Author: Admin

During this project, we will learn how to make desserts that are both good-looking and good-tasting. We will practice collaborating as we cook, and share the fruits of our labor together.

AGES: All, but younger kids will probably need some adult help, minimum 3 kids, no max

PROPOSED DATES:

• Sunday, September 26th from 10.30 to 12:  apple pie
• Saturday, October 16th from 10.30 to 12:  flower marble cake with chocolate and caramel
• Sunday, November 14th from 10.30 to 12 : marzipan
• Sunday, January 9 from 11:30-12:30:  king cake (Galette des rois)

PROJECT FEE:  none

Do you want to unlock the mysteries of space exploration?! Join Galactic Quest! You’ll participate in four space-related activities: Stellar Optics, Cipher Space, Astro Adventure, and Cosmic Claw. In Stellar Optics we’ll start with the stars. We’ll explore principles of light and construct a simple telescope. In Cipher Space we’ll learn about concepts of cybersecurity and protecting assets in space. You’ll use a Caesar cipher wheel to decode a secret message and encrypt and decipher words. In Astro Adventure we’ll play a board game about the resources needed for space exploration and where they can be found. Finally, in Cosmic Claw you’ll use the Engineering Design Process to design, build, and operate a robotic claw. Cool, right?

AGES: 3rd grade and up, minimum 5 kids, no max

PROPOSED DATES:  We will probably meet outside at a park in South Berkeley

• Sat. 11/13, 2-4pm
• Sat. 11/20, 2-3:30pm
• Sat. 12/4, 2-3:30pm

PROJECT FEE:  $20 for the kit

Fall/Winter, likely extension or repeat in Spring

During 4-H Weaving, new and continuing students will learn what different parts of the loom do and how a loom works as well as how to plan, measure, prep your loom, weave a piece of cloth or an inkle band. Students will all have the chance to work on a loom and complete a simple project. Returning students can begin or finish more complex projects. Kids will get a loom to work on and take that loom home to work on between project meetings.

Depending on student interest and timing, we may also explore: how to recognize and understand different textile techniques (e.g., weaving, tatting, knitting, bobbin lace, card weaving), as well as yarn chemistry—how to tell what a fiber is without a label

AGES: 10+, depending on space and prior fiber experience, age 9 students may be able to participate, maximum 6 kids

PROPOSED DATES:  Tentative dates will be Sunday Afternoons 1:00-3:00:

• October 10
• October 24
• November 7
• Meetings will be held in the back yard at my house, masked though we may do an initial meeting or quick (i.e., 30 min) interim check-in meetings to support project work over Zoom.

PROJECT FEE:  No project fee, though if students have yarn they can work with that (not required)—all materials will be provided except for scissors, pencil, paper.

In this project, I will be teaching students to paint miniature figures, for D&D or just for display pieces. We will learn techniques like basing, wet-blending, and drybrushing, as well as basic skills like brush control and color choice. I will be teaching from a new miniature this time, so returning students will have as much to gain as new ones. This will be an in-person project at my house, so masks will be required.

AGES: 10+, minimum 3 kids, maximum 6

PROPOSED DATES:

• Oct. 10, 11-1
• Oct 24, 11-1
• Nov 7, 1pm at Games of Berkeley. On this day, we will pick personal miniatures to paint
• Nov. 14, 11-2

PROJECT FEE: There will be a $10-15 project fee, which will pay for materials. Every student will end this project with at least one painted miniature and a set of paints and brushes.

While it’s true that some bacteria are harmful, so many bacteria are incredibly beneficial and really, we couldn’t survive without them. In this project, we’ll learn together about different kinds of beneficial bacteria. In the sessions we’ll be doing various experiments, many of which will take some time to develop and grow. So, in between the sessions, we will be communicating with each other via email, sending status updates and photos, so that we can all share how our experiments are going.

Session 1 will be in-person and we will learn that bacteria are all around us. We will create our own ecosystem of bacteria from mud or dirt and watch it grow. This is called a Winogradsky column.

Session 2 will be online and we’ll learn about the beneficial bacteria inside of us in our microbiome. We’ll make some bacteria-fermented foods like kefir and kombucha gummy jellies.

Session 3 will be in-person and over 2 days. We’ll learn about the role of bacteria in biotechnology. We’ll make BioArt, or living art, by painting on small petri dishes with bacteria that has been genetically engineered to fluoresce color. As part of this session, we’ll also make a DIY Incubator which will help our BioArt to grow. The materials for this session will come from Amino Labs — check out all their cool products and resources.

