By Mark Light
Did you know that 4-H is more than just livestock?  

Hardin County 4-H offers over 25 different STEM projects you can take to the Hardin County fair.  Explore our 2021 Family Guide for a complete list of projects by clicking here.

Each year National 4-H launches a 4-H STEM Challenge.  This year the 2020 4‑H STEM Challenge will allow youth to explore sending a mission to Mars with the activity, Mars Base Camp.

Developed by Google and Virginia 4-H, Mars Base Camp is a collection of activities that teach kids ages 8-13 STEM skills like mechanical engineering, physics, computer science, and agriculture. 

We have heard a lot about the Mars Rover, Perseverance, that was launched on July 30, 2020, and is set to land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. The 4-H STEM Challenge will help youth explore more aspects of going to Mars and connect the with this exciting real-life event. 

The challenge activities will cover many aspects of a mission – landing on Mars, exploring the surface of the planet and supporting human life. Kids will learn concepts ranging from computer science to geology, space agriculture, and more.

Normally we offer the 4-H STEM Challenge in all Hardin County schools. This year we are offering two ways participate.

• The first is to pick up your Mars Base Camp kit at the OSU Extension office.   With your kit, you can participate as a family with many hands-on activities.  Everything you need to participate will be included in your family kit.  

There 30 kits are available to youth in Hardin County, one per family, while supplies last. To reserve a kit for your child or grandchild, please email Mark Light at [email protected] or call 419-767-6042.  

• The second way to participate is by discovering our 4-H Computer Science online activities.  These activities are listed on the Ohio 4-H page at http://go.osu.edu/marsbasecamp. When astronauts travel to space, they communicate every day with mission control about what they see and learn.

This is your opportunity to imagine that you are the first human explorer on Mars. Think about the things you might discover and the questions your friends or family might ask about your mission. Code your discovery in Scratch and share your animated story about something exciting you have discovered on the surface of Mars.

While we would like to be doing these activities in person with our youth in schools, we are trying to keep everyone safe. We want to do our part to stop the spread of the virus.  Hardin County 4- H is glad that Google has sponsored these kits so that our youth can still explore Mars from the comfort of their own homes.