Cooking Creations Camp #1

Last week I helped Jennifer out at the Chester YMCA with the cooking creations camp.  We will be doing this again next week, but will make different recipes.  The youth learned about various food items, including those eaten around the world.  Each day the youth filled out their food diary which required them to list the foods they had eaten under the appropriate food category such as protein, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and grains.  We also ready various books about other food cultures and other food related books which were followed by a subsequent activity that required youth to put their knowledge to the test!  For example, we read a book called “Too Many Tamales” by Gary Soto and then had youth create a poster that explained the importance of grains in our diets.  The youth also learned how to cook a variety of foods that use many fresh, simple ingredients.  Surprisingly, the youth enjoyed all of the foods we created which included: a variety of pizzas, guacamole, homemade pita chips and tortilla chips, salsa, black bean dip, fruit kabobs and fruit dip, cucumber dip, kale chips, parfaits, chickpea saute, chicken stir-fry, and sorbet. At the end of the week, we received lots of compliments from the youth and their families about the enjoyable time they had.

BARN

Last week was super busy so apologies for just now getting to this!

On Tuesday I went to the grand opening of BARN which stands for Buckingham Agriculture Resources Network.  This building was built for a variety a reasons.  It has stalls and chutes for cattle along with an inside that can be used for programs and etc.  I went with Charley to check it out.  We were able to hear U.S. Representative Robert Hurt speak and were supposed to hear Todd Haymore (Secretary of Agriculture)  speak, but he did not show when we were there.  We learned some pretty cool tricks about how to put up fences, administer a variety if medications, etc.  They also had some other information booths and demonstrations for us to see.

Robotics!

Monday morning started off early as we began check-in for 4H camp! At 9 we said goodbye to the campers and sent them on their way with our 4H agent and technician in tow. After bringing back some stuff to the office, I continued to work on a project I began last week.  In two weeks I will be co-teaching a cooking creations class at the YMCA with Jennifer in the next 2 weeks.  In order to prepare for it I have been working on scheduling as well as making recipe booklets for the youth to keep at the end of the week; it includes all the recipes we made during the week so they can make them again at home.

The rest of the week I spent my days at the Richmond Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center with Scott Woodard.  We were supposed to do a 3 long week program with a charter school in Richmond, but due to some issues that fell through.  However, this has opened up some other opportunities to work on some other things such as robots!  At the CTE center I assisted Scott in making various types of “robots” with the kids.  Robots do not have to be mechanized.  As you can see in the pictures below, we began building a marshmallow catapult! We also spent one day in the maker room designing our own city on paper and then making a model version.

We also got the kids engaged by doing some other science by design challenges like building tower out of index cards to hold playdoh.  You can see where one girl built hers; she was the first to finish out of everyone! You can also see the one I built! It was able to hold two things of playdoh.  The only requirement was that our structure had to hold the playdoh without falling and be at least 12 inches tall.  I would also like to point out that only the girls finished their structures

However, on Thursday afternoon I covered for the animal science teacher so that she could go to a meeting.  I had so much fun with those youth. They got really creative on creating their new breed of animal! Once of my all-time favorite activities to do with the youth!

Wednesday evening I went to the Chester Y to do a cooking class with the youth.  The other intern Caitlin helped me out with preparation and reading to the youth.  We learned how to make sweet potato Latkes which are a traditional Hanukkah food commonly eaten in Russia.  After cooking the Latkes and reading the book “Latkes, Latkes, Good to eat!”, we had the youth write a story that told a lesson and had an uncontrollable event as experienced in the book.  They also got to make puppets to tell their story with.

Now Friday is here (TGIF!) and we’re welcoming back the campers and our beloved agents.  We missed them but we can’t wait to hear about all the fun times they had at camp!

Farm Field Day at VSU

On Tuesday I headed out to Virginia State University, Virginia’s other land grant university along side Virginia Tech.  Charley and I rode together and were the few first of many to arrive.  We were served a light breakfast, listened to some opening remarks and then headed the different tables and exhibits to explore the farm.

We visited 10+ tents that provided us with lots of helpful information including loans for farms, how to help beginning farmers, farm insurance, and much more.  We also visited their greenhouses, vineyards, and walked through where they grow many of their crops for research.  In the pictures you’ll notice various vegetables and fruits being grown such as blueberries (which we got to taste, they were so sweet!), tomatoes, onions, cabbage, kale, etc.

