The 4-H Kids in the Kitchen after school club started last year at Stewart Elementary and thanks to key volunteers and financial support it has expanded to be hosted at Lincoln Elementary this year as well. This club is teaching members to have kitchen sense and safety while they learn about the major food groups and making healthy choices for their growing bodies. As 3rd-5th graders gain more independence, food preparation and choices are more often a decision of theirs and not only their parents. This is the perfect audience to experience the Kids in the Kitchen content.

Members started the club March 12 learning about safe food preparation with proper handwashing and food washing. They read the recipe and learned the importance of preparing ingredients before beginning the recipe. They made Breakfast Splits from the ISU Eat Smart, Spend Smart healthy recipes. Each week they will also do fun exercises together and use the healthy MyPlate to identify food groups.

Washington County Extension is bringing this club to 20 Lincoln Elementary students. The Kids in the Kitchen curriculum is a product of Iowa 4-H. This afterschool club is being taught by volunteers Nicole Bruty with assistance from Carrie Rich and Macy Driscoll.

The Washington County Extension Office hopes to expand this club in future years, please contact them if interested in sponsoring or volunteering or with any questions about this Healthy Living Club or how to get involved with other youth activities as a member or volunteer.

Kids in the Kitchen were divided into duties as they prepared Breakfast Splits. Ada T and Christopher P were in charge of dishes.

The March 4-H After School STEM Club is using Food for Thought curriculum from the company Engineering is Elementary. 3rd-5th grade participants will learn about food science and how that affects how food looks, how long it lasts and how it tastes too. Their first session experimented how changing the process and order of something can create very different resuls. Each group made their own version of rice krispies. 3rd grader, Joseph Pacha, worked through his rice krispie process to a unique and tasty result. Pacha is the son of Ashley and Steven Pacha of Washington. March STEM is being taught by Molly Doorenbos and Kelli Gapinski.

Washington County Extension & 4-H and Lincoln Elementary are partnering together with a sponsorship from Bazooka Farmstar and Premier 1 to offer additional and fun ways for Washington youth to interact with science more in a hands-on setting while making new friends and connecting with caring adults in the community. This club is open to any 3rd-5th grade student who wants to experiment more with science, technology, engineering, and math. Each session will use an Engineering is Elementary and State 4-H curriculum.

Registration is still open for the April session titled “Outbreak Alert!” In a world where people are more connected than ever, diseases can spread rapidly! Youth will become biomedical engineers as they explore how to prepare for outbreaks of highly contagious diseases. They will use the Engineering Design Process to design an antiviral to stop a newly discovered virus from infecting a model cell. This group will meet on April 1, 8, 15. Register by March 25 at

https://tinyurl.com/STEMClubOutbreakAlert

Please contact the Washington County Extension Office, 319-653-4811 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , for registration form or with any questions about this STEM Club or how to get involved with other youth science activities.