Wisconsin 4-H Cloverbud Learning Activities
Wisconsin Cloverbud learning activities can be used in a variety of settings, including 4-H club meetings, Cloverbud project meetings, day camps and afterschool programs.
Each activity features a different 4-H project area and targets the development of age-appropriate life skills. The instructions have been tested to be easy to follow for both youth and adult leaders, using materials that are usually low-cost and easy to find.
While each of the activities could be used as stand-alone, they are grouped together for a year-long sequence of Cloverbud activities.
Here are samples of each piece for each lesson:
- Sample Lesson
- Sample Family Letter (English)
- Sample Family Letter (Spanish)
Descriptions of the activities are located below to give you an idea of what is available to download.
Year One
Better Bubbles
Mix two different bubble solutions and test which one makes bigger and stronger bubbles.
Building a Snack Mix
How can your group create a snack that everyone enjoys? Work together to make a group snack mix.
Building a Web
Use teamwork to create a giant spider web and discover what makes webs strong.
Edible Color Wheel
Learn about the color wheel using graham crackers and frosting, and think like an artist to create your own color.
Make a Mini-Greenhouse
A recycled CD case becomes a mini-greenhouse where radish seeds sprout into seedlings – right before your eyes!
Paper Bag Pet Parade
Make a paper bag pet and teach it some tricks, then share your tricks with your friends during a special paper bag pet parade.
Pop-Up Greetings
Thank a helper with your own 3-D creation! Identify helpers in your community and create a unique 3-D card to thank them.
See the Wind
Use a simple windsock to measure wind direction and speed, and construct your own version to decorate your front porch.
Wake Up Your Tastebuds
We all have favorite foods…but how did they become favorites? Have a mini taste test to introduce new foods and maybe find a new favorite.
Better Bubbles
Mix two different bubble solutions and test which one makes bigger and stronger bubbles.
Building a Snack Mix
How can your group create a snack that everyone enjoys? Work together to make a group snack mix.
Building a Web
Use teamwork to create a giant spider web and discover what makes webs strong.
Edible Color Wheel
Learn about the color wheel using graham crackers and frosting, and think like an artist to create your own color.
Make a Mini-Greenhouse
A recycled CD case becomes a mini-greenhouse where radish seeds sprout into seedlings – right before your eyes!
Paper Bag Pet Parade
Make a paper bag pet and teach it some tricks, then share your tricks with your friends during a special paper bag pet parade.
Pop-Up Greetings
Thank a helper with your own 3-D creation! Identify helpers in your community and create a unique 3-D card to thank them.
See the Wind
Use a simple windsock to measure wind direction and speed, and construct your own version to decorate your front porch.
Wake Up Your Tastebuds
We all have favorite foods…but how did they become favorites? Have a mini taste test to introduce new foods and maybe find a new favorite.
Year Two
Be an EGG-splorer!
Explore the sizes, colors, and parts of eggs using three different experiments.
The Giant’s Breakfast
Reading and listening to stories can be really creative times for youth. Today, we will use our imaginations while dramatizing part of the classic “Jack and the Beanstalk” tale.
I’m a Thumb-body, You’re a Thumb-body
Like our thumbprints, none of us are exactly alike. We will create two self-portraits – pictures of our unique selves – now as children and later when we become adults.
Relaxation Gardens
Nature can help us to feel calm inside. We will use our senses to explore objects from nature. Then create a relaxation garden from the objects we like best.
Soggy Science
Plants need water to survive and grow. Experiment with two gardening products to find out how they work to keep water close to plant roots.
The Superhero in You
Superheroes use what they’re good at – their special talents – to help other people. Make a symbol and create wrist cuffs that show what we are good at.
Tasty Groundwater
Where do we get our water from? Use a tasty treat to explore how the layers of the earth filter pollution from our drinking water.
Using Your Super Senses
We use our senses every time we eat. Colors, crunches, smells, textures, and taste all matter when we choose fruits and vegetables to eat.
Winter Birds Survival
Should we stay or should we go? Find out what it is like for birds to migrate as a group.
Year Three - Now Available!
Animals of All Ages
Just like people, livestock animals have special names for mothers, fathers, and babies. We will learn these special names for animals, and we will work together to teach the names to other people.
Be the Story Solver
Join us for a look at a book – and the challenges the characters face. Can you help them solve the characters’ problems?
Dragons & Damsels
Discover the differences between dragonflies and their cousins, damselflies. Play a game imitating their movements and build models of them!
Learning by Doing
In this interactive lesson, we will explore what we THINK we know, and what we REALLY know by experiencing something familiar in different ways!
Our Bodies Talk
We use words to share how we feel. We also use our faces, arms, hands, how we sit and how we stand to help others know what we are thinking and feeling. We might not always even know what we are saying with our bodies!
Outdoor Mindful Minis
We will have fun together outside, noticing our surroundings in new ways, exploring and letting nature remind us of other things in our lives.
Check out this short video with tips for how to lead Outdoor Mindful Minis and other mindfulness activities.
Saving for What?
It is never too early to talk with youth about saving money and keeping money safe! This activity gives the opportunity to talk about money, while making a youth-friendly duct tape wallet!
Science of Felting
While making their own felted wool ball, youth will learn about the science of what causes wool fibers to stick to one another and stay stuck.
Science of Sound
We will learn about sound waves and how they are invisible to our eye. We will also look at a basic musical instrument and how there is science behind the notes and sounds that it makes.
Cloverbud Leader Resources
Building a Safe and Positive Experience
A young child doesn’t need a subject expert or even an expert in 4-H – they need you to provide a safe and supportive experience that guides them in exploring new things and having fun.
Activities are tools to engage children in learning – the focus of the experience should be positive youth development.
Please refer to the Essential Elements for Cloverbud Programs and the Cloverbud Leader Guide for support in designing the learning experience.
