Thank you to all the activity leaders who took members out this summer for some socially-distant fun!
Members created cool art at the beach…
Learned how to fish at Lafayette Reservoir…
And contributed to scientific knowledge via the citizen science apps iNaturalist and Marine Debris Tracker, while having fun at Huckleberry Preserve and Alameda Beach.
This project will teach young kids about their brain, how it’s structured and where certain senses like smell and sight reside. There will be hands-on activities like “play-doh brain” and “pipe cleaner neurons”. It will be led by 2 UC Berkeley Seniors in Neurobiology, great role models for young people in Science.
AGES: 6-9, min 6 / max 10 kids
DATES: Three 2-hour sessions, one each in February, March and April
LOCATION: TBD
PROJECT FEE: $10-15
Create a fun table setting and enter it at the County Fair! During this project, we’ll brainstorm a theme for your table setting and help you source the materials to make it happen. Favorite book? Movie? Summertime? Whatever you envision, we will try to bring it to life!
In addition, we’ll explore table etiquette around the world. We’ll learn about the Japanese Tea Ceremony from a local tea master and share an Ethiopian dinner.
AGES: 10+, min 3 / max 6 kids
DATES:
LOCATION: TBD
PROJECT FEE: TBD
Learn to sail! No previous knowledge or experience is necessary.
AGES: 11+, 6-9 kids and parents
DATES: (TBD) Attendance at all sessions is required
LOCATIONS: Cal Sailing Club / UC Aquatic Center, Berkeley Marina, South Sailing Basin
PROJECT FEE: approx $25
This project is open to those who participated in “Intro to Sailing” during the 2018-19 program year. We will begin with a roundtable review of what we learned and practiced last year, bringing our record books up to date, and teaming up to prepare a presentation to new 4-H sailors later this Spring. Participants will practice many 4-H Life Skills while helping with coordination, practicing teamwork, building independence and sharing responsibility. On the water, we’ll revisit sailing fundamentals, continue developing beginner / intermediate sailing skills and even have an opportunity to explore another sailing venue.
AGES: prerequisite 2018-19 Intro to Sailing, min 2 / max 5 kids
DATES: TBD in February- April
LOCATIONS: South Sailing Basin, Berkeley Marina (Cal Sailing Club & UC Aquatic Center) and Clipper Cove (Treasure Island Sailing Center)
PROJECT FEE: approx $25
This project is a combination of three things: looking at art, talking about and experimenting with social media, and playing fun games. You don’t have to have a phone or know anything about social media or ancient paper scrolls. The idea is to de-mystify social media and, at the same time, understand its draw by looking at similar things that have been around for ages, as scrolls, for example. You may ask: what do ancient paper scrolls have to do with modern Instagram or Snapchat? Apparently, they share a similar principle of communication. This particular group of Chinese paper scrolls at the BAMPFA collection functions as a common platform for collaboration. A scroll may contain works of several people done over the years: a painting of a landscape done by an artist, a poem describing the painting done by a poet, a commentary on both done by a critic. A pre-modern way of Instagram-ing!
AGES: 10+, min 4 / max 8 kids
DATES:
LOCATIONS: BAMPFA and Project Leader’s House in North Berkeley
PROJECT FEE: None
Ever wanted to understand the basics of silk screen printing? Did you ever want to bring your drawing to life on a t-shirt? Bring your own designs to life and get to experience what it’s like to work in a real silk screen studio. Students will learn the basics of silk screen printing and create their own printed finished tote bag, cards or t-shirts.
AGES: 9+, max 4 kids
DATES:
LOCATION: Project Leader’s House and a Printing Studio (TBD)
PROJECT FEE: $20-25
This project offers an introduction to free-hand cursive writing and elements of intricate collage technique. Project participants will create art pieces using hand lettering and three dimensional collage to make a beautiful hand decorated and framed quotation in a shadow box. 4-H’ers who have taken this project before are welcome to do so again. If desired, finished pieces can be entered in the 2020 Alameda County Fair (historically pieces entered have won 1st place and Best of Class!).
