Source: Ashley Osborne, 4-H youth development specialist

In 4-H, we believe youth learn best by doing, but in this technology and media-driven age, it can be difficult to get young people outside to explore and learn from their natural environment. By turning the outdoors into a learning opportunity, you can help young people develop an appreciation for and a desire to conserve their natural environment.

By removing distractions and getting youth into their natural environment, they learn to pay attention to the plants, insects and animals around them. While there are a wide range of science and biology lessons you can teach outdoors, you can also use the outdoors to help develop a young person’s artistic and language arts skills by having the youth draw a picture of a plant or insect they find or compose a journal entry about the things they see.

You can enhance outdoor learning experiences by providing young people with hands-on opportunities in their environment.  Opportunities like planting a garden, installing bird feeders, observing a rain gauge or composting are relatively inexpensive, and you can implement them in limited space.

4-H offers numerous programs to encourage youth to experience and learn in the great outdoors throughout the year.  For more information on outdoor educational ideas or local 4-H programs, contact the (COUNTY NAME) Extension office.

 Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expressions, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

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