The daycare center where I have been teaching LEAP is a really interesting set up. I go to the preschool/3 and 4 year old room. The center is part of what is called the Scholar House of Paducah and is affiliated with West Kentucky Community and Technical College. It is a sort of program where parents (mostly younger, single parents) can attend classes at the college, live in their housing for cheaper rates than most local rent, and have very good childcare provided while they work, go to class, or have study time. The program is setup to help parents who have a desire to go back to school to improve their education and/or circumstances for themselves and their children will be able to have the means to do so that they may not otherwise be able to obtain. The whole facility is very nice and well kept, and the staff and teachers really believe in what they are doing. I have been very glad to be exposed to it and understand the program a little better. On top of that, I get to hang out with super cute kiddos for an hour every Wednesday!
I only have one more week at Farley Elementary's summer program, and it is probably the one I will be the saddest to stop going to. They were the first group I went to by myself and the ones I will have been with for the longest. I can tell a lot of the kids have really taken in what I have told them, and it is really refreshing. Kids seems to be a lot more open to what you have to say than adults a lot of the time. They also seem more willing to change their eating habits, have better manners, etc. It will be fun to start planning my last activity there. I hope to do something that they will really remember!
I went to the Farmer's Market again with the MasterFood volunteers in Paducah on July 5th. We seemed much more busy this time, most likely because of the holiday. We were out of samples much quicker than the last time I worked at the market. This is one of my favorite activities because I feel like it really helps advertise extension to the public a little more. You hand out samples and maybe give away a few incentives and people generally ask what else the extension office does and what they have to offer. We used some PlateItUp recipes: Zippy Corn Chowder, Herbed Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, and Cucumber, Corn, and Bean Salsa. I spent two hours chopping up all of the ingredients for the salsa, but it was well worth and all of the recipes were very tasty!
This past week, I had the privilege of spending a few days in Marshall County at the American Girl Doll camp. It was so much fun! Personally, I never had American Girl Dolls growing up and was vaguely familiar with a few of the stories of the older dolls. At this camp, 24 little girls came for each session (morning and afternoon, 48 total girls) and were able to learn about the history of the "doll of the day," hear her story, see why she was important. and make cultural collections. There were snacks and crafts that went along with each doll as well. I think this camp has been a very important learning experience for the girls that attended. The leader of the camp was a woman who had five granddaughters with a love for American Girl and whom was very familiar with the backgrounds of each doll. She was also a retired teacher who was a very effective storyteller and artist. She did a great job explaining the history of the dolls during story time and how it related to our current culture. The histories examined included an African American escaped slave, a pioneer, a girl going through the Great Depression, and a Russian immigrant, just to name a few. Along with the historic stories came lessons in diversity, learning new words, and honing in on important points that the girls may or may not have already learned in school. I was so glad for the opportunity to attend part of this camp and see how well it was received. The FCS agent for Marshall County has had agents from FIVE other counties contact her to request a curriculum for this camp. The demand became so high that she decided to create a curriculum herself! I think it is great that working together between counties is so easy in Extension and that everyone seems so willing to help each other out.
I will be on vacation next week and after that will have only four weeks of my internship left. In some ways I feel like I just started and can't believe I've already completed 8 weeks, but in others I feel like I am more confident and comfortable with extension now. In particular, I need to learn and remember to take more and better pictures! There is still so much I need and want to learn about it, but I am glad for the experience and knowledge I have gained so far.
Devin Edwards, Food and Nutrition
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