Idaho 4-H Teen Conference Engages Students in Going On to Higher Education

The Idaho 4-H Teen Conference program provides youths with opportunities to develop leadership skills and confidence, explore options for after high school, and work with adults as partners. The conference has been modified to include subject matter and experiences that encourage teens to go on to postsecondary education. Recent evaluations of participants show that the changes emphasizing choices after high school have been well received by attendees. Teen Conference is a premier teen event of the Idaho 4-H Youth Development Program, and conference planners continue to adjust its focus to ensure that it will meet the needs of Idaho teens well into the 21st century

Educators Teach Effective Hand Washing with a Simplified Method

We conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of a 30-min hand-washing instruction among youths in kindergarten through fifth grade. Two months after implementing the instruction, we gathered survey data to assess knowledge gained and student behaviors. Results revealed that high proportions of youths in kindergarten through second grade (n = 90) were able to recognize various situations requiring hand washing and that majorities of youths in third grade through fifth grade (n = 172) tended to wash their hands at relevant times (e.g., after using the bathroom). Overall, we concluded that youths taught a 30-min hand-washing lesson reduced microbial counts on washed hands, maintained knowledge, and made positive behavior changes

Innovative Approach to Measure Effectiveness of Handwashing Education in School-Age Children by Extension Educators

University of Idaho Extension educators developed an innovative approach to analyze the effectiveness of handwashing lessons taught to school-age children. A protocol was designed to determine if there was a significant decrease in bacterial Colony Forming Units (CFUs) before and after implementing an educational handwashing lesson. The protocol allowed Extension educators with limited to no research experience to validate their handwashing lessons with scientific research. A 79% reduction in Mean CFU counts pre- and post-handwashing was found, excluding an outlier. The results support the effectiveness of Extension handwashing lessons using a novel quantitative approac

LSST Science Book, Version 2.0

A survey that can cover the sky in optical bands over wide fields to faint magnitudes with a fast cadence will enable many of the exciting science opportunities of the next decade. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will have an effective aperture of 6.7 meters and an imaging camera with field of view of 9.6 deg^2, and will be devoted to a ten-year imaging survey over 20,000 deg^2 south of +15 deg. Each pointing will be imaged 2000 times with fifteen second exposures in six broad bands from 0.35 to 1.1 microns, to a total point-source depth of r~27.5. The LSST Science Book describes the basic parameters of the LSST hardware, software, and observing plans. The book discusses educational and outreach opportunities, then goes on to describe a broad range of science that LSST will revolutionize: mapping the inner and outer Solar System, stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, the structure of the Milky Way disk and halo and other objects in the Local Volume, transient and variable objects both at low and high redshift, and the properties of normal and active galaxies at low and high redshift. It then turns to far-field cosmological topics, exploring properties of supernovae to z~1, strong and weak lensing, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and baryon oscillations, and how these different probes may be combined to constrain cosmological models and the physics of dark energy.Comment: 596 pages. Also available at full resolution at http://www.lsst.org/lsst/sciboo

Video Gaming Increases Physical Activity

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Mypramid recommend that children get 60 minutes of moderate level exercise each day. Obesity has become a serious health concern for children and adolescents. Idaho currently has an obesity rate of 10.1% for children ages 10-17. As a response to this, the Nintendo Wii was introduced into a 4-H after-school program in Idaho. Data was collected to determine if participating in exergames was an effective way to be physically active for youth ages 9-12 years of age

4-H Home Food Preservation Series: Pressure Canning Project Manual

For ages 14-18, the pressure canning project manual covers the basics of healthy eating and food safety and specific instructions for canning vegetables, dry beans, meats, poultry, fish, and prepared recipes such as spaghetti sauce and soups. Ten hands-on activities engage youth in canning a variety of foods and using canned foods in menu planning and taste tests. Each activity concludes with questions for further learning. The manual follows USDA food-preservation guidelines. Other manuals in the series deal with freezing (ages 8�18), drying (ages 8�18), and boiling water canning (ages 8�18)

4-H Home Food Preservation Series: Boiling Water Canning Project Manual

For ages 8-18, the boiling water canning project manual covers the basics of healthy eating and food safety and specific instructions for canning fruits, tomatoes, tomato salsa, pickles, and jams and jellies with and without added pectin. Sixteen hands-on activities engage youth in canning a variety of foods and using canned foods in menu planning and taste tests. Each activity concludes with questions for further learning. The manual follows USDA food-preservation guidelines. Other manuals in the series deal with freezing (ages 8�18), drying (ages 8�18), and pressure canning (ages 14�18)

Storing food for safety and quality

THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS CURRENTLY UNDER REVISION AND SHOULD NOT BE USED

Expanding the Reach of Extension to Underserved Audiences Through Study Circles in Rural Idaho

Extension educators expanded the reach of their programming to underserved audiences through the implementation of Study Circles in rural Southern Idaho. Study Circles gave educators entry into communities by establishing relationships necessary for long-term change. Study Circle discussions in rural Southern Idaho led to stronger relationships among community members, religious organizations, civic groups, elected officials, youth, ethnic groups, and those of different socio-economic status. The Study Circle tool could be implemented in many venues, including leader\u27s councils, advisory groups, stakeholder meetings, youth/adult partnerships, city and county government, and program development

Ready-to-Go Exhibits Expand Consumer Food Safety Knowledge and Action

Ready-to-go, interactive food safety exhibits were developed to allow Extension Educators the opportunity to communicate the magnitude of food safety risk and to prevent foodborne illness. Four food safety topics were chosen: 1) At‐Risk Groups, 2) Preserving Food, 3) Food Thermometers, 4) Kitchen Safety for Kids. Data collected showed an increase in food safety knowledge and planned behavior change