Session 4 will be in-person and we’ll learn about bacteria’s very important role in the environment and the nitrogen cycle. Without nitrogen-fixing bacteria all of the green growth you see around you and many of the food crops we eat would not be possible. In this session, we’ll grow some clover plants with and without nitrogen-fixing bacteria to observe any differences.

Our final session will also be in-person and we will investigate the bacteria in our every day lives. We’ll take samples from surfaces around us and attempt to grow bacteria from those samples to see what happens. Together we’ll figure out some inquiries to make like do natural remedies like tea tree oil have antibacterial properties?

AGES: 6th grade and up, minimum 4 kids, maximum 8

PROPOSED DATES (we may need to tweak based on group’s availability):

• SAT, Nov 6, 10 am-12 pm, Lake Temescal
• SUN, Dec 12, 2:00-3:30, ZOOM
• SAT, Jan 15, 10 am-12 pm, office in Berkeley
• SUN, Jan 16, 10 am-12 pm, office in Berkeley
• SAT, March 5, 2:00-4:00, Lake Temescal
• SAT, April 30, 2:00-4:00, office in Berkeley

PROJECT FEE:  $50

ONLINE, with some outdoor in-person time if permitted

This project is for our youngest members called Cloverbuds. It will be led by 2 of our veteran teen leaders. They will introduce Cloverbuds to some of the 4-H concepts, like the pledge, and talk about how our club works using hands-on activities, games and group discussions.

There will be 6 one-hour sessions on Saturdays. Tentative dates are below. The sessions will have the following themes: Introduction, Head, Heart, Hands, Health, and the County Fair.

AGES:  5-8, minimum 3 kids, no max

DATES: 10-11 am, Saturdays Feb 6, 20, Mar 6, Apr 3, 17 (changed to in-person 10-11:30), May 15 (changed to in-person 10-12 pm)

PROJECT FEE:  $15 for materials and supplies, to be delivered to your house or school

ONLINE

Ever wondered what a plant or animal looks like if you were to zoom in really close? Or have you ever thought about creatures that are too small to see with your eyes alone? In this project, we’ll be exploring this tiny world with the help of the Foldscope, an affordable, hand-held paper microscope. Members will each get their own Foldscope, and we’ll assemble them together and use them to learn about the microscopic world.

AGES: 3rd grade and up, younger kids with adult help, minimum 3 kids, max 10

DATES:  3:15 PM – 4:30 PM January 31st February 13th, 21st, 28th March 7th

PROJECT FEE:  $10

IN-PERSON WITH ONLINE KICK-OFF MEETING

Create art in public places that will surprise and delight! We will make fun, clever, removable art that we’ll install in spots for people to find in their every day life. Googly eyes on fire hydrants, fairies hidden in flower pots, inspirational notes in trees – we’ll come up with ideas to inspire and put smiles on faces.

AGES: All, minimum 4 kids, max 8

DATES:  TBD

PROJECT FEE:  $5

ONLINE & IN-PERSON

Learn about GPS and geocaching in an online class followed by two scheduled hikes at Redwood Regional Park in Oakland and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park in Richmond during which we will find real geocaches and place one of our own. (If there’s time, we will add a third hike.)

AGES: 5th grade and up, younger kids with adult, minimum 4 kids, max 8 kids

DATES: Feb 7 (online) 10-11 am, March 28, April 25, May 30 (depending on SIP) 10 am – 1 pm for all hikes

PROJECT FEE:  none

ONLINE

In this project, we will connect with local seniors and individuals who are particularly isolated during this time due to their health, age or physical needs. Our connections will be remote, creative, and will largely come from the group (pen pals? collaborative art projects? zoom puzzling? reading?) We will be introduced to select people through our partnership with Oakland at Risk, and our team will take it from there, developing relationships and ensuring that people who have had little social interaction lately can have just a little more. 4-H members of any age are welcome to participate. We will have a balance of project “meeting” time where we will brainstorm ideas and activities, along with time set aside to complete those activities.

AGES: All

DATES:  Saturdays, 4:30

• Feb 27
• March 6, 13, 20

PROJECT FEE:  none

ONLINE AND IN-PERSON

Students will learn how to plan, measure, prep your loom, weave a piece of cloth or an inkle band. In addition, they may learn how to recognize and understand the different textile techniques (eg weaving, tatting, knitting, bobbin lace, card weaving), what the different parts of the loom do and how a loom works, yarn chemistry (how to tell what a fiber is without a label).

