The following 4-H Youth Development article printed in the 2021 Spring edition of the Oldham County Extension Newsletter.

Boredom Busters for Young People

As we close in on a year since the virus first entered the state, chances are parents and caregivers are hearing or have heard a lot of “I’m bored.” Here are some ideas to get young people active and engaged with nature during this time of much uncertainty and to help break up the monotony.

• Young people can continue to participate in 4-H by observing the world around them and reporting their findings through Kentucky 4-H Nature Notes. In the project, youth report on things like their location, any wildlife they see, sounds they hear and any other observations. Information about the program is available online: 4-h.ca.uky.edu/files/kynaturenotes2020.pdf.
• Go on an alphabet or color nature hike and try to find an item in nature that begins with each letter of the alphabet or certain colors.
• Make bird suet. Suet is an easy way to provide food for overwintering birds and attract them to your backyard. The National Audubon Society describes how to make your own suet using common household items at www.audubon.org/news/make-your-own-suet.
• After making suet, try to identify the birds that come to your feeder. Project Feeder Watch offers free posters to help you identify backyard birds, found online at feederwatch.org/learn/identifying-birds/#download-feederwatch-posters.
• Take a virtual field trip to Kentucky farms: www.teachkyag.org/kyfarmsfeedme.
• Evergreens provide several opportunities to help young people connect with and better understand their environment. Collect pinecones, and look up through the evergreen branches to see how the trees provide shelter for animals.

Written by Ashley Osborne, 4-H Youth Development Specialist.