VALLEY — I’ve always been drawn to the 4-H slogan “Learn by Doing.” This slogan neatly sums up the way that 4-H teaches kids: through hands-on project learning and experience.

I intuitively connected to this model when I was a kid growing up in the suburbs of Chicago. There I participated in tons of 4-H projects and learned things like sewing, cooking, gardening, outdoor skills, and woodworking. Though I’m out of practice with a bunch of these skills, learning the fundamentals of these areas through hands-on activities and exploration helped make me a self-sufficient and well-rounded adult.

As parents and families start to think about keeping their kids engaged and entertained all summer, they can benefit by knowing more about the “learn by doing” approach. According to Rutgers University, using learning by doing allows kids to explore areas they are interested in, with minimal guidance from adults. Instead of telling kids the answers, or “correct” way to complete a task, youth are presented with a problem, question, situation, or activity to make sense of on their own. They then get hands-on to explore and discover. They may end up with an answer to their question, or a final product, or they may just tinker.

This style of learning is also known as experiential learning. There is a lot of education research that shows this type of learning can be impactful for people of all ages. According to the Society for Experiential Education, learners using this process “may experience success, failure, adventure, risk-taking and uncertainty.” This helps learning stick, and helps youth to build important life skills like grit and problem solving. The process also tends to be more engaging for a lot of people. This is because it offers a level of control to the learner by relying on them to take initiative and make decisions. This means kids pay better attention to the task at hand, and then have better retention of what they learned.

Parents and guardians can look for experiential learning opportunities for their children around the Valley this summer. For older kids, that might be a paid or un-paid internship or volunteer gig where they can explore a career that’s interesting to them. For younger kids, it might be a camp, class, or field trip that offers hands-on exploration.

You can also set up these types of learning opportunities at your home. Pull together materials for kids to create and explore topics that are interesting to them, or send them outside to use nature as a classroom. Then see where their minds take them. Supplement learning with materials from the local library, or the internet, to deepen the experience.

To make the experiences more impactful, don’t stop at the “’do” step of the process. Make sure kids have time to reflect on what they learned. Ask questions about what they did and what they discovered. Also have them reflect on the process. What was hard? What did they like about it? Lastly, help kids apply what they learned to their larger experience. Have them think about how it connects to things they already know, their daily life, and their future plans. Also have them reflect on what they want to learn next or explore further.

Helping make these connections between learning, prior knowledge, and the world at large gives kids a more complete learning experience. It also enhances the impact of their learning and makes it more likely to be retained long-term. We’ll be offering some fun “learn by doing” style programming this summer at various locations around the Valley. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/slv4h to learn about this opportunities as we schedule them.

Amy Henschen is the 4-H Youth Development Agent for Colorado State University Extension. To find out more about Extension and the 4-H program visit http://sanluisvalley.colostate.edu or call 719-852-7381. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.