They also have an aquaculture farm which is unique to VSU.  I have only seen a very small aquaponics set-up before, so seeing their aquaculture farm was very neat! We saw one of the caretakers feeding the fish. He threw all the fish into a large ring which helps them monitor how much food the fish eat.

You’ll also see a picture of tall sticks. These sticks are for hops. The hops has not fully grown yet but will often reach tall heights.  In order to prevent damage to the crop and other crops, the hops will be tied to the sticks so that they do not fall over.  Beside the sticks you’ll also see some corn being grown.

Across from the corn is a field of goats.  We saw some interesting coloring and patterns on the goats; they were so cute! I love goats, but unfortunately VT doesn’t have any for the students to work with.

We also watched a cooking demonstration that used many items that were grown on the farm. They made tilapia sautéed in a variety of vegetables along with a fruit salad.

Bumblebee Jamboree!

This past Saturday I went to the Maymont Children’s Farm where the Master Gardener’s did an amazing job working Bumblebee Jamboree. It was extremely hot and exhausting but everyone had a smile on their face!

I helped do some of the set-up including the display about pollinators.  I mainly worked at the pollinator table for young children.  The kids got to run around with scarves pretending they were a pollinator (so a bee, butterfly, hummingbird, etc). They went to each flower and touch it with the scarf just like one of the pollinators would do.

They were lots of other fun activities. These activities included: potting your own plant, making a butterfly out of a paper bag, seeing a live bee hive, watching a puppet show, going into a butterfly tent, seeing the animals on the farm (pigs, chickens, & goats), the bug lab from VCU, and much more!

Below are just a few highlights from the day!

1 Down, 2 To Go

I have now finished the first month of my internship and only have 2 more to go! This week I did a couple different things. On Saturday I went to the Maker Expo at the Central Library which you can read about here.  Monday I visited Byrd Cellars which you can also read more about here. On Monday and Tuesday I worked on making contacts with community partners for the rocketry competition.  People are very excited about this and so am I! I can’t wait to see how everything comes together.

On Tuesday I also went with Charley to a local market that sells to the public. They have one main grower whose items they sell with other supplemental growers.

Wednesday and Thursday I worked on led activities for the 3 week program I’ll be helping with at Patrick Henry School of the Arts. You can see some pictures below of my beginning creations for the first week.  I also participated in Walking Wednesdays.  This idea is to get county employees moving and staying fit.  Last year they had individuals submit “healthy selfies”…you can see mine below.  We start at a main county building, walk a little over a mile around the government complex, and end up at the farmers market.  It’s a nice walk; there are trails all around, some of which we walked on (nice and shaded for the hot days).

Today I participated in a defensive driving course I’m required to take. Sounds a little boring but it was actually very informative and the guy made it interesting.

Overall, it sounds like I didn’t do much this week but many of these things take a lot of time, plus I’m constantly getting pulled away to complete other small tasks.  Of course, with 4-H camp just over a week away and Patrick Henry Camp starting the same day, things are about to get crazy!

                                          

Maker Expo: Rocket 4 the Cure

This past Saturday I spent the day at the Central Library in Chesterfield working at the maker expo.  It was so much better than I expected! Scott and I helped build and launch the rockets…well he helped, I watched (still learning that part!).  Beside us was Mad Science, a group that does all sorts of cool things, one of which was building rockets out of paper and launching with air pressure.  Many of those rockets went really far!  Inside the library there were a variety a makers include chocolate makers, quilt/sewing makers, card makings, robots, jewelry, legos, and more!  I included a picture of my lunch because it was too delicious not to include- seriously, one of the best hot dogs I’ve ever had!

Hopefully a video of the launch will be posted soon…I’m having technical difficulties. 🙂

The rockets we worked with were donated by a group called Rocket 4 the Cure.  Their story can be found here.  Watch the video to see the world record they broke and why they did it, it’s truly inspirational.

Byrd Cellars: Vineyards & Winery!

Today I went on my first farm visit of the summer (along with Charley’s first visit as an agent)! We visited Byrd Cellars: Vineyards and Winery where the leaves of some of their trees are turning yellow; they also have some brown spots.  After researching information about the tree type, Charley determined that the most likely cause was either lack of phosphorus or too much.  Talking to the owner, we discovered that they haven’t used anything with phosphorus in it and concluded that lack of phosphorus is the most likely culprit.  To be sure, the owner is sending in soil samples which will tell him the level of phosphorus in the soil.  We also took samples of the leaves to see if anything else might be causing the problem.  It was a gorgeous area. I can’t wait to go check it out again in the future!

