Purdue Extension Tipton County Teacher Resource Page

Overview

Purdue Extension can be an extremely valuable resource for you and your classroom. We are already providing in-class activities that reinforce state standards for youth in grades K-12, but want to expand our impact within Tipton County schools. If you are needing assistance with any topic in your classroom, we could build programs or activities that can meet Indiana State Standards. This resource page will highlight educational opportunities with our Agriculture & Natural Resources, Health and Human Sciences, and 4-H & Youth Development Educators. Program area flyer downloads are available below.

Contact

Tipton County 4-H Fairgrounds

1200 S. Main St. Tipton, IN 46072

765-675-1177

https://www.facebook.com/TiptonCountyExtension/ 

Agriculture & Natural Resources

 Austin Pearson

 pearsona@purdue.edu

This is a list of readily available programs that can be utilized in K-12 classrooms. These topics can be scaled to be age appropriate for your classroom.

• Careers in Agriculture - understand various career opportunities in agriculture.
• Chicken Embryology - hatch baby chicks and learn life cycle of chickens.
• Crop Scouting - understand crop basics and assessing health of midwestern agricultural crops
• Digital Agriculture - https://extension.purdue.edu/article/40241 
• Drone Demonstrations - https://extension.purdue.edu/uav/ - understand how drones are used in various industries and decisions that can be made by implementing the technology.
• General Agriculture - discuss agriculture in Tipton County, understand agriculture product supply chain.
• Horticulture/backyard gardening - develop the ability to garden from seed to harvest
• Nature of Teaching - https://ag.purdue.edu/ - standards-based curricula centered around getting youth outside. Focused on wildlife, health and wellness, and food waste. 
• Soils - teach basic soil components, apply hands-on strategies to determine soil texture and structure
• Weather and Climate - understand the difference between weather and climate, weather patterns, and applications to the environment

Additional programs can be made available at your request. 

 4-H & Youth Development

Brian Howell

howellbm@purdue.edu

This is a list of programs available to be used in classrooms.

1. MakerSpace kit- kids can build, design, create, and discover different science concepts through high- and low- tech unguided play. Kit includes plank blocks, 3D pens, Little Bits circuit toys, Bloxels video game creation boards, Straw Builders, Ozobots, Dash the programable robot, and other activities.

2. Engineering STEM Activities- already used in most 4th grade classrooms in the county. Activities include: Wired for Wind (designing and testing a windmill), Rockets to the Rescue (designing and launching simple rockets), EcoBot Challenge (designing and testing a robot prototype and a control area), and Motion Commotion (simple physics and Newton's laws of motion). Have also assisted with circuit board assembly.

3. Captain Cash- see description below. Team taught with HHS Educator in 3rd grade classrooms.

4. Budget Busters- financial literacy and decision making simulation activity for middle and high school students.

5. Lego EV3 Mindstorm Robots- five robots available to be used for various building and programming activities.

6. Leadership and Life Skill Development activities- various activities developed by the 4-H Youth Development program, mostly geared for middle and high school students. Visit the Junior Leaders project page for many of the lesson plans and activities.

7. Mixers, games, and recreation for groups- team building activities, mixer and ice breaker games for groups, club officers, meeting activities, or any other event.

8. Real COLORS personality instrument- based on Myers-Briggs personality assessments, Real COLORS helps participants understand more about their personality style, as well as others, and how they view and navigate the world around them. Good for teacher professional development or working with teams or groups. Requires a 2-3 hour session. www.realcolors.org

Hands-on activities can also be pulled and applied from over 50 4-H project areas, with developmentally appropriate activities for youth in grades 3-12.

Health and Human Sciences

Meranda Cooper

coopermr@purdue.edu

 This is a list of readily available programs that can be utilized in K-12 classrooms.

Pre-K/K

1. HERO'S Story Time - HERO’S Story Time is a reading program dedicated to empowering children with assets that will enable them to succeed in school and in life.  The word ‘HERO’S’ is an acronym that stands for Helping Every child Reach Optimum Success.  Storybooks were specifically chosen for this reading program for children ages 3-5 years which emphasize social-emotional skills to cultivate healthy relationships based on eight of the 40 Development Assets from Search Institute.  The more assets a child develops, the more empowered they are to face adversity and challenges.

Grades 1-6

1. Serving Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum - The Nutrition Education Programs (FNP and EFNEP) staff adapted the USDA Yummy Curriculum materials to include food safety, physical activity, and tasting.

***Grade 3 (IRB approved program with concepts specifically designed to target 3rd grade aged students)

1. Captain Cash - Captain Cash is an interactive educational program designed to teach basic financial management skills to third grade students. This dynamic curriculum was designed to address the following issues:

• Money behaviors observed and learned in childhood impact adult behaviors.
• Money management messages that children process in the home, the community, on television, and via other media shape their values, attitudes and future money habits.
• Individuals and families are not able to respond to economic disruptions because they have not learned critical money management concepts and skills.

Middle/High School

1. Food Allergies 101 - This presentation defines a food allergy, identifies the signs & symptoms of an allergic reaction, list the most common food allergens, reviews ways to prevent an allergic reaction, and provides resources for further reference and education.

2. Food Labeling: What's in there anyway? - Food Labeling is a 1-hour program about how to identify primary components of food labels, marketing claims and understanding how to make informed food decisions.

3. Train Your Brain: Nutrition, Neurobics, and Notable Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy - Participants will learn that through adopting multiple healthy lifestyle choices, including a healthy diet, not smoking, regular exercise, cognitive stimulation, and social interactions, may decrease their risks of cognitive decline and dementia.

4. Physical Activity Across the Lifespan - The Health and Wellness Specialty Area has developed an introductory program that provides an overview of physical activity. This 45 minute presentation reviews terms, recommendations, and benefits of physical activity, along with information on dance as a creative form of physical activity. 

5. Sleep On It: Why Sleep Matters - This 45-50 minute presentation covers the benefits of sleep, risks of poor sleep, stages of sleep, when to contact a healthcare provider, barriers to quality sleep and ways to improve sleep quality. Supplemental handouts are provided for additional information and resources.

6. Understanding the Opioid Crisis - This 1-hour presentation reviews terms and concepts related to opioid misuse, stigma, and recovery, as well as outlines actionable steps individuals can take to respond to the crisis in their communities. 

7. At Home Heroes - This is a 4-session program that focuses on safety, microwave cooking, time management, and conflict resolution. Lessons can be requested individually, if needed. Each session is 45-60 minutes. This is perfect for students ages 10-14 who may be starting to stay at home alone or babysitting for the first time. 

Additional programs can be made available at your request. 

Community Wellness Coordinator; Purdue's Nutrition Education Program

Eric Hillis

jehillis@purdue.edu

Focus Areas

1. Physical activity
2. Nutrition
3. Food security (hunger)
4. Food safety
5. Food resource management (stretching food dollars)

This is a list of some of the initiatives Community Wellness Coordinators have participated in across the state.

1. Health coalitions
2. Community gardens
3. School and workplace wellness
4. Healthy corner stores
5. Trails and parks
6. Farm to school
7. Farmers markets
8. Active living
9. Food access
10. Food pantries

Learn more, including free programs, at https://www.eatgathergo.org/.

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