S2E16: 4-H: Nurturing the Process and Building Lifelong Learners

Nebraska Extension Early Childhood Program Area-Emily Manning, Dr. Holly Hatton, Ingrid Lindal, Erin Kampbell, Linda Reddish, Katie Krause, and LaDonna Werth Author

06/03/2025 Added

9 Plays

Description

In this episode, we sit down with a 4-H Educator, Ann Dobesh, to explore why valuing the process—rather than just the final product—is so important for youth and young children. We talk about how meaningful time spent with an adult can spark curiosity, build confidence, and support the development of lifelong learners. Our conversation highlights how both success and mistakes offer powerful learning opportunities, and how allowing space for mistakes can help young people discover their interests, passions, and potential.

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[00:00:00.000]This is the Good Life in Early
[00:00:09.590]Life, a production of Nebraska
[00:00:12.670]Extension. I'm your host Emily
[00:00:14.660]Manning,
[00:00:15.080]an Early Childhood Extension
[00:00:16.720]Educator based in Seward County.
[00:00:18.760]Today, we are going to be
[00:00:19.780]exploring
[00:00:20.280]process versus product in early
[00:00:22.350]childhood and how this
[00:00:23.810]philosophy supports child
[00:00:25.600]development.
[00:00:26.480]We are going to be discussing
[00:00:27.970]this with our guest and my esteemed
[00:00:29.750]colleague
[00:00:30.400]Ann Dobesh, who is a 4-H
[00:00:32.150]Extension Educator in Seward
[00:00:34.290]County. Welcome to the show and
[00:00:36.540]thanks
[00:00:36.820]so much for being here today!
[00:00:38.660]Thank you, I'm excited to be
[00:00:40.420]here, Emily. For the listeners
[00:00:42.440]who may not be familiar with 4-H,
[00:00:44.580]what's your role within Nebraska
[00:00:46.810]Extension? So I
[00:00:49.310]am
[00:00:49.760]a 4-H youth development
[00:00:51.740]Educator with Nebraska
[00:00:53.540]Extension and in a nutshell my
[00:00:55.840]job is to help
[00:00:56.460]young people learn and grow
[00:00:58.350]through hands-on experiences.
[00:01:00.370]This can look like a lot
[00:01:02.080]of
[00:01:02.560]different things: from training
[00:01:04.600]adult volunteers who work with
[00:01:06.450]our 4-H clubs to planning and
[00:01:08.780]leading
[00:01:09.200]4-H after-school clubs to also
[00:01:12.000]leading classrooms through
[00:01:14.400]educational experiences. And, all
[00:01:17.340]of these
[00:01:18.040]things are under the umbrella
[00:01:19.470]of positive youth development,
[00:01:20.970]which means we're not just
[00:01:22.230]teaching
[00:01:22.760]kids what to learn but how to
[00:01:25.070]learn and how to grow
[00:01:26.440]as people. I love that
[00:01:27.830]description of 4-H. I was also a
[00:01:30.020]4-Her when I was growing up I
[00:01:32.120]was a part
[00:01:32.880]of that youth development
[00:01:34.050]program and really enjoyed all
[00:01:35.450]the experiences that I was able
[00:01:36.880]to
[00:01:37.080]have, but I think it's helpful
[00:01:38.680]to know that it's much more
[00:01:40.150]than just the fair. There's so
[00:01:41.760]many more
[00:01:42.400]opportunities for leadership,
[00:01:44.170]youth development, and
[00:01:45.460]exploration that 4-H provides
[00:01:47.350]and so I'm really
[00:01:48.280]excited to sit down with you
[00:01:50.130]and have this conversation
[00:01:52.160]together. Also, know that 4-H
[00:01:54.000]does
[00:01:54.400]provide
[00:01:55.270]learning
[00:01:56.000]opportunities
[00:01:56.420]for
[00:01:56.420]younger youth too. It's not
[00:01:58.000]just adolescence. Right, and in
[00:01:59.990]the 4-H program we are reaching
[00:02:02.320]youth
[00:02:02.880]from the ages of 5 to 18 and we
[00:02:05.530]actually have a special program
[00:02:07.740]for youth in those early ages,
[00:02:09.900]the
[00:02:10.200]5 to 7 ages, called Clover Kids
[00:02:12.570]which is a great program, but
[00:02:14.530]yeah, we're reaching youth all
[00:02:16.690]across
[00:02:17.280]that age span. Yes, you are and
[00:02:19.350]doing very important work so
[00:02:21.700]usually I ask my listeners what's
[00:02:25.250]your favorite memory from your childhood or a funny memory.
