University of Maryland Extension is finding solutions to continue educating our communities in this time of social distancing and we’re excited to share a few of our successful endeavors and updated resources, as we navigate this transition through uncharted territory.
Our youth development teams in 4-H are offering online activities and lessons to keep students engaged in education and involved with each other. Through club connections and partnerships with local schools, 4-H educators are transitioning meetings to online platforms or conference calls, and have been developing innovative ways to offer new materials and complete in-classroom experiments.
Barbara Barga, 4-H Program Assistant in Wicomico County, began an in-school embryology project in March with the first graders of Westside Primary. “The whole school was all excited that the chicks would be hatching,” Barbara said.
Although it only takes 21 days for a baby chick to hatch, schools were dismissed before completing the project, which is funded by the Maryland Agriculture Council, leaving hundreds of children waiting in anticipation.
Partnering with the school, Barbara created videos of the final stages to share on Facebook and live streamed the hatching of the chicks. Students from the class were able to watch the baby chicks make their appearance in the world on live video stream, and even more impactful, people from across the state were able to see the series of videos resulting in a reach of over 2,500 people.
“Computer stuff is not my forte, but I’m figuring it out.” laughs Barbara. “Extension is set up for distance learning, and we can be very creative.”
Barbara’s embryology project is just one of countless success stories in Extension happening right now. Below, find a list of online educational projects in our other program areas from across the state to learn about how we’re keeping our communities informed and connected.
Additional Online Resources and Programming
- Explore Nature and Wildlife in Your Backyard - For ages 6-12
- Women In Agriculture Webinars
- Agricultural Nutrient Applicator Voucher Recertification Training
- EatSmart Blog and Text2BHealthy program offering COVID-19 related health information
- Breathing Room wellness blog offering COVID-19 health and homeschooling advice
- Updated COVID-19 Resources for Communities - topics include health and wellness, financial management, stress management, resources for farm families, and more.
- As always, you can reach out to our experts and find Extension in your county at extension.umd.edu/locations.