Families can pick up free, SparkSquad At-Home Activity Kits at Royals. Each kit focuses on a different aspect of cultural heritage and includes materials for creating a project. For instance, the Our Heritage of Clay and Pottery kit describes how people have been creating figurines of people and animals for thousands of years. Participants are invited to create their own clay critters from the materials provided. The kit also provides directions for making pioneer play dough from scratch.
The clay project is just one of a dozen kits that will be distributed through the next couple months as our state’s “stay safe, stay home” directive continues. Unfortunately, the rest of the SparkSquad after-school events and community dinners have been cancelled.
4-H teen leaders have been sorting beads, organizing clay packets, and building “at-home” packets. Upcoming SparkSquad kits include bead projects, sidewalk chalk, jacks, playing cards, bee houses, launchers, spool knitting, seed starters and more.
Thanks to all the people who have been making masks and sharing them with others. For instance, six volunteers have been working with USU Extension to make masks for Wayne County search and rescue. A SparkSquad kit with a link to a tutorial is available at Royals for those interested in making their own mask.
Many volunteers have also been making paracord bracelets. Public servants including active military and first responders use paracord, which gets its name from parachute cord and can hold up to 550 pounds of weight. The bracelet provides 7.5 feet of cord in an emergency. This could be used to secure camouflage nets, build a makeshift shelter, secure heavy objects, or make a sling or split. Make a bracelet using the 4H At Home Challenge Kit.
Or, if you enjoy creating bracelets, participate in the Project Gratitude paracord bracelet project. Not only do these bracelets look cool, they can actually be used to save a life in an emergency situation. The handmade bracelets are included in care packages for our Troops and First Responders because they are both functional and meaningful. USU Extension/4-H is collecting bracelets for use in these care packages. You can contribute as many as you wish.
Check with the USU Extension/4-H for further information. We encourage everyone to check out the Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/usuextensionwaynecounty/ and use #usuextensionwaynecounty and #sparkinghumanities to share your beadwork. The kit fliers will be available at http://facebook.com/sparkinghumanities.
The SparkSquad Sparking Humanities Conversations project is made possible through a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Entrada Institute and Wayne County USU Extension. Contact Annette Lamb for more information about the grant project. – Annette Lamb
Read the article at the Insider website.
