Project Discovery Day: A chance to master a skill

When you go to the fair you see many projects. Through these projects, 4-H members learn life skills. One very important life skill is mastery. Mastery is defined as possession of a skill and full command of a subject of study. We are always trying to help the youth develop skills, and encourage and empower them to practice those skills until they have them mastered. 4-H encourages youth to continue to use and practice skills so that they have the opportunity to master those skills.
Project Discovery Day is the perfect opportunity for youth to learn mastery of a skill, both through learning and teaching. Youth instructors plan their lesson, organize the necessary materials and teach other 4-H members how to complete a project. As Myria Kludy, one of our Project Discovery Day instructors says, “One of the most clichéd (but true) sayings in the world is that you learn more from the students than you teach them. By teaching, you learn the lesson even better because you get many probing questions that you have never thought of. In some ways to truly master a subject you have to be able to teach it. While the teacher learns much from the students the learning doesn’t stop there. The project discovery days may not teach mastery but it gives the kids many chances to learn a bit of many different projects and put them on the road to mastery. So that they can become teachers and restart the cycle.”
4-H Project Discovery Day in will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at the Tomahawk Middle School. Sessions run from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will be taught by 4-H youth and adult leaders, as well as community volunteers. Choose from exciting topics such as back packing, making jewelry, basketry, woodworking, sewing, cooking, robotics, science and much, much more.
The overall event is free with only small charges for some of the sessions. Registration forms can be found at the UW-Extension office in Merrill (801 N. Sales Street Suite 101 in Merrill). You may also visit the Lincoln County UW-Extension website at http://lincoln.uwex.edu/, click on activities and follow the link to Project Discovery Days or call the UW-Extension office at 539-1072. Completed registration and fees are due to the UW-Extension office by March 25, 2013.
Myria and Bailey work together to complete Bailey’s tie dye project. By popular demand, this session will be repeated in April.