Luna, N., & Morales, Y.I. 2024, Day Field Trips to 4-H Camp Alamo, 2023-2024 Report, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno

During the 2023-2024 school year, Clark County, Nevada 4-H implemented a curriculum support program, Around the World in District B, in various classrooms across the county. As part of the program, the 4-H team delivered a curriculum developed by Clark County 4-H titled, A Road Trip through Latin America, to introduce hands-on 4-H programming in classrooms across the county. The team also offered a series of field trips titled Adventures Field Trip, to participating schools to visit the Nevada 4-H Camp Alamo in Alamo, NV. Nine different schools and two youth-serving organizations, listed below, participated in the program, seven of those being Commission District B schools. Between the classroom and the field trips, over a thousand students were reached through this 4-H program.

youth fishing a alamo pond

Fourth and fifth-grade classrooms were the focus of the Around the World in District B programming. 4-H professionals delivered eight curriculum sessions to each classroom throughout the school year. In the A Road Trip through Latin America curriculum students learned about the rich world of Latin American culture. Through discussing the various elements that make up the cultures of the world, students were exposed to Latin American art practices and got to practice such styles while making their own crafts. These hands-on activities aimed to provide a better understanding of how diverse the countries of Latin America are and how learning about their culture can be intertwined with the 4-H project model. The curriculum addresses Nevada content standards in social studies, speaking and listening skills, and fine arts, among others. Topics included Latin American indigenous and modern styles, such as Mexico’s skeleton art, Costa Rican embossing, and jaguar masks from Brazil. Over 800 students were reached through this part of the program alone.

As part of the overall program, the schools that participated in the curriculum sessions were invited to visit Nevada 4-H Camp Alamo in neighboring Lincoln County. The bus transportation for the field trips for schools in District B was funded by a donation from the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas 2023 charity auction, which was presented to Clark County Commissioner, Marilyn Kirkpatrick. During the Adventures Field Trip, 4-H Clark County staff led various camp activities and lessons such as animal adaptations, water quality testing, team-building activities, and even s’more creations. Two of these schools also got to participate in fishing activities at the camp pond led by the Nevada District of Wildlife in partnership with 4-H. The field trips days were focused on exposing students to a different outdoor education learning environment while teaching best practices for wildlife interaction and visitation. The field trips also aimed to promote the diversity of 4-H programming such as 4-H camps and clubs. Over 500 students visited the camp through this program, most of which participated in the curriculum sessions. Six schools participated in the curriculum sessions and field trips. Three additional sites were invited in participating in a field trip, two youth-serving organizations, Core Academy and Clark County Paradise Recreation Center and one school, J. Harold Brinley middle school.

Survey Results

youth doing craft in the front yard

Fifty-four school professionals and chaperones completed surveys after the field trip to 4-H Camp Alamo. The survey aimed to assess the school professionals' and chaperones’ opinions about the youth’s experience at the camp and gather feedback to improve future field trip days. The questions on the survey are based on the 4-H Thriving Model, the theory of change for 4-H positive youth development (PYD). The model illustrates the process of PYD in 4-H programs by connecting high-quality program settings to the promotion of youth thriving. See Graph 1: 4-H Thriving Model.

Use the link below to view the survey questions and responses (PDF).

 

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