Butler County 4-H School Enrichment Registration
Butler County 4-H
2025-2026 School Enrichment
Nebraska 4-H school enrichment programs are learning experiences delivered to youth in cooperation with public or private schools during school hours in support of the school curriculum. These programs, delivered by 4-H staff, trained volunteers or teachers, are built to enhance the subject matter being studied in the classroom and provide non-formal, hands-on education to complement formal education. Each year, 80,000 students in Nebraska participated in 4-H school enrichment programs. In Butler County, we are happy to provide these programs at no cost to schools!
Your Program Teachers:
To Complete Registration:
Complete the form by using the QR Code or clicking on the link above on the red box
Agricultural Literacy:
Life Cycle of a Pumpkin | Suggested Grade Level: Kindergarten - 1st Grade | 45-minute lesson (October only)
Students will learn the concept of a life cycle, and understand its importance to agriculture, by recreating the various stages of growth and development of a pumpkin through hands-on activities.
Where Does My Food Come From? | Suggested Grade Level: 1st Grade | Two 30-minute lessons
Students will build an understanding of where their food comes from. As our society continues to be generations removed from the farm, having this level of understanding is becoming increasingly important. As a result of this program, youth will understand how their favorite foods end up on their plate or in their lunchbox.
Positively Popcorn | Suggested Grade Level: 2nd Grade | One 45-minute lesson
Students will explore and describe the physical properties of matter and its changes through a hands-on activity of how popcorn pops using gas as a form of matter. Youth will use science to learn the importance of agriculture and how popcorn goes from seed to snack. Solid, liquid, and gas stages will be the focus of this lesson.
Edible Soil Horizon | Suggested Grade Level: 3rd Grade | One 45-minute lesson
Students will learn about the five layers of soil through an Edible Horizon activity. At the conclusion of the lesson, students should be able to define five factors that affect soil quality, identify organic matter, and soil erosion. Students will also learn about a few ways farmers and conservationists work to prevent erosion.
It’s Made From What?! | Suggested Grade Level: 4th Grade | One 60-minute lesson or two 30-minute lessons
Students will rely on their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to gain a better understanding of how agriculture affects their daily lives. Students will explore agriculture and its wide variety of uses in our everyday lives. Students will learn about science without even realizing it!
Embryology | Suggested Grade Level: Kindergarten – 6th Grade | Two 45-minute lessons (Spring Semester)
Through the Embryology Project, students will hatch chicks in the classroom and witness the exciting miracle of life. Students will also take the responsibility of caring for the fertilized eggs during the twenty-one-day incubation period and the baby chicks after they have hatched. This project lasts approximately one month. Eggs are set on a Monday or Tuesday (45-minute lesson) and are candled two weeks later on Monday or Tuesday. (30-45-minute lesson). Chicks hatch the next week, and incubators are collected later that week. Please allow for flexibility in scheduling due to school calendars. Only offered January – April.
This spring, we are planning an Ag Literacy Festival for 4th graders in Butler County! Thursday, May 7th, we will have a day where students can learn about Nebraska’s biggest industry. More information will be sent to teachers and administrators in the coming months!
College and Career Pathways:
Purple Ribbon Kid | Suggested Grade Level: 2nd-4th | Four 45-minute lessons
These lessons will provide hands-on personal development opportunities while students connect to each lesson topic through storytelling. These lessons include topics on mastery, generosity, inclusion, and belonging. Youth will be able to demonstrate what it means to belong to a team; test principles of equity and abundance through experiential simulation; identify similarities and differences between themselves and others; and understand how repetition and practice creates mastery of a skill.
Leadership Summit | Suggested Grade Level: 5th – 6th Grade | Five 45-minute lessons.
At a critical time when early middle school students choose to take the wrong “trail” in life, help prepare them to be tomorrow’s leaders and role models through the Leadership Summit! Middle school youth will see the world from a new perspective and learn to be more effective leaders as well as team members after participating in this program. Leadership discovery and personality trait assessment sessions followed by engaging interactive leadership development activities will build knowledge of interpersonal and teamwork skills.
Smart Cents | Suggest Grade Level: 5th Grade - 8th Grade | Four 45-minute lessons
This program is a step-by-step guide designed to help youth learn financial skills through fun, hands-on activities. It provides questions, activities, and easy-to-follow instructions that make teaching money management simple.
- Your Money Personality | Helps youth explore their beliefs about money and how it affects how they spend or save.
- I Really Need That | Youth will think about their needs vs. wants and how this influences their financial decisions.
- Let’s Get SMART & Bringing Home the Bacon | Helps youth to plan future goals in alignment with their needs and wants. They will also explore different types of incomes, including gifts, allowances, jobs, businesses, investing, and bartering.
- My Work, My Future | Youth will identify careers they are interested in and the steps required to enter that career.
Healthy Living:
Fight Bac! | Suggested Grade Level: Pre-K – 2nd Grade | 30-minute lesson
This program is all about teaching young children about the importance of washing hands and other safe food practices while reaching families with this important message too. Children will be given handouts to color and use in the classroom. This is a great program to kick off the school year or serve as a reminder during the year.