AGES: 10+, 4-8 kids
DATES: Thursdays, 3:45 – 5:45, March 12th, 19th and 26th
LOCATION: EBI Art Room 212
PROJECT FEE: $25 (cash, check or PayPal)
Join the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) on a walk through the property of Los Posadas forest. We will search out the local flora, focusing on trees that define the ecosystems. Plant ID and geolocating using iNaturalist app ( a citizen science app of the CA Academy of Sciences). We will also focus on identifying CA endemic plants, over a dozen rare/endangered species exist in the LP Forest. We will trek to ecosystems unique to the California coast ranges, possible to include the serpentine forest. They say, you protect what you know. There’s a lot to get to know in this wonderful, rare forest that the kids call home for a week each summer.
AGES: All
DATES:
Learn the basics of baking. Across 3 meetings, we will cover different techniques as well as kitchen safety. We will concentrate on one type of baking per session (pies, cakes and cookies).
AGES: 10+, maximum 4 kids
DATES: Sundays, 12:00-3:00 pm
LOCATION: Project Leader’s House in Berkeley
PROJECT FEE: approximately $45
This project will be an intro into the world of clean, renewable energy; specifically, solar. Together we’ll learn more about solar: how it works, what it can accomplish, and the pros and cons of incorporating it into our power systems. Before the end of the project, each member will learn some basic circuitry and create their own solar powered device!
AGES: 4th grade and up, min 6 / max 8 kids
DATES:
LOCATION: EBI or Temescal Library
PROJECT FEE: $20-25
We will go to Albany Bulb to collect rocks during the first meeting. The second meeting the kids will paint on one side of the rocks and write a slogan for 4-H and the Emeryville 4-H website on the other side. The last meeting will be placing the rocks at a park in Berkeley.
AGES: All, min 4, max 8 kids
DATES: Three Saturday afternoons, April 11, April 25, May 9
LOCATION: Albany Bulb, Project Leader’s House, Ohlone Park
PROJECT FEE: None
In this project, we will dive into the world of board games. We will talk about some older games that still hold up now, and why they are still as fun as the first time, as well as newer cooperative games and how they manage to tell a story within the confines of their rules.
AGES: 11+, min 3, max 5 kids
DATES: Feb 16, 29, Mar 22, 1:00-3:30 pm
LOCATION: Project Leader’s House or Victory Point Cafe in Berkeley
PROJECT FEE: $10-15
Love to eat or love to cook? This project is for you! There will be 5 sessions, each focused on a different theme. Our first meeting will be a collaboration with the Ins & Outs of Chickens and the menu will be lemon and herb whole roasted chickens with savory reduction sauce, farro with Spanish soffrito and fresh herbs, broccoli with sultana raisins and toasted almonds and winter salad with chicories, apples, salty-sweet candied pecans, cider vinaigrette and pomegranate seeds. Yum! Future sessions may focus on comfort foods and other themes.
AGES: 10+
DATES: Sundays, 12-3, Jan 12, Feb 2, Mar 8, Apr 5, May 24
LOCATION: Project Leader’s House in Orinda
PROJECT FEE: estimated $25-30
The basics of baking for our younger Cloverbuds. Across 3 meetings, we will cover different techniques as well as kitchen safety. We will concentrate on one type of baking per session (pies, cakes and cookies).
AGES: 5-9, maximum 4 kids
DATES: Sundays, 1:30-4:30 pm
LOCATION: Project Leader’s House in Berkeley
PROJECT FEE: approximately $45
We’ll be doing some fun activities geared especially for our younger members. Possible activities / field trips may include: stable visit at Briones Regional Park, visits to other East Bay Regional Parks, learn about bees at West Oakland Farm Park, volunteer at rabbit rescue, learn about solar energy and make a pizza box oven.
AGES: 5-8, min 4 kids, max 8 kids
DATES: (times TBD)
LOCATION: Various
PROJECT FEE: $25
In this project we will learn how to fold several shapes and we will discover some interesting origami facts together, for example, did you know that NASA spacecraft are designed using origami principles? We will culminate with a group project to be determined- a crane mobile to hang in the senior center? Jumping frogs for kids at Children’s Hospital to play with? We will decide together.
