The curriculum options listed are offered in Rutherford County to any of our schools. The actual curriculum is either available in a hard copy or digital form.
I am flexible with times to meet for curriculum training: planning periods or after school. Programs are available in both the fall and spring semesters. Please call or email me in advance as programs are available on a first-come, first-serve basis
Most of these programs are offered at no cost.
There may be minimal charges for certain materials, such as butterfly larvae.
Grades K-3:
4-H “Mooving Milk from Farm to Fridge” is a Cloverbud (4-H youth ages 5-7) curriculum developed in partnership with the North Carolina State University Department of Animal Science, The Randleigh Dairy Heritage Museum, and The Dairy Alliance. In this unit, youth trace Clover the Cow’s growth from calf to a dairy cow.
Along the way, they learn about the dairy industry and how dairy foods can contribute to a healthy diet.
Kindergarten
Be A Bone BuilderA multi-faceted program focuses on building bones when it counts using age-appropriate materials. The program involves the recruitment and training of volunteers who teach bone health to a younger audience. It bridges age barriers by reaching elementary school-age youth, older youth, and adults with knowledge acquisition occurring across age groups.
First Grade
This curriculum is crafted to engage youth in celebrating bees and their pollinator allies and build an understanding of the benefits that bees and other pollinators provide to humans.
In a series of seven lessons, youth will discover that the bee is one of nature’s wonders. Youth will learn that native bees and the European honey bee, help produce delicious and healthy food that humans have been eating for millennia.
From the crunch of a fresh apple to the dribble of watermelon juice, nearly one out of every three bites we eat are dependent on bee pollination.
Second Grade
Bug Out is a series of insect-based activities that emphasize experiential, hands-on learning.
The goal of Bug Out is to increase understanding and appreciation of insects and to reduce the fear of insects. Bug Out also stimulates thinking ability, develops communication skills, and promotes positive social interactions.
Embryology
Have you ever wondered how an egg transforms into a chick? Your 4-H Embryology project will take you on this life cycle journey.
Embryology is the study of how life develops from an embryo into a fully developed organism.
To do embryology well, you need to know how to care for fertile hatching eggs, to set up an incubator, keep records, and candle eggs.
Classroom teachers are provided with:
- Incubator
- Egg turner
- Fertilized Eggs
- Curriculum and Instruction
Classrooms may share a candler and other resources.
The 4-H Agent can also do a guest presentation on chickens, life cycles, the poultry industry, etc.
Winged Wonders
In this curriculum, youth will observe the wonders of the natural world unfolding in front of them by raising painted lady butterflies from larva through adulthood. Youth will experience the mystery of the butterfly life cycle while engaging in hands-on activities that explore concepts of insect structures and functions, compare insect behaviors and life cycles, and demonstrate the role everyone can play in environmental stewardship.
Third Grade
Soil Solutions brims with hands-on science lessons that utilize the local school landscape to connect students to the world of soils and plants in an inviting and relevant way.
Students will discover the soil beneath their feet, watch as a basil seed germinates before their eyes, and nibble on nutritious and delicious salad greens they have grown themselves.
Activities are structured to foster wonder and curiosity and encourage ways to turn student questions into investigations.
Shoot for the Stars
Welcome to Astronomy: Shoot for the Stars. This publication was designed to meet the needs of our residential 4-H camps in North Carolina and was developed with an emphasis on youth discovering knowledge through experimentation.
In particular, the lessons in this publication allow for both daytime and nighttime activities.
Funding for this publication was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The publication was piloted during the summer of 2008 and changes made in accordance with evaluations.
Fourth Grade
- Youth explore why certain things insulate from electricity better than others and the effect that magnetism has various substances. They also build a flashlight, a compass, an electromagnet, and an electric motor.
- Designed for 4th and 5th grade youth
We often partner with Rutherford Electric Membership Corp. to incorporate electrical safety and distribution lessons.
Teachers love seeing their students’ “light bulbs” shine as they work through these “series” of circuit activities.
14 activities that are relatively easy to complete
Your county 4-H agent has a kit with materials needed for activities
Call and schedule your 4-H agent to come out and share these lessons with your students!
Hive Helpers
Every spring and summer, youth and adults alike enjoy sweet-smelling flowers and listening to the buzzing sound that comes from the rapidly beating wings of busy bees. Through a series of seven lessons and multiple experiential activities, youth will learn how critical bees are to our agricultural industry and native ecosystems. They will explore different types of bees, their structures, and functions, how they forage for food, pollinate plants, and the ways bees share information. Youth will study native bees and the honey bee and discover the significant role they p
lay in the production of delicious and healthy food that humans have been eating for centuries; such as apples, blueberries, cherries, watermelons, almonds.
Through hands-on and engaging exploration of habitat differences and diversity, youth will understand what honey bees, native bees, and other pollinators need in order to thrive.
4th and 5th Grades
Health RocksHealth Rocks!® helps North Carolina youth make responsible decisions. The 2019-2020 national program evaluation data resulted in the following positive changes in youth behavior:
- 95% intend to avoid underage tobacco use
- 97% demonstrated high level of social and emotional thriving
- 92% expressed the intent to pursue healthy behaviors and avoid risky behaviors
- 83% disapproved of risky behavior (i.e. alcohol and tobacco use) (i.e. alcohol and tobacco use)
Fifth Grade5th Grade Fishing Program
This is a collaboration of efforts between Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program, NC Wildlife Commission, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department, municipalities, SafeKids, and other local organizations.
We will be sending out more information to each school with dates, costs, etc. Dates for 2026 are April 20-May 1.
We hope to offer additional instruction and information on ecosystems before the trip.
We offer fishing rods for the (PE) teachers to practice casting rods during class prior to the event.
I am an Ecosystem- Microbiology
In this unit, youth will confront some of the myths and facts surrounding microbes in general and Salmonella in particular. Youth will examine where microbes grow in the environment and under what conditions.
They will investigate the roles that microbes play in a healthy ecosystem as well as the roles that microbes play in our own bodies.
Youth will also examine the negative effects of microbes as they investigate a disease outbreak. Finally, youth will apply their knowledge by designing technologies to help keep people safe from dangerous, food-borne microbes in our world.
Vermicomposting
Health Rocks!® helps North Carolina youth make responsible decisions. The 2019-2020 national program evaluation data resulted in the following positive changes in youth behavior:
- 95% intend to avoid underage tobacco use
- 97% demonstrated high level of social and emotional thriving
- 92% expressed the intent to pursue healthy behaviors and avoid risky behaviors
- 83% disapproved of risky behavior (i.e. alcohol and tobacco use) (i.e. alcohol and tobacco use)
Forces and Motion
Series of activities tailored to the classroom setting, using different tools, toys, ramps, and various weights.
Outdoor settings can allow for larger demonstrations using weights, water, and more.
Lessons can be customized to fit your time and space.
Grades K-8
Hands-on multi-disciplinary activities incorporate STEM, language arts, visual arts, and social studies, and encourage collaboration, inquiry-based learning.
In the summer of 2024, the NC PLT program undertook a correlation project to update our resources for educators statewide. The flagship guide, Explore Your Environment, was correlated to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study science and social studies standards for grades K-8.
