1. Opportunities for individual attention - and interactions/bonding within the group are increased. Children experience A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH A CARING ADULT.

2. Supervision/safety is increased. Children in grades K-3 are still learning to associate choices and consequences. They might not think through the results of their actions, so increasing supervision is important to provide a SAFE ENVIRONMENT.

3. Adults can provide the framework to actively include everyone in the process regardless of their individual skill levels. The 1 to 6 adult - child ratio provides the framework needed for an INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT.

4. Children are more likely to get and stay ENGAGED IN LEARNING when there is an interested adult involved in the process. That can be difficult when the ratio exceeds 6 children to every adult.

5. The OPPORTUNITIES to experience MASTERY, BELONGING, GENEROSITY, and INDEPENDENCE are increased when adults are involved to encourage, engage, and educate children.

6. Adults can create opportunities for children to evaluate their experiences, experience service to others, and build on successes for future learning.

WHAT STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL FOR YOU IN WORKING TOWARD THE 1:6 RATIO?

Anyone who has worked with a group that had a child with ADHD in it knows what I'm talking about when I say "surviving" ADHD. It can be a very challenging experience and sometimes you just hope you can survive! Of course we in 4-H want to do more than just survive - we want to help children thrive! Here are a few ideas to help that happen:

I have a few ideas and a few resources to share:
1. Give the child something to do with their hands. I've had great success with a balloon filled with rice or sand. Just use a funnel to fill it and tie it shut. When a child has to sit and listen for an extended period of time, give them the balloon - making sure they know they can keep it as long as they just hold it. Don't be surprised if the rest of the group wants one - in that case - I just tell them they can make one later. (And make sure they get that opportunity.)

2. Keep directions short and simple. Get them DOING right away. I use picture directions whenever possible and I also plan long activities in short steps with stations set up for each section of the activity.

3. Don't add to the energy in the room. Plan quiet activities in between games, use a quiet voice, etc.

4. Keep communication open with the child's family. They will have strategies they use at home and that are used at school to share with you!

5. Remember to use good discipline and group management techniques - choices!

Check out the advice on this site:

http://www.adhd-made-simple.com/ADHD_Children.html

What strategies have you used?

I suggest starting with the toolkit and the Ohio curriculum. Those 2 combined can be used to explain the program and how children learn by doing hands on activities. It also can be used to explain and practice experiential learning. New Leaders could also visit an existing program or have Extension staff help start the club - get it rolling for a few sessions and then back out when the leader is ready.

But what else do you use? What can I do to help you with your new leader training efforts?

The delivery of the questions is critical - calm and empathetic - we feel bad that they have made a poor decision and we want to help them figure out how to fix it.

Here are a few samples:

First - we let the child know we see the problem - but without judgment on our part - Then, we ask the question. That lets children know we are interested and we believe they can do it!

I noticed you drew all over the table. I wonder how you are going to fix that?
I see you two are having a disagreement. What are you going to do now?
I notice that you seem angry about _______. What can you do now?

After they come up with ideas - we help them evaluate their options - "What will happen then?" That keeps the child thinking about the relationship between his/her choices and the consequences associated with them.

These are just a few samples - the point is to let them know you are there, give them the power to solve the problem!, and help them evaluate those ideas! It gets them thinking about the situation and lets them connect their choices with the consequences. It also is a HUGE self-esteem builder and teaches children that mistakes are a part of life and when we make them - we fix them!

1. Using the motors from Funtivities, do spin art. Just index cards into about 2 inch squares. Poke a pin through the center. Gently, poke the point of the motor through the hole. Attach the alligator clips and use markers to decorate the square while it is spinning! Glue that to a piece of construction paper - add a label that says "Clover Kids Electrifyling Art, ___County Fair (with a clover of course!). Attach a small magnet piece in the back and you have a great refrigerator magnet as a constant reminder about the program!

2. Set up stations using your county council as leaders - let the children experience a different CK theme at each station - one might be string painting, one might be taking apart fabric or weaving felt placemats, etc. Let children come and experience sample activities while the leaders talk about Clover Kids.

3. Have people handing out Clover Kids fliers during the different shows - the kiddie tractor pull - etc. Use those activities to your advantage - have a booth right there!

What activities do you do in your county?

1. Have a volunteer survey for parents to fill out when they enroll their children. On the survey, you can list areas that parents can help the group - like gathering materials, contacting other families for special events or meeting changes, donating snacks, helping with meetings, suggesting ideas for meetings, presenting activities and more!

2. Send home a note after each meeting so they can get involved with their children at home. There is a template for a meeting card on the CK website. You can use that to let parents know what you did at the meeting. Give them sample open ended questions they can use to talk with their children. That helps with the whole experiential learning process and helps the children build language!

3. Delegate! Put parents in charge of different aspects of the program -

Remember to have parents complete the child protection process if they are working directly with the children. The Extension Office can let you know who has to have the screening done!

Here are a few more ideas from the State Leaders Retreat:

• Assign older 4-H'ers to a CK group to show them around the fair.
• Talk about the 4-H pledge during meetings - during meetings you can point out which of the H's are being used!
• Give CK's who attend the fair a free 4-H Club t-shirt for completing a tour.
• Plan a 4-H Family Event during the fair - let the Club members volunteer to help with it - you could have a meeting in the food stand for those interested in finding out more about 4-H!
• Send all CK's a postcard inviting them to the fair and letting them know some of the great events they can visit!
• During meetings, relate what they are doing to future 4-H project areas.
• Let the CK groups help with the food stand - they can clean tables, sweep, and find other ways to help the 4-H clubs who are working!
• Let CK groups participate in Share the Fun. NON-JUDGED of course!
• Have a CK activity booth where children can do hands on activities during the fair.
• Specifically invite all CK's to the Working Exhibits. Those are fun and a great indicator of the Club program!
• Let CK's decorate their own display booth.
  ]]> http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/04/transitioning_ideas_time_to_ma.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/04/transitioning_ideas_time_to_ma.html Transitioning Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:47:18 -0600 Check out this website! It has 60 second science activities you can either add to enrich your program or use as the main piece of a meeting and build around other activities to support it!

  Let me know what you think!
  http://60secondscience.org/activities/index.html
  

  ]]> http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/04/60_second_science_site.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/04/60_second_science_site.html Activity Ideas Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:37:38 -0600 What does your county to do help recruit Clover Kids into the Club program?

  As I travel across the state talking to leaders and county staff, I hear so many great ideas for activities, transitioning, recruitment, etc. This site is the perfect opportunity for you to share your ideas! The best ideas - the ones people like the most seem to be the most simple ones - the ones we dismiss as being too common or simple to share - but those are the ones people need! So - what does your county do?

  ]]> http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/transitioning_ideas.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/transitioning_ideas.html Transitioning Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:35:23 -0600 This website has great force and motion experiments for K-3 grades. I know it is a kindergarten website, but the activities would work for older grades as well with a little adaptation. They change different variables to see how they affect the movement of cars. Check it out!

  http://www.littlegiraffes.com/forceandmotion.html

  ]]> http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/webpage_with_cute_force_and_mo.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/webpage_with_cute_force_and_mo.html Activity Ideas Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:51:44 -0600 I just kind of realized that not everyone is probably familiar with the National Association for the Education of Young Children or its position on developmentally appropriate practices. the NAEYC is the most recognized organization that deals with early childhood education and Clover Kids fits that bill! Anything between birth through 8 years old counts!

  So, I thought I'd include a link here. This is a long read (22 pages!) but there are very good parts to help you educate the Clover Kids leaders and other stake holders on the importance of using developmentally appropriate practices in ANY program for children in grades K-3!

  Here it is:
  http://www.naeyc.org/about/positions/pdf/PSDAP98.PDF
  

  ]]> http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/naeyc_statement.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/naeyc_statement.html Developmentally Appropriate Practices Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:44:09 -0600 Ever ask a question and hear crickets chirping? I know I have!

  How can you ask a question and get the types of answers you are looking for? By using the right word at the beginning of the question!

  If we can get used to starting questions with the right words, we can help children build great communication skills and guide them through great discussions in the Experiential Learning Process. What words am I talking about? Starting questions with these words encourage longer more thoughtful answers.

  What if "What happened" "What if"

  How "How did you decide" "How did that"

  Tell me "Tell me about...."

  We also want to avoid using words that allow children to answer the question in one word. Typically, starting questions with these words encourages short, one word answers.
  
  Who
  When
  Which
  Can
  Whose

  One trick I like to use - write the questions down as you write your plans! It takes the pressure off!

  ]]> http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/good_questions_start_with.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/good_questions_start_with.html Experiential Learning Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:39:29 -0600 My son Patrick wants to drive so bad he can taste it! But, he doesn't get his permit until next month - so he has to wait. Does that bother him? Yes. Is it going to hurt him? Absolutely not! It gives him something to look forward to and gives him time to study the situation and learn what is expected of him when he does start to drive.

  In my Group Management Workshops I make the point over and over that we never want to make a group of children wait. But that isn't entirely accurate - there are times when we WANT them to wait.

  When?
  When they want to do something that they aren't developmentally ready for....like waiting to exhibit competitively in the fair or waiting until they are physically, mentally, and socially ready to exhibit animals at the fair. It's not only OK to wait - it is critical to wait until the children are ready for those experiences.

  Quite often, we feel pressure from others to let CKs experience things we know they aren't ready for. We want to make sure we are educating those families, fair boards and other stake holders about the CK program.

  CKs have to wait because they don't have the basic physical, social, cognitive and emotional skills to adequately deal with the situation....and like my son Patrick and driving - waiting gives them something to look forward to in the future!
  

  ]]> http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/its_ok_to_waitsometimes.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/its_ok_to_waitsometimes.html CK's and the Fair Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:22:53 -0600 Welcome to the Clover Kids Blog! I'm so excited to get this going because I think this provides a great opportunity for us to share information and ideas about working with children in grades K-3!

  My goal is to eventually have areas to discuss transitioning, CKs and the fair, group management and discipline, experiential learning practices and of course developmentally appropriate practices. It might take a while to get there, but I'll keep plugging away so we can get some great discussions going! So check back often!

  ]]> http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/welcome_to_the_ck_blog_1.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/welcome_to_the_ck_blog_1.html Getting Started with CK Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:13:09 -0600 I think the easiest way to help children through the Experiential Learning Process is to be involved with them as they do the activities. I tell people in my workshop that being involved is important for group management and that's true, but it is also important to help children do the activities, think about what they are experiencing and apply that in another area of their lives.

  When you are involved, the questioning process of Experiential Learning gets simplified because you can see what they are experiencing and ask open ended questions about it. You can ask open ended questions about what they think is happening and help them brainstorm ways they've seen this experience used in other areas or help them use what they've done in a different way. But you have to be involved to help them catch the excitement and be engaged enough in the activity to think about it!

  ]]> http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/involvement.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/cloverkids/2008/03/involvement.html Experiential Learning Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:23:47 -0600