Volume 1, Issue 4

4-H Incubation and Embryology

4-H Incubation and Embryology is a fun, rewarding, and educational project that is available to Cloverbud members, particularly in the school and day care settings. The study of embryos is a great way to observe the development of life in just 3 weeks. Teachers, home-school parents, and volunteers are required to attend a training session provided by University of Illinois Extension staff prior to enrolling their children in the 4-H Incubation and Embryology project. Trainings usually occur in the early spring and often have a registration fee. Contact your local Extension office if you are interested in learning more about this program.

Cloverbud Library Bookcase

The following are a few books that may be of interest to leaders and parents to share with their Cloverbud members involved in the 4-H Incubation and Embryology project.

• Fowler, Allan. The Chicken or the Egg? (1993). ISBN 0516-060082+.
  
• Heller, Ruth. Chickens Aren't the Only Ones. Grosset & Dunlap, (1981). ISBN 0448-018721+.
• Jeunesse, Gallimard and deBourgoin, Pascala. The Egg. (1992). ISBN 00-590-45266-5.
• Kwitz, Mary DeBall. Little Chick's Friend Duckling. Harper Trophy, (1992). ISBN 0-06-444179-2.
• Muldrow, Diane. The Chick Book. Golden Books Publishing Company, Inc., (1998). ISBN 0-307-10322-6.
• Roddie, Shen. Hatch, Egg, Hatch. Joy Street Books, (1991). ISBN 0316-753459.
• Royston, Angela. See How They Grow CHICK. Lodestar Books, (1991). ISBN - 0-525-67355-5.

There are also two public television programs related to incubation and embryology that you may want to check your local listings to see if they are offered. They are the Reading Rainbow program - Chickens Aren't The Only Ones and Magic School Bus - Cracks a Yolk.

Clean Hands Project

Whether you are handling fertile eggs as part of the 4-H Incubation and Embryology project or handling eggs to eat at home, it is important that each person has clean hands. Have you ever watched a young child wash his or her hands? They quickly pass them under the water and say that they are done. Little hands are constantly touching things, picking up germs and spreading them from place to place and person to person.

Help stop the spread of colds and infectious diseases by teaching your Cloverbud members how to wash their hands.

Each local Extension Office has a "handwashing educational kit" to help teach children good hand washing skills. 4-H or FNP staff may be available to present this program to your group or to lend their kit to you for your group use. The kit contains a simple, fun but effective method of teaching good hand washing skills. Children can actually see the "germs" on their hands and try to wash them off. Each kit contains a teaching outline, supplies, and equipment needed to teach them when to wash hands and how to thoroughly wash. Contact your local University of Illinois Extension office to schedule the use of the hand washing kit.

Germs are everywhere!
They're on the walls and in the halls.
They're on the chairs and on the stairs.
They're on the toilet seats and on your two feet.
They are on your hand and in the sand.
They even like food, isn't that rude?
But don't be scared. Germs can be beat.
Just make sure your hands are clean and neat?

By Pat Fosarelli, MD. Material provided by The ABC's of Clean, The Soap and Detergent Association.