Youth & Family News

Youths across the state are invited to participate in 4-H Special Interest (SPIN) clubs hosted by the Eastern Region of West Virginia. There are six different virtual programs lasting 4-6 weeks depending on the topic. Programs are free and offered to all youths in 3rd grade and above.

Monday, August 3, 2020, 9:30 a.m.

Make it fly! Join Jennifer Robertson-Honecker, WVU Extension Service STEM Specialist, and her son, Ben, to learn how to make your own helicopter that you can fly at your home. ( For this activity, you will creative items from around your house to build your simple machine.) Want to enter the competition? Visit extension.wvu.edu/stemcare to learn more!

Monday, July 27, 2020, 9:30 a.m.

Do you know what a simple machine is? It’s a machine that uses a chain of events to get to an end result, in this case, watering a plant. Join Jennifer Robertson-Honecker, WVU Extension Service STEM Specialist, and her son, Ben, as they read a fun book and relate the book to what tools we need to build our own simple machine. And, you won’t want to miss an opportunity to join the friendly competition in our Rube Goldberg “Water a Plant Video Challenge.” (For this activity, you will use creative items from around your house to build your simple machine.) Want to enter the competition? Visit extension.wvu.edu/stemcare to learn more! An extended version of this episode also will be available on our YouTube channel.

Emma Gardner, our WVU Extension Service 4-H agent in Roane County, is going to talk to us about the stars. There are many constellations in the night sky. Today you’ll learn about them and how Greeks applied them to mythology. You’ll also have a chance to build your own star wheel/map (visit tinyurl.com/EEstarwheel to print out your star wheel and map) and marshmallow constellations. (For this activity, you will need scissors, paper, star wheel, map, tape, mini marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti/pasta or a think stick.)

Mitch Clowes, STEM Ambassador and WVU student, will read “Why Do Elephants Need the Sun” and follow up with a cool activity about ultra violet (UV) light, including making a UV bracelet. (For this activity, you will need UV beads and some string.)

Monday, July 13, 2020, 9:30 a.m.

Monday, July 6, 2020, 9:30 a.m.

What’s that peeping sound? Join Sheldon Owen, WVU Extension Service Wildlife specialist, to learn about frog calls. Then, we'll hop on over for a reading of "Frog in the Bog" with Sheldon’s daughter, Alden.

Are you interested in the environment? Join Eco-Adventures Environmental Virtual Club. Each week we will learn about organisms and their habitats, environmental stewardship and the best practices to protect the environment. Guest speakers from West Virginia University and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection will share their expertise on topics including living organisms around us, wetlands, soils, invasive species, water, upcycling, and your ecological footprint.

All materials will be provided. Most materials will be everyday household items.  Registration is open now and closes on June 26, 2020.

Join us during the week of August 17 - 21 to participate in some of our favorite fair activities from home. During our 4-H Fair Fun Week, 4-H'ers and their families can participate in a variety of activities that include on-your-own and in-real-time events. You can participate in as many activities as you choose during the week. Pre-submit your entries for the 4-H Talent Stage or Crop Contest.  The Fair Food Challenge, Roller Coaster Engineering Challenge, Carnival Games and Ag Skill-a-thons are on-your-own activities that will be release during the week.. 

Some real-time virtual events include: 

West Virginia 4-H is hosting virtual workshops to help youth and their families learn about fun topics and the 4-H program.  We will use the Zoom platform to host these workshops. 

Workshops for the week of May 26 - 29 are: