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.
Our Extension professionals bring the learning directly to your classroom or group through interactive activities, demonstrations, experiments, discussions, and real-world experiences. Offerings can range from a single lesson to a series of experiences and may be adapted to meet the needs, interests, and age level of your students.
Best of all, our classroom enrichment programs are offered at no cost. Whether you are looking for a ready-to-go lesson or want to explore a customized experience, we are excited to partner with educators and community leaders throughout the Post Rock District.
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
Students are introduced to the crops grown in North Central Kansas and how they are used. The program will also provide visual demonstrations of the actual grain and plants (if in season) so the students can easily identify the different crops. In addition, the program will show different food products along with how grains are used. An art project or activity game will also be included with the presentation depending on the age level.
Sandra Wick swick@ksu.edu
Hands-on Adventure Lab makes science and engineering engaging and meaningful in the lives of young people. These engaging experiences are adapted to meet your needs and topic interests.
Nora Rhoades nrhoades@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
This experience is filled with fun and critical thinking activities to boost your confidence as a leader. The objectives of each program will be adapted to meet your needs and personal development goals.
Nora Rhoades nrhoades@ksu.edu
In a busy world, time together often gets lost in the shuffle of daily activities, making it crucial to prioritize quality bonding. Building strong relationships, whether with family, friends, or partners, requires intentional moments of connection. In this activity, students will focus on a character development skill while using board games as a tool to practice this skill.
Emma Meyer ermeyer@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
This engaging school program teaches students how to make wise financial decisions by understanding the difference between needs and wants. Through interactive activities and real-life examples, students learn practical strategies for saving money, budgeting, and making informed spending choices. The goal is to build strong money habits that will last a lifetime.
Emma Meyer ermeyer@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
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
Too Good is an interactive learning experience focused on building life skills to support goal-setting, decision making, 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
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
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