Youth Enrichment Offerings
Bring learning to life with Post Rock District’s Youth Enrichment Offerings! Our hands-on, research-based programs give youth meaningful opportunities to explore new ideas, build skills, and connect classroom learning to the world around them.
Designed for Pre-K through 12th grade, our enrichment experiences support educators with engaging activities in areas such as agriculture, food and nutrition, horticulture, STEM, health and wellness, leadership, and career readiness. Programs are designed to complement classroom instruction, support Kansas academic standards and wellness goals, and encourage curiosity, creativity, problem-solving, and positive youth development.
Don't see the topic you're interested in? Reach out! This page contains only a sampling of what Post Rock Extension District has to offer!
Explore our current youth enrichment offerings below, and contact us to schedule a program or discuss an experience tailored to your group.
Students investigate and observe how a seed sprouts and the conditions necessary for germination by engaging in the planting process. Children will learn about the environment needed for a seed to germinate. The lesson includes a hands-on activity where seeds are planted in a cotton ball in each finger of a glove. Once germination has occurred they can plant the seedlings into the garden or indoor container, (based on season). Students will learn that seeds are vital in our lives, without them the plants that produce our food would not exist. This lesson should take 45-50 minutes.
Cassie Thiessen | cthiessen@ksu.edu
High-Speed Handwashing is an interactive lesson on the importance of washing hands. Students learn the proper handwashing technique in a method that saves classroom time and uses less water. This lesson will require a sink that is accessible to all students along with hand soap, paper towels, and a trash can. This lesson should take 30-40 minutes.
Jamie Rathbun | jrathbun@ksu.edu
In this lesson we will all become entomologists for a day while learning about the life of insects! Insects are the most successful group of animals in the world. This is because different species are adapted to many different habitats. In this activity students will learn the basic parts of a bug’s body. The students will be able to interact with real insects to study their wide diversity and characteristics.
Cassie Thiessen | cthiessen@ksu.edu
This engaging program introduces students to where their food comes from and the agriculture that surrounds them. Through an 8-session series, students explore topics including livestock, poultry, dairy, fruits and vegetables, Kansas crops, soil, and more — ending with a fun cheeseburger finale. The program can also be tailored to meet a teacher’s needs, from a custom assortment of topics to one-time learning experiences.
Jenilee Godsey | jenileem@ksu.edu
Seeing Yourself in the Future is designed to help youth develop the confidence, life skills, and real-world skills needed to prepare for their future. Youth explore selfawareness, goal setting, soft skills, digital responsibility, job applications, resumes, professional dress, and interviewing while building skills that support academic, career, and life success. The program is flexible and can be offered as a single lesson, a customized series, or the full 8-lesson experience.
Jenilee Godsey | jenileem@ksu.edu
Pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds are needed to ensure that many plants can produce fruits and seeds to survive. Students will learn about the different parts of a flower, and the interactions and importance of pollinators. Once students have a basic concept of the parts of a flower, they will take part in a hands-on activity working with flowers. Each student will dissect a flower and identify each specific part then describe how it relates to pollination. This can be a one-time program or a series with the next lesson focused on bees and how pollination occurs.
Cassie Thiessen | cthiessen@ksu.edu
Bread in a Bag offers students the opportunity to experience hands-on science and math in a fun learning lab. During this time, students become bakers that learn about where bread ingredients come from and how they interact during cooking to become bread, and then get to bring home a fresh-baked loaf of bread to share with loved ones. 90-120 minutes of instruction time in the morning. Will also need cooperation from school food service personnel for the use of the kitchen to bake bread following the completion of serving lunch.
Jamie Rathbun | jrathbun@ksu.edu
Cattle are truly remarkable! They play a role in maintaining our ecosystem, utilize land that would be otherwise unproductive for humans, provide us with many byproducts that can help our daily lives, and give humans a great source of protein and nutrients. In this session, students will learn about raising cattle, understand the role cattle contribute to the health of our land, and hear about the products we get from cattle.
Blaire Todd | blairet@ksu.edu
Gray for a Day aims to educate youth on the sensory challenges and functional changes that come with age. This simulation experience uses all five senses to help participants develop empathy for how daily routines, simple tasks, and leisure and social activities are affected by age-related sensory decline. Develop skills necessary to interact with someone who may be experiencing such challenges.'
Jamie Rathbun | jrathbun@ksu.edu
Both wild and domestic animals have nutrition requirements for their growth and development. Students will learn about the six essential nutrients and what a typical farm animal eats. The class will prepare a trail mix that simulates a balanced cattle ration. In doing so, students determine the similarities and differences between cattle rations and human diets.
Blaire Todd | blairet@ksu.edu
Spark curiosity, creativity with engaging, hands-on enrichment experiences designed to inspire students. Spark Studio offers a variety of creative and interactive activities that encourage students to explore, build, experiment, problem-solve, and discover new interests. Contact us to find the right activity for your specific classroom need.
Jenilee Godsey | jenileem@ksu.edu
Too Good is an interactive learning experience focused on building life skills to support goal-setting, decisionmaking, emotion management, and effective communication skills in addition to peer pressure refusal, pro-social bonding, and conflict resolution skills. Too Good is a series based program, yet the experience can be adapted to meet your needs.
Nora Rhoades | nrhoades@ksu.edu
This experience is filled with fun and critical thinking activities to boost your confidence as a strengths-focused learner, teammate, club officer, and teen leader. The objectives of each experience will be adapted to meet your needs and personal development goals.
Nora Rhoades | nrhoades@ksu.edu