Spaces are limited so register today!

Helpful Information: Workshops held at the Agricultural Resources Center, 1175 South Brady Ave, Newton, unless otherwise noted. Payment is needed to confirm your registration. Refunds are not made unless the workshop is canceled due to weather or low registration. 4-H’ers may use scholarship money to pay for classes of their choice. Summer scholarships are available, email donna_mull@ncsu.edu to for an application. 

Click here to see all the fun classes & register!

Register for $50 worth of classes by May 12th and receive a free 4-H Summer Spark t-shirt!

T-Shirts are also available to be purchased for $15 each. Spaces are limited so register today! Register with the QR code or via this website.

Helpful Information: Workshops are held at the Agricultural Resources Center, 1175 South Brady Ave, Newton, unless otherwise noted. Trips also depart from the Agriculture Resources Center. Payment is needed to confirm your registration. Refunds are not made unless the workshop is cancelled due to weather or low registration. 4-H’ers may use scholarship money to pay for classes of their choice. Summer scholarships are available, email donna_mull@nscu.edu for an application.

Spark Multi-Day Workshops

Park Hop- June 2, July 7, and August 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ages 11 and up. Cost: $25.

Join us throughout the summer at various parks. 4-H’ers will explore, hike, play and enjoy the outdoors. Each day will include a hands-on activity that
focuses on healthy living. Pack a lunch to enjoy at the park.
June 2nd: Rocky Face Park
July 7th: Tuttle State Forest (Bring an extra pair of shoes that can get wet)
August 24th: Lake Norman State Park

Discovery Days- July 28, August 17, and August 22, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ages: 11 and up. Cost: $75.

Come join us on 3 days of fun, discovery, and learning. Each day, youth will enjoy an educational and recreational activity.
July 28th: Linville Cavern and Linville Falls August 17th: Asheboro Zoo
August 22nd: Chimney Rock

Lego League Robotics- June 6-8, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Ages: 8-10. Cost: $10.

Instructors: Kelli and Selah Sigmon.
A team of 4-H volunteers will be leading youth through the Lego Explore Playmakers Challenge in which youth build their ideal healthy outdoor play
space with Legos and coding, while exploring some healthy living concepts. Best of all, the program lets youth build skills in critical thinking, creativity
and teamwork.

Super Seeds- June 5 and June 7, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ages: 6-9. Cost: $20.

Instructors: Kelli and Selah Sigmon.
Explore different ways to grow plants and what they need to survive. Learn about essential bugs in the garden and taste different types of herbs. Paint
your own pot to plant something in and bring home!

Lettuce Learn Gardening- June 8 and June 9, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ages: 10-13. Cost: $20.

Instructors: Kelli and Selah Sigmon.
Join us as we learn about propagation, sprouts and different types of herbs. Then, come along on a field trip to Delta’s Bloomers and learn about
different types of fascinating plants.

Art in the Park-June 16, July 21, August 18, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ages: 6-10. Cost: $25.

Parents must drive, attend, and stay with youth. We will meet at local parks around our area. Youth will create a piece of art to take home. 4-H’ers can spend the rest of the morning exploring the park with parents and friends. Feel free to pack a lunch and enjoy picnicking in the great outdoors.
June 16th: Rocky Face Park
July 21st: Mountain Creek
August 18th: Bakers Mountain Park

Lego Robotics: Sumobots- June 22-23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ages: 10 and up. Cost: $50.

Instructor: Emily and Luke Kanupp.
Learn how to design, build, and program a sumobot that will face off against the other teams’ robots. Two sumobots battle to try and push each other out of the ring. We will have a final competition to determine the champion sumobot.

Wonderful World of Bees- June 26, June 28, and June 30, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ages: 9 and up. Cost $10.

Instructors: Catawba County Beekeepers Association.
Explore the world of bees through hands-on activities such as baking with honey and going on a field trip to see bees! Sew Much Fun- June 29-30, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Ages: 11 and up. Cost: $30. Instructors: Jessica Stamey and Mary Doughty.
Learn how to operate a sewing machine and the basics of sewing. 4-H’ers will work on a sewing project and be able to take it home at the end of this 2 day session.

3D Design: Tinkercad 1-July 18, 1 to 3 p.m., Ages: 9 and up. Cost: $10.

Drop off and pick up at Newton Library. Instructors: Dana and Josiah Florez.
Learn how to use Tinkercad to design 3D objects and see how a 3D printer works.

3D Design: Tinkercad 2- July 19, 1 to 3 p.m., Ages: 9 and up. Cost: $10.

Drop off and pick up at Newton Library. 4-H’er must have completed Tinkercad 1 this summer or last summer to sign up for this class. Instructors: Dana and Josiah Florez. Use your Tinkercad knowledge to design 3D objects and see how a 3D printer works.

Farm to Table- July 11-13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ages: 9 and up. Cost: $65.

Instructors: April Vigardt, Local Foods Agent and Tina McGillvary, FCS Agent.
Begin the day with a visit to a nearby farm and/or farmers market and learn how things grow. Then return to the Extension office for kitchen time. 4-H’ers will learn how to turn farm produce into yummy new recipes.

College Caravan-June 27-29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (approx.).