[00:02:26.400]But, I'm
[00:02:27.410]going to take that and tweak it
[00:02:28.480]a little today, and ask you when
[00:02:31.040]you think
[00:02:31.380]about your own experiences as a
[00:02:33.520]learner or as a child, is there
[00:02:35.480]a moment that stands out where
[00:02:37.660]the
[00:02:37.920]process of learning was more
[00:02:39.670]impactful than the final
[00:02:41.210]product that you produced? So I
[00:02:43.770]think one of
[00:02:45.160]my early experiences with this
[00:02:47.590]and this will tie back to my
[00:02:49.490]own 4-H experiences was
[00:02:51.500]involved with
[00:02:52.680]planning for my very first 4-H
[00:02:55.080]speech. Our family
[00:02:56.380]was big into public speaking
[00:02:58.380]and so this was my first
[00:02:59.850]opportunity to work with my dad
[00:03:02.360]in planning
[00:03:03.340]my speech. It was just
[00:03:05.230]such a neat experience I was
[00:03:07.150]really excited because it was
[00:03:09.330]my first year
[00:03:10.260]in 4-H and so we would work
[00:03:12.270]together on portions of the
[00:03:14.340]speech. I would go memorize it,
[00:03:16.440]then I'd come
[00:03:17.300]back, and we'd work together at
[00:03:19.470]it again, and he would share
[00:03:21.270]with me tips and strategies for
[00:03:23.560]planning and speaking. Then
[00:03:26.360],
[00:03:26.360]ended up with this 4-H speech.
[00:03:28.060]Of course when I was presenting
[00:03:29.780]it, I was I was nervous as
[00:03:31.040]anybody was,
[00:03:32.160]but just that experience of
[00:03:34.160]working together and planning
[00:03:36.430]together with my dad was a huge
[00:03:38.620]part
[00:03:39.020]and just a really fond memory growing up.
[00:03:41.340]Yeah! So you really cherished
[00:03:43.860]that time with your dad
[00:03:46.260]and
[00:03:46.440]how he spent that time with you
[00:03:48.060]learning how to prepare for
[00:03:49.550]this event. And, it sounds like
[00:03:51.220]you
[00:03:51.300]learned a lot of planning
[00:03:52.830]skills and pre-planning
[00:03:54.610]before an event, which is so
[00:03:56.340]important for life and can
[00:03:57.660]translate to so many things in
[00:03:59.200]adulthood. We got to plan for a
[00:04:00.520]lot of
[00:04:00.820]things in adulthood. Right, absolutely I can
[00:04:02.860]go back and I'll always
[00:04:04.720]remember: introduction, body, and
[00:04:07.040]conclusion.
[00:04:07.640]When you're talking, yeah it's
[00:04:09.890]important. I usually forget the
[00:04:12.230]conclusion. I trail off and
[00:04:14.620]that's
[00:04:14.940]my conclusion, anyway. So, in your
[00:04:17.590]experience, why is focusing on
[00:04:20.150]the process important in the
[00:04:26.320]development of young children? So, yeah I think that
[00:04:28.430]process focused
[00:04:28.750]learning means really means
[00:04:29.040]that we care
[00:04:29.220]more about the learning journey
[00:04:31.900]than the final product. And so,
[00:04:34.280]it is not just about making
[00:04:36.300]that
[00:04:36.620]perfect science project or
[00:04:38.340]maybe that best tasting cake. It's
[00:04:40.480]about what that young person
[00:04:42.260]learns and
[00:04:43.260]experiences while they are
[00:04:46.120]making, baking, or while they're
[00:04:49.310]building something. And that is
[00:04:52.480]why in 4-H
[00:04:54.000]the "Learn by Doing"
[00:04:56.300]that
[00:04:56.300]is
[00:04:56.300]our
[00:04:56.300]slogan
[00:04:56.300].
[00:04:56.310]It
[00:04:56.310]is
[00:04:56.400]more
[00:04:57.990]than a slogan. In 4-H, it's the
[00:05:00.520]foundation of everything we do.
[00:05:02.460]That hands-on experience is
[00:05:04.360]really where the growth happens.
[00:05:06.440]What types of things
[00:05:08.360]might someone learn, or a young
[00:05:10.370]person learn about themselves
[00:05:12.530]as they're baking a cake or
[00:05:14.740]building a cabinet? What are
[00:05:16.210]they learning while they're
[00:05:17.770]doing these types of activities?
