Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!

This summer has been full of adventure and discovery. For my summer internship I chose the Miller Park Zoo so that I could combine both my degree in Ag Leadership Education with my passion for animals. The majority of my internship consists of assisting a fellow instructor, Julia, with the teaching of summer camps. We teach children ages 6-16 on various topics in the zoo as well as giving them hands-on interactions with some of the zoo's inhabitants. Julia and I have also performed various zoo-to-you programs where we take a select few animals to various locations such as schools, libraries and summer camps to educate children there on these wonderful creatures.
I was nervous at the beginning of this internship because I had vary little experience working with large groups of children. They are a completely different audience then what I have worked with previously and I wasn't sure how I would do. This was my coworkers first year with the camps as well so we were able to learn together with this program. I couldn't imagine finding a better place to learn and grow as an educator and I have had an amazing time doing it. I have been able to meet so many wonderful people and handle animals I would have never thought possible. I was even given the opportunity to bottle feed the zoo's newborn Snow Leopard cubs! As my time at the zoo comes to an end I know I will leave with new tools as an educator and lasting friends.

Tables Have Turned

My name is Michael Smith and I am a senior majoring in Agricultural Leadership Education. This summer I will serve as the Leadership Course Director for the Research Apprentice Program (RAP). My role as the Leadership Course Director is to prepare an educational curriculum that challenges students to examine their characters, values, and learning styles. Also to allow the participants to examine different leadership styles and theories in order to enhance their overall leadership ability and their effectiveness when working in groups in teams. Finally, scheduling Academic Support Sessions for the YSP students which prepares them from the transition from high school student to undergraduate. As a former participant of the RAP program, it seems surreal that I am now instructing the Leadership Development course that I was once a student in, oh how the tables have turned. I look forward to this opportunity and I hope the students will have a great experience with the program.

 

Reading to the Rhythm

One participant shows off her hatching egg and
egg maraca crafts.

Hello!  I'm Jessica Biernacki, a junior majoring in Agricultural Leadership Education. My internship this summer is with the Cook County Farm Bureau in Countryside, IL. I am the Ag in the Classroom intern, coordinating the Read the Rhythm summer library programs.

I have had a successful first half of the summer. Children in grades K-4 have attended programs that have been offered at their local libraries located throughout Cook County. This year's Read to the Rhythm Program gives children a fun way to learn about agriculture. So far our topics have included chickens/embryology, popcorn, and pigs.

The children having fun making their corn shakers after
learning about their state snack. (Popcorn)

During our programs the children learn about the agricultural topic through stories, games, and completing crafts (including a musical instrument) using the agricultural products that were learned about. Afterwards, the children are encouraged to check out related books. 

Some of our stories have included, April Foolishness by Teresa Bateman, The Popcorn Book by Tomie DePaola, and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. Our crafts have included, clucking chicken cups, egg maracas, hatching egg cutouts, corn shakers, and pig shakers. We have also played OINKO (piggy bingo) to learn about pigs and related vocabulary.

The upcoming program themes include pigs and space. We will be playing OINKO and making piggy shakers. The children will also sprout their own seeds in a CD case and observe how gravity effects their roots. 

Looking forward to my future programs!

Past the Halfway Mark

It seems like yesterday when I had my first day with University of Illinois Extension in Effingham, Clay, Fayette, and Jasper Counties. In reality I am already halfway done with it! I have learned a great deal during my time here and I am looking forward to what the next half of my internship has to offer.

My main responsibility here at the extension office is to help whoever needs help and to gain as much experience and knowledge about the work place that I can. All of the staff is very helpful with teaching me what it is like to work with University of Illinois Extension and they enjoy letting me tag along with them on their educational programs. I have attended numerous programs and each one is different yet educational in their own way. For example, I attended one program on cake decorating where the kids each had their own cakes and they were provided with special tools so that they could decorate the cake to each individuals choosing. The kids had a blast and they learned a cool new skill that they will be able to use in the future.

Cows being prepared for the 4-H show

I have also done a great deal with preparation in the 4-H department for the upcoming county fairs. I have always been familiar with the county fair but I have never really thought about all the behind the scenes work that goes into a successfully running 4-H program. My jobs have included delegating judges to events and setting up a schedule for them to follow, contacting sponsors for trophies, making sure each winner receives a ribbon, and many more tasks. Since I am stationed in Effingham County I have been focusing on the Effingham County fair more than the other counties. I had the chance to attended the Jasper County fair for a day to watch the Dairy Show and to help with organizing the livestock auction later that evening. It was very neat to see all the hard work put into action.

