4-H plans Summer Fun Shops

For an action-packed slate of entertaining and educational activities this summer, school-aged children kindergarten through sixth grade can sign up for Franklin County 4-H’s Summer Fun Shops.

The Fun Shops will serve children participating in the county’s T.R.A.C.K.S. program but are also open to the community. Sessions will be held Tuesdays in June and July, with a morning time slot from 9 a.m. to noon and an afternoon time slot from 12:30-3:30 p.m.

The Summer Fun Shops have been a program of the Extension since the 1990s, and 4-H agent Jennifer Pickens said organizers keep a few goals in mind when they choose the activities to offer each summer. Primarily, several of the programs coordinate with the activities and themes being offered in T.R.A.C.K.S.

“It just gets the kids away for a few hours, and they make something they get to take home with them. So it’s a hands-on experience,” Pickens said.

Franklin County Extension Director Katernia Cole-Coffey also pointed out the value of keep young minds engaged to help avoid the “summer slump” or “summer slide.”

“Every child in Franklin County needs to participate. It’s a great summer activity that keeps their minds in learning mode,” Cole-Coffey said. “We don’t want idle minds. We want to keep them active and keep educational activities going all year long. We don’t want them to lose what they have learned throughout the school year.”

The following programs will be offered:

JUNE 13 – Rockets to the Rescue

“Rockets to the Rescue” will be held in the Franklin County Extension meeting room in the Courthouse basement. Participants will learn what nutritional needs are essential in a natural disaster and will get to build and launch a rocket.

For this program and others throughout the summer, Extension’s Jacob Blacklidge will lend his STEM expertise to help participants absorb science and math principles while having fun.

“In 2014 or 2015, 4-H had a national project called Rockets to the Rescue, and I took the information they used for that experiment and implemented it into a two- or three-hour activity,” Blacklidge explained. “The kids are going to be able to build a rocket, a paper rocket, and they will get to launch and see if they can get it to a target.”

The “target,” likely a hula hoop, will symbolize a hypothetical island that has suffered a disaster and is depending on the rocket for the delivery of needed supplies. That’s where Extension agent LaKita Page comes in, to discuss nutritional topics. “I’m going to do a Powerpoint on the nutritional needs during disaster situations,” Page explained.

Blacklidge said children will be introduced to principles like aerodynamics and engineering design process, along with factors like wind resistance and launch angles, as part of the activity. He aims to “help give them some idea if they might want to go into an STEM field, especially if they might want to be an engineer.”

JUNE 20 – Exploring Nature

“Exploring Nature” will be held at TVA Rock Pile, 3985 Reservation Road, Lower Rock Pile Campground in Muscle Shoals. Participants will experience nature while learning about plants, animals and nutrition and will go on a nature walk and collect items for a collage.

Blacklidge said the Muscle Shoals site was a perfect location to expose participants to biology-related topics. “It has a nature trail but also it has the waterfall there, and a lot of wildlife – especially salamanders and lizards – will live near that waterfall,” Blacklidge pointed out, adding that the location also boasts a large variety of species of trees and plants. “We’re going to help them identify some trees and any type of animals or lizards that would be out there.”

Also, “they have a big playground they can play on and they have hiking trails,” Pickens added. She said children will enjoy feeding the ducks and seeing the water. “This will be like a vacation. Some of these little kids don’t ever get to go anywhere.”

JUNE 27 – America the Beautiful

“America the Beautiful” will be held in the Franklin County Extension meeting room in the Courthouse basement. Participants will learn about colonial life and show their patriotism by creating an American flag out of paint sticks. “We’re going to teach them about the flag,” Pickens said, highlighting an aim to foster patriotism.

JULY 11 – Bridges of Franklin County

“Bridges of Franklin County” will be held in the Franklin County Extension meeting room in the Courthouse basement.

“I had a developed a Powerpoint and lesson centered around bridges, why they are built in certain shapes and what makes a bridge strong,” Blacklidge said. He will focus on principles of physics and chemistry in exploring bridge-building, and attendees will get the chance to build their own bridges with craft sticks, then test their weight-bearing capacities. “You touch on a lot of different subjects and teach all of them at the same time. It’s simple enough that the younger ones can do it but not so simple the older kids are bored with it.”

JULY 19 – Shipwrecked

“Shipwrecked” will also be held in the Franklin County Extension meeting room in the Courthouse basement. Participants will learn about boats and the properties of water and will build a boat and determine how much weight it can hold. Page will tie in the nutritional benefits of water. “It’s the healthiest choice – better than drinking sugary drinks,” she said. “It’s the best thing for them choose.”

Each program, except for Exploring Nature, will cost a $2 fee for project materials. A snack will be included. “I’m going to base them off something that ties in with the theme for that day,” Page said.

For more information or to sign up, call 256-332-8880. Participants are urged to pre-register for the programs so organizers can be certain enough materials are on hand for each project.

“We want them to have a lot of fun and a great experience, but we also really want them learn something while they are there, to get something out of it,” Blacklidge said. “We want them to be able to take home something and learn from it and better themselves.”

“It’s just good for kids to be able to come here and do different projects,” Page added. “They are able to learn a lot.”