[00:05:19.510]Right,
[00:05:19.900]and so, depending upon what they're
[00:05:22.430]doing they may be learning how
[00:05:24.610]to measure. They may be
[00:05:26.280]learning how to problem solve
[00:05:28.750]and that not everything turns
[00:05:31.120]out that first time around,
[00:05:33.320]so they're going to
[00:05:35.170]have to go back try to figure
[00:05:37.020]it out see what they might
[00:05:38.710]adjust what
[00:05:39.660]they might do better and so all
[00:05:42.220]along the way that
[00:05:44.680]that process is really helping
[00:05:47.350]them
[00:05:47.860]build those creativity skills
[00:05:50.720]and hopefully learn how to keep
[00:05:53.600]trying. And it sounds like,
[00:05:56.260]it sounds like also
[00:05:57.100]perseverance, because you were
[00:05:58.460]saying like they have if
[00:05:59.500]something doesn't work
[00:06:00.620]out they have to problem solve,
[00:06:02.050]and then keep going to figure
[00:06:03.430]out how that is going to work
[00:06:04.840]out
[00:06:05.100]in the end, and also as you were
[00:06:06.840]talking I was thinking about
[00:06:08.580]when they are experiencing
[00:06:10.330]these
[00:06:10.700]different types of activities
[00:06:12.000]and exploring these different
[00:06:13.300]type of activities, they're also
[00:06:14.720]just
[00:06:15.000]exploring different parts of
[00:06:16.750]themselves, and asking themselves, you know
[00:06:18.570]'Do I enjoy this activity'?
[00:06:20.260]Is this something I want to
[00:06:21.810]keep doing in the future? So, it
[00:06:23.490]also kind of helps with career
[00:06:26.240]exploration as well which is
[00:06:27.720]maybe a little bit more
[00:06:28.910]applicable to our teenagers, but
[00:06:30.720]still
[00:06:31.040]important for young kids too.
[00:06:32.730]Yeah, that's an excellent
[00:06:34.730]point, and one of the things
[00:06:36.180]that
[00:06:36.580]we want youth to do through
[00:06:38.270]their 4-H experience, and
[00:06:39.760]through any of their
[00:06:40.970]experiences, is really to
[00:06:43.500]explore those things that they
[00:06:45.590]eventually could be passionate
[00:06:47.760]about and and the only way to
[00:06:49.640]do
[00:06:49.740]that is to explore a lot of
[00:06:51.550]different interests. So, in 4-H
[00:06:53.890]we'll call that sparks. Those
[00:06:56.120]things
[00:06:56.220]that really propel their
[00:06:58.160]interest that may lead to a
[00:07:00.270]future career. I love that word
[00:07:03.040]sparks, Ann, that
[00:07:04.420]just brings some joy to my
[00:07:05.930]heart when I hear that. And so,
[00:07:07.690]we were talking a little bit
[00:07:09.280]with the
[00:07:09.860]sparks about the older
[00:07:11.330]adolescents who take 4-H and
[00:07:13.330]that relates to like career
[00:07:15.150]exploration, but
[00:07:16.280]4-H does encompass the younger
[00:07:18.170]kids, as you mentioned earlier,
[00:07:19.870]which is five to seven. And
[00:07:22.200]I really want to focus in on
[00:07:23.970]them and that process,
[00:07:26.200]and how adults in their lives
[00:07:28.920]can help them focus more on how
[00:07:31.840]the process can be just as
[00:07:34.220]important
[00:07:34.660]as the product, and what young
[00:07:37.360]kids especially learn by
[00:07:39.860]learning to value the process
[00:07:42.820]of making
[00:07:43.600]and doing something. Right, so
[00:07:45.620]first of all, just creating that
[00:07:47.660]opportunity to make and do is
[00:07:51.120]an
[00:07:51.420]important part of that and
[00:07:53.410]sometimes that experience might
[00:07:55.950]be
[00:07:56.180]a little bit messy and that is
[00:07:58.970]okay. And then, along the way
[00:08:01.030]just being that supportive
[00:08:03.060]caring
[00:08:03.740]adult through the process there
[00:08:05.790]may be moments when things get
[00:08:07.820]frustrating and encouraging
[00:08:09.660]youth
[00:08:10.160]to continue on and looking for
[00:08:12.350]those opportunities when things
[00:08:14.820]don't work as perfectly as they
[00:08:17.100]should
[00:08:17.740]to use those moments to be
[00:08:19.710]encouraging and to ask
[00:08:21.200]questions okay what could we
[00:08:23.290]try this time
[00:08:24.340]really to be that that voice of
[00:08:26.800]encouragement through that
[00:08:28.990]experience is what i would say
[00:08:31.120]that
[00:08:31.380]you or adults can do through
[00:08:34.160]that process the time spent
[00:08:36.830]with another adult as they're
[00:08:39.540]working
[00:08:39.800]together on a project is very
[00:08:41.980]beneficial just in itself
[00:08:43.970]because that's just time spent
[00:08:46.350]and that
[00:08:47.040]adult can help them process
[00:08:48.670]their emotions that they
[00:08:50.160]experience like those frustrations
[00:08:52.380]and have
[00:08:52.960]coaching in real time
[00:08:53.420]from
[00:08:53.820]an
[00:08:54.320]adult
[00:08:54.320]who
[00:08:54.370]is
[00:08:54.420]probably
[00:08:54.470]not
[00:08:54.580]as
[00:08:56.820]frustrated as they are
[00:08:58.560]and can help them work through
[00:08:59.780]that
[00:09:00.060]which is an important skill to
[00:09:01.850]have and to develop for for
[00:09:03.570]adulthood. Right absolutely. That
[00:09:05.980]learning how to regulate those
[00:09:08.010]emotions early on. We're always
[00:09:09.970]going to have those experiences
[00:09:12.360]throughout our life when things
[00:09:14.110]are frustrating and they don't
[00:09:15.880]work perfectly in the way we
[00:09:17.260]want.
