Volume 7, Issue 4

Planning Field Trips

If you are planning a field trip for your 4-H Cloverbud group this spring, know exactly where you're going, how to get there, costs involved, and how long it will take. If possible, make the trip in advance without the children. Check the best days and times to plan a visit - inquire about the least busy times. Locate food and bathroom facilities in advance.

Consider Visiting These Locations:  Museums, hospitals, fire and police stations, 4-H fairs, restaurants, nature or forest preserve, recycling center, theatre, 4-H club, grocery store, pet store, vet clinic, farm, bank, and fitness center.

Explain Your Plans to Children:  Keep it simple. Tell them where you are going, how you'll get there, and what you might see. Make no promises in advance. Say instead, "We think we can," "We hope to," or "We expect to." Plan to have fun with the children. The safety of the children should be the overriding concern. Have everyone dress in comfortable clothes and shoes. If you plan to include a picnic lunch, use a large shoulder bag, durable shopping bag, knapsack, or picnic basket.

Expect Good Behavior: Explain in advance what is expected and praise good behavior.

Give Individual Attention:  If the club is large, divide it into small groups. Involve as many parents as possible. You may want to have a ratio of one adult for every two 4-H Cloverbud members. Give each adult the responsibility for a small group. A buddy system, with children in pairs, is helpful. Buddies must stick together, and you can easily spot-check for pairs of youngsters. Plan to check regularly with the children and encourage questions.

Stop While It's Fun:  Generally, 4-H Cloverbuds don't have long attention spans. If a long trip is involved, bring along a simple snack and possibly a few small toys or play a travel game.

Follow-Through With Talks About the Trip;  Have members draw pictures about their experience to put in their scrapbooks. Encourage them to express their feelings about the trip- "What I liked," “What I learned...."

Important!  Prior to undertaking the actual group outing, be sure that each child's parents are fully informed of all details for the trip and that they have given written consent for the child to go. Consider taking out special activities accident/medical insurance for the day. If parents are not going along, have them complete 4-H health forms for their child and include their emergency contact numbers. These tips are very important should an accident occur. Contact your local Extension office to request additional risk management training.

Illinois Children’s Museums

There are several museums around designed specifically for children. Many have exhibits geared to the 5 – 7 year old population that relate directly to some of the 4-H Cloverbud Series I and II curricula topics. For a complete list of these museums, contact your local Extension office. Here is a sample from across the state. 

Children’s Museum of Edwardsville
722 Holyoake Rd. - 618.692.2094
www.childrens-museum.net

Galesburg
Discovery Depot Children’s Museum
128 N. Chambers - 309.344.8876
www.discoverydepot.org

Naperville
DuPage Children’s Museum
301 N. Washington St. - 630.637.8000
www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org

The Children’s Discovery Museum of
Central Illinois - Normal
101 E. Beaufort St.  - 309.433.3444
www.childrensdiscoverymuseum.net

Springfield Children’s Museum
619 E. Washington St. - 217.789.0679

Additional 4-H Cloverbud Volunteer Training Topic

There are additional volunteer training lessons available through your local Extension office for new and experienced 4-H Cloverbud leaders. If you are interested in any of these topics, please talk with your local 4-H staff. The following is a brief description of each lesson.

Behavior Guidelines
4-H Cloverbud leaders can prevent many behavior problems from occurring by engaging 4-H Cloverbud members in a brainstorming activity to determine their own group rules. Once rules have been determined and then reviewed at each meeting, members become familiar with the behavior expectations.

Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is the key to successful group learning. Although the Ohio State Cloverbud Level I and II curricula are designed around the experiential learning process, many volunteers need practice in order to feel comfortable utilizing this with 4-H Cloverbud members. Hands-on activities taking participants through the five-step process will be shared.

4-H Cloverbud Orientation Evaluation and Feedback

New end-of-workshop and follow-up evaluation forms have been created to help Extension staff gain suggestions from 4-H Cloverbud volunteers who have attended the orientation training. If you receive an evaluation form in the mail over the next few months, please take the time to complete the form and return it to your local Extension office.  We need your feedback!