Articles

Youth can register now for the third annual Bratney Companies 4-H Robotics Challenge at the 2012 Iowa State Fair. The junior division (grades 5-8) will participate on Friday, Aug. 10 and the senior division (grades 9-12) will participate Saturday, Aug. 11.

Students and teachers are celebrating the end of another school year, but time away from the classroom can have a negative impact on children’s academic progress. While some children are able to maintain school learning during the summer, others can take weeks or even months to recover from summer learning loss when they go back to school in the fall.

Spring is in the air, which also brings nesting time for Iowa’s songbirds. While many homeowners enjoy seeing and feeding the birds, it can be disconcerting for homeowners who have birds fly into glass doors or windows again and again. An Iowa State University Extension and Outreach wildlife specialist offers suggestions for dealing with this problem.

Communities and youth across the state have benefitted from Reach Out Iowa, a program that empowers youth to make a difference in their communities. This year, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism, named Kayla De Weerd, 14, of Hull, and Hannah Jorgensen, 13, of Adair, Iowa’s top two youth volunteers for 2012. Both De Weerd and Jorgensen were part of their local 4-H clubs, and are completing their projects with Reach Out Iowa.

Proper care of roses from planting through pruning will show them off to their best advantage. To confront insect and disease problems in roses, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticulture specialists say to correctly identify the pest and use appropriate control measures. 

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will participate in the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., this summer.

How parents handle their divorce affects how well their children will adapt to life with mom and life with dad. This month’s Science of Parenting podcast from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach examines what parents can do to help their children live through divorce.

The National 4-H Council and the Walmart Foundation are supporting 4-H Healthy Living programs across the country through Walmart Foundation Healthy Living Youth Voice, Youth Choice grants. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has received one of the 15 state grants and is using a portion of the money to provide mini-grants to Master Gardeners and 4-H youth to develop partnerships at the county level.

Learn how to emulate nature with permaculture during the May 3 Virtual Eco Family Conference taught by Fred Meyer, chair and executive director of Backyard Abundance. Meyer will teach about the principles of permaculture and how to mimic nature to produce food in small spaces.