[00:09:17.580]And the ability to come
[00:09:19.490]back from that, to keep trying,
[00:09:21.580]to use those moments to learn
[00:09:23.670]from that
[00:09:24.300]will only serve us in the long
[00:09:26.280]run. Whether that's into our
[00:09:28.290]teenage years or even into our
[00:09:30.480]adult years,
[00:09:31.440]we can continue to learn from
[00:09:33.770]those experiences. Yeah
[00:09:35.720]absolutely. I was going to ask
[00:09:38.130]you and I'm
[00:09:39.500]sorry this isn't on the
[00:09:41.210]question list. I just thought of
[00:09:43.550]it. So sometimes what
[00:09:45.800]can
[00:09:46.120]happen as parents or families
[00:09:48.530]and are working with children
[00:09:50.940]on a product the perception on
[00:09:53.420]that final
[00:09:54.280]product can be wildly different
[00:09:57.160]between the adult and the child.
[00:09:59.930]So how can we still,
[00:10:01.920]how can we help support
[00:10:03.580]children when we ourselves
[00:10:05.590]maybe see this final product
[00:10:07.940]differently than
[00:10:08.860]children might? And still help
[00:10:11.410]them feel proud of what they
[00:10:13.620]learned through that through
[00:10:16.090]that
[00:10:16.560]process? Right, so yeah. I
[00:10:19.490]have a great example of this.
[00:10:22.580]And I hope my
[00:10:24.260]adult daughter is okay with me
[00:10:26.530]sharing this example. But,
[00:10:28.710]when she was in probably those
[00:10:31.100]preschool ages, she decided
[00:10:33.910]to do some decorating for me.
[00:10:36.400]And so she pulled out her scrapbook
[00:10:39.440]paper
[00:10:39.860]got some glue and glued it to
[00:10:43.080]the wall in our stairwell. And,
[00:10:46.440]she came and was so proud of
[00:10:50.210]her
[00:10:50.900]design and decorating
[00:10:54.240]of our house and as I went
[00:10:56.750]there and took a look at it the
[00:10:59.000]only thing that could cross my
[00:11:00.780]mind was
[00:11:01.520]'Wow. How do you get scrapbook
[00:11:03.660]paper off of the wall?' And so in
[00:11:05.750]that particular moment, I didn't
[00:11:08.060]feel like the most encouraging.
[00:11:10.400]Yeah, I mean understandably so.
[00:11:12.820]You do need to teach the
[00:11:15.840]expectation that we don't, art
[00:11:18.990]is not for the wall, right.
[00:11:22.170]But
[00:11:23.240]just
[00:11:24.220]seeing
[00:11:24.220]that
[00:11:24.220]from
[00:11:24.220]her lens. Like she, she
[00:11:26.010]was very proud of that artwork.
[00:11:28.050]So when we look at those,
[00:11:29.600]those projects that our kids
[00:11:31.640]bring to us, it is about, you
[00:11:33.650]know, what they have put into
[00:11:35.710]it,
[00:11:36.200]that effort, that time. What
[00:11:38.090]they, what they are viewing is
[00:11:39.960]they have put that together for
[00:11:41.910]us.
[00:11:42.360]And so, you know, just
[00:11:43.670]acknowledging and appreciating
[00:11:45.540]that and also understanding
[00:11:47.200]where they are at in their
[00:11:48.570]stage of development. Yeah, 100%.
[00:11:51.760]Like young kids have a short,
[00:11:54.220]attention span and additionally
[00:11:56.410]fine motor skills, which are
[00:11:58.490]those, which are those skills
[00:11:59.940]that you need for like handling
[00:12:01.620]a pencil or handling scissors.
[00:12:03.430]Those aren't as developed
[00:12:04.920]as the older kids simply
[00:12:06.240]because they just haven't had
[00:12:07.890]as much practice. And also they're
[00:12:10.040]small hands, right? Like that's
[00:12:12.050]hard to do a lot of things with
[00:12:13.670]small hands. So, we just need to
[00:12:15.740]remember that as we're working
[00:12:17.420]with kids to keep our
[00:12:18.740]expectations realistic for
[00:12:20.090]where, where they're
[00:12:21.260]at. So, thanks for sharing that
[00:12:23.080]story about your daugther.
