Celebrate Lights On with the 4-H STEM Challenge

By Annia Quiroz, Integrated Marketing Manager at National 4-H Council.

Looking for a great way to engage kids in STEM during this year’s Lights On Afterschool? The National 4-H Council's 2024 4-H STEM Challenge, Food for Thought, might be the kit for you and your participants. STEM content in afterschool learning settings can help young people increase their interest in STEM topics, improve relationships, enhance critical thinking skills, and discover career options. The 2024 4-H STEM Challenge Food for Thought kit offers a range of activities designed for individuals or groups and are adaptable for after-school programs, 4-H clubs, classrooms, home use, and more!

Food for Thought is a collection of three engaging activities that equip kids with fundamental knowledge of factors that contribute to Food Security, how people are impacted both globally and locally, and how youth can personally contribute to creating a more food secure community.

• Food Fighters: This collaborative board game gamifies learning about the global food supply chain. Students work together to secure their town's food supply, making strategic decisions and building teamwork skills.
   
• Chew on This: This entrepreneurial challenge encourages students to think critically about food waste reduction. By brainstorming innovative uses for food scraps, students develop problem-solving and design thinking skills.
   
• Know to Grow: This hands-on engineering activity introduces students to plant science and controlled environment agriculture. Students design and build efficient growing environments, fostering an understanding of plant cultivation and its role in food security.

The kit is only offered for a limited time so get your kits early to celebrate Lights On Afterschool. Check out our Lights On STEM theme page for more ideas on how to incorporate STEM into your celebrations.