Effingham County Best of Show Ribbon

My project for this summer is to promote the 4-H program to kids all across these four counties. The 4-H member numbers have been steady for the past 20 years but I would like to see an increase in size and so would the 4-H coordinator that I work closely with. I will be making broachers and flyers that the 4-H program can handout to kids at schools or churches or anywhere they please. When kids think of 4-H they think of farms and livestock. They think that if they do not live on a farm or if they do not own any livestock then they wouldn't be accepted into 4-H. This is completely false. 4-H is so much more than what it is believed to be. It is about developing a great work ethic and imagination at a young age. It is also about friendship and fun. I don't want kids to miss out on such a great organization because they believe that they have to live on a farm to be included.

Even though I have only been interning here at University of Illinois Extension in Effingham, Clay, Fayette, and Jasper Counties for half of my term, I have already learned more than I thought I ever would when I applied for this internship. I have enjoyed each day and I am looking forward to what the next half of the internship will entail!

Sell yourself; Sell the product

It has been over a month since I started my internship with Bayer Crop Science. Since then I have seen more of the state of Illinois than my own back yard, I have ventured out to Raleigh, NC and I have been calf high in mud learning in the field.
  

Bayer Crop Science at Research Triangle Park
in Raleigh, North Carolina

My weeks consist of a lot of driving and meeting with retailers. More importantly, I gather data for field test plots with a product called Stratego YLD. This is a fungicide that helps with test weight and ant for corn at harvest time. My photography skills have been put to work with recording pictures of each field I am in. With all of the rain it has been more difficult to have plots put out at the right time. On corn the cut off to apply Stratego YLD is V5 and the rain made it too wet to get in the field for most growers.

I will be working on gathering information for a tent to be set up for Bayer Crop Science at the Farm Progress show in Decatur, IL. 

I am enjoying the growers and retailers that I have had the opportunity to meet. I met Dr. Powell with Growmark agronomy on a crop injury issue. I've learned more this summer then I would have ever dreamed of. 

I've been working on selling myself to the people I meet daily. Building relationships and putting my best foot forward are the two most important aspects of my job. I am confident that I can successfully accomplish every goal I have for this summer.

Transitioning to Extension

Hello!  I'm Molly Novotney, a junior majoring in Agricultural Leadership Education.  I'm a transfer to the U of I from Joliet Junior College, and my internship this summer is with University of Illinois Extension in LaSalle, Bureau, Marshall, and Putnam Counties.  I'm an intern in 4-H and Youth Development, and I'm very excited to see where this summer takes me.

My project for this summer is to plan, create, facilitate, and evaluate a youth education pilot program.   The pilot program, titled "Growing Futures in Agriculture," will teach 4-H youth, grades 6th-8th, about careers and jobs in agriculture, which will be taught by teen FFA members from local chapters.  This program will serve two purposes, as it will teach and develop 4-H youth more about the field of agriculture, as well as create a better bond between 4-H and FFA.

This has been a very interesting transition for me.  I have spent the last two years during the school year working part-time for my high school Ag teachers and FFA Advisors, and during the summers, I was a crop scout.  To go from jeans, boots, and no make up to khakis being my "dressing down" in the office is a bit of a culture shock.  However, it is a welcome change, and I'm enjoying my time so far!

I'm looking forward to what the summer will bring!

Here Comes the Horse Show

     This Saturday, April 25th the culminating event that I have been planning since January will take place. Part of my project when getting hired onto University of Illinois's Extension office in Champaign included creating Horse SPIN Clubs throughout the county. A second part of that original project was to eventually host a culminating event in the following spring to bring out the accomplishments of my past year. This Saturday, 27 youth will be participating in what will be the first for many of them a Fun Horse Show. 

Riders at Westbrook Stable - Mahomet

     The event will be held at Westbrook Stable in Mahomet, one of the clubs that I got started earlier this fall. There will be 8 events ranging from riding, to leading, to obstacle courses, to relays. All of the leaders from each club have graciously agreed to help plan this and have donated much of their free time by coming together and meeting every month since mid-January.

     This event is giving each of the youth currently enrolled in these Horse SPIN Clubs a chance to show to their friends and families what skills that have learned and been mastering since September. Many kids enrolled in these clubs have had no past horse experience until joining their respective clubs.

     Planning and seeing this event through is one part of my job I have been looking forward to all year long. With horses being my passion it was great to get to come together with amazing leaders that just want to see their kids succeed, and to help make this event something memorable for everyone. The hopes of this show is to become an annual event that will occur for years to come.

     The timing of this event could not come at a more bittersweet time. As my term with University of Illinois Extension winds to a close, this is the last time I will get to see many of the youth and leaders that have helped make my year at Extension an experience to remember.