[00:12:24.220]I love hearing about that. That's
[00:12:25.870]so funny. And now I'd like to
[00:12:27.760]hear more about 4-H and how 4-H
[00:12:30.520]incorporates the process
[00:12:32.700]focused learning into its
[00:12:34.880]programs and activities.
[00:12:37.320]Yeah. So 4-H is really built
[00:12:39.610]around that principle of
[00:12:41.400]learning by doing that is our
[00:12:43.460]slogan.
[00:12:44.340]And that really aligns with
[00:12:46.120]experiential learning. And, and
[00:12:48.510]so this involves several steps.
[00:12:50.910]So first
[00:12:51.560]of all, it's doing, it's taking
[00:12:53.540]part.
[00:12:54.220]In a hands-on activity. And
[00:12:56.870]then a big part of that is
[00:12:58.350]reflecting, thinking through
[00:13:00.400]that experience
[00:13:01.400]and applying. And so whether
[00:13:03.890]that is, you know, caring for
[00:13:06.420]an animal or growing something
[00:13:08.800]in the
[00:13:09.220]garden or baking something,
[00:13:11.740]those experiences are designed
[00:13:14.300]not only for the youth to
[00:13:16.240]complete a task,
[00:13:17.760]but also to learn through their
[00:13:20.300]experience and to grow from it.
[00:13:23.110]And so we're really,
[00:13:24.220]really intentional. And if you
[00:13:26.600]come to a 4-H program, we're
[00:13:28.720]going to be intentional on that
[00:13:30.840]reflection piece.
[00:13:32.620]So you may have, hear us asking
[00:13:35.290]kids about their experiences.
[00:13:38.010]So we might be asking them,
[00:13:39.740]what went well?
[00:13:40.660]What challenged you? Hey, if it
[00:13:42.790]didn't work, especially the way
[00:13:44.530]that you wanted it to, what
[00:13:46.520]would you do
[00:13:47.340]differently next time? So we're,
[00:13:49.640]we're thinking through that
[00:13:51.420]process so that we can help you
[00:13:54.200]see what they're learning
[00:13:56.240]throughout that process. Yeah.
[00:13:59.120]Do you have any examples of
[00:14:00.530]this in a recent
[00:14:01.240]program you've done? Yeah,
[00:14:02.700]absolutely. So we have an after-school,
[00:14:05.400]we have a couple of after-school
[00:14:06.640]clubs in the county. And for
[00:14:08.900]one of the experiences, we
[00:14:11.030]created light up cards. So we,
[00:14:13.980]the ultimate goal was to have a
[00:14:15.760]card that had a little LED that
[00:14:17.960]lit up. So was this like a
[00:14:19.900]greeting card kind of? Yes. A
[00:14:21.580]greeting card. So it was around
[00:14:23.260]Valentine's day.
[00:14:24.180]Oh, fun. And so they're
[00:14:25.500]creating these cards, but a
[00:14:27.540]part of that experience was
[00:14:29.200]learning how to create
[00:14:30.680]an electrical circuit using
[00:14:33.080]copper tape and little LED
[00:14:35.370]lights. And so as a part of
[00:14:38.940]that, you know,
[00:14:40.200]they're, they're creating this
[00:14:42.040]circuit and inevitably it, it
[00:14:43.760]didn't work for everybody. Oh,
[00:14:45.790]shoot.
[00:14:46.180]So first time around, we had a
[00:14:48.330]number of cards where that
[00:14:50.400]little LED is not lighting up.
[00:14:52.850]And so immediately there's
[00:14:54.160]a little bit of frustration
[00:14:55.770]that begins to set in there
[00:14:57.310]that, oh God, you know, I've
[00:14:59.110]put this all
[00:14:59.640]together and it's not working
[00:15:01.560]the way that I wanted it to.
[00:15:03.400]And so through that experience,
[00:15:05.680]we're asking questions. Okay.
[00:15:08.010]What happened here? Oh, okay.
[00:15:10.330]So this is curious. What,
[00:15:12.340]what would happen if we turn
[00:15:14.290]that LED around or what would
[00:15:16.320]happen if we secured
[00:15:18.020]that tape a little bit more and
[00:15:20.920]through the process of
[00:15:22.710]reflecting and
[00:15:24.140]problem-solving in the end,
[00:15:26.740]everybody's card had a light
[00:15:28.840]that lit up, but it was through
[00:15:30.680]that hard work and just,
[00:15:32.180]you know, through that
[00:15:33.360]challenge that those cards, you
[00:15:35.300]know, that we could celebrate
[00:15:37.040]and enjoy them at the end.