AGES:  10 and up, 6 kids max

DATES:

• Oct 10 (Zoom), time TBD
• Meeting 2: In-person to set up looms
• Meetings 3-5 (Zoom): group weaving and Q&A
• Individual meetings as needed to finish the project
• Continuation of project in the Spring of 2021 for new members and those wishing to continue

PROJECT FEE:  None.  Families will need to purchase their own yarn.

ONLINE

Materials needed: digital camera or smartphone, computer if using digital camera to crop/edit

Session 1:  Teach kids about camera functions: Intro to camera exercise: Use light- Shoot same subject at same location at different times of day to see how light can affect appearance and feel

Session 2: What to think about when taking a photo: Learning about composition and “rules” exercise: find wide angle, zoom, portrait mode and take photos in all of these modes

Session 3: Careers in photography- different types of photography- underwater, wedding, portrait, photojournalism, travel exercise: pretend you need to choose a career in photography, what would it be and why?

Session 4: Processing photo, Common mistakes and how to fix them exercise: crop and straighten image, filters etc

Members will be encouraged and supported to enter a photo or photos in the Alameda County Film & Photo Fest in April or May, in the Alameda County Fair Photo Exhibition in June/July, and in the State 4-H Photo Contest in July/August.

AGES: 9+, minimum 3 kids, maximum 10

PROPOSED DATES:  Sundays, 2-3 pm

• Feb 28
• March 7, 21
• April 11
• Film and Photo Fest in April

PROJECT FEE:  none

ONLINE

We will learn how to paint miniatures for tabletop games like D&D, or just for fun. We will learn different techniques like layering to create effects. You will start the project with a grey, bland figure and finish it with a lively masterpiece! There are countless figurines to choose from, but we will probably start with a kit that has a dude with a sword.

AGES: 11+, but a little flexible

PROPOSED DATES:  Feb 20, 27, Mar 6, 1:00-3:00 pm

PROJECT FEE:  $30

OUTDOOR, if permitted

We will have 3 outings, most likely Lafayette Reservoir, Lake Anza and one other. If you are new to fishing, we can do a dry land primer regarding gear, knots, casting and general fishing instruction. If you can purchase your own line and reel, that would be ideal, but we do have a couple extra for borrowing. We can send you some links to solid, but low-cost gear if need be.

AGES:  All, but parent help may be required for younger kids

DATES:  mid to late April start, dates TBD, weekends

PROJECT FEE:  permit fee at the reservoir, etc, around $5-10

IN-PERSON (IF POSSIBLE) in late April/May

This project offers an introduction to free-hand cursive writing and elements of intricate collage technique. Project participants will create art pieces using hand lettering and three-dimensional collage to make a beautiful hand decorated and framed quotation in a shadow box. Students who have taken this project before are welcome to do so again. If desired, finished pieces can be entered in the 2021 Alameda County Fair. (Historically these pieces have been award winners!)

AGES:  10+, minimum 3 kids, maximum 6 kids

DATES: 2 three-hour meetings (with breaks) in late April/early May to be determined

PROJECT FEE:  $20

ONLINE

2020 is the most important election of our lifetimes. For this 4-H project, we will be reaching out via the US mail to reach voters to compel them to vote in this extremely important election. Postcarding and letter writing to voters is easy and fun! And we can all do this from our homes. There are two campaigns that we can support: The Big Send and Postcards to Swing States. Both are non-partisan, but they do target Democrats, under-represented voters, as well as voters of color. We will meet for a kick off call and 1-2 more times to check in on progress. Join us to help out in this important project!

AGES:  All (Younger kids will need parent participation, but a great family activity!)

DATES:  First meeting will be an Acitivism 101 Zoom meeting(TBD, but soon), then we will check in 1-2 times to see how everyone is doing. Mail dates are 10/21, 10/26 are the Postcard mail dates and the Big Send is late October. All dates are potentially moving up due to delays in the mail. There is a kick off meeting with the Hamilton cast who are supporting this effort on 9/21 at 4:30 pm. You can register here: https://www.mobilize.us/votefwd/event/319667/

PROJECT FEE:  $0.35 per postcard stamp or $0.55/ letter. For the Postcards to Swing States, I have all of the postcards and addresses and can distribute from my home in Berkeley. For the Big Send, you will need #10 envelopes and a printer to print out the core letters and then mail.

ONLINE, with OFFLINE ACTIVITIES

Each participant will build a fariy door somewhere in their neighborhood. Typical spots for fairy doors can be trunks of trees, bases of a house or flower pot, anywhere that touches the ground. We will then share the geolocation with each other (and the club) and have a scavenger hunt of sorts to find each other’s doors.

