STEM Projects help Youth with Career Exploration

4-H offers over 200 projects of all kinds to encourage youth to explore new ideas, concepts and trades. Many people think only of livestock as a project type, but there are thirty-three projects that fall under the category we call STEM. STEM is our short way of describing projects in science, technology, engineering, and math.  These projects explore aerospace science, ATV, bicycling, electricity, electronics, radio-controlled vehicles, small engines, tractor safety, welding, and woodworking.

Aerospace science is a collection of projects that include 2-liter bottle rocketry, solid fuel rockets, and model airplanes. These help members understand the forces of flights, experiments within flight science, and how to build and launch your own rockets from a kit or from scratch.

All-terrain vehicle safety books are also hands on project. They help prepare youth for use of ATV equipment through lessons that provide youth with proper handling, safety precautions, and protective equipment. They also have the opportunity to participate at the State Fair in a riding course!

For those youth who love bicycling, there are a series of bicycling books for any level of rider. Projects include parts, safety inspections, proper safety riding techniques, buying, maintenance, repair and rules of the road.

For an electric approach, there are a number of books that offer information and experiments regarding electricity and experiments youth can do at home! The books teach youth how to build a flashlight, compass, electromagnets, testing voltages, circuit design, switches and electrical loads!

Youth with an interest in radio controlled vehicles learn how to research, purchase, assemble, and modify a radio controlled vehicle. They can also explore robotics through a lego kit and how to configure and program their robot.

There are also  a number of small engines projects that are focused on learning about engine parts, tools, concepts of small engines, internal parts, compression ratios and how to rebuild an engine. Projects move from small engines to tractor and machinery operation taking youth from little to no prior experiences with tractors, through safety, maintenance, mechanics, accessory equipment, fuel safety, and operational systems. The curriculum can also be used to help prepare for the National Safe Tractor and Machinery program.

For those youth with an interest in smaller tractors and mowers there is the lawn care project. This project helps youth discover the proper way to take care of their lawn through seeding, weeding, fertilizing, and mowing. The project also outlines the pros and cons of starting a mowing business.

For those youth looking for a little spark to their project they can also take the welding project for building, modifying and repairing steel-based projects. This project includes selection, fabrication techniques and information about shielded metal arc welding.

Finally, the last project area is woodworking. The projects cover 4 levels and include safety, use of tool, building, finishing, measuring, joints, staining, planers, and dovetailing. 

The many projects offered in the STEM category offer youth an opportunity to explore different trades or techniques that they might otherwise get to explore through their education. We hope that through each of their projects they learn, grow and build their careers through fun and exciting projects that engage them in learning.