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Plant Connections Leader's Guide—Introduction1

Janice Easton and Deborah J. Glauer 2

The Florida 4-H Plant Science curriculum, a part of the Environmental Education and Science, Engineering and Technology Programs, includes the basic premise that plants are important in children's lives. The 4-H Plant Science program provides an opportunity for young people to practice a variety of life skills while learning subject matter.

Plant Connections is designed to help 9-11 year old children in grades 3 through 5 understand the role plants play in our lives and how to grow and care for them. To the informed Florida citizen, it is not surprising that plant science commands a priority within the total Florida 4-H education curriculum. An investment in young people's knowledge, understanding and attitudes about plants within our environments cannot be ignored now or in the future. Likewise, the Horticulture Industry is a large part of the Florida economy in which youth can explore and learn about the science behind the plant industry.

Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) is a national mission mandate of 4-H in which young people are learning the skills and knowledge of science through projects and programs, like Plant Connections. This curriculum provides youth an interface between learning specific plant related subject matter, the processes of science, engineering and today's technology while having fun in group environments that encourage and facilitate life skill development among youth.

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Click here to view the complete Plant Connections Leader's Guide—Introduction document in PDF format.

Click here to view other individual lessons from the Plant Connections Leader's Guide or to view the entire document.

Footnotes

1. This document is 4H357, one of a series of the 4-H Youth Development Program, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date May 1997. Revised January 2015. Reviewed January 2019. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication. For more publications in the 4-H Plant Connections curriculum, go to https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_4h_plant_connections.
2. Originally written by Janice Easton, UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County; and Deborah J. Glauer, UF/IFAS Extension Youth Development Specialist and Plant Science Design Team Leader; additional assistance provided by project assistants Christy Poole and Lynne Schreiber; reviewed and revised by Dr. Sydney Park Brown, associate professor, Environmental Horticulture; Norma Samuel, UF/IFAS Extension urban horticulture agent II, UF/IFAS Extension Marion County; Dr. Paula Davis, UF/IFAS Extension 4-H youth development agent III, UF/IFAS Extension Bay County; and Dr. Joy C. Jordan, associate professor, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences; UF/iFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Publication #4H357

Date: 2/24/2019

    RELATED TOPICS

    • Critical Issue: Youth
    Curriculum
    4-H/Youth

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