[00:15:38.800]You know, if it had worked
[00:15:39.820]perfectly that first time
[00:15:40.870]around, maybe we're not as
[00:15:42.600]excited about what we learned
[00:15:44.260]through that process.
[00:15:45.100]Yeah. And maybe the, the level
[00:15:46.740]of learning might not have, has
[00:15:48.680]been as deep too, because they
[00:15:51.140]had to go through several
[00:15:52.940]different iterations
[00:15:54.120]of that card to get to that
[00:15:55.720]final product that worked. And
[00:15:58.220]so through that process, they
[00:15:59.620]were probably engaging with it
[00:16:00.840]a little bit more deeply.
[00:16:01.880]And what a great way to
[00:16:03.080]scaffold the learning process
[00:16:04.910]with those questions you were
[00:16:05.960]asking, like helping support
[00:16:07.930]that problem-solving,
[00:16:09.540]the problem-solving steps, and
[00:16:11.620]you weren't giving them the
[00:16:13.170]solution to the problem.
[00:16:14.800]You're just supporting it in a
[00:16:16.220]way, like offering a different
[00:16:17.710]way of looking at it.
[00:16:18.720]But ultimately it was their
[00:16:20.240]responsibility to find that
[00:16:21.820]solution and, and solve the
[00:16:23.440]problem of,
[00:16:24.100]the light up cards.
[00:16:25.280]Exactly. And then it goes back
[00:16:27.780]to that social, emotional
[00:16:29.320]learning as well, because
[00:16:31.150]initially you have those
[00:16:33.160]moments of frustration.
[00:16:34.480]And so working through that,
[00:16:37.050]you know, handling those
[00:16:38.590]emotions and continuing to work,
[00:16:41.700]work through it can be a
[00:16:43.050]valuable lesson as well.
[00:16:44.780]Yeah. Especially since I think
[00:16:46.870]it's very important to learn to
[00:16:48.870]not expect to get it perfectly
[00:16:50.940]the first time and that if you
[00:16:52.860]don't get it right the
[00:16:54.080]first time, that it's okay,
[00:16:55.860]that this is just a part of the
[00:16:57.900]process and I can trust in
[00:16:59.690]myself and my abilities to
[00:17:01.520]problem solve, to persevere and
[00:17:04.080]to get through it,
[00:17:04.980]that I can finally get to maybe
[00:17:06.810]a product that does work.
[00:17:08.500]And those are so important,
[00:17:10.030]those social, emotional skills
[00:17:11.450]are so important to have.
[00:17:12.600]Exactly. And, and how often in,
[00:17:15.110]in our lives as adults do
[00:17:16.820]things work perfectly the first
[00:17:19.080]time around?
[00:17:19.720]They don't, we have to, we have
[00:17:20.860]to keep working at it and we're
[00:17:22.120]constantly learning and we're
[00:17:23.450]constantly learning.
[00:17:24.060]We're constantly trying. And so
[00:17:25.320]how valuable that can be for a
[00:17:27.340]lifelong lesson.
[00:17:28.840]And so that was a great story
[00:17:30.580]with a good ending with the
[00:17:32.240]light up cards, but sometimes
[00:17:34.690]there, sometimes there are
[00:17:36.190]products or projects where it
[00:17:39.510]doesn't ever turn out.
[00:17:42.900]It just simply didn't work out.
[00:17:45.270]And no matter how hard you try,
[00:17:47.320]so how can we help young
[00:17:49.260]children and youth reflect on
[00:17:51.870]their learning process and take
[00:17:54.040]value from that process of
[00:17:56.400]trying to create something that
[00:17:58.300]didn't end up working out?
[00:18:00.080]Right. Yeah. So one of my
[00:18:02.070]favorite examples of how to do
[00:18:04.720]this is through an exhibit that
[00:18:07.120]we have for our county fair.
[00:18:09.420]So this is a lighthearted
[00:18:11.230]addition to the county fair,
[00:18:13.420]but I find it incredibly
[00:18:15.250]meaningful.
[00:18:16.440]And so we have a flops category,
[00:18:19.900]so where youth can enter a
[00:18:22.000]project that didn't go exactly
[00:18:24.020]as planned. So like when you
[00:18:26.550]added the, the tablespoon of
[00:18:28.440]salt, I think we were talking
[00:18:30.800]about that off, off, um,
[00:18:32.640]microphones.
[00:18:33.400]I'll explain to our audience.
[00:18:34.790]No, not a problem. So I was
[00:18:36.520]really young, um, but I learned
[00:18:38.550]to read a recipe with my mom.
[00:18:40.940]And so I was super excited to
[00:18:42.850]get up early and make breakfast
[00:18:45.060]for my parents before they got
[00:18:47.180]up.
