The Monroe and Livingston County Cornell Cooperative Extensions participated in Fit Kids’ Day at the Strong Museum of Play on January 28. The event, presented by the American Dairy Association North East, featured a variety of activities inspiring kids to be fit and healthy.
With the support of Cabot Creamery Cooperative and The Strong Museum of Play, 4-H members from both counties participated in two dairy-themed activities. The goal was to offer youth the chance to showcase their skills in front of an audience, build confidence, and take risks in a supportive environment.
During the Produced in New York Food Demonstrations, participants were asked to prepare a dish that contained at least one cup of a dairy product. Overall, six youth (ages five to 10) created dishes that included yogurt parfait, buffalo chicken wraps, a sharable ice cream sundae, taco dip, grilled cheese, and burritos.
In the “Art”Cuterie Challenge, youth could work singly or with a partner to create a charcuterie-type platter suitable for a party within 30 minutes. 4-H members received a variety of fresh produce and three mystery dairy ingredients. Altogether, 11 youth (ages 10 to 14) participated in the challenge.
CCE Livingston County 4-H Educator Renee Hopkins said, “Individuals and teams took up the challenge with gusto… Themes included Valentine hearts, a vertical display of ‘flowers,’ garden/insects, and 4-H clovers.”
Parent Heather Siler said, “We loved the creativity and independence of this project. The kids love to watch Chopped on TV or the Baking Challenge shows… They were super excited to get to do the real thing. They learned a lot about knife handling and what mixtures are good together in large or small amounts.”
Evaluator Donald Blair added, “All of the youth did an amazing job and to see the creativeness that each of them came up with was so enlightening.”
The Monroe County 4-H Program is offered through Cornell Cooperative Extension to the youth of Monroe County. 4-H is a worldwide youth development program open to all youth aged five to 19, who want to have fun, learn new skills, and explore the world. In return, youth who participate in 4-H find a supportive environment and opportunities for hands-on or “experiential” learning about things that spark their interest.
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