Fifth grade students at Upper Scioto Valley recently completed the 4-H Your Feelings Matter program. 

The program was let by OSU Extension Educators, Amanda Raines and Jami Dellifield, who co-authored the new project book on mental health and feelings. This curriculum is available for 4-H members to complete through their community club or can be adapted for classroom use.

USV students participated in three days of activities that covered naming your feelings, learning your temperament, understanding reactions, using words, being a good friend and being resilient. Youth gained skills for talking about their emotions with others and developing resilience. In the final activity of the program, youth made their own meditation jars and learned how to use them for calming down and focusing. 

This is the first time Your Feelings Matter has been taught in a Hardin County classroom, but Raines and Dellifield hope to expand the program to all five county schools in the 2023-2024 school year. 

The program covers educational standards from the National Health Education Standard (NHES) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Life skills taught in the program include critical thinking, communication strategies, resolving conflict and improving personal wellbeing.