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Washington State University

STEM Program & Resources

Program Contact: Michelle Green, 4-H STEM Coordinator
425-738-0105 • michelle.green@wsu.edu

4-H STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a specific program that focuses on inquiry-based learning. This approach encourages youth to take an active role in their own learning by asking questions, investigating topics of interest, and gathering evidence to support their findings. It’s a great way for young people to develop critical thinking skills and explore their curiosity about the world around them.

If you’re interested in learning more about inquiry-based learning, you can check out the Inquiry-based Learning Fact Sheet. It provides more information about this instructional method and how it can benefit young learners. To learn more about this instructional method, check out the Inquiry-based Learning Fact Sheet.

What We Offer

  • Resources & Kits – We have a variety of STEM kits, art kits and 4-H curriculum and materials available for to loan to teachers, 4-H clubs, afterschool programs, and other youth development organizations.
  • STEM Training – We provide custom trainings for educators and youth workers in inquiry-based experiential education, and trainings for implementation of specific STEM activities and kits.
  • STEM Events – Partner with us to provide programming for in-school science events, family nights or other special STEM events.

King County 4-H is committed to providing hands-on, experiential education activities to students through partnerships with teachers, afterschool programs, summer camps, and other out-of-school time programs. They offer a range of services including professional development training, direct programming for special events such as family nights and camps, virtual field trips, as well as loaning kits, curriculum, and materials to educational partners.

Their resources are designed to focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and creative arts. This ensures that students have access to engaging and interactive learning experiences that foster their curiosity and creativity.

King County 4-H has a wide range of educational kits, curriculum, and materials available to support hands-on, experiential education-based programming to youth of all ages. Our resources are available to all educators in King County. If you are interested in checking out STEM or art materials, contact Michelle Green at the 4-H office in King County – michelle.green@wsu.edu. 

Resources

Video Series on 4-H Inquiry-Based Learning

4-H Science Handouts on Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry-based Learning Fact Sheet

Questioning Tips and Tricks

Click 2 Science STEM Resources

Click2Science is an interactive, professional development site for trainers, coaches, site directors and frontline staff/volunteers working in out-of-school time STEM programs, serving children and youth.

The resources give participants the opportunity to can gain STEM knowledge in 20 essential skills to make STEM “click” with youth. These skills are focused on three core areas:

  1. planning STEM learning experiences,
  2. interacting with youth doing STEM, and
  3. building STEM skills.

These skills were identified by looking through existing research and resources, as well as by asking frontline facilitators, trainers, and coaches what skills they needed help supporting.

Click2Science was developed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Partnership with the Noyce Foundation. Registration is free! Find out more at Click2Sciencepd.org.

 

4-H STEM

LEGO® Robotics Kits

We have numerous LEGO® Robotics kits, software, and appropriate curriculum available for check-out.

  • LEGO® WeDo (elementary) – The LEGO® Education WeDo Construction Set is an easy-to-use set that introduces young students to robotics. Students will be able to build LEGO models featuring working motors and sensors; program their models; and explore a series of cross-curricular, theme-based activities while developing their skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as well as language, literacy, and social studies. More
  • LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 (advanced middle school and high school – This core set enables students to build, program, and test their solutions based on real-life robotics technology. It contains the EV3 Intelligent Brick, a powerful small computer that makes it possible to control motors and collect sensor feedback. Students are encouraged to brainstorm in order to find creative solutions to problems and then develop them through a process of selecting, building, testing, and evaluating. More

TO CHECK OUT MATERIALS FROM WSU STEM 4-H:

  1. Submit a request with michelle.green@wsu.edu or 425-738-0105
  2. We will contact you to discuss your request and finalize a plan.
  3. Meet with 4-H staff to familiarize you and your staff with the curriculum or activity, learn about 4-H experiential education approach and best practices for implementing hands-on programming. Depending on the selected curriculum and your experience with experiential-education, we may require a more formal training with your staff. Orientation and training meetings are customized and scheduled at a time and location convenient for you.
  4. A small security deposit may be required. Specific amount depends on materials checked out.
  5. Complete a Group Enrollment Form Youth may be engaged with 4-H curriculum in a school or after school setting. There is no individual 4-H enrollment process for these types of settings. Youth are “group enrolled” and overall numbers are reported but not specific information on each participant.
  6. Youth complete a Google forms survey at conclusion of STEM project learning.
  7. You pick up/drop-off materials at our Renton office.
  8. Provide feedback and follow-up on your experience using the materials via our online King County 4-H Resource Follow-Up Form. We ask for one success story each year we can share with our stakeholders about how your group has been able to utilize our STEM or Art kits.

All 4-H curriculum is available purchase at the 4-H Mall

Tekerz Robotics

Tekerz Robotics

Ready… Set…. Launch! A 4-H club member measures her launch angle before testing her rocket as part of the 2014 National Youth Science Day Experiment: Rockets to the Rescue!

National Youth Science Day Experiment Kits

The University of Arizona developed the 2014 National Science Experiment, Rockets to the Rescue!, which explores the field of aerospace engineering. In light of the recent natural disasters such as the recent Hurricane Dorian, National 4-H Council asked youth to design and build an aerodynamic food transportation device that could deliver a payload of nutritious food to disaster victims. Youth learned engineering concepts, developed math skills, learned about nutrition and helped solve a relevant, global issue. Watch the Rockets to the Rescue maker video

With the 2012 National Science Experiment, 4-H Eco-Bot Challenge, youth enhance their engineering skills by learning to think like a robotics engineer, assembling their own robots, also known as Eco-bots, and control surfaces in order to manage an environmental clean-up. Youth then test the interaction between the Eco-Bot’s environmental engineering design features and various control surface configurations to determine the most effective environmental clean-up solution for a simulated toxic spill. Watch the Eco-Bot maker video 

The 2011 National Science Experiment, Wired for Wind, explores how to engineer renewable energy technologies, and the positive impact that they can have in communities across the country and the world. This experiment engages young people in design, build out and testing of two different wind turbine models.Watch the  King County 4-H Highlight Video, Wired for Wind maker video2011 National 4-H Highlight video – Wired for Wind

4-H Curriculum Kits

 

4-H Sewing – 4-H Sewing provides the opportunity for young people to experience a sense of accomplishment associated with completing a project. It also provides an opportunity for youth to understand textiles, construction techniques, design principles as well as develop eye/hand coordination. Research has found that youth who sew develop skills needed to become more creative thinkers. The experiential learning activities in the Sewing curriculum are designed to provide a positive learning experience for youth. Sewing helpers are encouraged to focus on the fun, experience, and accomplishments attained in the project rather than on attaining “perfection.” More

4-H Curriculum Library – coming soon!

 

WSU Extension programs, employment, and volunteer service are available to all without discrimination (See WSU Executive Policy #15). Concerns regarding potential discrimination may be reported through your local WSU Extension  office or directly to the WSU Compliance and Civil Rights (CCR) office, web:
https://ccr.wsu.edu, email: ccr@wsu.edu, phone: 509-335-8288.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of
program information or other reasonable accommodation should contact Nancy Baskett at (425) 738-0104 nbaskett@wsu.edu or Alyssa Bowers at (425) 738-0110 alyssa1bowers1@wsu.edu or kingcounty.4h@wsu.edu, at least two weeks prior to the event.