[00:18:47.540]And so I, I got everything out.
[00:18:49.940]I got the recipe out for
[00:18:51.090]scrambled eggs. Who needs a
[00:18:52.620]recipe for scrambled eggs?
[00:18:54.000]I did. It was my first time.
[00:18:55.890]And in the recipe, it called
[00:18:57.580]for a teaspoon of salt.
[00:18:58.740]And I misread that and used a
[00:19:01.560]tablespoon instead. And this
[00:19:04.970]turned out to be inedible. They
[00:19:07.780]were so
[00:19:08.260]bad. The dog didn't even eat it.
[00:19:10.540]So, but my parents were so kind
[00:19:12.500]because they were just,
[00:19:14.200]they knew how proud I was and
[00:19:15.870]that I was trying to do a
[00:19:17.240]really kind gesture for the
[00:19:18.920]family. So.
[00:19:20.200]So, so maybe a young person has
[00:19:22.610]baked something,
[00:19:23.980]and forgot an ingredient or
[00:19:26.220]added too much of something, or
[00:19:28.390]an example of a young person
[00:19:29.820]whose
[00:19:30.620]rocket was lost after launch to
[00:19:32.510]off in the tree somewhere and
[00:19:34.260]couldn't be found again.
[00:19:36.020]Rather than abandoning that
[00:19:37.820]experience altogether, we allow
[00:19:40.440]you to demonstrate what they
[00:19:43.160]learned
[00:19:43.820]through that process. So they
[00:19:46.120]can put together a notebook or
[00:19:48.250]a poster that shares some
[00:19:50.050]pictures
[00:19:50.560]and also what they learned from
[00:19:52.190]that experience. And so in that,
[00:19:54.440]we are celebrating the learning
[00:19:56.220]and not just that final product.
[00:20:00.040]And so that is certainly
[00:20:01.650]something we can do because not
[00:20:03.840]everything is going to turn out
[00:20:06.040]perfectly. We are going to have
[00:20:08.410]situations where things just
[00:20:10.740]don't work at all and helping
[00:20:13.380]kids to see the good that can
[00:20:15.890]come from that and that they
[00:20:17.960]actually
[00:20:18.420]gained a lot through that
[00:20:19.700]experience.
[00:20:20.540]That's something that we can
[00:20:21.990]celebrate and do.
[00:20:22.760]That's so neat. That's so neat.
[00:20:25.640]It reminds me too of one of my
[00:20:28.040]colleagues in graduate school.
[00:20:30.080]He was sharing with us before
[00:20:31.890]one of our classes started. And
[00:20:34.030]he said that instead of asking
[00:20:37.930]like
[00:20:38.120]how your day was or how your
[00:20:39.810]week was, his family would say,
[00:20:41.970]what did you fail at this week?
[00:20:44.160]And what
[00:20:45.000]did you learn from it? And I
[00:20:46.530]just thought that was so cool
[00:20:48.080]that they incorporated during
[00:20:49.820]kind of their
[00:20:50.520]family dinner time together.
[00:20:52.740]And just an interesting flip on
[00:20:55.110]that conversational topic and
[00:20:56.520]how
[00:20:56.680]to value learning and value
[00:20:59.340]failures, which can be hard to
[00:21:01.780]do because there's a lot of
[00:21:03.300]feelings that
[00:21:03.800]are tied up with failure
[00:21:05.000]because it can be tied
[00:21:06.080]sometimes to your self-worth.
[00:21:07.960]And so helping
[00:21:09.280]children, helping support
[00:21:11.020]children and learning that
[00:21:12.680]their self-worth isn't tied
[00:21:14.600]necessarily to
[00:21:15.380]their success or failures in
[00:21:17.220]creating these products is so
[00:21:19.140]important for their
[00:21:20.500]well-being. Yeah. I love that.
[00:21:22.660]I love that. You know, bringing
[00:21:25.000]that up as an everyday topic,
[00:21:26.720]you know, what'd you fail at
[00:21:28.470]today or what'd you fail at
[00:21:30.030]this week? And that's okay.
[00:21:32.080]Yeah. It was like celebrated as
[00:21:34.170]a learning opportunity. So
[00:21:36.040]pretty, pretty neat.
[00:21:37.440]So I think we're coming to the
[00:21:39.120]end of our time together. So I
[00:21:41.210]want to ask you if you could
[00:21:43.280]offer
[00:21:43.640]one piece of advice to
[00:21:45.550]educators, volunteers, or
[00:21:48.230]parents about embracing
[00:21:50.480]the process with youth, what
[00:21:52.830]would it be? Yeah, I think it
[00:21:55.590]really goes back to that
[00:21:57.720]celebrating the effort and the
[00:22:00.570]growth and not just that
[00:22:02.470]outcome. So if your child
[00:22:04.820]worked hard
[00:22:05.920]at something, acknowledge that.
