University of Illinois Extension hosted its annual 4-H Super Saturday on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at the Stephenson Farm Bureau Office. Super Saturday is a 3-hour event designed to give area youth ages 5 to 18 a chance to explore the many project areas available through the 4-H program. This event is open to all area youth, regardless of 4-H membership.
Youths aged 8-18 attended and experienced three hands-on workshops where they could choose what they wanted to learn about. The workshops for this year’s Super Saturday were: Vet Science- How to give your pet an exam, Candy Making, Farming Simulator, How to be a Pharmacist, Ag & Plant Science, Swag Making, Shooting Sports, & Sock Bunnies.
Youth between the ages of 5-7 were invited to participate in our 4-H Cloverbud Super Saturday at the same time and location. The younger youth explored everything about Color! They tye-dyed t-shirts, painted a canvas, learned how to change the color of food items to make fun Easter snacks, & decorated sugar cookies and cupcakes!
“Super Saturday is a morning full of learning and doing! Our 4-H volunteers, ambassadors, & leaders all come together to provide a fully-engaged morning where kids can just be kids, and try something new,” says Brenda Heimann, Stephenson County 4-H Program Coordinator.
Besides the 4-H volunteers that helped make this morning possible, there were also several local businesses helping out this year too. Highland Community College Ag Department – led by Monica Pierce did plant and Ag Sciences. Stephenson Service Company provided their Farming Simulator, along with staff to help teach the kids what it’s like to operate a large sprayer. Stephenson County Association for Home & Community Education taught a lesson on how to make a sock bunny. And the UIC College of Pharmacy at Rockford, led the Pharmacy workshop and provided a professor and a couple pharmacy students to help lead activities on how to be a pharmacist.
4-H Super Saturday is a morning full of excitement that kids will remember for days to come. If you are looking for more programs and events such as our Super Saturday, please check out our website at: go.illinois.edu/jsw
Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities. Illinois Extension is part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.