated to the California Department of Education subject-based standards.

Junior Master Gardener Age/Grade Level: Grades 3 to 8 Curriculum Cost: Varies, see below, plus shipping and sales tax Texas A&M University The Junior Master Gardener program is for youth of all ages which uses fun activities to teach horticulture and environmental science concepts. Children can get involved in exploring their world through meaningful activities that encourage leadership development, personal pride and responsibility, and community involvement. Older youth are trained to become mentors for younger children participating in the program. Youth involved in the program develop critical thinking skills, and the ability to identify community concerns and take action to address them through individual group projects. The Junior Master Gardener curriculum is correlated to the California Department of Education subject-based standards. Units available:

Level I: Grades 3 - 5 (1999), Student book in English ($20.00)
Level I: Grades 3 - 5 (1999), Student book in Spanish ($20.00)
Level I: Grades 3 - 5 (1999), Leader Guide ($38.00)
Level II: Grades 6 - 8 (2002), Student/Leader Guide ($29.50)

Cycling Back to Nature Age/Grade Level: Grades 4 to 8 Curriculum Cost: $5.00 per unit, plus shipping and sales tax National 4-H Council (1995) This two-unit curriculum provides learners with opportunities to explore relationships between pesticides and food production as well as soil and soil enhancement through composting. Units available:

Food Production and Pesticides
Soils Alive: From Tiny Rocks to Compost

Primary Planters Age/Grade Level: Ages 5 to 8 Curriculum Cost: $10.00 University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (1998) This curriculum provides children with opportunities to utilize the garden as a tool to develop education, recreation, social and interpersonal skills. Twenty-four activities are organized around parts of plants, essential elements for plant growth and plant propagation factors.

Eating Healthy from Farm to Promoting School Wellness Age/Grade Level: K-2 Curriculum Cost: $25.00 per module (3 modules by grade level) University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (2008) University of California, Placer County Cooperative Extension, 11477 E Avenue, Auburn, CA 95603, Phone (530) 889-7350, FAX (530) 889-7397 Eating Healthy from Farm to Fork Promoting School Wellness is a nutrition education curriculum that makes the connection between local food systems, garden-based learning, school food service and the establishment of healthy habits. The comprehensive materials integrate nutrition education into grade-appropriate lessons that are specifically designed around the California Department of Education Nutrition Competencies for California Children and directly correlated to the core subjects of the California Content Standards.

Request a Workshop or Borrow Materials

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