Hosted since 2016, Mission Make-It: The Georgia 4-H Engineering Challenge is a non-competitive engineering event for middle school students. Based on extensive feedback from the Mission Make-It planning committee, I am pleased to share the upcoming timelines related to Mission Make-It:
Upcoming Virtual Engineering Opportunity: The March 27, 2021 MMI event at Rock Eagle 4-H Center is shifting to a virtual experience. On Friday, March 26, the committee will release engineering-related challenges for kids to complete. These asynchronous challenges could be completed in face-to-face settings (spring break, summer programs, etc.) or virtually shared for youth to complete individually. The final challenge will direct 4-H’ers to complete a virtual jigsaw puzzle, advertising the August 21, 2021, Mission Make-It event at Rock Eagle. There is no timeline or expectation for these challenges to be completed. The intent is for youth to participate in engineering challenges and get excited about the August 2021 event. These engineering activities are a great resource for our military partners who are unable to meet with middle school youth.
Georgia 4-H Engineering Challenge Series: Additionally, the committee will release a four-part series of engineering activities (from previous MMI events) for counties to use at their leisure. Each edition includes background information, best practices for teaching engineering practices with youth, career connection information, promotional materials, two engineering lesson plans, and an evaluation. The topics will include survival, the environment, World War One, and space exploration. These activities are awesome for afterschool club meetings or to include in a fun 4-H Science Camp.
August 2021 MMI Event: Finally, we hope you will make plans to attend our face-to-face Mission Make-It on August 21, 2021 at Rock Eagle 4-H Center. This event will be for 6th-8th graders (for the 2021-22 school year), and we will be releasing information, promotional materials, etc. later this spring. With donor support, we do plan to offer this event at a reduced cost. We hope this event early in the new school year can help with the recruitment and retention of middle school youth and provide a high-quality STEM experience. This is a fun way to engage military youth in science and allows youth to venture off base to meet friends from across the state.
The above activities and events are coordinated by an innovative resource committee working to provide high-caliber STEM programming for 4-H youth. The committee is directed by Kasey Bozeman, Extension 4-H Specialist. Please let us know if you are interested in one or all of these programs. It truly sounds like a great way to engage middle school students in STEM.
Mission Make-It Webpage: https://georgia4h.org/programs/focus-areas/agriculture-stem/science-technology-engineering-math/mission-make-it/