Activities & Resources to Optimize Environments

Promoting Time Outdoors

 Many children do not get enough time outdoors. This can have severe negative impacts on their physical and emotional development. One way that 4-H can help is that many 4-Hers spend much of their time raising animals. This provides a concrete activity that gets kids away from screens, and oftentimes moving outdoors. To help participants make the connection between animal science and healthy living, we created a series of promotional flyers. 

If you are looking for other ways to promote time outdoors, we have a list of projects that can help to accomplish that. These sheets will help your leaders meet the needs of youth at various skill levels, and provide resources and ideas: 

• Environmental Stewardship
• Fishing and Fly Tying
• Forestry
• Water Conservation (Soil & Water Conservation)
• Wildlife
• Vegetable Gardening (and Crops)
• Archery

Pleasant surroundings can also be accomplished indoors, and some of our youth members enjoy learning how to beautify their homes. The project sheets on Table setting and etiquette and Flower arranging provide resources and ideas for volunteers to get started or enhance existing projects. 

Summer Camp Training Materials

For an intensive outdoor experience, the California 4-H Camping Committee has Resources for 4-H Camp Staff and Volunteers. This includes webinars, conference information, research, and planning resources to help you start or improve your residential camp program. 

 Take the time to evaluate if you have optimized your camp for a healthy foundation and make a plan for improvement using the Healthy Living Camp Checklist.

Use this Healthy Camp Treasure Hunt activity to help build the skills of your camp staff. Adapt to meet the needs of your location. Includes a series of clues, and an example of an answer sheet/map. 

Counselor-in- Training: Encouraging Youth Development Outcomes at Camp. This camp manual offers a hands-on, "how-to-do-it" approach in preparing teen Counselors in Training (CITs) and adults to work with elementary school-age campers. 

Safety

The University of California Policy on Health, Safety and the Environment endorses a strategy whereby activities are designed and controls are put in place to reduce or eliminate accidents, trauma, and exposures to members of the university community. Accordingly, this Clover Safe Note has been developed for the purpose of providing 4-H YDP volunteers and staff with general preventative information for eliminating or reducing member injuries and illnesses that may be sustained during 4-H activities and events.

The University of California 4-H Youth Development Program (YDP) organizes and coordinates a variety of programs, projects, and events that involve about 20,000 adult volunteers and more than 100,000 youth aged five through 19 years of age. Many of these programs, projects, and events incorporate activities that inherently have various risks for injuries or disease exposures to both 4-H YDP volunteers and members. Information given in this 4-H Safety Manual has been developed for use by 4-H volunteers and members and is intended to provide initial guidance for implementing practices and procedures to reduce the risk of sustaining injuries or illnesses while participating in 4-H sponsored programs, projects, and events.