AGES:  All, but parent help may be needed for younger kids, 4 kids minimum, no max

DATE:  TBD

PROJECT FEE:  TBD, project leader may create kits for each participant, and if so, there will be a small fee

ONLINE

Over four 1.5 hour meetings, we will learn about succulent propagation, seed incubation, general plant upkeep, and much more! Add in some cool recycling arts and crafts projects and this is sure to leaf you with a smile.

AGES:  2nd grade and up, minimum 3 kids, max 10

DATES:  All sessions 3:30-5:00

• Oct 17, 24
• Nov 1, 7

PROJECT FEE:  $5-10

IN-PERSON, OUTDOOR

Let’s bike along the Bay Trail and learn about how people and our cities interact with our natural setting. We’ll explore three different East Bay segments of the trail, taking breaks to make observations. We’ll review bike safety at the start of each ride. Length of the rides will depend on the group’s collective ability. All rides will be from 9 a.m. to noon, and return to the starting point.

AGES:  8 and up, minimum 3 kids, max 8

DATES:  All rides 9:00-12:00

• Saturday, October 3 – Dotson Family Marsh Staging Area, Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
• Sunday, October 18 – Berkeley to Albany
• Sunday, November 8 – San Leandro Slough

PROJECT FEE:  None

IN PERSON, OUTDOOR

Have you ever been to the Marina and noticed the trash everywhere and wanted to do something about it? Here’s your chance! We will use grabbers and go around the Marina to pick up trash. I will provide the grabbers, trash bags, hand sanitizer, and gloves. Everyone is welcome to bring a lunch and snacks to enjoy outdoors. There will also be time to do some fun activities like throwing a frisbee around and possible water play if the weather permits. The project will be taking place on 2 Saturdays at the Berkeley Marina. All ages are welcome!!

AGES:  All (Younger kids will need parent participation, but a great family activity!), minimum 3 kids, max 10 (including adults)

DATES:

• Oct 17
• Nov 14

PROJECT FEE:  $10 for grabbers, trash bags, gloves, hand sanitizer

ONLINE

For this project we will learn basic silk screening skills like what is mesh count, emulsion, screen area, squeegee, scoop coater and more. We will make DIY screens at home plus simple block printing on paper or fabric. Take an online tour of screen printing studio and demo from a working studio artist. Final project design and print one color designs on tote bags or t-shirt to raise money for Emeryville 4-H club. The cost is for materials needed for the class which include screen, ink, transparencies, embroidery hoop, screen fabric, scrap paper, tote bag, mod podge. I will deliver materials for the students to use at home.

AGES:  5th grade and up, 4 kids max

DATES:

• Oct 25, 2:00-4:00 pm
• Nov 15, 2:00-4:00 pm
• Dec 6 or 12

PROJECT FEE:  about $30 for materials

ONLINE

Activities in this project explore sending a mission to Mars. There are four main activities: Mars exploration by modeling launching, landing and exploring the planet’s surface; using engineering design principles to build and drive a rover; a card game that teaches about Mars’ natural environment and agriculture; and a coding activity where participants create animated stories about what they’ve learned in the project.

AGES:  8-14

DATES:

• Oct 31, 2:00-4:00
• Nov 14
• Dec 12
• Jan 9

PROJECT FEE:  $5-20 for materials, depending on whether online or in-person

Here is a link to Donkey Toes Short Stories, the book that the Donkey Toes Publishing project created.  From the authors:  “This project was very fun and we’re very excited for everyone to read our stories. We hope you enjoy reading them almost as much as we enjoyed writing them!”

If you wish to purchase a bound copy, you can click on one of the links below.  There are 4 versions that you can buy.  You can find discount codes online for them.

ONLINE

This will be an online project where we will write short stories. To facilitate creativity we will play games, do writing excersises and create art to illustrate the short stories. At the end of the project we will publish a collection of all the short stories in one book through Blurb publishing.

AGES:  9 and up (4 kids minimum, 8 max)

DATES:  Saturdays, time TBD

• Oct 24
• Nov 7, 21
• Dec 5
• Jan 9, 23
• Feb 6, 20

PROJECT FEE:  None, but families will need to purchase their own book at the end of the project if they choose.

Thank you to all the activity leaders who took members out this summer for some socially-distant fun!

Members created cool art at the beach…

Learned how to fish at Lafayette Reservoir…

And contributed to scientific knowledge via the citizen science apps iNaturalist and Marine Debris Tracker, while having fun at Huckleberry Preserve and Alameda Beach.