October 12, 2021
Kansas 4-H Cloverbud Class Offers Opportunity to Expand Knowledge When Working with Cloverbuds
Welcome to the new 4-H year! As agents and volunteers, the new 4-H year can come with questions about projects, and programs. One program area that I receive questions about is the Cloverbud program. The 4-H Cloverbud program is an educational youth development opportunity specifically for five and six year-old children. Children must have celebrated their 5th or 6th birthday before January 1, of the current year. Five and six-year-olds develop and learn in ways that differ from those of younger children and older youth. Understanding the developmental and learning characteristics of this age group provides the foundation for developing effective age appropriate programs.
A Kansas Cloverbud training has been developed to increase our knowledge and understanding of how to effectively work with five and six year olds. This new Kansas 4-H Cloverbud training has been created through Canvas, a platform used at Kansas State University. This 4-H Cloverbud training is for any agent or volunteer wanting to learn more about the Kansas 4-H Cloverbud program. The canvas training includes modules that discuss: an introduction to Cloverbuds, the basic needs of youth, the ages and stages of development, and applying the ages and stages of development to Cloverbuds. In addition, the Experiential Learning process and its application is also discussed. Lastly, sections include 4-H Cloverbud policies and resources for Cloverbuds, including lesson plans from other universities and access to various activities. Each module contains discussion questions that will allow for interaction among participants of the course. The course should take no more than three weeks to complete.
This course will be available to complete at your own pace at two different times starting November 1. The first opportunity to take the Kansas 4-H Cloverbud class will be November 1 - 19, and the second opportunity will be held December 6 – 23. To register for either opportunity, please use the Qualtrics link at https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a4byAG2OAM0NWjs by October 25. We hope that you find this Cloverbud training useful as you begin the new 4-H Year!
For more information on the Kansas 4-H Cloverbud training, please contact Jaclyn Tweeten at jtweeten@ksu.edu or 785-532-5900. For additional information about the Kansas 4-H Cloverbud program, consult the Kansas 4-H Cloverbuds Guide at https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/4H1077.pdf and the Kansas 4-H website at https://www.kansas4-h.org/4-h-programs/cloverbuds/index.html.