Health Rocks! | Suggested Grade Level: 3rd Grade | Three 45-minute Lessons
The program focuses on building strong life skills, encouraging positive decision-making, and strengthening family and community connections. By developing communication skills, decision-making strategies, and internal strengths, youth are better equipped to resist risky behaviors and make responsible lifestyle choices.
- Who Makes a Good Friend | Discover qualities of a good friend & Evaluate the health of current friendships.
- Be a Mentor | Develop mentor/mentee relationships with younger youth.
- Let Your Head Rule | Use decision-making skills & identify how emotions affect decision-making.
STEM:
Butterflies | Suggested Grade Level: Pre-K – 2nd Grade | One 30-minute lesson (Spring Semester March-May)
Through the Butterfly Project, students will watch caterpillars transform into butterflies in the classroom to learn about the life cycle. During the visit, students will complete hands-on activities to help learn about the life cycle and parts of the butterflies/caterpillars. This project takes about 3 weeks to watch the caterpillars change into
Ozobots | Suggested Grade Level: 2nd Grade & 3rd Grade | Three 45-minute Lessons | Wednesdays Only
The pocket-sized Ozobot Robot can follow a line and be programmed with just markers and paper! Students will explore the engineering design model by brainstorming with a small group on a unique obstacle course, building their program, testing their obstacle course, and sharing their successes and failures.
DNA Detectives | Suggested Grade Levels: 5th - 8th Grade | Four 45-minute lessons
Youth will get to be detectives as we learn about the DNA that makes each of us who we are! As we learn about DNA molecules, youth will get to build an edible model of their own DNA! During our other visits, we will extract DNA from a strawberry, and analyze our own fingerprints. History: Escape Through Nebraska | Suggested Grade Level: 4th Grade | 45-minute lesson (Spring Semester) Challenge your 4th-grade students to show off their Nebraska knowledge as they work their way through 4 bags/boxes to escape. Boxes include Nebraska State Symbols, a Nebraska History timeline, Famous Nebraskans, and Maps of Nebraska (both current and historical). We will be there to facilitate and help in this 45-minute session; however, it will more than likely take longer than 45 minutes to complete all 4 boxes. Should this happen, we will leave the boxes with you for 3 more days in order for your class to complete the boxes with whatever classroom time you may have. After those 3 days, we will return to pick up the kits!
History:
Escape Through Nebraska | Suggested Grade Level: 4th Grade | 45 minute lesson (Spring Semester)
Challenge your 4th-grade students to show off their Nebraska knowledge as they work their way through 4 bags/boxes to escape. Boxes include Nebraska State Symbols, a Nebraska History timeline, Famous Nebraskans, and Maps of Nebraska (both current and historical). We will be there to facilitate and help in this 45-minute session; however, it will more than likely take longer than 45 minutes to complete all 4 boxes. Should this happen, we will leave the boxes with you for 3 more days in order for your class to complete the boxes with whatever classroom time you may have. After those 3 days, we will return to pick up the kits!
Red Ribbon Week - Oct. 23-31
Suggested Grade Levels: 3rd Grade - 8th Grade
Red Ribbon Week, celebrated from October 23-31st, serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of making positive life choices and standing up against substance abuse. This year's theme, “Life is a Puzzle, Solve it Drug Free, encourages our students to think critically about their decisions and the impact they can have on their futures.
To complement the activities planned for Red Ribbon Week, consider incorporating some of the Health Rocks! lessons into your class discussion or activities. This engaging program is designed to empower youth with the knowledge and skills to make healthy decisions regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. The curriculum incorporates interactive lessons, group discussions, and activities that not only educate but also foster teamwork and leadership among students. We are willing to come to teach at least one lesson during this week, then we can leave you with additional lessons to continue the learning!
You can use the Google Form to sign your class up for Red Ribbon Week. More information was left with your Administrators and Guidance Counselors.
Lesson 1: Think of Life as a Giant Puzzle
-Discover why healthy minds and bodies are necessary for future success.
Lesson 2: Each Healthy Choice You Make is like a Puzzle Piece
-Discovering qualities of a good friend and evaluating the health of current friendships.
Lesson 3: Every Piece of the Puzzle is Unique, So Are You!
-Identify how emotions affect decision-making.
Lesson 4: By Making Healthy Choices and Staying Drug-Free, You Are Creating a Brighter, More Complete Puzzle for Your Future!
-Learn decision-making steps & identify options when a decision needs to be made.
Lesson 5: Every Choice We Make is a Piece of the Puzzle
-Better understand self-efficacy and how it affects choices regarding behaviors, & Understand the effect that self-efficacy has on attitudes & motivation.
Lesson 6: Family Time in the Kitchen Helps Solve Life’s Puzzle - Drug Free
-Send home a recipe for the youth to make together as a family & have them share what they have learned this past week.