AGES: All ages, min 5 kids, max 12 kids
DATES:
LOCATION: Temescal Branch, Oakland Public Library
PROJECT FEE: $5-10
Create art in public places that will surprise and delight! We will make (and/or perform?!) fun, clever, removable art that we’ll install in spots for people to find in their every day life. Googly eyes on fire hydrants, fairies hidden in flower pots, inspirational notes in trees – we’ll come up with ideas to inspire and put smiles on faces.
AGES: 8-18, min 4 kids, max 8 kids
DATES:
LOCATION: Project Leader’s House in Emeryville
PROJECT FEE: $5
There is a molecule that can break apart atomic bonds, sticks to itself, covers 70% of the Earth, is both an acid and a base, can pass through seemingly solid surfaces, and keeps us alive. This molecule is water! Join this project if you want to learn more about how such a simple substance can achieve all these incredible feats. We’ll talk about the vital role water plays in everyday life and explore chemistry concepts like polarity, pH, and osmosis. There will be plenty of experimenting (with explosions and weirdly-colored liquid) and a citizen science field trip to contribute to the community by taking local water data. We will even break water apart and put it back together again!
AGES: 3rd-7th grade, min 6 kids, max 8 kids
DATES:
LOCATION: EBI, plus field trip
PROJECT FEE: $25-30
Want to do some good in the world – and have fun at the same time? In this project we will identify some problems that need addressing in our communities, and come up with some simple and effective ways to help while combining the action with a treat. This project will meet 3 – 4 times over the course of the school year – for the first meeting we will assemble backpacks with toiletries for homeless, have pizza and brainstorm about what our next Change-maker gathering could be. Sample ideas include: a beach cleanup followed by badminton and sand castles! Help paint a mural! An art party to make cards for hospital patients followed by make your own ice cream sundaes. The sky is the limit, and kids will steer the decision making (with adult guidance) as to what we do.
Be part of this project to help out our community and spark some joy at the same time!
AGES: 9+, min 3 kids, max 10 kids
DATES:
LOCATION: Project Leader’s House in Oakland for October 12th meeting, other locations TBD
PROJECT FEE: $25
Examine your relationship with food by learning about the poultry industry. What do terms like “cage-free”, “organic”, “free-range” and “certified humane” really mean? In this project, we will consider the ethical issues associated with eating meat, visit a local butcher to learn about where they source their meat and how they butcher it, learn to slaughter our own chicken in a “humane” manner, and share the cooked chicken and other food as a group.
AGES: 9+, min 6 kids, max 8 kids
DATES:
LOCATION: Temescal Library, Marin Sun Farms, Saba Live Poultry, Project Leader’s Houses in Berkeley and Orinda
PROJECT FEE: $20
New students will get their chance at a variety of looms such as an Inkle Loom, tapestry loom and 4 shaft looms. Continuing students will have the option to choose which loom they wish to use and create a project of their choice.
AGES: 10+, min 3 kids, max 6 kids
DATES: Sundays, 1:00-3:00
LOCATION: Project Leader’s House in Berkeley
PROJECT FEE: none
The Digital Photography project will meet for six monthly sessions on weekend afternoons at various locations in the 10-15 minute vicinity of EBI. (We could also meet at EBI and go on field trips by foot or car). Each photographer should have access to a digital camera or camera phone for each session, and a way to organize and store photos. We’ll learn about the equipment, then move on to working with light, composition and various skill building projects.
AGES: 11-18, min 4 kids, max 10 kids
DATES:
LOCATION: Various
PROJECT FEE: estimated $30
Introduction to lacemaking: learn the basic stitches of Bob and Lace making, produce two lace pieces
AGES: 8-18
DATES: Saturdays, 1:00-3:00 pm
LOCATION: Lacis Museum near Ashby BART
PROJECT FEE: $20