Food, Fun, 4-H
Food, Fun, 4-H is a program offered by Oklahoma 4-H to build sustainable healthy habits for students, their families and communities. The program comes in two forms: school enrichment curriculum for teachers and classrooms and an at-home summer program for 4-H members and families.
Food, Fun, 4-H @ School
Food, Fun, 4-H @ School is a 6 lessons for school enrichment program focused on basic nutrition, cooking skills, food budgeting, food access, mindfulness and physical activity for students in 3rd to 6th grade.
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School Enrichment Lessons and Information.
How does it work?
The first 50 classroom registered for FF4H@S will receive 6 lessons designed to be delivered in a classroom setting and 5 supplemental at-home activities.
All classrooms signing up will receive a pre- and post-classroom incentive. All classroom participants completing the program also will receive a 4-H healthy living swag item.
The classroom lessons are approximately 45-50 minutes in length and can be delivered by Extension educators in the classroom, via Zoom or lessons delivered by the teacher. Together, the classroom lessons and at-home activities represent 8 total hours of instruction.
Each lesson includes:
- A central theme with educational background information
- Classroom Challenge
- A participant activity
- A 3-5 minute informational video taught by a State 4-H Healthy Living Ambassador
- A "Mindful Minute" activity
- A suggested physical activity
- A take-home activity
Note: The program does not include any food preparation in the classroom. Optional food preparation activities will be offered through a separate take-home piece that students can do at home on their own or with family members.
Who should participate?
The Food, Fun, 4-H @ School curriculum is ideal for students in 3rd to 6th grade. The program is open to any Oklahoma classroom, including homeschool programs and youth clubs.
How much does it cost?
This program is FREE and open to any Oklahoma classroom, including homeschool programs.
FF4H@S is funded through the 4-H Healthy Habits grant, presented by National 4-H Council and the Walmart Foundation. Classrooms registering for FF4H@S will receive classroom supplies for completing activities and an additional incentive for completion of the entire curriculum.
How is the curriculum delivered?
FF4H@S is flexible! The lessons are designed to be delivered either in person or virtually by OSU Extension educators or classroom teachers.
Food, Fun, 4-H
Food, Fun, 4-H is a free at-home cooking program that unites families in the kitchen and at the dinner table. This program gets young people in the kitchen and provides experience preparing home-cooked meals, trying new foods, encouraging family time, developing communications skills and having fun!
Looking for Food, Fun, 4-H materials?
Who should participate?
Food, Fun, 4-H is a great experience for youth of all ages. Younger members can work
with a parent or caring adult to create their recipes, while experienced 4-H chefs
can test their independence and culinary skills creating the recipes.
How does it work?
Those who register will receive monthly themed recipes for one complete meal, educational information, nutritional facts, conversation starter topics and ideas for a family physical activity through a monthly email or mail if email is not available. Families are responsible for purchasing the ingredients to prepare the recipes.
Member expectations:
- For each monthly packet, members have 20 days to prepare their recipe(s), share two photos (one preparing the recipes and a photo of their family mealtime) and answer three questions about their cooking and mealtime experience.
- Upon receipt of photos and responses to questions via email response, members become eligible to receive the next month’s shipment of a kitchen tool to be used with the next set of recipes.
- Before completing the program, participants will be asked to complete a brief evaluation about knowledge gained as a result of the program.
What is included:
- Each participating family/household will receive a monthly packet via email (or mail if email is not available) with recipes for a main dish, side and dessert, as well as table topics, educational information and family physical activity.
- At the beginning of the program, Oklahoma 4-H members who register for Food, Fun, 4-H and are active in 4HOnline will receive a 4-H apron and a cover sheet for building their 3-ring Food, Fun, 4-H recipe binder.
- Each month, Oklahoma 4-H members who register for Food, Fun, 4-H, are active in 4HOnline, and completed the previous month's reporting requirement will receive a kitchen utensils that will be used in the recipe. Kitchen utensils will be mailed directly to the 4-H member’s home address each month from Murphy’s Department Store based in Stillwater. *One utensil kit per family.
Note: If members do not complete a month of preparing recipes and submitting reports, they can pick back up the following month, but will not receive the prior month's kitchen utensils.
How much does it cost?
This program is FREE.
Food, Fun, 4-H is funded through the 4-H Healthy Habits grant, presented by National 4-H Council and the Walmart Foundation. Anyone who registers for the program (including 4-H volunteers, Cloverbuds, members from other states, non-4-H families) will be emailed, or if email is not available can be mailed, monthly recipes, conversations topics, educational lesson and a family physical activity challenge.
Questions? Contact your county Extension office.