By Brice Bonds and Madison Britt
With a shared goal of increasing agriculture literacy in Coffee County, the Coffee County 4-H program and Coffee County Farm Bureau joined forces to develop the “Cloverbuds Agventures” program for four- to nine-year-olds.
At each class, students read books, participate in hands-on activities, and create various crafts to promote the importance of agriculture. The two organizations found success after hosting a four-day camp this past summer focusing on various agricultural and natural resources topics. During the summer classes, the first two days were all about agriculture. The kids learned about dairy, plants, and pollinators. They made their own ice cream and a seed throw and grow, planted wildflower seeds, and pretended to be bees in a fun pollinator activity.
The last two days were about nature and wildlife. Kids learned about forests and ocean ecosystems. They were able to hear from Ranger Chris “Turtleman” Adams from the General Coffee State Park about the local environment. Ranger Adams even brought a couple of friends that students were able to pet – a gopher tortoise and a corn snake! On these days, the kids also compared live worms with gummy worms, practiced fishing techniques, and participated in scavenger hunts for woodland animals and sea creatures as well!
After the success and enjoyment of the summer program, this led to furthering the Coffee 4-H and Farm Bureau partnership by developing monthly programming, beginning in September of 2023. The monthly class is hosted once a month at the Satilla Regional Library in Douglas. Each month focuses on a different agricultural commodity. Topics currently covered include cotton, pumpkins, pecans, timber, bees, pigs, and chickens. As students arrive, they start on a craft about the commodity of the day. Then, a 4-H’er or Farm Bureau Junior Board member kicks off the class by reading a book associated with that day’s topic. Then, the rest of the class consists of various hands-on activities such as having a pecan roller race, learning how to hand-separate cotton seeds and lint, and taste testing honey.
Lastly, students finish the lesson off with a song or dance. Whenever possible, the Extension staff uses Coffee County grown and harvested products in activities. For more information on future “Cloverbuds Agventures” activities contact the Coffee County Extension/4-H Office at (912) 384-1402.
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