Third Week’s the Charm!

This week has been a fun week here at the office doing a variety of things.

Tuesday the other intern and I worked on updating current programming.  Many of the programs we offer have been offered for many years. Though the information does not often change, our delivery methods are in constant need of updating and improving; therefore, we looked through a couple main programs used frequently and updated the delivery methods used.  For example, Character Counts is a program often taught during after-school programming in at-risk communities.  The definition of caring hasn’t changed, but we created activities for youth of all ages to explore caring and the other character counts pillars.

Since I am  also trying to complete my Master’s project through this internship, I finally got things rolling on this week and am making some final decision for that this weekend at the makers expo which I am so excited about!! As part of our competition funding, we had to submit a grant proposal which I was in charge of. I am not a writer and have never done anything of the sorts so being able to step out of my comfort zone to and accomplish grant proposal writing was very beneficial as I know I will have to do much more of it in the future. Our grant has now been submitted so I can’t wait to hear back!

After working a updating programming the majority of the week, Caitlin and I decided that next week we wanted to work on getting funding and support for the rocketry competition that Scott and I will be hosting at the end of June. This requires us going out into the community and reaching out to local schools, businesses, and other organizations. We’ve already gotten a head start; however, physically going out into the community will allow me not only explore the area but give us a presence in the community. This is a great opportunity to really apply the knowledge I have learned from my classes to a real-world situation.

This morning Caitlin and I visited Bellwood Elementary School with one of the Master Gardeners as part of the school’s career day.  We had a poster board set up explaining the various careers students could potentially go into specifically for horticulture. We had a pizza garden to show them that you can grow just about anything you want in a small space such as items you would use to make a pizza. I was also able to educate the youth on STEM education and hopefully get them interested in what I’ll be doing for my project.  I was also able to check out some other careers that were represented including and architectural design company; I got to sit in their cool chair!

Not Slowing Down!

After being couped up in our apartment for the past two months, I have been so excited to finally get out and get to work.  This short week has not slowed me (or the office) down from being active.  Tuesday we returned from our long weekend and opened up our morning with a staff meeting. This generally isn’t too exciting other than the fact the new ANR agent (Charley- or Charlotte- Maxwell) began her first day! She is split between Goochland, where she is mainly housed, but will also spend part of her time in the Chesterfield office. This ANR agent also happens to be one of my best friends! We roomed together in college, were in the same sorority, and had a countless of classes together…she was even in my wedding!! I am so excited for her to have this opportunity as I know she will be amazing and bring a lot to the position.

Later that day, the interns and I sat in on a meeting for the SAFE task force. This group is comprised of several different individuals from various government offices to educate youth on the importance of tobacco and nicotine prevention and eliminate the abuse of such products. The county intern is working heavily with the mental health services which is part of the SAFE task force. They are going throughout Chesterfield county to identify stores that sell tobacco and nicotine products so they can better direct their programming.

Wednesday I helped Jennifer (the program technician) prepare for a program that I helped with on Thursday evening and will be doing on my own later in June.  I’m still getting used to publisher, but it’s great learning how to use it for future reference.  Afterwards, we met with Gretchen who helps coordinate various programs for the school system. Together, extension and the school system hold a program called COMPASS which allows families to buy school supplies for a very small fee.  They also hold other events that show families the services we offer.

I also met with Thaddeus Huff who is the program coordinator for the Central Library.  June 6th they are holding a maker expo.  Since I’m interested in STEM educated, but have limited experience, I’m using this opportunity to “get my feet wet”.  There are a variety of makers that will be attending including jewelry, rockets, computers, 3D printers, chocolate, clothing, and more!

When I got back, Charley and I headed over to the farmers market where we made some important connections and got some yummy produce!

Thursday morning the interns and I attended a county meeting to see what that was like, how the run things, what projects are going on, etc.  That evening I headed to the Chester YMCA where I worked with Jae educating youth on different cultures including items they eat. For this lesson we made homemade salsa and chips and learned about Mexico.  The kids surprisingly admitted that they loved the homemade salsa (including the onions and peppers!). They kept asking for more.  Most of the kids were excited to cook as well.  While the chips were cooking, I read them a book called “Too Many Tamales”; you could have heard a needle drop they were so quiet.

Friday was more relaxed as I focused on preparing for the next cooking YMCA camp and other summer programs.