Last Wednesday was National Youth Science Day, but here in Yolo County, it lasted the entire week.
Children in Winters, Davis and Woodland participated in 4-H2O science experiments to demonstrate the principals of carbon dioxide/oxygen cycles and how altering the balance can affect our oceans and planet. By blowing bubbles into water, they could actually see the pH levels changing.
But more important than the instant lesson of reducing our carbon footprint, was the bigger lesson of scientific experimentation. What do you think will happen? What did happen? Why do you think it happened that way?
"Giving children the time to explore and problem solve on their own is crucial to their academic development," said Marcel Horowitz, 4-H Youth Development Adviser. "What to think is good, but how to think is better. You may forget the exact fact, but you will remember to be curious, to ask more questions, to try to figure things out."
The need for science in the classroom is becoming more and more important as we prepare young people for the jobs of tomorrow. Currently, only 18 percent of U.S. high school seniors are proficient in science. And while nearly 66 percent of Japanese college students graduate with degrees related to science, engineering or technology, American rates are only 5 percent.
Trina Camping-Lewis, 4-H volunteer for the events, dedicated her time to help educate the children on this topic. "I love watching people make connections to environmental science and realize that they play a significant, personal role in the world."
It was a collaborative effort to present this opportunity. Local schools included Woodland Montessori School, Caesar Chavez Elementary, and the Winters After-School Program at Rominger Intermediate. These experiments were presented by Megan Harns, from the UC Davis John Muir Institute of the Environment, and funding was made possible by Toyota and Time-Warner Cable. Bringing all these organizations and businesses together under the umbrella of 4-H in Yolo County provided a consistent and high-quality program for our children.