Programs and Opportunities

Science Saturday

Explore 4-H through our 4-H Science Saturday programs. These one-day programs explore a variety of project areas.

Summer Programs

Explore 4-H through Berks County 4-H Camps! These short-term programs expose youth to a variety of project areas.

Each summer, we offer day camps covering different topics. Day camps may be single or multiple day opportunities. Past day camp topics included computer science/engineering, cooking, animal science, veterinary science, and more.

School Enrichment Programs

Berks County 4-H program offers the 4-H Embryology School Enrichment and the 4-H Meet the Plants School Enrichment programs. We work with the school districts and teachers in Berks County to offer these hands-on 4-H programs. The 4-H curriculum meets PA Academic Standards and includes many interactive lessons that educators and students enjoy.

For more information about school enrichment programs, please contact the Berks County Extension Office, 610-378-1327, berksext@psu.edu.

Embryology

Embryology is a four-week project in which fertile chicken eggs are incubated and hatched in the classroom. It is designed to help youth obtain a better understanding of the transformation of a fertilized egg into a young chick.

Students learn the parts of an egg, what is needed for successful incubation, the stages of embryo development, and how to care for newly hatched chicks. The project is directed to students in grades three to eight.

An additional goal of this curriculum is to help students develop life skills. Life skills help an individual live a productive and satisfying life. With the Embryology project, students have an opportunity to develop life skills related to science processes, managing, thinking, working, relating, and living a healthy lifestyle.

Meet the Plants

Meet the Plants is a beginning course in identifying what a plant is and the different parts of a plant. The program is focused on the 3^rd to 5^th grade age range. There are experiments and activities for seed sprouting, root development, and stem identification, students will have the opportunity to grow annual seeds and transplant a tomato plant. Students can learn how plants grow under different conditions of light, temperature, and soil.

The program consists of about six 30-45 minute lessons. Bulbs will take five to six weeks to bloom. Equipment needed: sweet potatoes, celery, food coloring, and samples of seeds from fruits. Examples of plant materials such as mushrooms, ferns, mosses, fungi would be helpful.

Volunteer Master Gardeners will teach one lesson to your students, by appointment. Note that the classroom demonstration must be scheduled to happen before the end of April and that all classes in the same school must be scheduled on the same day.

4-H Camp Manatawny

4-H Camp Manatawny is a four-day camping experience that is open to all youth age 8-14. Camping provides everyone with a chance to learn about nature, meet new friends, gain responsibility, and learn to live and work with others. Our program consists of group recreation, nature and craft workshops, team building, campfires, and socialization activity groups. Some activities will be geared for juniors (8-10) and some specifically for seniors (11-14) to make it more rewarding for the camper.  Camp is held in June, at 4-H Camp Manatawny, Douglassville, Pennsylvania.

Staff

The camp is directed by the Penn State Extension - Berks County 4-H Educators. Several 4-H screened volunteers and 4-H teen counselors have gone through training and are familiar with our camping program, will be supervising the camp. We have a resident nurse and a lifeguard at the camp as well. For the daily activities, trained 4-H members that are 15 -18 years old, serve as camp counselors who teach crafts, nature, recreation, and other activities to the campers. Certified camp staff will supervise the riflery courses.

For more information about 4-H Camp Manatawny, please contact the Berks County Extension Office, 610-378-1327, berksext@psu.edu

Berks County 4-H Scholarship

The Berks County 4-H Scholarship (formally the James Haldeman Berks County 4-H Scholarship) is available to current Berks County 4-H members who are graduating high school seniors. Applications are due in the 4-H office by April 1^st.

Berks County 4-H Award Opportunities

Berks County 4-H youth and volunteers are encouraged to apply for awards and recognition.

All American Clover Award

We recognize all Berks County 4-H clubs for their community service activities in the Annual Berks County 4-H Yearbook. To be recognized, please complete the form and return it to the Berks County 4-H office by October 1^st.

I Dare You Leadership Award Application

4-H Leaders are encouraged to recognize their teen leader(s) with this award. Special consideration for this award should be given to your quiet, reliable, behind-the-scenes teen leaders. Applications are due in the Berks County 4-H office by October 1^st.

Teen Leader Project

Berks County 4-H members who are between the ages of 13-18 as of January 1^st, may serve as a Teen Leader in their local 4-H club.