[00:22:08.590]Say, hey, I see how much time
[00:22:10.740]and effort and how persistent
[00:22:12.980]you
[00:22:13.540]were with this. I really am
[00:22:15.240]impressed with your dedication.
[00:22:17.360]Yeah. Praise the things that
[00:22:19.200]they can
[00:22:19.820]control. Praise the things that
[00:22:20.020]they can do. Praise the things
[00:22:20.200]that they can do. Praise the
[00:22:20.460]persistence, the creativity,
[00:22:22.670]the courage to try something.
[00:22:24.890]And that kind of feedback is
[00:22:26.680]only going
[00:22:27.200]to build confidence and it's
[00:22:28.530]going to build a growth mindset
[00:22:29.970]for your kids. Which is what we
[00:22:31.980]want for them as an adult. Yeah.
[00:22:34.890]Awesome. If they want to find
[00:22:37.420]out how they can join 4-H or
[00:22:40.420]join 4-H
[00:22:41.360]activities near them, where
[00:22:43.110]would be a good place for them
[00:22:44.900]to look? So for Nebraska 4-H,
[00:22:46.840]they could
[00:22:47.680]look at the website, 4-H.us.
[00:22:50.440]Of course, all of your
[00:22:52.740]communities in Nebraska have an
[00:22:56.020]extension office. So contact
[00:22:59.290]your local
[00:23:00.480]county extension office and we
[00:23:02.300]would be glad to share about
[00:23:03.910]the opportunities that exist
[00:23:05.920]within
[00:23:06.400]4-H for your children. And also
[00:23:08.830]for those children who aren't
[00:23:10.660]in 4-H, sometimes 4-H puts on
[00:23:12.960]events
[00:23:13.580]and activities that are open to
[00:23:15.390]all youth too, not just those
[00:23:17.010]who are 4-H members. So
[00:23:18.530]definitely
[00:23:19.320]reach out to 4-H.us.
[00:23:20.420]Your local extension educator,
[00:23:21.770]because they might be able to
[00:23:22.950]direct you to the next
[00:23:23.900]upcoming event. So I think let's
[00:23:26.140]end on a note of excitement.
[00:23:28.180]What's an event that's coming
[00:23:30.360]up in
[00:23:30.760]June, Ann, that you're excited
[00:23:32.540]for that you think is going to
[00:23:34.100]really help teach kids about
[00:23:36.140]the
[00:23:36.400]learning process in 4-H here in
[00:23:38.080]Seward County? Oh, very good.
[00:23:40.370]So on June 10th, we have a 4-H
[00:23:43.880]day camp here in Seward County.
[00:23:46.880]And so that is for youth
[00:23:48.910]between the age of five and six.
[00:23:50.400]That's right. So that's for
[00:23:51.450]youth between the ages of five
[00:23:52.520]and nine years old. And the
[00:23:54.090]great thing
[00:23:54.480]about that program, it is our
[00:23:56.550]teen leadership group that is
[00:23:58.630]leading it. So we have learning
[00:24:01.080]happening on both sides of it.
[00:24:03.260]So for both our teens and also
[00:24:05.190]for our young people coming to
[00:24:07.320]the camp. That sounds so neat.
[00:24:09.310]I'm so excited to see that
[00:24:11.110]event in action. So thank you
[00:24:13.410]for
[00:24:13.700]sharing your expertise on the
[00:24:15.930]importance of valuing the
[00:24:17.890]process over the product.
[00:24:20.380]And youth development and child
[00:24:21.570]development. Thanks for being
[00:24:22.810]here today, Ann.
[00:24:23.620]Thanks, Emily. I enjoyed being
[00:24:25.210]here.
[00:24:25.620]This has been another episode
[00:24:28.280]of The Good Life in Early Life,
[00:24:30.840]a Nebraska Extension early
[00:24:32.320]childhood
[00:24:32.660]production with your host,
[00:24:33.930]Emily Manning. For more
[00:24:35.130]information on early childhood,
[00:24:36.760]check out
[00:24:37.320]our website at child.unl.edu.
[00:24:39.270]If you like the show, subscribe
[00:24:40.930]and tell your friends to listen.
[00:24:42.860]The show production team is
[00:24:44.460]Emily Manning, Dr. Holly Hatton,
[00:24:46.850]Erin Kampbell, Ingrid Lindal,
[00:24:48.740]Linda Reddish, Kim Wellsandt,
[00:24:50.360]LaDonna Werth,
[00:24:50.360]and Katie Krause.
[00:24:52.400]See you next time. And thanks
[00:24:53.940]for listening.

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S2E16: 4-H: Nurturing the Process and Building Lifelong Learners

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