Drop off and pick up at St. Stephens Library. 9th to 11th graders. Cost $50. Instructor: Holly Ellwanger, Juntos Coordinator. Finding the right college can be a challenge, but also exciting. Join Juntos 4-H for our summer College Caravan. We will learn more about the college selection process and tour a few schools while we are at it.

Exploring the World of Robotics- June 27-28, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Ages: 7 to 10. Cost: $20.

Instructor: Emily and Luke Kanupp.
This would be a great starter class for robotics. Build and program different robots through the WeDo 2.0 Lego Robotics kits. Then, learn the basics of robotics and coding by programming Dot and Dash. Dot and Dash are robots that can respond to voices, have different sensors, and can move around and navigate objects as well as a ton of other features!

BBQ Boot Camp: Introduction to Grilling 101-July 26-27, 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ages: 9 to 14. Cost: $60.

Instructors: Alexander County 4-H.
BBQ Bootcamp is an evidence-based, interactive, youth program designed to promote food science, food safety, meat science, and food preparation in
a way to make your youth confident about practicing these skills. We will use hands-on activities and group facilitated learning to teach youth about the science behind meat preparation, in a fun and memorable way. Youth will learn about retail cuts of beef and how to prepare them, how to prevent food borne illness, grilling safety, proper cooking temperature and using a food thermometer, proper hand washing and so much more.

Animal Science- August 1-3, 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ages: 10 and up. Cost: $50.

Join us as we explore and learn about animals. We will visit farms and facilities around our area which will highlight different animals and learn
different animal science topics, We will observe, dissect a cow’s eyeball, interact, and learn together.

My World, Our World-August 8-10, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ages: 11 and up. Cost: $50.

We will take a trip to Raleigh on August 10th; class hours will be extended to accommodate travel time.
Instructors: Linda Cooper, Lisa Ortiz.
Youth will learn specific information regarding their geographic location and discover their place on the map. 4-H’ers will be exposed to different
nationalities, cultures, customs, and become more globally aware. We will create crafts, eat food, play games, travel to a planetarium, visit Centro
Latino, and explore our state capital, Raleigh.

Mini Society- Every Friday August 4th to October 13th, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. during the summer months, then will be adjusted to after school hours.Ages: 9 to 13. Cost: $50.

Instructor: Donna Mull, 4-H Agent.
Youth will create their own Mini-Society. You will have the chance to name your town, create a system for earning money, design your money, apply for jobs, and maybe even be mayor. Learn economic and business basics as you create a business and buy and sell with other Mini Society citizens (no outside selling allowed). The series ends with an auction and Youth-Only Market designed by mini-society participants.

Spark Day Workshops

Explore Watercolors- July 20, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ages: 12 to 15. Cost: $15.

Instructor: Mary Doughty.
Learn the basics of watercolors in this 2 hour class. Youth will explore how to manipulate colors and create beautiful works of art.

Horsin’ Around-August 14 OR August 16, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ages 6 to 12. Cost: $15. Class will take place at Sunset Ridge Barn, Mt. View.

Instructor: Catawba Equestrian 4-H Club.
Enjoy a morning of lots of different horse and animal science activities, as you learn about opportunities available through the 4-H Horse Club and NC 4-H horse program. Meet the barn horses and their teen owners, who will guide the learning activities for the day.

Magical Creatures and How to Draw Them- July 6, 1 to 4 p.m., Ages: 12 to 18. Cost $15.

Instructor: Kylee Carpenter.
Learn how to use colored pencils to bring your magical creatures to life. You will learn how to draw details and apply them to your future creations.
Class requires creative minds, patience, and intermediate drawing skills.

Summer STEM Exploration- August 15, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ages: 6-10. Cost $15.

Instructor: Lisa Ortiz, 4-H Program Assistant.
Students will work in groups to design and build summer-themed objects. These summer STEM exploration activities create opportunities for 4-H’ers to use critical thinking skills to solve summer-related problems.

First Aid-July 6, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Ages: 10 and up. Cost: Free.

Instructor: Melanie Sigmon.
Learn the basics of First Aid through hands-on experiences from a Catawba County Paramedic.
Registration

Registration for 4-H Summer Spark is a 2 part process. You will register each youth individually through the google form and all youth must be enrolled in 4-H Online to participate in 4-H Summer Spark. Registration is not confirmed until payment is received. Payment: You may choose to pay online or by check at the Cooperative Extension Office. We will provide the online payment link following your registration.

If you run into an issue with registration, please contact us and we will help you. How to enroll on 4-H Online:

• You will need to create a family profile and add each child under that profile.
• Please add them as a member and not as a participant.
• Choose Catawba County even if you live in another county because we are only able to see Catawba County enrollments.
• When enrolling your child, it will ask you to choose a club, choose “Summer Spark-Member at Large” as the club if you are not affiliated with a specific 4-H Club already.
• Choose a project subject area that relates to your focus in 4-H or choose 4-H

Exploring the Treasures, if you are not affiliated with a club and a more specific project area associated with your summer involvement. Catawba County 4-H offers many fun learning opportunities throughout the year that are economical and life skill building through our various clubs. For a list of clubs visit our website.